PART 1 She's so pretty... I have to confess to her. But should I tell my friends first? I think so. I get up and start heading across the courts to see her. Suddenly, someone appears and I almost tripping over stopping myself from bumping into them. I look up. It's Josh. Usually you can't stop him talking, but right now he's just staring at the floor quietly. "Um, hey, Isla," he mumbles. "Sorry, I'll just be on my way," I say. He lifts his head to stop me. "Wait, I need to tell you something. I... I like..." he pauses. "I like you!" For a moment I don't know what to say. Then I take a deep breath and lay my hand on his shoulder. "Josh, I didn't know you felt this way about me. But... I like girls, not boys." I was going to say more, but he pulls away with anger in his eyes. "I thought you'd feel the same!" He snaps. "Even if you didn't, I thought we could be friends! But I don't want to be friends... I don't want to be friends with someone like you!" I blink, startled. "What do you mean?" I ask. But he's already walking away. "I never want to see you again, Isla!" He yells. PART 2 There she is! My heart beats faster and I feel my face go red. "Um, hey, Izzy!" I call. She turns. "Hey Isla!" She says. She gets up from where she's sitting and walks over. "What's up? I saw Josh yelling at you." I glance away. "I have something to tell you." Izzy blinks. "Go on, then." I take a deep breath and confess to her. "I like you! I get it if you don't like me back, cause I'm a girl and you're a girl and everyone hates lesbians and-" She cuts me off with a hand on my shoulder. "Isla, I don't hate you. I'm straight, but I understand your feelings. It's not wrong to like girls, even though you're a girl. I fully support you, even though I don't like you that way." Even though I was disappointed that Izzy didn't like me back, I felt happy she didn't act like Josh. I was okay if Izzy was just my friend, because I knew that there'd be another girl out there for me.
Read part 1 of the story then answer the questions. How do you think Isla felt at the end? Why? Do you think that Josh's treatment of Isla was okay? Why/why not? If you were in Isla's position, what would you do? Read part 2 of the story. How do you think Isla is feeling now? Do you think that Isla feels accepted? Why/why not? If you were in Izzy's position and you did like Isla, how would you have reacted? What Josh did to Isla was homophobic. He disgraced her because she was a lesbian, even though she had done nothing wrong. Izzy is an LGBTQ+ supporter. She supported Isla's feelings, even though she didn't feel the same way.
