Tessa and her best pal Lucas don’t share everything, but they do share an interest in girls. The trouble is Tessa hasn’t shared her Sapphic side with Lucas, who’s developed feelings for Tessa
Tessa and her best pal Lucas don’t share everything, but they do share an interest in girls. The trouble is Tessa hasn’t shared her Sapphic side with Lucas, who’s developed feelings for Tessa and is convinced that her disregard for guys signifies her regard for him. But Tessa has no desire to blend “boy” and “friend.”
Where she’s from, a predictably parochial blue-collar town whose residents frown on individuality, not to mention homosexuality, being out would mean being an outcast. It is only when Lucas invites Tessa to the prom, and with a grand gesture besides, that Tessa decides to make it queer — er, clear — to him that she’s, well, queer.
Soon after Tessa comes out, she and Lucas are on the outs. While Tessa may not be confused about her sexuality, Lucas, a firm believer that best friends should tell each other everything, certainly is. Tessa feels guilty for keeping her sexuality a secret, even though Lucas never had to come right out and tell his best friend that he’s not gay, because straight is still the standard, the default setting, if you will. Like many teens — heck, like many people — Lucas doesn’t realise this and ends up doing a great deal of damage and, consequently, damage control.
The authors write wrongs well, although the way they right wrongs alternately feels cornball, oddball, and a tad disingenuous. I won’t go into specifics — books are no good when they’re spoiled rotten –but I will say more about our hesitant heroine. Tessa is refreshingly ordinary. She’s not outspoken or outrageous or wise beyond her years or her fears. She’s an accidental activist, a girl who likes girls — namely Katharine Hepburn. And, like Kate, the late, great lesbian icon, a suit suits Tessa quite nicely. Let’s just hope that once Tessa’s all dressed up, she will have somewhere to go.