The first thing you notice is glitter. Glitter everywhere. Yes, that sounds cliché and annoying, but it’s actually fun. It encompasses the entire celebration.
It’s light and bright. It flies through the air, traveling from body to body. It shines with every turn and glints in the sun. It does not hide and will not be hidden.
That’s the whole point of Pride, right? To not hide? To be seen? To shine?
So you go to the parade and you gladly accept the fistful of glitter that is thrown in your general direction. Smiling, you hold your hands out, giving the glitter more body area to cover as it floats down from the sky.
You make the mistake of smiling while looking up, though, and soon you’re doubled over, coughing up glitter.
Even pride pain is fabulous.
You spit out on the empty sidewalk before straightening up, glancing around for your now lost friends.
Instead, you find yourself face to face with perfection tied into a bow of a human.
You start coughing again.
“Hey! Hey … you okay?” She asks, gently setting her soft hand on your back and rubbing. You stiffen up then step back slightly so her hand falls away.
You nod. “Yeah, definitely. I—uh—got glitter in my mouth.” There’s a small moment of silence before you both are laughing hard, even reaching out to the nearest building for balance.
“That sentence perfectly describes a pride parade,” she says, smiling when you both stand straight again.
“Disastrously fabulous,” you add.
She smiles down at the shiny sidewalk before glancing up to meet your eyes once more. “I’m Morgan.”
You hold out your hand for Morgan to take in a gentle shake, “Lyn.”
* * * *
Madison Lawson is currently an English student at the University of Arkansas. Her work has most recently appeared in Water Soup Magazine and The Traveler Newspaper. In addition she is a queer, woman identified writer and serves as the secretary of her University’s “Students for Gender Equality.”
GAY FLASH FICTION 
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