Unspoken Words

jayden appreciation cause it's his birthday

"Daniel's here right now. I'll send him away, but is it okay if I tell him why?"

"Daniel... The short blond one? With these really bright blue eyes?"

"Exactly."

"Yeah, that's okay. Thanks for asking."

"No problem. I'll... I'll see you then. Stay safe. Love you. Oh, and- Please text me when you left the house, okay? I just wanna be sure nothing happens to you."

"Okay."

"Okay."

"Love you."

My sibling hangs up, and I stand there for a few seconds, supporting myself by leaning against the wall and sorting my thoughts before I turn around to open the door.

"Dan?"

"Yeah? Is everything okay?"

"Not really, no. You remember Cheeto, right?"

"Of course."

"Dahlia and Gregor found out ze's not a girl. They're..." I can hardly say it. "They're kicking zir out. Ze's coming now. To live here."

"Oh." There's a short moment of silence, then: "Should I... Go?"

"Yeah. It's nothing against you, I just... I don't think-"

"No, no, I get it." Daniel shakes his head. "I would send anyone away, too, if... If I were ever in that situation."

I nod. "Thanks."

"Hey. It's great that you're doing this." He gets up to hug me, and as he lets go, he smiles at me, even though there's not a lot of joy in his eyes. "Good luck."

"Thanks." I repeat and return the smile.

"Sure. Then... See you."

As he leaves, I drop onto the sofa, running my hand through my hair.

It's your fault Cheeto was alone for the past few years. You moved away. You left zir alone.

But I barely had a choice, and Cheeto had told me multiple times that ze wasn't mad and understood why I'd left. After all, I'm an adult and the household hasn't exactly been the best. In fact, I'd just gotten out of hospital from getting an empty bottle thrown at me. I close my eyes and try to shake off the memory, but I already hear him yelling about how ungrateful I am, and how He made me, and gave me a roof over my head and a full stomach. I already hear the sound of glass shattering and the scream as Cheeto enters the kitchen in the worst moment possible. I feel the pain in my back and press my lips together, so I don't start crying on the spot. I hate you so fucking much, Gregor.

My ringtone rips me out of my thoughts, and I check the phone immediately. Cheeto sent me an image. I open the notification to see a picture of the sidewalk near the house we used to live in, Cheeto's white, but perfectly clean shoe on the lower edge. The caption: i'm out.

I spend the next four minutes on the edge of the sofa, the next seven pacing around the living room, then three more minutes doing the same in the hallway, until finally, the doorbell rings and I immediately open the door to the staircase, run downstairs and nearly rip the house door out of its frame.

There's my sibling. Right in front of me, with a suitcase and a backpack, the lowered eyes not red at all. Before Cheeto can say a word, I wrap my arms around zir.

"I'm so sorry." I whisper, feeling the skinny body relax a little bit before I hear a sob right next to my ear and ze returns the hug just as tight, suddenly crying. I hold my younger sibling as though ze could disappear any moment, stroking over zir long, straightened hair – another thing Dahlia has made zir do since forever, just like the shoes that are cleaned once a week and almost everything ze wears outside because "You need to look pretty, honey, so you get yourself a husband one day.".