Colorblind

by Siera Maley

I shifted my phone to my other ear as she bit down on another carrot. Then, before I could stop myself, I declared, “You’re gay.” The crunching stopped. There was a short pause. And then, “Was that a question?” “I’m sorry.” “For… pointing out the obvious?” “I don’t think it was obvious,” I half-lied. “Sure it was. I’ve always wanted to live in San Francisco, and I wore a rainbow bracelet the other day.” “The true reason you moved here comes out,” I joked, trying to ease some of the tension. She ran with it, mercifully. “Ah, yes. I definitely got my parents to pack up and relocate just so I could pick up girls more easily. The new puppy is also a ploy. It reels them in, you see?” “Makes sense.” I nodded and smiled, though she couldn’t see it. There was another pause, and then she cleared her throat. “Alright. Well I was just bored, so I thought I’d call my new friend. We are still on for laser tag tomorrow, right?” “If you really want to.” She groaned. “Oh my God, I do! I knew I shouldn’t have worn pink on our walk. I’m totally a dork, I swear. I mean, I’ve never shot a laser gun before, but I’ll learn. Do you want to invite your other ‘friend’?” My gut reaction was to say no. I didn’t want Robbie there. But I also realized, deep down, why I didn’t want Robbie there, and so I agreed. “Sure. I’ll text him about it.” “Cool. Pick me up at two, right?” “Right.” “And my little dog, too,” she croaked. “Not really though. I was just quoting your movie. Sorry. I’m dumb. Okay, bye.”