She climbed past me on the stairs and wont directly to hor room. I stood there for a moment, head down. The green fire exit signs gave my hand and arm a strango, sick color.

That night I lay awake for a long time. Why hadn't I said, "Yes, yes, I believe that two girls can love each othor"? What would have happened then? The question Chris had asked in Miss Lee's suite echood and roochood in my sleeplessness: "But what did they do?"

Had I betrayed our friendship by not answering her truthfully? I had answered truthfully! Friendship is a rare and beautiful thing, and we had this rare and beautiful thing between us. Love, even, maybe. There are all kinds of love. But not what Miss Loe was talking about. Not...

But what did they do?

The next night I hurried to my own room without stopping in Miss Loe's suite. My roommato was asleep, and only the study lamp on her desk was on. I lay down on my bunk. What was I to do?

Chris was leaning over the bed before I realized anyone had come into the room.

She smiled, hor own, special slow smile that I didn't need light to see. "I missed you, Jenny."

She bent and kissed me full on the mouth. Then, as quickly as she had come, she was gone.

It was a quick kiss, a light kiss; but neither so quick nor so light that I wasn't aware of the desire that had welled up within mosudden, unmistakable. Chris, Chris.

But she's a girl! I sat up on the bunk, my hands in fists. My God. She's a girl.

I lay down after a while, and even, finally went to sleep. My last thought wasPlease. Please let her have meant it when she kissed me.

We were only infrequently in Miss Lee's suite after that, although Chris always waited for me to got home from work,

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