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Thinking fast, I hurried around the edge of the square. My legs wobbled, but I tried to shake it off. All I had to do was get up there and yell at the mayor. Get his attention, my father’s. Then I’d make both of them understand how this was personal for so many people in Beggs.

“Good evening, ladies and gentlemen!” Mayor Buchanan’s voice boomed from the pavilion. I hit the alley in a run and reached the ladder as his smooth twang resounded. “This town is a mess, and do you know who’s to blame?”

Shouts echoed around me as I climbed fast, rainbow material draped around my neck like a boa. Vulgar slurs and curses stabbed at me as I ascended higher and higher. I gulped and risked a glance down at the sidewalk. My fear of heights made me dizzy with apprehension, but I had to keep going.

I couldn’t let anyone see me be afraid.

Another rung, and then another. The billboard’s metal catwalk scraped my knees as I crawled it with panting breaths. No time to think. I forced myself to stand up and stretched the flag out over my head and…the entire square loomed down below.

Too high up.

I dropped back to my knees and gripped the edge.

The metal support beam dug into my palms as I watched the mayor on the pavilion.

Same short and neat hairstyle, same obnoxious grin in place as he lifted the microphone like he had a few weeks ago.

As my father stood off to the side and applauded him along with the crowd.

“That’s right,” Buchanan said. “Immoral agendas that are threatening our families!” Cheers erupted as his grin spread wider.

“Just today I found out the rec center was conducting a mentorship program, shoving their perverse lifestyles in our children’s faces.

I’ve immediately ordered it be shut down and defunded.

At least as long as I’m in office by the grace of my voters. ”

“You have my vote!” someone bellowed.

“Make Beggs safe for families again!” another yelled.

“Don’t worry, folks!” He held his hand up, bringing it to his chest. “I’m well aware of the rumors pertaining to certain illegal events happening right under our noses.

With the support of Chapman Law, my Family First ordinance is just the beginning.

I’m thrilled to announce my One Lifestyle ordinance.

Come this fall, if you reelect me as your mayor, all inappropriate books will be banned from the library!

” Roars of appreciation rang out as he paused.

“Lessons not authorized as in accordance with our values will be banned in school, and our kids will be raised how they ought to be!” More shouts that made his smarmy grin wider, knowing he had them in the palm of his hand. “Together, we can take back our town!”

My anger spiked as my father continued to cheer. He was still playing both sides. He only cared about putting himself first. This wasn’t acceptance, not meeting me halfway like he’d said on my birthday. Everything he’d claimed to do for my benefit was just another lie.

I glanced over my shoulder at the billboard, at who I used to be.

Nerves collided in my stomach, and vomit hit the back of my throat.

Because if I hadn’t denounced that version of myself, if my parents hadn’t divorced, if I was still letting him manipulate me…

then I would have been forced up on that stage with him.

Just like how he had paraded me around the lodge for the firm’s anniversary dinner.

A united front. He would’ve found a way to manipulate me into doing it despite it being against everything I was.

The part that hurt the most was that I knew I would’ve believed him, knew all the people in Beggs I would have hurt. “I’m sorry,” I whispered aloud, locking eyes with the picture of myself. “I’m sorry we had to keep ourselves hidden.”

My gaze shifted to the giant picture of the JACass beside me.

His beaming face was threatening me, choking me, suffocating me.

My hand gripped the flag, harder and harder until my fingers ached.

Everything I’d had to deal with this year coursed through me: the divorce, being told I wasn’t good enough, the canceled Pride Day, the future and college and all the mounting pressure.

The mayor’s bullshit speech continued while my breathing went ragged.

“I won’t stop until we remind folks what kind of town Beggs is,” Buchanan said, and I hated it.

Hated being told what to do and how to live and who to be.

I closed my eyes and saw my father standing there like he had before, holding his hand up to stop me. Be quiet.

“No.” My voice came out in a tremor, and then I squared my shoulders. “I refuse to be scared.”

Slowly, I stood and took a deep breath. Turned to face the square and do what I came here to do.

However, as I looked below, I couldn’t speak.

My voice caught in my throat as I saw how many people were at the rally.

How many people were shouting hateful things and waving signs and—Panic recoiled in my stomach.

I gagged, and my dinner splashed across the catwalk.

I tried to take a calming breath to ease the panic swelling in my chest. But in between the shouts of “They don’t belong here!

” and “Bedolla isn’t right for our town!

” I could hear my father. A vote for Bedolla won’t amount to anything, he’d said at dinner.

It made my hands shake, vision pinprick.

I tried to steady myself, but dizziness brought me to my knees as the rally raged.

Is he right?

My chest threatened to explode with each pump of my heart.

It was one thing to see this kind of hate on the news, in cities far away.

Places where I thought it couldn’t touch me.

It was too real seeing it here in our small town.

I’d thought I wasn’t afraid, that I could face the mayor and his supporters and remind them how they were wrong—but I was wrong.

I was terrified.