“Kids ruin everything,” Paul muttered.
“I’ll Freddie Prinze Junior you in another parking lot,” Vince promised him. “I saw one right down the road we could use later. It smells like fish, but there were no cars parked there.”
I made a face. “Gross.”
“Where’s Jeremy?” Darren asked. “I didn’t see him here.”
I shrugged. “Probably with Charlie and the leather club. He has to march with them this year. Something about his last tour of duty as the former Mr. Leatherman.”
“He’ll be close by anyway,” Helena said dismissively. “I changed the order of the parade and put them right behind the Phoenix House float.”
I gaped at her. “You did what? Why?”
She winked at me. “Wouldn’t you like to know?”
“That’s why I asked! What did you do?”
She kissed me on the cheek, almost poking me in the eye with part of her outfit. “I’m sure you’ll find out before the day is over.”
I scowled at her. “That sounds like a threat.”
“It was, baby doll. It was. Now, let’s go get you ready.”
WE MARCH because we have to in order to be heard.
We celebrate because it’s our goddamn right.
We have pride because we have had to fight for recognition, and we deserve to acknowledge our accomplishments.
Thousands of people lined the streets of downtown Tucson. Rainbow flags hung from every business, all flapping in the hot breeze. The air was filled with confetti and cheers and the laughter and joy of people who fought every day to have the same rights as everyone else. Oh sure, there was the Jack It float where mostly naked twinks danced to terrible techno music, but it was still part of us.
The sound of the crowd was deafening as we rolled down the street. The kids from Phoenix House waved frantically at everyone they could, throwing small weighted phoenix feathers into the throngs of people. Only a couple of people got hit in the face, so I considered that a win. Music blared from speakers underneath the float, and by the end of the parade, I’d never want to hear “We Are Family” ever again.
But that would be later.
Here, now, I didn’t care, and it was because of the happiness I felt, knowing that somewhere behind us, PFLAG was marching with Nana and Larry and Matty leading the charge. Nana was wearing a rainbow muumuu she’d made, and she was intensely proud of it. Matty was wearing a shirt that proudly announced ALL MY SONS (AND ONE DAUGHTER) ARE QUEER! Larry had Pride flags painted on either cheek.
And directly behind the Phoenix House float, the Build-a-Bear Sweat Shop marched, all the people involved wearing their leathers. Even Robert, though his leather consisted of one of Charlie’s cuffs wrapped around his wrist.
And Jeremy was there too. I saw flashes of him behind us once or twice. He was grinning and waving at the crowd, wearing the outfit he’d worn at the Mr. Leatherman competition. He looked like he was sweating terribly but didn’t give a shit about it.
We were here. We were queer.
And nothing was going to stop us.
Nothing, that is, until the float came to an actual stop directly in front of Jack It. Here, the crowds were the biggest, at least ten people deep on either side of the street. I frowned down at the truck, wondering if there was a problem. There was no one in front of us stopping us from going any farther.
There was a screech of static from the speakers as the song cut off. I looked around to see Izaac throw a microphone up to Helena, who caught it deftly, giving it a practiced twirl over the back of her hand.
“What’s going on?” I asked Marina.
Marina laughed and shook her head. “Something good. You’ll see. And I swear to god, you’re so full of shit. The both of you.”
My jaw dropped. I had no idea what the hell she was talking about. Before I could ask, Helena began speaking into the mic, her voice echoing up and down the buildings around us.
“Hello, my lovely, lovely people!” she shouted. “Are you feeling all right?”
They were, if the resounding roar was any indication.