Oh was correct. It was weird to think about. That Irene had come out. This was big for her. I was just too stunned to believe it for a second.

What was forever in my mind was only a few seconds. Irene was probably scared at my reaction. I was still sitting in a shocked trance.

“Wendy?”

Irene's voice brought me back to earth, back to the moment. “Huh. Sorry. Wow. Irene.” I stood up, baffled and chuckling. I couldn't hide my reaction. I was still shocked at her sudden confession. Irene got up, a bit worried.

Truthfully, I was ecstatic. It just took a bit for it to hit me. “Oh my god, Irene. You came out to your parents…” I slowed a bit, as her words finally began to take full effect and I fully grasped her meaning.

“OH MY GOD YOU CAME OUT TO YOUR PARENTS!” I screamed.  I jump-hugged Irene, who was a bit surprised at my sudden attack. “CONGRATULATIONS!”

She didn't hug me at first, but did so eventually. I didn't care. Irene took a huge step. She had broken out of her once hard shell. I could barely express my happiness.

We spun a bit from the momentum of my jump. I squeezed her. “Oh my god oh my god oh my god Irene! Congrats!” I exclaimed as pulled out of the hug. I pushed my bangs out of my face, baffled. I must have been making a stupid face because Irene was smiling and shyly laughing. “Irene, you did it!” I began to jump up and down howling. Her laugh was sweet and innocent. It was great to hear after what happened.

I had known for a while. We weren't close the beginning of high school. Both of us went on different paths to find who we were as individuals. I had heard rumors. But, I didn't believe them. I didn't believe because I didn't know. I'd known Irene for a while; if she wanted to tell me, then she would. If she didn't, then I didn't care. She would tell me in her own time. I was ok with that.

As high school progressed, the rumors died down. I didn't pay much attention to school gossip because I didn't have time to deal with it. During sophomore and junior year, I was caught up in a lot of extracurriculars outside of school. So, I didn't hang out with my friends from school often. I spent time invested in other things rather than friendship. School work, the extracurriculars, the dreaded science fair, etc. I didn’t care when I should have. It wasn't until last year that an answer came from Irene herself.

After AP testing junior year, I had a lot of free time. My extracurriculars ended right when did, so I was free to do whatever I wanted. I was finally able to hang out with friends during some down time. Irene was there. It was great to see her outside of school hours and school events. You can't beat having childhood friends. The girls were there, Yeri, Joy, and Suelgi. A few of the guys were there too. It was great. We were able to talk freely. We talked about stupid stuff and serious stuff, things that were important to teenagers. When suddenly, gay rights became out topic of interest.

Naturally, Chanyeol lead the conversation. He had actually announced that he was open to anything. Everyone was their own person, so why should he restrict love. Love was love no matter what, more than a bunch of chemicals in your head. It was what the person perceived it as and pursued it as. Everyone practically agreed. In this age, open mindedness was everything. We all gave out little bits, chimed in our thoughts, had a great discussion. I, myself, was a bit confused at the time. I expressed my view on equality, but made no reference to my uality.

Irene was the last to chime in. I remember her words almost perfectly: “All people should be able to love as they please, marry whom they please, choose whom they please. As someone… who...has tried both, it's hard to hide love. Who you are affectionate towards isn't always your choice. Who you are attracted to is who you are attracted to. It's simple.”

I didn't quite get what she meant at the time. The conversation continued, but her words stuck in my head. What did she mean? It wasn't until later that I realized what she meant. Irene was bi and had both male and female partners in the past.

Not only that, but Irene's parents are very religious. Irene, however, is not. It's not like she hated it; she respected her parents and the religion she was raised under. She just isn't as pious as her parents. Irene had had issues with her parents in the past. Her parents restricted her from what she could do because of their religion and Irene didn't like it. But, they were never as bad as what had happened a few months ago.

With her parents in mind, I stopped my jumping celebration. Her parents.

I turned to Irene and looked her in the eyes. I smiled empathetically. Her eyes were more cheerful, relieved. Her body language was more relaxed. The weight of the world was off her shoulders. Those bright brown eyes still watery showed happiness and the tears that would fall would be of joy, no more sadness.

“How did your parents react?”

Irene lightly scoffed, swinging my hand in her’s. She broke eye contact, as if more were to fall and looked at the sky. She avoided my eyes. I tried to follow her’s. I was worried.

“They took it… well enough.” She looked down at our feet, still waving our hands together. “I mean, my dad is mad. My mom is more understanding.” I needed more to understand myself. So I questioned further.

“How did it come up? Did you sit them down or did you do it during conversation?”

“We were sitting at dinner. The week before school started. It was two days before you came over. My dad was talking about church events. He wanted us to attend more than just the weekly services. My mom knew it might be much, but agreed. I hate church and school was going to take up a lot of my time, so I spoke up.” Irene stopped for a second and sniffled. It was cold out. The sun had set and it was dark. The slight breeze was turning into a cold wind. The lamps around us provided little light, but I could see Irene's face perfectly. I could she the hurt in her eyes.

“I told them that I did not want to attend church more than we already did. I told them school was going to take up more of my time. Then, I confessed I wasn’t very religious, that I don't disrespect it but I would not be following it in the future like I did with them. My father was taken aback. He was surprised. He actually seemed a bit mad.” She laughed a little, which worried me, but continued. “My mom didn't seem to care. She knew how hard this year would be so she tried to reason with my dad. He said, ‘No, Irene. Tradition is tradition. This family must value the teachings of our beliefs. I do not understand where you are coming from. Your mother and I taught you to value family and to value tradition.’ My mom tried to calm him, but he began to rant. I couldn't keep my head up. I felt like a child, reprimanded something stupid and petty. Like I was a child. I guess… I guess I snapped because I said it. I screamed above his rant and he stopped. I told them I was bi. I-” Her voice cracked and she began to tear up again. I squeezed her hand in encouragement. Her brown eyes met mine and I gave her a small smile. Letting out a deep breath, she began again.

“They didn't seem to know what to think or say. My mother and father kept glancing at each other and back at me. So, I said it again. My mom broke the silence and accepted it. She was ok with me not attending church from the start. She told me that both of them would support me. My father finally spoke up, saying he was ok with it. But, he still seemed a bit mad. We ended dinner and I thought it would end there but it didn't. The next day my dad came into my room and yelled at me for being bi. He was yelled at me for not honoring tradition and family and family values.” She let go of my hand and began pace around the swings. I could see the hurt in her eyes again. Her parents had always supported her, but then again, they did because she did what she was told. It was hard for her to live under their roof, to live in the closet, to follow their rules. I could only feel bad for her and be there when she needed someone to talk to. Just like j was doing right now.

“He yelled at me for an hour. Then, he gave me a punishment. I was to follow him to church activities and attend them when he said to. I was to never to speak of it again and never to express my atrocity of a uality again. He pushed me back into the closet. After all that happened 2 years ago, I thought I was finally able to be comfortable in my uality.”

We stared at each other. Irene had gone through so much. The hurt. The betrayal. Her parents. Everything must have hurt.

I walked to her and held her hands in mine. “It’s ok, Irene. I'm here for you. You can trust me.” I looked into her eyes, worried about her. A fragile girl had been broken to pieces and I wanted to put her back together. “All of the girls too. You know that we'll be there for you no matter what. You can always barge into my house. My mom loves you, you know that.”

Irene smiled, wiping the tears that started to fall. “Thanks, Wendy.”

“Now, you shouldn't keep me worried like that,” I joked, “you freaked me out.” I softly punched her arm, letting go off her hands. I crossed my arms and pretended to pout.  

“Ya, you shouldn't be so harsh either. I went through a lot, you know.” Irene copied my childish action.

“Touché.”

We both laughed. I missed this. We were such good friends before and things finally seemed like they were coming together. Senior year wouldn't be kicking my as long as I had my friends with me, especially Irene. Her smile seemed to make things better.

Now, I could go on living without worry. I was happy to get things off my chest that had been building up for a while. Irene had opened up to me and that's all that mattered. The night was cold, but I was warm. Here with Irene. The night signaled the coming of our next school break. But more importantly, the rekindling of our friendship. I felt like waited too long. Like I had made her wait too long. I should have approached her sooner, should have gotten to know her better during those years we split. No. I couldn't believe that. Everything was perfect. I had come to her at the right time. We had met at the perfect time, in the perfect place, and to me, with the most perfect girl.

I'm sorry you had to wait, Irene. I promise I won't do it again. You’re my friend and I'm grateful for that.

A/N: Hey guys! Sorry about the weird update schedule. I'll try to keep it more solid. This story keeps me busy, so I really want to keep it going. It has a special place in my heart. I'm grateful to have people like you guys who are interested in my work. Just wait and see what I have next.

Thanks guys!

Cholasaurus219