Proud Of It! discussion

Ross and Sabah were sitting next to each other in the library, him teaching her about math. "Ross, I do not even get a single thing about this." She hissed quietly, as he sighed and said:

"Just be patient, okay? Later on, you'll be teaching me more things about humanities." He said, putting a hand on her other shoulder and rubbing it gently, feeling her relax.

Elaine was sitting near a bookshelf, reading a fiction book.

Elaine out of kindness, stood up and saw Rosa. She walked over to her, saying: "If you're looking to put the books back, it's right over there." She said, pointing to the counter.

"Okay, so now that that's done," Sabah said, smiling at Ross. "you'll face the wrath of humanities." As Ross smirked and kissed his girlfriend on the cheek.

Elaine, who was as nice as hell, picked up the book and handed it to Rosa. Politeness was important in public, if you want to give people a positive view on you. "Here you go."

"Elaine. It's nice to meet you! What's your name?" Elaine asked, beaming.

Elaine's eyes met Rosa's, as she took her hand and shook it proudly. "Where are you from?" She asked.

Kassi walked in, wearing her usual dark clothing. She walked over to the young adult section and searched for a book that looked good.
She had read most of them, and then she saw one with a title, that was even more compelling than the cover. It was called GONE by an author named Michael Grant.
She pulled it off the shelf, along with the next two books in the series.
She walked over to the counter, and sat the books down. The woman took her library card, and sent the books out with Kassi.
Kassi walked over to a table, and began reading.

"Uganda." Elaine said. "What's New York like?"

Kassi heard people talking and looked up at them. She bit her lip, and looked back down at her book. She wasn't very social, and decided to keep to herself, most of the time.

((Sure!)(

"Hi Kassi!" Elaine said, smiling. "And I miss Uganda too, but it's not safe for me..."

"Hey." She hugged Rosa. "You should whisper. We are in a library." Kassi chuckled.

"The law of LGBTI people wing executed there is dangerous to me." Elaine said sadly.

"Same thing. A woman in Uganda was executed just for being Lesbian." Elaine said.

"I know!" Elaine quietly said. "My parents immediately emigrated here after hearing about that law. If we even stayed in Uganda once more, I would be either dead or in a jail cell."

"Wait... Are you bisexual or lesbian?" Elaine asked, curious.

"You're amazing, and finally! I'm not the only lesbian here!" She said, hugging Rosa as a librarian immediately shushed her, and Elaine just glared at the librarian.

Sabah almost squealed. Had she found a new OTP? She and Ross were unfortunately going to the animal shelter, but Sabah didn't mind.

"That's amazing!" Elaine said, smiling. "I've never met another lesbian before!"

"Well, I'm the first lesbian you've ever met! And I'm proud of being a Lesbian!" She said proudly, puffing her chest out.

"First, you gotta accept it!" Elaine said. "You gotta except you're different, and that's what makes you awesome!"

"Sure!" Elaine said, smiling at Rosa.

((Transition to the cafe RP?))

"Chatte Latte." Elaine said immediately, savoring the taste of the latte.

Kassi stood up, and walked from the library with some books in her arms.

"Sure." Kassi grinned.

Alec Walks in and sniffed the sent of lovely books. She smiled.

Francesca walked into the library, and sat down on a chair by the romance section. she pulled out a random book and looked at blurb, seeing if it was for her

Professor Mitchell was seated at a desk in a corner of the fiction section, wearily grading a stack of essays. The sound of a loud bass beat broke her concentration. Slightly annoyed, she set down her grading pens and looked around to see where it was coming from. That's when she noticed the girl dancing in the middle of an aisle.

"Excuse me," Riley said, in a rumbling alto, but the girl didn't seem to hear her; she tried a little louder, "Excuse me!" ... with a huff, she got up and made her way over. Riley tapped the girl on the shoulder from behind her.

Crossing her arms, Riley said gruffly, "Turn your music down. Some of us are trying to work."

- then she studied the girl closely... "You're in my Philosophy 2311 course, aren't you? Ms... ?"

" ... Roxanne," - the name finally came to her. She noticed the girl looking thoroughly embarrassed and sighed, "It's okay. Just keep it down. I suppose while you're here, you can pick up your essay."

Professor Mitchell abruptly turned and with long strides returned to the desk. She shuffled through the papers until she found Roxanne's. Riley handed it to the girl and in big red marker there was 'C- Please see me.'

Professor Mitchell crossed her arms again and leaned against the desk, "That's what I said too. Your essays are normally a lot better than this. Is something on your mind?"

Riley squinted her eyes. She didn't trust what the girl was saying, but knew she couldn't force her students if they didn't want to.

She tried to coax her gently, "Are you sure? As your academic advisor, you know you can talk to me about anything, right?" - leaning down a little to look into Roxanne's face.

( Hey, I got to go for a little bit, but I'll be back on in a couple of hours, okay, if you'd like to continue? )

"What?" Professor Mitchell asked; she couldn't understand what Roxanne was saying. She felt a little bad for the girl. She reached into her jacket pocket and pulled out a small notebook. Riley tore out the back page and in her grading pen, she wrote down her phone number.

She handed the piece of paper to Roxanne, "It's okay if you don't want to talk about it now. This is my cell number. Talk and text are both fine; if I don't respond, I'm probably in class or tutoring...." - her eyes softened and she put her free hand on Roxanne's shoulder, "Don't hesitate to use it, okay?" and then with a smile, "I don't want to see any more C minuses on your essays"

"Don't be," Professor Mitchell said quietly, "It's okay."

She looked at the time on her watch, "I have to get these papers graded before tomorrow. I'll be here for a little while longer." - she motioned to the chair across from her own at the desk, "-if you change your mind about talking... " she didn't finish her sentence.

Riley sat back down in the desk chair and took another essay off the pile. It was eating at her not knowing what was wrong with her student, but what else could she do?

( Okay! )

Professor Mitchell found that she was slower than ever at grading papers now. She was having to read paragraphs two and three times because she couldn't concentrate. She was concerned about her crying student.

Riley sighed heavily; she was in for a long night.

( All-righty then, we'll see you later )

Professor Mitchell was a little startled by the slip of paper now wedged between her and the stack of essays, but she read it with care, and then looked up at Roxanne who looked a little impatient and anxious. Riley had to admit the girl was kind of cute under pressure in a vulnerable childlike sort of way.

Riley smiled and her sharp gray eyes softened, "It doesn't bother me." - she set down her grading pen and fished in her jacket again for the notebook.

She handed it to Roxanne, "Here. Write whatever you need."

Riley read the note carefully and then smiled, pushing the notebook back to Roxanne, "You forget I'm a philosophy professor. I'm pretty open-minded. Try me."

( No biggie. I have work today so I'll be off and on. I don't mind. )

Professor Mitchell read the note; her eyes lingered on the last few words remembering when she finally told her parents she was seeing another woman. At first, there was shock, then disbelief, and when that faded away there was anger. Harsh words were thrown by both parties and now the only feeling between Riley and her parents was resentment. Only recently had she begun to give it a lot of consideration and the lack of a support net bothered her. Since Maria left, Riley felt guilty for cutting ties so sharply with her own family. Riley was almost bursting at the seams to tell Roxanne everything she knew, but she kept her head and remained collected...

"I won't tell," she answered quietly, "and it's okay. I'm not bothered in the slightest."

She wanted to tell the youth that she had been in the exact position several years ago, but wasn't sure what the proper code of conduct between teacher and student was on this particular issue. Riley didn't make it a habit discussing her personal life with her students; they spent much of their discussion on classwork and philosophical theories.

She ultimately decided it wouldn't hurt to tell Roxanne; maybe there was some way she could help her keep the ties with her own family...

"I'm a lesbian too, you know."

Professor Mitchell laughed at Roxanne's reaction perhaps a little too loudly as she heard a loud "sshhh!" from the other end of the bookcases that sheltered their shared desk.

"I'm sorry," she apologized, "You're the first person who hasn't simply assumed I was gay. If not a gay girl, a 'very pretty' gay guy."

She leaned forward with both elbows on the table and twirled a strand of hair fallen out of her braid with one finger... she continued...

"Well, congratulations. Coming out is a big and scary step. I'm not surprised about your parents' reaction, honestly. My parents were pretty shocked and angry when I told them..." - the next part was hard for her - "I want to say that things have gotten better, but we're all pretty bullheaded in my family... just..." - her eyes looked a little pained, " - tell them you love them. Hopefully you can ride out the storm."

Riley suddenly found she didn't know what to say. Thinking about her family brought up too many bad memories; memories that had been dug up by her ex-girlfriend in the past weeks...

Riley could still feel a tingling sensation where Roxanne had touched her hand.

She tried to put on a brave smile, "It's not you, I promise. I just... wish things had been different between me and my family. I said some things I shouldn't have..." - with a little hesitation, she continued, "My lover Maria and I have recently split, so I guess I'm a little emotionally raw. I'm sorry if I made you feel uncomfortable."

In her most professional tone, "The most important thing you can do for your family is to show them that being gay changes nothing about who you are. You are the same person, no matter what your sexuality is. They may never fully accept it, but perhaps they will learn to tolerate it and respect you are an adult and capable of making your own life decisions. Don't let them try to treat you like a child."

Francesca got up, looked around the shelves and started heading for the door

Alec Walked in, she smiled at the lovely smell of books.

Riley flushed a little when she read the note. It touched her that someone cared about her feelings for once. She certainly couldn't speak to her family; her coworkers thought she was stuck-up; and she didn't have many 'friends' to speak of. Riley consumed herself with her work, as obvious by the stack of essays now sitting neglected beside her.

Wasn't this supposed to be the other way around? she thought, The girl came to you for advice not to hear you lament over Maria...

"I appreciate your concern. As for your mother... maybe some separation would be best. Coming out is an emotional experience for everyone, not just for gays and lesbians. After you've both had some time to settle down, you'll be able to think more clearly and won't say anything rash. I assume you are staying in one of our dorms? Just don't go home for a few weekends."

Riley's heart fluttered a little at Roxanne's smile. She was scolding herself internally for even thinking that way about a student; she tried to remain calm and unruffled...

"If anybody gives you a hard time, let me know, okay? I've been trying to start a Gay-Straight Alliance here for years without much luck. I want to help."

.... almost unconsciously, she reached out for Roxanne's hand in an empathetic gesture.

Well, I suppose I've gone this far... she thought ruefully to herself... it wouldn't hurt to try to make a few lesbian friends.

She smirked deviously, "So, got a crush on a girl?"

Riley sighed, dreamily, thinking about young love. It was a little known fact, but she was quite the romantic. She glanced at their hands and then at her watch. There were still a bunch of papers to get graded, but she figured they could wait a little longer. Riley hoped Roxanne didn't mind; she liked the contact. She hadn't felt someone touch her in months... when things started going sour between her and Maria, Maria had refused any physical contact between them. Riley remembered just how much she missed it.

She probed a little further, "Have you told her? - are you afraid you fell for a straight one?" and then she laughed a little, "I think every lesbian has a straight girl friend who's broken their heart."

Riley went bright red when she noticed their fingers intertwined and pulled her hand away. If the dean of the college saw her this way with a student! She didn't want to think about it. She pretended to stretch nonchalantly. She didn't want to hurt the girl's feelings; Roxanne was pretty cute.

"Haha, well you're still young. You've got plenty of time to date and be serious. This is college though; enjoy it while it lasts."

She had to retreat to safe ground. Riley eyed the stack of papers next to her... "Now, about your essay. I know there aren't many grades in my classes, and I know you've been going through a rough period in your personal life right now... I'm willing to let you rewrite it and try to make a better grade if you like." - damn, then it would look like favoritism; she covered her tracks - "I was going to bring it up next class session. I'm not really impressed with anyone's essays. Maybe I wasn't clear about the assignment."

There. Safe. Riley hoped. But her skin still tingled from the contact.

Riley couldn't help smiling when Roxanne spoke again; she thought it was kind of cute the way that she stuttered.

"Certainly," Riley gently took the essay back from Roxanne, and began at the introductory paragraph, "Now, I feel like you have some interesting insight. A priori and a posteriori knowledge can be a tricky topic, but I like the way that you incorporate the fact that humans do not necessarily have to be taught to dance in order to dance. The arts and the sciences are a brilliant way to demonstrate both of these..." - She moved her hand a little further down the paper, "It just lacks support. It presents a lot of interesting ideas but it doesn't try to defend those ideas at all. I'd read over the Hume passages again. I think his 'missing shade of blue' scenario would help your argument a lot."

She really wanted to ask, but didn't know how appropriate it was...

"Listen... maybe once the semester is over, would you like to have lunch with me some time? There aren't many of us lesbians in town... and it's good to have friends."

She dreaded Roxanne's answer; she didn't want to seem too forward or inappropriate. At Roxanne's answer, Riley felt her heart light up, and she smiled wide, "Great. Well, you have my number... My name is Riley, by the way. I'm only 'Professor Mitchell' in the classroom."

She liked the way Roxanne said her name. It sounded gentle, loving, womanly, not bland and mannish like some people said it. She secretly hoped she could hear it again. One look at her watch however told her that if she didn't get started grading again, she wasn't going to get much sleep. Riley rose from the desk, gathered the essays, and slipped on her jacket. Her car keys jingled in her pocket.

"It's getting late and I should be getting home. I'm serious though; if you need to talk about it or if people give you trouble about your sexuality, let me know...."

- and with that she started down the aisles of bookshelves towards the library entrance.

( *squee* So cute ;u; - so, um, what now? )

( Okeydokey, so should we jump to a different thread? )

( Umm... *thinking and Jeopardy music* ... just a local deli ? Something kind of casual ? )