The Life Of 'Bello (Intersex/Camila)

Real Friends

2011

That night, Zain and I did go to the skating rink. That was also the night Leigh and I became a couple.

All summer, we talked on the phone all night, met up occasionally, and had a few dates.

It's been almost two years since we've been together and my secret getting harder to contain.

For Zain and I both, so it resulted to binders and oversized shirts.

I still have yet to tell Randy, Ed, and Nick because they outted this gay kid last year and I don't want that to be me. Then again, I trusted them so they wouldn't do anything like that to me, right?

But I felt as if me and them were slowly drifting apart, mostly because of me hanging out with Zain more. I honestly view him as my real best friend. He hasn't came out about his secret either, mainly because, like me, he's afraid of getting beaten up like that gay kid.

It wasn't my friends that did the beating, Austin and his posse did, but my friends started it. I remember actually yelling at them because of it and they accused me of being gay and having a crush on the kid.

I hardly even knew him. For some reason, he knew me. We didn't have any classes together at all, so I was confused.

But each time I get close to telling them, they do or say something that gives me second thoughts.

———

"How are things with you and Leigh?" Madison asks me randomly at the dinner table. I nod, taking a sip of my juice. "We're good. Going on two years," I say. Damien nudges me while Maddie messes with my hair.

"Awe, baby bro in love!" I groan and move them away from me. I look across the table at the person in front of me, who's also laughing and teasing me. "What about him? He's been with Ally longer than me and Leigh had been together."

Zain's eyes widen as my brother and sister turn to him and mimics what they did to me. "Enough, children," my mom chuckles, setting dessert down between us. "Thank you, Mama Sinu," Zain says, helping himself to dessert.

"You're welcome, mijo," she says, kissing the top of his head. "You staying over tonight?" I ask him and Dad laughs, "He practically lives here, no?" This causes Zain to let out a light chuckle, showing his black and yellow braces.

"Yeah, can I call my dad to let him know, please?" My mom nods and hands him her phone and he gets up to call his dad. I hear him talking on the phone before Damien speaks up.

"Zain is here a lot," he comments. "I mean, he lives in a full house with two other boys and like six girls. He said it's calming here," I say. "Don't make it a big deal."

I dig into my dessert and take a bite. Zain reenters, giving my mom her phone back, and thanking her, "He said it's okay. And he's on his way to bring me my medicine."

"For your epilepsy, right?" Damien asks rhetorically and Zain nods.

"Okay. After you finish your dessert, everyone get washed up for bed," Mom says.

We shoot her with 'okays' then proceeded to eat.

———
"So, are you gonna tell Ally about your condition?" I asked Zain while we brushed our teeth. He raises an eyebrow, "Are you gonna tell Leigh-Anne?" I squint at the boy in the mirror and roll my eyes with a shake of the head.

"I think we should tell them together. Go on a double date then towards the end, we let them know," he suggests. I hum, which actually sounded like a groan, "What if she breaks up with me?"