Chapter 72

Daisy felt ready to deal with rumors. She pictured herself walking down the hallway, hand in hand with Riva Corley. It was a nice vision, but now that she and Riva had kissed, the idea didn’t feel the way it used to. Now she knew Riva wasn’t perfect, and that being with her wouldn’t magically resolve Daisy’s problems. Kissing her wouldn’t teach Daisy how to be a lesbian. Riva Corley had stopped being a fantasy for Daisy. She’d become a real person.

In telling the truth to her, Daisy had discovered that she was a lesbian whether or not she kissed Riva Corley. She always had been—there was no particular act she needed to do to make that real. She’d felt for so long that she didn’t know how to be herself, but that wasn’t true at all. She’d been herself when she’d watched I Can’t Think Straightover and over. She’d been herself when she’d come out to Jo, but also when she hadn’t.