I feel like I'm an animal getting re-introduced into the wild after being held captive in a zoo.

It feels nice to be home, but I kind of got used to the zoo.

I walk in and nobody acknowledges me. Not one head turns in my direction and it's sort of scary because I could have literally been anyone.

I casually kick my shoes off and walk toward the couches where my parents are sitting with Aspen. It felt really good to see her healthy and at home.

"Hello," I say as I try to gain the apparently privileged attention of my family.

I watch my mom's eyebrows raise up and down after I greet everyone. She's engrossed in a magazine so I can't figure out if she's raising her eyebrows from my voice or an interesting article.

"Hello," my dad repeats like a parrot. He looks at me, but it's not a very promising look. It was cold and brief.

"I wish I could find reasons why you're allowed to stay here," my mom suddenly tells me.

"What?" I almost stutter, crinkling my eyebrows together. My mom doesn't look at me, but she keeps talking.

"I wish I could find reasons why—"

I stop her.

"I don't know what you mean. Do you want me to live on the streets?"

My mom shrugs and gives me a glare as she flips the page in a magazine. My dad is quiet as he stares into space, looking towards the floor. Aspen's face is red like a cherry tomato.

"You are eighteen..." My dad quietly adds, and I get the feeling they're hinting at something.

They're hinting at the fact that they want me to move out somewhere with the money that I don't have.

"Well, where the hell am I going to go?" I say as my voice raises uncontrollably.

I see Aspen trying to hold back something, and my eyes are drawn to her.

"Stop!" She suddenly explodes, raising her arms in the air desperately, "stop this! Orion is your child and my brother and he can stay here with his family if he wants to, okay? Stop treating him like shit for things he didn't even mean to do or things he can't even control. He's gay, I'm gay, what's the difference!"

My parents look at Aspen like she just got released from an asylum.

"You're gay too?" My dad asks like it's nothing.

Aspen suddenly becomes shy again and I can't tell if she's nodding yes or no. Her back is pressed into the cushions of the couch like they're supposed to suck her into an abyss or something.

"You're gay?" My mom blurts out, staring directly at my dad. The magazine is now drooping over her knees, about to hit the foor.

"I'm not gay," my dad responds, his hands pointing to his chest as they suddenly switch their eyes to Aspen.

I just stay where I am, standing in the living room as I watch my family shockingly ask eachother if they're gay. I want to laugh but I hold it back for Aspen's sake.

My mom's magazine drops to the floor and she doesn't even flinch. She just stares at Aspen as my dad nervously licks his lips over and over like he's about to say something super important.

"I'm... I might be," Aspen chokes out as her fingertips grip onto the couch cushion. Her knuckles are turning white as she looks at me for advice. I just confidently nod and try to get her to spill the information.

"I am," Aspen admits after nervously watching my movements. I notice her whole body relax, the color coming back in her knuckles.

"Oh my god," my mom chokes out as she leans back against the couch, "I have gay twins!"

My dad shakes his head and looks over at my mother who is visibly sweating now—probably because we don't have air conditioning but maybe because of something else.

"It's okay," he tells her.

I finally sit down next to my mom, but I scoot as far away as I possibly can, awkwardly clearing my throat before beginning to talk.

"See? It's not that big of a deal. Now everyone who is gay is openly gay. Let's just move on with our lives, okay?"

I can feel my mom scoot around in her spot on the couch before abruptly standing up and making her way to the front door.

Aspen's eyes go wide as she watches her. "Where's she going?"

"Cigarette, most likely," my dad casually says as he fixes his eyes on me.

I'm in the spotlight now.

It's not even that my dad is intimidating, because he's really not, it's more that my dad holds higher power over me.

"Where were you?"

I hold back a gulp which just made it sound louder, brushing some of my hair back with my fingertips while I avoided eye contact with my dad.

"I was staying with a friend," I boldly stated.

"Ha! What friend?" My dad asks while chuckling under his breath.

"A friend I made at school, named Axel," I hesitantly tell him.

My dad raises a brow and then immediately scrunches them together, sighing heavily.

"Okay, no more staying at stranger's homes. Stay here," he almost demands me.

I felt angry that he had the audacity to call this person a stranger. He certainly wasn't a stranger and I didn't have the nerve to explain that to him just yet.

Seeing that my dad basically now lost interest in anything I was saying or was going to say, I just sink down onto the couch and cover my face with my arm.

"You can tell him," Aspen says quietly.

I move my arm and tilt my head to the side so I can get a better look at her, twisting my face so I look confused. "Whaaaat?"

Now, my dad suddenly has interest in our conversation again, and he looks at me again with his stupid eyes.

"Tell me what?"

I shoot Aspen a glare and she doesn't show any emotion back.

Suddenly, my mom bursts through the door again, and I hear it slam against the adjacent wall.

"Aspen, we gotta go to your counseling appointment," my mom breathily tells us. I can hear she's about to have a coughing fit again but I'm too exhausted to scold her for smoking again.

"Wait," my dad sternly tells us, "Orion has something to say."

Now, all the attention is on me and I can't help but roll my eyes. Why is this such a big deal? I'm not even sure what I'm supposed to say.

"In third grade I stole a pack of crayons from the classroom and never brought them home," I told them quicker than I ever told anyone anything before. I shot up from my spot on the couch and started to run out the door just like my mom did earlier for her cigarette.

"BOYFRIEND!"

I heard Aspen shout in the background as I make my leave.

"THEY'RE BOYFRIENDS!"

---

Thanks for reading! I know this chapter is really late and it's super rushed so I'm sorry if it sucks. I also didn't get to proofread it so I'm sorry again. Comments and votes are appreciated.