Beneath The Visible, Or How My Bratty Sister Changed My Life | Tyrus, Andi Mack

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I carefully tie the shoelaces on Chuck's while my sister, Amber, runs back and forth down the hall. It was Thursday morning and every morning before school, Amber frantically runs amuck throughout the house, putting on different clothes, making her coffee, and doing her makeup. For me, it wasn't that complicated. I like my coffee black and didn't have too much clothes to chose from. Today, it was just black jeans and a hoodie.

"TJ, hurry! We're going to be late!" She yells from her bedroom.

I roll my eyes and ignore her, we've been "late" every other day since the semester began, but always arrive to school with time to spare. Why would one day change anything?

She runs to my doorway, "Theo! Did you hear me? Let's go!"

I grab my backpack and head out the door with Amber. We get into her car and drive off.

"So, TJ. How is it being in high school with all the big dogs. Hope you're not embarrassing yourself too much," Amber says, steering the wheel with her bare left knee through her torn up jeans. One hand holds her phone, the other taking small sips from her coffee.

I shrug, "Not too bad, I guess. Lot bigger. More people."

"Met any cute girls?" She says sarcastically in a sweet, soft voice.

I cringe, "Not yet."

"I could set you up. Some of my friends think you're cute."

I shrug, "I'll think about it."

"TJ, you're scaring me. You're one kiss from having Marty be your boyfriend."

"I'm sure the crush we think he has on me is all in our head. He probably doesn't think anything of it."

Marty and I have been best friends since we were 6. Over the years we've gotten closer and closer but lately, Amber has noticed how unusually nice he treats me. To the point that she thinks he may have some crush on me that he's never gotten over.

She says no straight boy tells their straight boy friend he loves him that much. And it isn't normal for 14 year old boys to share a bed at sleepovers when there's a perfectly good couch in the living room.

I don't think much of it. In fact, I enjoy the time Marty and I spend. When he tells me he loves me, I tell him I love him back. When he wants to share a bed, I don't mind. When he wants to get dinner, I go. I don't see anything wrong with it. Amber just thinks it's weird.

When she first mentioned it, it did make me think. Marty has never had a girlfriend and has never mentioned liking a girl. I would tell him about my old crushes all the time. He didn't seem to mind and seemed indifferent to what I said.

After putting in a lot of thought, I concluded that he's just a very expressive person that has a lot of love to give. Whether he was gay or straight or anything else, I wouldn't think any different.

Amber interrupts my thinking with her loud slurps of her almost empty coffee. She violently shakes her cup full of ice and taps her long acrylic fingernails along the dashboard of the car, seemingly deep in thought.

"Might leave during lunch, so ask Marty or someone to give you a ride," She says, finishing the last drops of coffee.

"Where are you headed?" I stare at her remaining drops of coffee mixed with melted ice.

"Mind your business, Theo! Just ... out. Don't tell Grandpa you know I'm going to be gone. If he asks, you don't know anything. Only if he asks. He knows I work at four."