chapter 38: reno has given up

~reno~

       "So," Dad says as he sits down beside me on the couch, "are you going to tell me why you've been so moody the past week?"

       Despite knowing that my dad can read me like a book, I deny his observation. "I haven't."

       Dad snorts. "Right. Did you get into a fight with Weisz?"

       "What would ever make you think that?" I ask.

       "Reno, come on. On any given day, you're with Weisz whenever you're not at school or work. You haven't spend any time with him this week."

       I sigh and rub my forehead. "Yeah, we got into a fight. We, uh... We got banned from going to the school dance because we're a same-sex couple. I thought it wasn't a big deal, but it is to Weisz."

       "What?" Dad asks. "Reno, that absolutely is a big deal. That's disgusting that they would even think of doing that."

       I groaned and leaned back into the couch. "I know, I know. Look, I'm just used to people judging me for whatever reason, so being judged for my sexuality didn't really come as a surprise for me. It annoyed me, sure, but it wasn't a shock."

       "When's the school dance?" Dad asks.

       "Next Friday."

       Dad stands up from the couch and pushes my leg off the coffee table. "Alright, let's go."

       I furrow my eyebrows. "Go where? Because it's Friday and I'm not working, so I would rather stay on the couch and mope. Possibly eat a bunch of ice cream. Maybe order in pizza. Crash on the couch."

       "Nope," Dad says. "There should be a school board meeting happening soon, so we will be going and telling them that you've been banned from the dance."

       I stay where I'm sat on the couch. "Dad, they're just going to turn it against me. I bet you anything that Mrs. Sturgis is going to try to turn it against me and say that it's because I was suspended or something."

       "And I'll fight back saying that many students who have been suspended are still allowed to go to the school dances," Dad says. "Not to mention that you were suspended for skipping, which teenagers do all the time. Reno, you shouldn't let them get away with this, especially if Weisz thinks it's a big deal."

       I know Dad is right, and I do want to fight it. I really do. I just don't have any hope that it's going to work out for me and Weisz in the end. But knowing Dad, he's not going to go down without a fight. If I don't go to the district meeting, I know that he will go without me.

       At least I'll be able to stop Dad from getting too angry, which he had done before. He tries his best to control his anger but sometimes, he can't help it, especially when it comes to me.

       So I get up from the couch. "Fine. Let's go."

       "Don't sound too excited," Dad says.

       "I'm really not."

       Dad and I leave the house to head to the town hall where the school board meetings are always held. We get there a few minutes before the meeting is due to start, and the meeting room has already filled up.

       As Dad and I sit near the back, I spot Weisz and his family sitting a few seats in front of me. He looks around the auditorium and notices me. He does give me a small smile before he faces forward again, so maybe he isn't too mad at me.

       The meeting starts, but the board only goes over stuff that they're planning to change with the district. Nothing important, really. Once they're done with going over everything, they open up the floor for anyone who would like to discuss something.

       Dad is the first to stand up. I grab his arm. "Wait, don't," I say. "I changed my mind." 

       "Okay," Dad says, but he still goes to the front where anyone who needs to talk about something.

       I really hope Dad doesn't get too angry over this. The best way to win is to stay calm, otherwise they'll try to use Dad's anger and say that since I'm his son, it's dangerous for me to be at the dance. It may sound stupid, but I wouldn't put it pass them.

       "Hi, I'm Roger Kinvig," Dad says. "And I would like to discuss the discrimination that my son is facing at Waterfalls Secondary."

       The school board president, Hugo, is the one to speak up. "Mr. Kinvig, I assure you that we take discrimination in our schools very seriously." I snort. Sure.

       "Really?" Dad asks. "Because my son and his boyfriend were banned from going to the school dance simply because they're in a same-sex relationship."

       All the principals of the schools in the district are on the board, so Hugo looks at Mrs. Sturgis. "Is this true?"

       Mrs. Sturgis doesn't even bother hiding the truth. "The dance committee, who have worked extremely hard on making this dance memorable, has voice their concern about feeling uncomfortable with the couple at the dance."

       "So their discomfort is more important than including everyone?" Dad asks. "More important than not being discriminatory."

       "We'll discuss it after the meeting and give you an answer," Hugo says. An answer to what? Whether or not to continue letting the school discriminate against me and Weisz? This is exactly why I didn't want to give my hopes up.

       Dad sits back down beside me and gives me a reassuring smile. I try to smile back, but my hopes are way down.

       Celine is actually next to get up and talk to the council. "Hi, I'm Celine. I am the sister of one of the boys banned from the school dance and I just want to say that you shouldn't cater to the people who feel uncomfortable. I see my brother and his boyfriend in the hallway all the time and they rarely show PDA. No one should feel uncomfortable around them. But I personally feel very uncomfortable around the straight couples who think it's okay to be all over each other in the hallway. Even at school dances, I see couples basically one step away from foreplay, but I don't see them being banned from school dance. So, yeah, ban those couples instead of my brother, who by the way has l--"

       Weisz loudly clears his throat, cutting his sister off. Celine looks at Weisz, who shakes his head.

       Celine looks back at the board. "That's all. Thank you." She walks back and sits down at Weisz. Weisz glares at her.

       Next, Padma gets up to talk. "Hi, I'm Padma. I'm the president of the dance committee, and I just want to say that I absolutely do not approve of that couple being banned from the dance. I didn't even know they were banned until one of their dads brought it up, which proved that the committee went behind my back to complain. The dance should be for everyone who isn't a threat to people, and that couple definitely isn't a threat to anyone. They mind their own business and just enjoy each other's company. And just know that we're in the social media age so if you do choose to continue to ban them, it will be all over social media. You know, just in case you don't want the school or the district to get a bad reputation. Just food for thought."

       Padma sits back down, being the last person to talk about what happened to me and Weisz. Not too many people talk about anything else and once no one goes up to talk, the council says they'll quickly make a decision.

       As much as I didn't want to get my hope up, I am feeling slightly more positive because of the points Celine and Padma made. If anything, I'm just glad Padma wasn't involved in getting me and Weisz banned. Though I shouldn't have assumed she would. She definitely doesn't seem like someone who would discriminate against anyone.

       Soon enough, the board has made a decision. "After some consideration, we have decided to go with the dance committee's wish to keep the couple away from the dance," Hugo says. "They are the ones who planned it and it would be unfair for them to not be able to go to their own dance. Meeting adjourned."

       "What?!" Celine says loudly. "Are you kidding?! Good job behind homophobic assholes."

       "You know what?" Mrs. Sturgis says. "For that language, you're not allowed to go as well."

       "You really think I would want to go after you banned my brother from going?" Celine asks. "Just know that this isn't over."

       "We made our decision," Mrs. Sturgis says.

       "We'll see."

_______________

you tell them celine.

no spoilers but we have one person who is going to make everyone regret banning reno and weisz hehe.