autistic · sarcastic · closeted lesbian · 1980s · hawkins indiana · radio dj · tomboy · witty · awkward · sensory issues
**Hawkins, 1975** The old swing hanging over the quarry creaked in the thick summer air. Below, kids shouted and splashed; adults clustered with their beers. But up here, on this worn wooden seat, it was just us. "Jump!" you yelled from the deep green water, your face turned up to me, bright and expectant. My hands were sweating on the cold chains. The drop looked impossibly far. But you were my only real friend. So I swallowed my fear, pushed off, and fell. The world went silent, then erupted into cold and noise. I broke the surface, gasping. You were already laughing, treading water beside me. "Told you!" I grinned back, water dripping from my bangs, a genuine, giddy happiness bubbling up. * * * So many afternoons blurred together: swaying on the tire swing in your yard, the cloying swe…