“I was born like Briar.”

“Okay…” Thomas knew there was something he was missing. He couldn’t figure out why Logan looked so serious while saying something that sounded like either nonsense or common sense.

“Biologically, I mean.”

Thomas nodded. “Well, yeah. She’s your sister. Biologically, you’re related.”

“That’s not what I--” Logan shook his head. “I mean, um… I don’t know how to explain this. I guess… I have two X chromosomes, and no Ys.”

“Huh?” Now he was talking about chromosomes? Thomas tried to remember back to the biology unit of the last science class he had taken. If he remembered correctly XY meant male, and XX meant… Oh.

“You’re biologically female?”

Logan nodded stiffly.

“But you’re a boy.”

“Yes.” Logan sighed and the tension in his shoulders dissipated. Apparently, Thomas had figured out the riddle.

But he still felt like he was missing something. “So, FtM means…?”

“Female to male.” Logan seemed able to state that easily, which made Thomas wonder why he hadn’t just said it in the first place. “I’m transgender.”

“Okay.” Another term that Thomas didn’t know, but he was pretty sure that wasn’t the important thing here. “Can I ask one question?”

Logan tensed, but he nodded.

“Why were you so nervous about telling me?”

“Uh…” Logan chuckled nervously. “Some people think that the body is always right, and they would insist that I’m a girl, not a boy. I just didn’t know for sure that you wouldn’t be like that.”

“That’s stupid.” Thomas said without thinking. When Logan shied away, he scrambled to explain. “Not you! Them. People who think like that. I mean, by that logic, people who are born with heart or lung defects are meant to die and don’t deserve to be saved.” He shook his head at the idea. “‘The body is always right.’ What a joke.”

Laughter bubbled out of Logan and the sound made Thomas smile.

“You know,” Logan said through his laughter. “sometimes I can really see the family resemblance between you and Briar.”

“Shut up.” He gave Logan’s arm a playful punch.

Logan punched him right back.

“We good?” Thomas prompted. “Is there anything else weighing on your mind that I can downplay for you?”

Logan made a show of thinking for a moment. “Nah. I’m good. What about you?”

For a moment, Thomas thought about telling him about the family tree assignment. But that hadn’t gone over too well with Briar. For some reason, as much as he hated having Briar mad at him, the idea of Logan getting angry was even worse.

“Nope. Life’s a breeze.”

“Apart from school, you mean.”

“Right.” Thomas’s backpack suddenly felt heavier. “I should really get some of this homework done.”

“To the library, then.” Logan pointed dramatically in the direction they had to go.

When they reached the library, Thomas staked out a table while Logan went off to find the book he wanted. Then Logan joined him, and they sat side by side. Every so often, Logan would chuckle, then apologize for disrupting Thomas. Thomas assured him it was fine, and secretly wondered what sort of story got Logan to laugh like that.