(ao) this is rotxo on ao'nung's phone (ao) we r on the way now (ao) get snacks i don't think i have any food at my house lol
Tsireya shrugged and entered Mrs. Zama's store. Instantly, a small elderly woman cried out and ran to her, taking Tsireya's face in her hands. "Oh, beautiful girl," she breathed, turning Reya's face from side to side, inspecting her. "Oh, and that hair. And those eyes. Sweet Reya." She kissed Tsireya's forehead gently. "It's been so long, sweet child," she whispered, stepping back to look at Tsireya from a different perspective. "As beautiful as your mother," she declared, a warm smile on her face. "My brothers are coming to get me soon," Tsireya whispered, grinning. Mrs Zama's eyes widened in joy. "All three of my children are coming to see me at once," she breathed. "What do you want? Candy? Chips?" Mrs Zama bustled around her store, selecting things randomly off the shelves and piling them into Tsireya's arms. "These are all very popular with kids your age," she said, winking.
The bell by the door ran. "Auntie!" Rotxo called, waving over his head. "Well, when did he become handsome?" Mrs Zama whispered to Tsireya, before going to embrace them. Reya giggled, looking at the items in her arms. Ao'nung and Rotxo were both leaned over Mrs Zama's shoulders with her arm around their heads. She was saying something excitedly, but Tsireya couldn't make it out. Eventually, Ao'nung came up beside her, looking at what she was holding. "She just gave it to me," Reya whispered. Ao'nung snorted, looking over to where she stood. She was holding Rotxo's arm out, examining his muscles. He had a slightly embarrassed grin on his face, but let her manhandle him all the same.
Despite Tsireya's protests, Mrs Zama insisted they take their snacks without paying. The three of them made the short drive to Rotxo's house. It was small, with one barely decorated bedroom. The house smelled of unuse, cold and artificial. A barely detectable hint of weed clung to the walls and furniture. Tsireya didn't mind. Rotxo went into his bedroom and returned with a small altoid tin. Tsireya smiled. She had painted a picture of a dolphin on the front of it, years ago. It made her happy knowing he still used it. There was a ladder propped outside, leading to the roof. Tsireya bundled herself up in a large comforter, big enough for the three of them. She nestled herself in between the two boys, using them for body heat. Their routine was nothing new- they had been doing this since Tsireya's 8th grade year, when Rotxo's grandma got sick for the first fine. Ao'nung used to forbid her to smoke, but since she turned 16 he'd become more okay with it.
"It's a little chilly," she commented, pulling the blanket to her chin. "So. Who's got something they would like to discuss?" Ao'nung inhaled sharply. "I do," he said uncertainly. Rotxo passed him a joint and lighter. "Go ahead, bro," Rotxo encouraged, smiling softly at him. The lighter sparked, followed by the sound of Ao'nung inhaling deeply. "Okay. First of all, I wanna know if I'm going crazy or if this is real. Is there something going on that I don't know about?" Tsireya grinned. "Well, I'm sure there are plenty of things happening that you are not aware of. This is a big world." Ao'nung swatted her hair gently. "Hush, you know what I mean. It feels like you guys and maybe Kiri all know something that I don't." Rotxo and Tsireya shared a look. "See? Like that. What was that?" Rotxo rolled his eyes. "That was nothing, Ao. I just-" she hesitated. She wanted to tell him what she and Rotxo had learned from Kiri earlier that night. Was it her place to tell? She knew it was eating at her brother.
"Neteyam's gay," Rotxo said bluntly. Tsireya gasped. A strangled sound escaped from Ao'nung's lips. "That's what we learned tonight." "ROTXO!!!!!!" Tsireya screamed. "What? He is." "But it's not your place to say," Ao'nung said, frowning. "Sorry, guys. I figured since Kiri told us, it wasn't a big deal for him." Ao'nung's jaw was set. "Yes, it is a big deal. Sexuality is a very big deal. Maybe he didn't want you knowing, and Kiri told you without his permission. And you just told me, so now that's 3 people that know that he didn't want knowing. Or maybe, he wanted you two to know, but not me. It is a very big deal. That is a huge violation of privacy." Tsireya blinked. Why was he getting so upset about this? She thought Neteyam was gay when she met him. Did Ao'nung not pick up on that? "Are you okay, Ao'nung?" she asked gently. "I mean, it's Neteyam. I doubt he would be too upset that his friends knew," Rotxo mumbled. "I'm fine, Reya," Ao'nung muttered, taking a deep hit and holding back his coughs. "I mean, I'm not gay. But if I were, and I told my sister, trusting she wouldn't tell anyone else, and then she told two people she really doesn't know too well, I would be kinda angry. I don't know. Neteyam probably cares less. He probably isn't scared of people knowing."
The silence was so tense and heavy that Tsireya could taste it. Rotxo kept shooting her strange little glances, eyes wide. Tsireya was quiet, connecting dots in her mind. "Ao, are you a virgin?" Rotxo asked suddenly. "What the fuck is wrong with you?!" Tsireya shouted. "That's twice in a row, man!" she hissed, slapping the back of his head. "Listen, girly, I hotboxed the fuck out of Ao'nung's car on the way to get you. "My truck looked like it had a fog machine in it," Ao'nung commented. "No, Rotxo, I'm not, you know that." Tsireya's eye twitched. "Really? Who? When?" Ao'nung sighed, hiding his face in his hands. "Like, early last summer. Ninat, that one girl with the, uh- Shit, I'm awful. I don't remember what she really even looks like." Tsireya cringed and stared intensely at the tiles below them.
Rotxo gasped. "Dudeeeee she's in my art class! Why didn't I know?" Ao'nung sighed. "It didn't go so well. She and I agreed to never speak about it to anyone." Tsireya's head shot up as she glared at her brother. "What? I'm sorry," he laughed, handing her the joint. "Thank you," she grumbled, frowning at him. "Why didn't it go well?" Ao'nung laughed softly. "Well, it was during that period of time when I was like, super shredded. So my sex drive was super low." Tsireya covered her ears with her hands. "Oh, grow up, it's fine," Ao'nung whined, elbowing her gently. "I just wasn't into it. Because, you know, the hormones..." he drifted off, face flushed.
"Damn. Do you think you could be gay?" Tsireya backhanded him across the mouth. "What the hell, Reya?" Rotxo protested, slapping her on the shoulder in retaliation. "Rotxo, you can't just ask that. You can't just ask my brother if he's a virgin. You can't just out Neteyam Sully just because you think-" she froze. "Because I think what, Tsireya?" Rotxo asked, batting his eyelashes in innocence. Tsireya felt her face screw up in anger. "Nothing," she hissed, shooting him a pointed glare. She turned to face her brother. His face was pale and his eyes were heavily bloodshot. "No, I'm not gay. Of course I'm not gay, Rotxo, that's ridiculous."
Rotxo shrugged. "It's not a big deal either way. I just know what Ninat looks like, and I know how you normally are, and I just don't think-" "That's enough," Ao'nung whispered, looking down at the ground. "I'm gonna go home," he said suddenly, unrolling himself from the blanket and heading for the ladder. "No you're not, you can't drive right now," Tsireya shouted, reaching for his arm. Rotxo gently caught her hand and pulled her back. "You gotta let him go," he whispered. "Me? You're the one who- God, Rotxo, why would you ask him that? You know how he is." Rotxo rolled his eyes. "Oh, please, you know you wanted to ask him that too. You've probably wanted to forever." Tsireya gritted her teeth. "That doesn't matter, man. It's the concept." Rotxo mumbled something and pulled the blanket back over them, turning his back on her.
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