As much as talking to Nick and Karl had infuriated me, I was very pleased with myself for coming up with a solution to my transport problem. Not everything got handed to me, after all. Sometimes I had to work things out for myself, using nothing but quick thinking, my excellent people skills, and an extremely convenient coincidence.

  Well, I was still proud.

  I was eager to discuss it with Miel, but when I got to the studio that afternoon, she wasn't there.

  “She said she was researching something, but she wouldn't say what it was,” said Shawnee, “I assume it's an ACORN thing? But then I don't know why she's being so secretive. Wait, turn your head back again.”

  I turned obligingly and Shawnee furrowed her brow as she scratched away at her sketchpad. I kept looking at her through the corner of my eye, adding a few bold lines with my marker.

  “I'm so bad at noses,” Shawnee compined, “I always get Jess to do the nose for me.”

  “This’ll be good for you, babe,” Jess called out, “You need to face your fears. Grab the bull by the horns.”

  “Or by the nose,” Mateus suggested, “That's what they've got those nose rings for.”

  “I'm sure your nose is going to turn out fine,” I said, “My nose, I mean. Your my nose.”

  “Stop talking please, it's making my your nose wiggle,” Shawnee muttered.

  The four of us were in our own little corner of the studio, working on our respective projects. Well, working is maybe generous. Shawnee and I were practicing our portrait skills by drawing each other, and Mateus was teaching Jess some basic wire sculpting techniques. I guess maybe it was work, in a way. In fact, it was even learning. But after weeks of business csses it was hard to wrap my head around the idea that learning could be fun. It was a shame that only applied to frivolous things like art.

  “Is that what those rings are for?” Jess mused, “To lead the bulls around?”

  “City girl,” Mateus ughed, “What else would they be for?”

  “I thought bulls were just dykes,” Jess shrugged, “Y'know? Bull dykes.”

  “I’m pretty sure bulls are male,” I pointed out, eager to impress Mateus with my very unsheltered and worldly knowledge of farm animals. He nodded approvingly as he bent a tangle of wire into shape.

  “Maybe they're trans, Dom,” Jess said smugly, “Ever think of that? You fucking bigot.”

  I blushed and turned my eyes back to my own sketchpad. I had not, in fact, considered that bulls might be trans. Honestly, it was a topic I tried to avoid thinking about. I added a bit more highlight to Shawnee’s cheeks.

  “Anyway, why are you looking for Miel?” Shawnee asked.

  “Oh it's, um…” I hesitated, “it's kind of a, um, secret. But not, like, a personal secret. More of, like, a secret project.”

  Jess sighed, “Kermit's secret project?”

  I looked up sharply. Shawnee hissed, clearly displeased by the new angle I had thrust my nose into.

  “He told you about it?” I said, and immediately felt dumb. Of course he had told Jess and Shawnee and Mateus about it. They were real artists. I was just a dumb rich kid hanging around them to try and pull a stupid scheme. Obviously I would be the st person involved.

  “Yeah,” Jess said, “He mentioned it. Asked if Shawnee and I could be trusted.”

  “Oh, that's so cool!” I said, “I'm so gd you're all involved. Do you know what it is? I'm sure it has to be something incredible.”

  Mateus ughed darkly. I turned to Shawnee, eyes wide. This could be a good chance to get some inside intel that could help me get Kermit in trouble. Also, I was just curious.

  Shawnee gave me a warning look. Uh oh. Could she tell I was fishing?

  “I mean, I'm just gd to be a part of it,” I said quickly, “I think Kermit is so amazing. It's really cool to see someone who cares about using their art to make a positive change in the world. He's not just a great artist, he's a great man.”

  Mateus set down his pliers with a heavy thud.

  “I'm gonna take a break,” he said, and walked off.

  “Oh,” I said quietly as Mateus disappeared behind a row of canvases, “Was he not invited to the project?”

  “Um, kind of,” Shawnee said delicately, “Actually, Jess and I decided not to join in either.”

  I blinked, “Really?”

  Jess ughed, “Yeah, we’re not exactly dying to be part of Kermit’s fucking–”

  “Anyway!” Shawnee said, “I think I nailed your nose. See?”

  She turned her sketchpad around, showing off a very lifelike charcoal drawing of what I would look like if my nose was about an inch higher on my face and also bent really weird.

  “Oh, wow!” I said, “That's so good!”

  “You are too fucking nice, Little Dom,” Jess sighed. She set down her wirework and gave Shawnee a peck on the forehead, “You beefed the nose, babe.”

  “I knew it,” Shawnee said glumly.

  “The rest of it is really good, though,” I said, “I love the shading. I can never get charcoal to make smooth gradients like that.”

  “That's because she's a genius,” Jess said proudly.

  “And because you used charcoal for the first time about a week ago,” Shawnee said, “But also, yes, I am a genius. Thank you Jessica.”

  The two of them made amorous eyes at each other. I waited politely for them to finish eye-fucking. With these two, it could take a while.

  “Ooookay,” Shawnee said eventually, dragging her eyes back to me, “Let's see yours, Dom!”

  I looked down at my portrait of Shawnee, which suddenly looked incredibly amateurish compared to the genuinely impressive realism she had managed.

  “Um, that's okay,” I said, “It’s… I was just practicing, you know.”

  “Boo!” said Shawnee, “I'm sure it's beautiful.”

  “Even if it doesn't compare to the real thing,” Jess sighed.

  “Don't be rude.”

  “Sorry, Dom, I'm sure your drawing is as hot as my girlfriend.”

  “Well, I don't know about that,” I muttered. The two of them looked at me expectantly. I could see in their expressions a familiar blend of ‘we support you’ and ‘so you better not chicken out on us.’ I sighed and showed them my drawing.

  I hadn't been going for realism, okay? It was more of a pop-art impressionist kind of style, inspired by some of the posters I had seen at the rock show. For some reason, the boldness had appealed to me. But I was worried that the thick blocks of color looked more like a child’s drawing than anything truly artistic.

  “Oh, fuck yes,” said Jess, “That is hot.”

  “That looks incredible, Dom!” Shawnee beamed, “It’s so… ruthless.”

  Jess nodded, “Violent. But also… mencholic.”

  “Sharp, but fluid.”

  “Jagged, but healing.”

  “Rich, but agile.”

  “And it’s also so…” Jess searched for the word, then pointed fiercely, “So purple.”

  “Yes!” Shawnee nodded, “I love the purple.”

  “And the yellow,” said Jess, “I never thought of Shawnee as purple and yellow but I see it.”

  I blushed. All the praise – I was pretty sure it was praise, anyway, I was still getting used to artist talk – was a bit overwhelming.

  “Thank you,” I said, “I saw the color combination a while back, somewhere, and I wanted to see if I could make it look. Um. Not ugly.”

  “Well, mission accomplished,” said Jess, "That's a fuckable portrait.”

  “Would I look good in purple?” Shawnee mused

  “Yes!” Jess said, “Oh shit, that's a great idea. I have this purple lipstick, and this yellow eyeshadow… shit, I gotta see you in it.”

  “Oh my god, let's do it!” Shawnee said, “And we gotta show Dom, obviously.”

  “Makeover party!” Jess cpped her hands, the girlish squee in her voice contrasting with her usual intimidating demeanor.

  “Slumber party!” squealed Shawnee, who was a bit more naturally squeeish, “We can do each other's makeup and get high and talk about girls! And boys, for Dom.”

  “Yesss,” Jess grinned, “Dom, you're cool to sleep over tonight, right?”

  I winced. I did like Jess and Shawnee, and it did sound fun, but something about the idea of intruding on their private space felt wrong. Sick. Predatory. I mean, they were in the women's dorms, after all. And they were both women. Who loved women! I didn't belong there. I belonged back in my own dorm.

  With Nick and Karl. And the couch.

  “Absolutely,” I said.

  ****

  “Boo!” Jess and Shawnee screamed.

  I lowered the hanger with my men's pajamas on it, and raised the one with my cute little not-totally-undeniably-feminine sleep set on it

  “Yay!” they cheered.

  I giggled and teetered back and forth for a while.

  “Boo!” “Fuck off!”

  “Yay!” “So cute!”

  “Boo!” “We of course support you if you do genuinely want to wear that but it definitely seems like you would prefer not to!”

  “Yay!” “Stop fucking around already!”

  I had brought two options for my pajamas, in case I was too shy to wear the girlier ones in front of my friends. But I should've known by now that I could trust them. Also, okay, maybe I was a little high by this point.

  The girls covered their eyes demurely while I got changed, then I plopped onto the bed so that Jess could do my makeup.

  Jess had already done Shawnee’s makeup, and sure enough she looked incredible, the bright pops of purple and yellow acting as perfect highlights against the dark brown of her skin. I had been worried it might not work in real life, but Jess expined how she could use lip and eyeliner to create clear cutoffs like in my drawing, rather than letting the colors blur and look bruised. Makeup was a whole art in itself, I realised.

  After a while Shawnee had gotten tired of the two of us gawking over her for so long, and decred that it was now my turn. Now Jess was perched on the bed beside me, running purple lipstick over my lips.

  “This isn't fair,” Shawnee whined, “Why don't I get to do his makeup?”

  “I bought it,” Jess said primly, “And besides, you get too horny when you do it.”

  “No I don't!” Shawnee squeaked, “I mean, okay, yes, when you let me sit on your p while I do your eyeliner like in that one picture… but I wouldn't do that to Dom, okay?”

  I blushed. The thought of Shawnee sitting on my p made me feel a bit more of that sick, predatory feeling. I mean, I had stuff down there that she probably shouldn't be sitting on. Sure, it was all tucked away, and I was gay anyway, but still… it was icky.

  “I'm not risking it,” Jess announced, “Dom, you might be a boy, but you are far too pretty for me to let my girlfriend py with your lips.”

  “Um,” I was suddenly keen to change the topic, “Why did you decide not to help Kermit with his secret thing?”

  “Ugh,” Jess frowned as she dusted shimmering yellow eyeshadow above my eyes, “Kermit can be…”

  “Challenging,” Shawnee offered.

  “...a real dick,” Jess finished, “You can ask Mateus if you don't believe me.”

  “You probably shouldn't, though,” said Shawnee, “It's a sensitive subject.”

  “Did something happen between them?” I asked.

  “They used to date,” Jess said, “And it didn't end great. I dunno, it's not really our pce to talk about it.”

  I almost nodded but Jess grabbed me by the chin so I wouldn't disturb the thin lines of white eyeliner she was tracing around my eyes.

  “Kermit has a lot of big ideas, and he's very talented,” said Shawnee, “But I think sometimes he doesn't always consider how his actions affect other people.”

  “I know a couple of guys like that,” I muttered, “My stupid roommate and his stupid boyfriend are making it impossible for me to get any sleep.”

  “Oof,” Jess winced, “They fucking?”

  “God, thankfully not so far,” I said, “But it's gonna be a relief to finally have a night where I don't have to listen to people making out all night long.”

  “Oh,” Shawnee said.

  “It's okay,” Jess reassured her.

  “Hmm.”

  “No, shoot, sorry!” I said quickly, “I mean obviously you two can do whatever you want in your own room! It's totally different. Nick and Karl are just a couple of dumb horny guys. You two are, like, two amazing beautiful people in love.”

  “Oh!” Shawnee gasped.

  “Uhh…” Jess gnced at her nervously.

  “Did I say something wrong?” I winced.

  “No, I mean, um, well,” Shawnee stammered, “I mean, we haven't exactly, um, said that, exactly, yet.”

  Oh, shit. So that was a yes. Yes, I very much had said something wrong.

  “I mean…” Jess set her makeup down and looked at her girlfriend anxiously, “Are we? In love?”

  I could hear the tension in her voice. It was almost as high as the tension I was feeling in my own stomach. I’d better not have just broken up my friends. Besides the fact that they were both lovely people, and a great couple, that would make the sleepover very awkward.

  “I've never been in love before,” Shawnee said slowly, “So… I'm not really sure what it's supposed to feel like…”

  I eyed the door, preparing to make a break for it.

  “But…” she smiled shyly, “I want to be with you for the rest of my life, and sleep next to you every night, and kiss you every morning…”

  Jess grinned and stood up, “I want to be with you forever too, and keep making cool shit together, and grow old and be cool old lesbians together.”

  I smiled and nestled back into the bed as the two girls embraced each other in the middle of the room.

  “It feels pretty safe to say we’re in love, I think,” Shawnee said.

  “We’re so in love,” Jess beamed, and the two of them kissed. I wanted to appud, but I stayed quiet so I wouldn't spoil the moment. But then they kept kissing, for a really long time, and then they started feeling each other up, and eventually I did have to remind them that I was still in the room.

  “Oh shit, sorry Dom,” Jess said, “But hey! Look how good you look!”

  I hopped up so I could check myself out in the full length mirror they had leaning against their dorm room wall. Jess was right, I did look good. My dramatically made up face cshed with my casual cami and shorts, but once again I looked happy, and pretty, and girlish in a way that secretly thrilled me.

  “You nailed it,” I beamed. I turned and pointed to Jess decisively, “And now it's your turn.”

  “Yay!” Shawnee grabbed Jess’s makeup kit and tackled her to the bed, straddling her predatorially to begin applying her makeup.

  Oh jeez. Jess wasn't kidding about her getting worked up.