Wicked Sense by Fabio Bueno Page A

herself i n the tiny mirror.
    I don’t answer at first. I wait until a red light, then turn to her and say, “I thought we could, you know, talk.”
    She stares back at me, confused. “About what?”
    I hesitate . “About us? Our lives?”
    She cocks her head and narrows her eyes. “Are you coming out?”
    “W-What?!?”
    “You’re coming out to your little sister! That’s so cute.” And there it is, the first smile I see on her face in weeks.
    I raise my hands in desperation. “I’m not coming out!”
    “Aren’t you ready?”
    “I’m straight ! Where did you get this idea?”
    Her smile fades a bit. “ Don’t get all worked up. It sounds homophobic , you know? ”
    “Why do I have to be homosexual or homophobic? Can’t I be neither?”
    “But your reaction—”
    I bang my fist on the dashboard. “It’s because it’s already hard enough to get a girl . I don’t need these rumors.”
    A horn honks behind us. I loo k in the back mirror and see a four -car line waiting for me. My hand s go back to the wheel , and we move. Sneaking a peek at her, I see the lipstick is gone and she’s rummaging through her purse again. Her smile is gone . She doesn’t look at me.
    “ Come on, Drake. W hat did you expect? I never see you with a girl, you don’t play sports — ”
    “I swim!”
    “Swimming is exercise, it’s not a sport. Besides, the speedo — ”
    “I don’t wear a speedo ! I wear tight swimming trunks! Manly trunks. ”
    “That’s not the point. There’s this sensitive side of yours, your soft voice, and you just said you’re not into girls—”
    “ I said little g irls. Like diaper-wearing Becca . ”
    “A nd you are always hanging out with those two studs. I mean, you follow them like a puppy.”
    Oh, God, my little sister thinks that Boulder and Sean are studs. Will this nightmare ever end? I look at her, and I’m stunned further when I see a lighter i n her left hand, her other hand still inside the purse. I forget all about my supposed gayness.
    “Mona! Are you smoking?”
    She looks at me, startled. “No,” she says with a guilty voice. “This is for, like, incense and stuff . ”
    “Come on, Mona!” I say aloud . Then, my voice turns so ft, just like she pointed out seconds ago. “Smoking of all things?” I don’t know what comes over me. My eyes are suddenly humid. I keep staring at the road. I can feel she’s looking at me, but I don’t know what to say.
    After a while, she breaks the silence. “Seriously, Drake. It’s not for smoking, or pot, or anything. It’s just a lighter. For candles—”
    “— a nd ince n se. Right.” My eyes are still on the traffic ahead.
    I hear a deep sigh. We don’t say a word until we’re at Pain ’s. Or p igtails Becca’s . Or who ever ’s . Mo na doesn’t ask me to not rat on her to Dad. She leaves the car and closes the door, and then leans on the open window.
    “I’m sorry,” she says.
    I turn to her, at last. “It’s okay. It’s just the lighter—”
    “N o,” she interrupts me. “I’m sorry you’re not gay. We could go clubbing together, looking for guys.” She blows me a kiss with her purple lips and laughs her way to the front porch of Pain’s house.
    I take off. I smile a little bit, but it’s bittersweet. I realize that while I was living my life, my little sister became, you know, a person.
     
     
       

Chapter 22: Skye
    I’ve been dreading school, but so far it hasn’t been so bad. I guess the news about my mother ’s heart attack might have softened their luscious desire for mocking me. Maybe it got me a reprieve. Or maybe they weren’t so mean in the first place.
    Five minutes after I arrive, I spot Drake. Here we go.
    When Drake sees me, he freezes up. He stand s by his car, a couple of books i n his l eft hand, his car keys crushed in his right fist . I wave to him, looking pathetic even to myself.
    He just stands there. He’s not making a statement : he is lost.
    Well, welcome to the