My Misadventures

22: Secret Identity Revealed!

She shakes her head.

I take a deep breath, turning my attention back to look at the road. "Okay, uh. This seems like a good time to tell you that I'm... gay." I've never said it out loud before, and my heart nearly stops when I hear the word.

She looks up at me suddenly, wiping her face. "You're what?"

I laugh. "You heard me. But same game, mom and dad don't know."

"And they never can."

"Agreed."

We lapse into silence, still stunned by each other's confessions.

"So, let's get one thing straight." I smirk at my own comedic genius. "Pronouns? Do you want me to call you my brother now? Of course, not around our parents or Ari."

"Brother is good. And yeah, he/him pronouns."

"Radical!" I shout, making him smile. "Okay, do you want to go by a different name?"

He's quiet for a moment. "Asher."

"Sicko mode, let's get you a haircut, Asher." I grab his head and pull it in, kissing the top of his hair.

He cries softly for a moment, relieved and overjoyed. "Thank you so much."

"Of course. I will do everything I can to make this easier for you, and that's a promise!" I give him a thumbs up, making him laugh again. "Besides, I know it's going to be hard as hell with our family."

We are quiet for a couple more seconds before I turn on the radio to fill the empty space.

"Do you have a boyfriend?" He asks over the music.

"Yeah, well technically no, we haven't talked about it. His name is Caleb." I smile just thinking about him. "I think I want to bring him home for family dinner someday."

"Can you imagine mom's face?"

I make a face of horror and disgust. "MY first born son, the heir to the throne, a disgrace to the family name! What will the bishop think of our family?" I weep dramatically, earning a laugh.

"You were supposed to marrying the neighbor girl, Brianna!" Asher mimics our mother. "She's was so perfectly mundane and boring! You were supposed to have mundane and boring children, and live in a mundane house!"

I laugh. It's true, She's been quite forward about her plans to strengthen our alliance with the Cooper family, and has not-so-subtly hinted towards a wedding in the next year or so. Little does she know that I was serious when i said I'm never getting married... at least, not to Brianna.

We stop outside the strip mall, parking as close as we can to the entrance.

"Hey when we go in, do you want to start using your new name?"

"Not yet." He confesses. "We're still in Christian-ville, and I know people won't take it well."

"True, even getting this haircut is going to set you apart for some dirty looks." I say, turning the key and opening the door. "You're a rebel now."

~

"How do I look?" Asher asks, flicking imaginary hair over his shoulder.

"Like Superman!" I nod my approval.

"I feel like Superman." He flops down onto the chair next to me. "But we're going to have hell to pay when mom finds out we got a haircut on Sunday."

"Psht, we'll just say we went to a friend's house. Jacob needed practice for hair school or whatever, and you were looking for something new."

"Who's Jacob?"

I wave it off. "I just picked a random name."

He laughs. "You're stupid."

"I get that a lot." I stand up and approach the desk to pay for Asher's haircut. After I get the receipt, we say our final thank yous, then head back to the car. "Let's drive through somewhere and get some soda, I'm parched."

"Amen." Asher slides into the passenger seat.

~

I lay back in my seat, listening to my music while the bus trundles down the highway towards my town. That was... unexpected. But that's how "coming out"s typically go. I'm honored that Asher considers me one of his closest friends, and trusted me with his secret identity. (LOL, secret identity).

I can't believe I actually told someone that I'm gay. I've never said those words before, even as a joke, and now it's reality. I'm glad I told Asher first, our sibling connection has always been the strongest in the family, and now it's even stronger.

I smile to myself as I doze off. I've always wanted a little brother.

~
~

Secret identity revealed! Y'all thought the chapter title meant someone finds out Skylar is Spider-Man YOU FOOLS HAHAH not yet.

Ah anyway, hope you liked the chaaapter! If you're thinking 'what did this have to do with the plot?' The answer is: Nothing! Life changes at random, and sometimes it's unpredictable. I'm embracing the randomness and chaos that is the natural progression of life!

Alwgijwrligjaelrigjelrgijerliagjr thank you for your time.