I look down to see Kristen’s face staring up at me in black and white. Her expression is sad. Pensive. Two emotions I have never associated with her.
GRAND LAKE TEEN SPEAKS OUT AGAINST GAY STUDENT ATTACK, the headline boldly proclaims to the immediate right of her perfectly posed headshot. My heart sinks.
“It’s exactly as bad as it looks,” Asha says, flinging herself into the chair across from me. As I read the article, I begin to understand why she sounds so appalled.
Most of the interview’s content is to be expected. Kristen never thought her boyfriend was capable of such violence. Kristen would have thrown herself in front of the car if she knew what they were going to do. Kristen was absolutely devastated when she heard what happened to her friend Noah Beckett (friend? FRIEND?!). Kristen has a gay cousin. (That part is news to me.) Et cetera.
Oh, but here’s the real gem: apparently Kristen cannot believe someone would be so insensitive as to publicly out a gay student.
“Have you seen her posters?” Asha asks.
How could I miss them? They’re all over the school, purple and pink and sky-blue poster boards with the words KRISTEN COURTEAU FOR SNOW PRINCESS written in bright pink marker complete with glitter and intricate paper snowflakes framing copies of her sophomore portrait in the middle. She’s kicked off a campaign run for Winter Formal Snow Princess and given an exclusive interview to the Grand Lake Tribune defending her integrity—by pointing one perfectly manicured accusatory finger straight at me—all in the same week. What excellent timing.
That conniving two-faced bitch. She’d make a wonderful PR person to celebrities someday, spinning scandals into gold.
To top it off, at the very end of the article there’s a mention of Brendon and his formation of the new Gay/Straight Alliance club. It quotes him as saying, “It’s very important to embrace any student interested in these issues. That’s the only way to open minds, by letting them ask tough questions in a safe space.”