Zeke immediately became defensive. "Works for me."
"Yeah, it does," Ash agreed. "Top lid's just smokey enough to make your eyes pop."
Zeke looked at Faith as if confused, but she was grinning. "He's a fashion designer and used to be a model. Violet still is. Hey, where's Cy?"
"Coming back up from turning hay," Ash replied. "That's why I'm here. Waiting for my boyfriend to get back."
Faith looked at him and grinned. "See, told ya, Zeke."
"You're gay?" Zeke asked.
"Bi," Ash told him. "Cy's pansexual. Violet's straight, though."
"Thanks, Ash," I teased. "Outing me without my permission."
"I'm gay," Zeke blurted out.
Ash wagged a finger at him. "The eyeliner and rainbow bracelet gave you away." But the smile on his face made it clear he wasn't complaining.
"I kinda heard about you at church," Zeke said, "which is how I ended up talking to Faith, and she said it's true, but I wasn't sure. I mean, she's cool too."
"Faith," Luke said, grabbing her shoulder gently. "You need to go change if you're going to ride. I promise I will not let anyone eat Zeke."
"Ok. I'll be right back, Zeke," she said. "And they're all cool. Promise. Even my dad."
The boy watched her go, looking a little nervous, but then he moved to lean against the stall the same way Ash was. "I've never been around horses, but Faith said it's cool."
"They're huge," Ash warned him.
"You ever gonna come riding with me?" Luke asked, the question for Ash.
"Eventually," Ash promised. "But I'm going to need a lesson, cowboy. Unlike Violet, most of us only know how to hang on and that's about it."
"I'll teach you," Luke assured him as he headed for the workbench.
"Mom said I should be careful if I came over," Zeke blurted out.
"With the horses?" I asked.
He licked his lips quickly, then shook his head. "No. With being gay. She said a lot of people, even adults, don't like it much."
"She's not wrong," Ash admitted. "I got beat up for being in the wrong place not too long ago. There's a lot of people who are scared of what they don't understand."
"Why isn't Faith?" he asked. "She's the only person in school who talks to me, so is it because you're like related to her or something?"
"No," Ash said. "I'm just Violet's best friend. No relation. Faith's just a good ally. You know what that is yet?"
Zeke nodded. "I have the internet."
"Good," Ash said, pausing as the sound of the tractor got closer. "When I was your age, I had Violet. A lot of girls accept it easier than boys because they have nothing to lose. Guys are scared because they don't know how to act, and most of them think hitting is the easiest answer."
"Kinda why I get in so many fights," Zeke admitted. "They call me a fag, and if I ignore it, then it gets worse."
"What's the bracelet for?" Ash asked.
Because the boy had a few of them on his wrist. Rubber and leather, mostly, and they were all jumbled up. I hadn't even noticed the rainbow one myself, but I had a feeling Ash had been looking for a sign. The thing was subtle, just a few bands of color separated by black, and none of them really big enough to stand out.
"Mom gave it to me after I told her," he explained. "She said she didn't care, and then told me that's proof that she's ok with it."
