“But it’s embarrassing!” I whine. “You’re Azalea!”

"If it makes you feel any better, no one else knows. Mainly because no one at our school would read a lesbian love story, but whatever."

"How many people have asked you which guy she's going to end up with?"

Xael rolls her eyes in response.

"Too many to count. I'm worried stupidity is contagious."

"Haven't they kissed already too?"

"Yeah, but people are just dumb. Earlier today someone asked me for a hint of which guy she's going to end up with- here, I can pull it up."

Xael sets her phone on my lap and I read the conversation, snickering at everyone being a smart-ass.

"Wait, this guy's handle is conconman?" A sense of dread fills my body as I stare at the guy's nickname.

"Yeah. It's his username. He didn't bother to change it to his actual name, and I didn't want to force him-"

"Xael, conconman is Conner's handle."

Xael looks at me in shock.

"Conner," she says slowly. "Conner Roye. Your brother."

I press my lips together and nod.

"Conner enjoys your story."

"Conner is voluntarily reading a story about two girls falling in love."

"But isn't he homophobic?"

"Yeah, he sure seemed like he was," Xael mutters. "Could it just be him trying to keep up appearances? Does he really not hate-"

"Shut the fuck up," Conner growls, wrapping an arm around Xael's neck. "Queers are freaks. They're goddamn freaks."

"Conner, you're reading a story about people in the community!" Xael exclaims, grabbing Conner's arm and shoving it away from her throat. "What do you have to say about that? Huh? Is someone forcing you to read it? If that's the case, why all the support for the story?"

"I have no clue what you're babbling on about."

"So your Discord name isn't conconman?"

"Because I'm the only Conner out there?" Conner chuckles dryly, cracking his knuckles. "Right."

Conner exits the room and I pull out my phone, looking at my blocked list.

"Let me see conconman's message again?"

Xael opens her phone and holds it out to me. I check the profile of conconman and notice that it's the same profile picture and number tag.

"This is, without a doubt, Conner," I state. "The picture's the same and the number is the same too."

"Could we stop talking about Conner?" Xael smiles weakly, taking her phone back and slipping it into her pocket. I nod, putting away my own phone.

"So, what should we do?"

"Twenty questions?" Xael suggests. I nod. "I'll go first. What's your favorite animal?"

"Squirrels," I answer. "They're basically tiny cats. Favorite time of day?"

"Either sunset or midnight. Sweet or sour?"

"Sweet. Chocolate, vanilla, or strawberry?"

"Vanilla. Cake or pie?"

I frown at her. "That's such a hard question though!"

Xael shrugs, laughing.

"Personally, I don't like pie. It's a false cake."

I nearly double over in laughter at her words.

"A... false cake?"

"Don't you judge me!"

"Sorry, 's a bit late for that."

Xael rolls her eyes, and I notice the smile she's trying to hide.

"Yes, it's a false cake. Don't start. It's your question."

"Indoors or outdoors?"

"Indoors. Favorite candy?"

"Zotz."

"Zotz are fucking delicious!" Xael exclaims. "I don't understand how people don't like them."

"Well, there's also people that don't like Pumbaa and Timon in Lion King, so..."

"Wha?" Xael cocks her head. "How does one even- what."

I shrug. "I have no clue."

"But- hula! Hula in drag!"

"What do you want me to do, dress in drag and do the hula?"

"Luau!"

Xael giggles.

"I still don't understand how one can hate Timon."

"Well, there's definitely people who don't like him. Next question. Favorite Disney movie?"

"Probably the Balto trilogy."

"The what now?"

Xael gapes at me, and then her phone buzzes.

"Have you never heard of Balto?" she gasps, whipping out her phone. "How? And why? You're joking, right?"

I shake my head, and she sighs, holding her phone out to me. I look at the cover of a VHS tape, and then a notification from Discord pops onto the screen.

Nii: jus' a little thing I drew based on hey delilah character descriptions.

bluestorm: dude, that's sick!!

“Hey, someone sent you something.” I point at Xael’s screen, and she turns it back towards her.

“Dude, check this out!” Xael thrusts her phone back towards me and my jaw drops.

“Someone drew that. Someone has that much fucking talent. I am wasting my life.”

“I can’t draw either-”

“No, but you can write elegantly!” I exclaim. “I can get scared of thunderstorms! That’s my talent!”

“Jason, c’mon. You have a talent. I don’t know you well enough to say what it is, but you have one.”

I roll my eyes and sigh.

“I guess I’m a decent model,” I mumble.

“You model? For who?”

“Do you know who Alleata is?”

Xael nods, her eyes brightening.

“Of course I do. She’s the queen of fashion! No, not a queen. Goddess! She’s a goddess of fashion!”

“Yeah, she’s also my mother.”

“She’s your mother?” Xael shouts, jumping to her feet. I nod, gesturing for her to keep her voice down.

“Yes, she is my mother.” Xael sits back down in her chair. Her phone falls out of her pocket and hits the floor, but she either doesn’t notice or doesn’t care.

“She’s in London for a while, right?”

“Yeah, she’s meeting up with some old friends and won’t be back until the first. I’m sure she’d love to meet you when she’s back, though.”

“You think so?”

Xael grabs her phone off of the floor and smiles at me.

“Do you have any pictures of you modeling?”

I nod, pulling out my phone and opening up my gallery. “Mom made me keep these photos. I kinda like them, but they could definitely be better.”

“Holy shit,” Xael breathes, slowly swiping through my photos. “And you said you weren’t talented? You liar!”

“I said I was decent!”

“You lie!”

“Decent-”

“Lies!”

I roll my eyes and snatch my phone back, grinning at Xael.

“No more looking for you.”

Xael makes a face at me that can only be described as ‘puppy dog’, and I give her my phone back.

“I am only decent,” I say. Xael shakes her head, her wavy black hair falling over her eyes.

“Whoops.” Xael brushes her hair out of her eyes and looks down at my phone.

“You should be a model.” The words escape my mouth before I can stop myself and actually think. Xael looks up at me, tucking a piece of hair behind an ear.

“Me? A model?” Xael laughs, looking back down at my phone. “I’m not attractive enough to model.”

“Sure you are. You’re fucking gorgeous, Xael. You have the looks to be a model. Can i have my phone for a second?”

Xael hands me my phone and I take a picture of the girl, then send it to Mom. Her response is almost immediate.

Mom: is she a model? Can she model? Ask her if she’s willing to model for me.

“So, Mom just asked if you’re willing to model for her.”

“She asked what now?”

“Mom asked if-”

“Yes,” Xael interrupts. “Absolutely.”

My phone vibrates in a waltz pattern and I answer the video call. Mom’s face pops up on screen.

“Well, what’d she say?”

“Ask her yourself.” I put my phone in Xael’s hand and her mouth drops open. She quickly closes it before waving at my mother.

“Hi, it’s nice to meet you.”

“So, are you okay with modeling some clothes for me?”

Xael nods, and my mother squeals in excitement.

“We’ll start as soon as I get back from London, okay? I can’t wait! Thanks, love!”

The second the call ends I start laughing. Xael looks at me with a confused expression, making me laugh harder.

“I’m sorry,” I manage to choke out. “I should’ve warned you that she gets like that sometimes.”

“I just met my idol,” Xael whispers, looking into my eyes. “I’m going to model for a goddess.”

“Yep.”

“How many people know Alleata’s your mom?”

I shrug, taking my phone back. “You, me, Conner, and the house staff. We don’t spread the fact that our mom’s Alleata.”

“But- they’d stop bullying you. You could be friends with them!”

“I don’t want friends who are nice to me just because my mother is a celebrity. I want friends who hang out with me because they like me.”

Xael nods, looking to the side in thought food a few moments before returning her attention to me.

“If I were you, I’d have told them who my mom was,” she states. “I guess that’s the difference between you and me- you’re good, and I’m not.”