Diff'rent Strokes (revisited, edited and updated)

A Revelation!!

Eli Moore

I couldn't believe my brother was pressing me like this. Yeah, he was probably onto something, but that didn't mean I was gonna hand it to him on a silver platter. His constant grilling was pushing every damn button I had. So I did what I always do—played dumb and kept my guard up.

"I'm your brother—your twin. Since I got here, you've been acting all weird, like you're against me instead of with me. Come on, Luke, I'm your twin," I said, pulling up my jeans.

"And are you gonna call Mom and Dad? Tell them how you were in my apartment, on my couch... BUTT-ASS-NAKED?" he shot back, his voice dripping with frustration.

"Who said I was gonna call them?" I replied, narrowing my eyes.

"I mean, that's what you always do. Instead of just talking things out like a man, you'd rather run to them and stir shit up," he snapped.

That hit deep, and suddenly I wasn't playing anymore. I was done pretending.

"If you'd stop being such a fucking asshole and making everything so difficult, maybe I would talk to you!" I fired back, my voice sharp.

Kayden stepped between us, hands up like a referee. "Yo, both of y'all need to chill!"

But Luke wasn't backing down. "Nah, just like he got dressed, he can finish and leave. I'm done."

I didn't need to be told twice. I grabbed my stuff, stormed out, and slammed the door behind me. If he wanted space, he could have all the space in the world.

Kayden Oh

"What the fuck is wrong with you?!" I shouted at Luke as soon as Eli left. "That's your FUCKING BLOOD, dawg!"

But he wasn't hearing it, so I said screw it and left, chasing after Eli. Yeah, it might give us away, but I didn't care. By the time I found him in his dorm, I'd made up my mind. We hadn't labeled anything yet, but I needed to put it out there.

I was falling for Elijah Moore.

He was sitting on the bed, his shoulders slumped. The fight with Luke had clearly gotten to him. I sat beside him, and for a second, we just stayed quiet.

"You don't have to apologize for him," Eli said softly. "I'm used to it."

"Elijah..." I said, reaching for his hand.

"Yeah?" he asked, looking up at me.

"I've got feelings for you—real ones. I wanna be with you." I laced our fingers together, trying to show him this wasn't just talk.

Eli studied me for a moment, then leaned in and kissed me. "I thought you were already with me," he said with a small smile.

That's when the door swung open. James stood there, looking like he'd just walked into a crime scene.

"Um... sorry?" he stammered, covering his face.

I sighed and glanced at Eli. "James, you can't tell Luke," I said firmly.

James raised an eyebrow. "He's gonna figure it out eventually, you know."

"Don't," Eli said, his tone dead serious.

James hesitated, then dropped a bomb of his own. "Relax. Since we're spilling secrets... I've been seeing someone too."

I narrowed my eyes. "The dude in the car, right?"

James looked surprised but nodded. "Yeah."

Eli shook his head in disbelief. "Wait—you're not serious?"