Jesse, who was born mute, has moved from city to city many times before. As she does so again, she considers it pure luck that she gets in the same school as Cheeto and Lewis, two best friends who immediately take her under their wing and don't trea...
it's the thirteenth of january, and you most likely had no idea BUT that's actually Cheeto's birthday! so i prepared something about zir for you :)
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I put my pencil to the side with a sigh. Great, the annual art block is back. There are disadvantages to being an artist.
"What are you doing?"
I flinch at my mother's voice. There's a really cool thing called "knocking on someone's door before you enter", you should try it sometime, I think and turn around in my desk chair. "Well, I was going to draw something, but that didn't work out, so... I don't know. Maybe I'll read or something."
She raises an eyebrow. "Homework?"
"Done."
"Exams?"
"The next one is like, three weeks away. Don't worry." I say, stroking a strand of my long, dark hair behind my ear.
Suddenly, something feels off. Like I shouldn't be here. Well, I'd prefer if I wasn't, but...
"There's something we need to talk about."
I have a feeling I know where this is going. But hey, that's what my paranoid brain always tells me, so... It's probably nothing. My mother leads me to the living room, where dad already is - from the way he looks, he probably won't add much to the conversation anyways, but whatever - and sits down.
"Look, there's this thing we heard about you. It's probably not true, but we wanted to ask you."
I just nod, pretending not to be fucking panicking right now.
"We heard that in school, you go by... a different name? And call yourself, what was it, non-binary?"
My father, who's been sitting there with his face buried in his hands, raises his head to look me dead in the eye.
I open my eyes with a gasp. It takes me a moment to recognize my surroundings. A living room, Jayden's living room, the one where I sleep. I let out the breath I'm well aware I've been holding.
Well, at least the dream stopped there and didn't go further this time. There are worse versions. Why does healing have to be such a long and hard process? Why does this event still define my life, every single step of the way?
I get up and walk into the kitchen, blinking as I switch the light on. Take a glass, fill it up with water, sit on the kitchen counter.
The door opens again.
"Oh, hey. Sorry, did I wake you up?"
"Don't worry about it, you know me and my light sleep." Jayden cracks a tired smile. "I just heard the doors and wanted to check if everything's okay."
"Yeah, I'm fine. Just another shitty dream, and when I woke up, I wanted to, uh... Not dehydrate" I return the smile. "Sorry again."
"It's okay." He responds, taking the kettle and pouring some water into it.
"What- Are you making tea at 4am right now?"
"Yep." The kettle starts heating up and Jayden takes a cup from the shelf and a bag of tea from one of the drawers. "You want some?"
"No, thanks. Why are you making tea at - let me repeat myself - four in the morning again?" I drink some of my water, awaiting the response.
"Because the US healthcare system is trash and therapy is expensive."
"True."
I put the glass of water down next to me and get up from the kitchen counter to give Jayden a hug he immediately returns. There's no particular reason, I just feel like it.
"You alright?" He asks.
"Mm-hm. You?"
"Pretty much, yeah."
"Love you."
"I love you too, dumbass."
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i had no idea what i was doing most of the time, but hey, the same thing applies to this book and it's a better love story than twilight so who cares am i right
