Shunned (Bruno's Kid)

Nail Polish and Therapy Sessions

        I walk into my room, which is basically a little house. There are four small rooms in my room: a sitting room, a kitchen, a bathroom, and my bedroom. I took me two years to realize how this related to my gift. I had been given coping mechanisms. When I'm stressed I bake, read, or draw. 

        I go into the kitchen and pull out a recipe book, I flip to my two favorites. I start with the polvorosas, knowing that they will be the messiest. After I get those in the oven, I clean up and start on the alfajores. Once everything is ready I quickly clean up and plate it. I then go to my closet and pull out my various colors of nail polish. I then prep some hot chocolate for chocolate con queso. Finally I wait.

Mirabel's POV:

        Mama just finished talking to me, after she leaves I pull out the piece of paper Alex gave me. I open it and read it. Come to my room when you're ready. I sigh and hop off the counter. Alex probably thinks I'm crazy for crashing the party. I walk out and see mama standing at the stairs. "I think I'm just gonna go rest." I say, mama smiles at me. "I think that's probably a good idea." She says, kissing my forehead and walking back to the party. I walk to Alex's door and knock, they open the door with a smile.

Alex's POV:

        I hear a knock at the door and put out the chocolate con queso. I rush to the door and open it to see Mirabel, I flash her a warm smile. "Hey Mira, come in and make yourself at-" She cuts me off and enters the room. "I promise I'm not crazy, the cracks really were there. Something is wrong with Casita and-" I put a finger to her lips, and pull her into a hug. "I don't think you're crazy and I'm more than willing to talk about this-" She goes to speak but I hold up a hand. "Tomorrow, whatever you saw, we can talk about it tomorrow. Right now all you're doing is stressing. I want you to take a deep breath and forget about what you saw for lets say two hours." She lets her body relax and nods. I take her hands and lead her into the sitting room. There is a couch and a table. The wall has two bookshelves, separated by a fireplace. I have a fire going and the cookies and chocolate con queso are sitting on the table along with an assortment of nail polish colors.

        "You didn't need to do all this Alex." Mirabel says, sit on the couch and gesture for her to sit next to me. "I know I didn't have to Mirabel, but you're my prima and as far as I'm concerned that means cookies and nail polish when you're sad." I say handing her the chocolate con queso. "Careful, it's still hot." I warn as she takes it, she smiles. "Thanks, primi." She says, I nod and take a sip of my drink. "So, interested in anyone?" I ask, ready to expose my secrets to get her mind off tonight's disaster. "No, no one's really stuck out to me yet." She says before sipping her drink. "What about you?" She asks, I blush a little. "THERE IS SOMEONE ISN'T THERE!" She yells leaning closer to me.

        "I don't really know her and I don't think she notices me but her name is Alessandra." I say grabbing an alfajore, Mirabel gasps and grabs a polvorosa. "OMG, the bakers kid?" She says, I blush a bit more. "Yeah, that's the one." I say, Mirabel gets a mischievous grin on her face. "You should totally ask her out." She says finishing her chocolate con queso. "I... I-I don't know how." I say bashfully, she smiles. "Tell me more about her." Mirabel says, I smile a little. "Okay but first pick out a color, also fingers or toes?" I ask, she picks up a deep blue and I choose a green color. "Toes." She says, we sit on the floor in front of the fireplace. I start on her toes while she listens. "She's gorgeous, her eyes are the most perfect shade of grey and her long, black hair is so nice. She only lets it down on special occasions. She has an older sister and an older brother. They both help in the bakery sometimes. She has two younger brothers and a younger sister that she helps watch over. She likes to dance when she thinks no one is watching." I say finishing Mirabel's toes, she giggles and starts on mine. "Stalker." She teases, I scoff. "Am not. I'm just observant." I reply, she laughs a little. "Okay tell me that much about anyone else that's not in our family." She says, I can't and she knows it. I rarely ever speak to people outside my family. "Thought so." She says with a victorious grin plastered on her face. "I still stand by my previous statement, you should totally ask her out." I sigh, Mirabel bites into another polvorosa. We talk for another hour before Mirabel says she is going to bed. I smile and clean up, I put the nail polish in it's carrying case and wrap the leftover goodies. On to my next target.

...

       I look around and ensure that the party is over before going to a certain door and knocking. Isabela opens the door and scoffs at me. "What do you want?" She asks, I hold up the food and the nail polish. "I was hoping we could talk." I say, she looks at me for a moment, then she lets me in. "I've noticed you've been a bit angrier recently, wanna talk about it?" I ask holding out the plate of cookies, she takes one and fiddles with it before finally speaking. "I... I don't like Mariano." She says quietly before biting into the alfajore. "Okay, that's definitely something big. Do you wanna talk about it over nail polish?" I ask presenting the colors, she nods and picks out a lavender. I get the same green as my toes. "I really did try, and he's a nice guy you know?" She says painting my fingers. "I just don't know, I've tried dating other men before and there's just something missing." She says, I smile knowing exactly what she means. "I get where you're coming from." I say, she seems a bit more comfortable. "I mean I don't hate Mariano, he's like the perfect guy. I just don't get why I can't seem to like him back." She says, I sigh I think I understand what's happening.

      "I see, and you say this has happened before, with other men." Isabela nods, she's done with my nails. "I don't know what's wrong with me." She says, I give a soft smile. "Nothing's wrong with you, Isa. Have you ever wondered if maybe there is something wrong with guys?" I ask, she looks confused. "Not wrong with guys in general, just wrong with guys in your romantic preferences." I explain, she still looks completely lost. "What?" She asks, I smile, I've seen her around some girls.

      "Can we do a little test?" I ask, she looks at me skeptically before nodding. "I want you to close your eyes and picture the most perfect guy you can think of." I say as I start to paint her nails. She looks at me funny before closing her eyes. "Okay, got him." She says, I nod. "Okay now imagine yourself kissing him." I instruct, almost immediately her face scrunches up. "Is that a no to the most perfect man you can think of?" I ask, she nods. "Okay, bare with me. Now what if it were Evelynn Rivera?" I ask, I watch as a thick, red blush creeps over her face. "I knew it." I say, she opens her eyes shocked.

Isabela's POV:

        Oh my God I like girls. This was the first time I've ever really thought about it. I thought maybe all girls wanted to kiss their best friend, or the prettiest girl in town. It had never occurred to me that I might be a lesbian. "Shit." I say, Alex smiles while painting my fingernails. "What?" They ask in a knowing tone. "I'm gay." I say as they finish my hand. "How did you know?" I ask, Alex shrugs. "I got a hint from the way you talk to me about Evelynn." They reply, I'm shocked. "But I didn't even know." I say, a hint of concern in my voice. "And that's perfectly okay, I would even say normal." I look at Alex with a grin. Then an awful thought comes into my mind. "What will our family say?"

Alex's POV

        "What will our family say?" Isabela says with a panicked look on her face. "Well, for the most part, they reacted well to me being agender." I reply, she didn't calm down. "But their expecting me to be in love with Mariano!" She says, she begins to pace around the room. "They expect me to be perfect. They expect me to be flawless. She expects me to be flawless." Isabela turns to look at me, I pull her into a hug. "To hell with their expectations." I say, she relaxes a little. "I guess, you're right, but Abuela-" I smile before cutting her off. "I'll tell you what I tell tia Pepa: if I listened to everything Abuela said, I would not have made it this far." I say, she smiles, but I still see the worry. "Hey, this doesn't mean you have to come out right away. Take your time, it took me months to come out to everyone. When you're ready I'll be right here to congratulate you, until then, I'll be right here to support you." I say, she hugs me and thanks me. "You're very short. Like you fit right under my chin." She says, I laugh a little. "Imagine how hard it is to have these talks with Luisa" I reply, we both laugh, she then sends me off to bed.

I exit the room and look around. I'm shocked at what I see, Abuela at the window and Mirabel on the roof. Somehow Abuela has not yet noticed Mirabel, I hide in the corner hoping I can be so lucky. I let the shadows hide my short figure. I am unable to make out what Abuela is saying. Abuela walks away from the window. I let out a breath that I didn't know I was holding. I watch nervously as Mirabel climbs off the roof. I wait until she passes by. "Whatcha doin' prima?"