“I feel like I should have told you about the Kihing,” Oka said. “And there’s other stuff about me that…I dunno.”

  “We did meet pretty retly,” I said. “I don’t o know everything about you.”

  “I just don’t like keepis.” Oka said.

  For some reason that created a pang of guilt in me. Was not talking about Jeans keeping a secret from Oka?

  “Well, you tell me,” I said. “I’m pretty good at keepis. I read spoilers for a movie once way before it came out and I didn’t even tell my sister because I knew she wao see it!”

  “Alright,” Oka said with a faint smile. “It’s just been really weird since I started living with the Kinders. Well, I teically just live with Mr. Kinder, but all the others are always there.”

  “Is that the Mr. Kihat’s like teically your dad?” I asked.

  I thought about Oka’s dad barely being able to pick her out of a crowd.

  “Yeah,” Oka said. “But he’s not my dad. And Caya’s not my aunt or whatever! I didn’t even remember she was teically my aunt until just now, when you said she scared you to Diast I was like, yeah, me too. But not even in a familial way, like just as a teacher.”

  Oka had the look of someone who just o vent, which was good because I didn’t really know what to say.

  “I was alone for so long, and where were they then?” Oka said. “They just show up to adopt me when it’s veo them? Just so they have a little i daughter for their i school? I—I don’t even know what I’m saying. This is so stupid. I almost wish I did smash their stupid cube on purpose because it really did suck.”

  I felt my heart rate spike a bit, because Oka went silent and I kinda felt like I had to say something. But saying something risked me saying something stupid and actally hurtful because I was trying to fort someone going through something I couldn’t really rete to.

  “Did they adopt you really retly?” I asked.

  “Over the summer,” Oka said. “I’ve never had a family, but the Kinders don’t really feel like family. And I’m from a school where we had no teology or anything like here, so it’s like I jumped into another world. I just feel stupid all the time and it sucks.”

  “That’s a lot to deal with,” I said. “Why was your school so…not advanced?”

  “Something about needing a pure i learning experience,” Oka said. “To go against the stars, nothing be had that blocks them from the view of the night sky. That was one of the sottos.”

  “Weird…” I said. “You wao like help catch you up ohing?”

  “You’d do that for me?” Oka asked. “I don’t eople to think I’m stupid for not knowing any of this stuff, but I feel like you won’t ugh at me. I don’t know how to use a phone, any shows or movies people like nowadays. All I had at school was old tapes of musicals…”

  “It’s like you’re a time traveler.” I said. “We could tell people you time travelled and that’s why!”

  “While I am totally there for this story and appreciate the quiess you came up with it… we keep it just between us until I’m more caught up?”

  “Definitely,” I said. “Our secret. Where do we start?”

  An arm on my phone binged. Now I knew what her curious g my pho sihey were something she didn’t have at her teology-averse school.

  “Lesson one, my new pupil,” I said, handing Oka my phone.

  Oka didn’t seem to uand how to use it until I swiped the s around a bit for her.

  “That’s wild.” She said. “It being on a real thing looks so muicer than the projes on our power blockers…”

  She spent a few minutes just flipping through ss, fling slightly when their color ged too quickly. It was adorable, and I barely suppressed my smile seeing her reas. Oka ha bae, and I loaded up the camera.

  “Here, check this out.” I held the phone up. “Smile!”

  I tapped the s, and Oka smiled while the camera clicked.

  I made sure she could see when I checked the picture. Oka looked great despite me not giving her any time to prepare, and I actually looked OK. The dark circles around my eyes didn’t seem so pronounced, and my blonde-brown hair looked alright.

  “Wow, that thing take pictures?” Oka asked.

  I showed Oka how to take pictures a her try. After Oka had a picture of herself making every expression she could, she ha bae. For a sed I touched the teal cloth on her right hand, and realized I had never asked her about it. I wondered if it was a sore subject.

  “Alright! My first lesson!” Oka said. “ you show me more stuff like this? I trust you to not make fun of me for not knowing what an eGame is or why a movie called Dentist Haircut is so exg.”

  “Of course,” I said. “And I’m with you oist Haircut, that was really weird.”

  We giggled about the weird game and had a bit of light teasing at Syval’s expense about his excitement level for the movie. Oka’s ugh turned into a sigh. “I don’t want css to end today. I have to meet with the Kinders after this. I assume they’re gonna talk about the cube so I probably will just blend into the background. I’d rather just stay here with you.”

  I had to y words carefully. I had a sudden pang of worry and I kly why.

  But Oka wasn’t Jeans, so she wouldn’t react the same to the way I talked. Right?

  “We don’t get to pick our family,” I said. “I mean, I guess the Kinders did when they picked you. But we don’t really get to pick.”

  Oka didn’t look mad. Good start, maybe?

  “It’s…it’s just me and Stel at home,” I said. “I dunno, it’s sore for both of us, and we don’t really talk about it. And I don’t really know anything about why it’s…just…yeah. But we make it work. And you’ll make it work too, if it’s just figuring out how to deal with the Kinders or carrying on the way you did before. But if you shut yourself ht away, you’ll never find out if the Kinders be more than just some rich jerks ted you for whatever reason. Maybe they actually were genuine?”

  “Maybe,” Oka said.

  “And if they’re not, I got your back.” I said. “You vent to me about whatever.”

  Oka smiled.

  “Yeah,” Oka said. “Thanks, Zeta.”

  I gave Oka a quick hug, because hugs always helped me.

  “And being adopted by Kinders doesn’t make you not you,” I said. “You’re still you, and I like you, so…yood? That sucked, I’m sorry.”

  “No!” Oka ughed. “That actually means a lot to me. You’re the first person to really make seo me in a long time.”

  I realized right then I really liked seeing Oka’s smile. Something about the way her fangs showed brought me a strange fort.

  “You too, Oka.” I said.

  * * *

  Oka being open about her family situation made me want to be open about something else. It took me a day of hyping myself up and rehearsals to work up the o say it, even if I wasn't super worried deep down I'd get a bad rea. When Kalei, Oka, and I were together in our room, I took a deep breath.

  “Hey, so.” I said. “ I…talk to you two about a thing?”

  “What is it?” Oka asked.

  “I’m listening,” Kalei said. “Just…still gaming so. If I don’t say anything it’s not cuz I’m being rude, alright?”

  “Y-you’re fine.” I said. I stood up. I don’t know why I stood up other than when I pictured it in my head I was standing up. Kalei was gaming oop bunk, and Oka was seated at our room’s desk. It was too te to stop now, and my backup pn to say, “Just kidding,” and sit back down didn’t feel right with Oka’s genuine as she turned from homework or whatever she was writing in her notebook at the desk.

  “I um,” I said. “I don’t like to…keep things, so.” I cleared my throat. “I have a thing. I’d like to inform you of. To ehat our roommate and friend arra goes well.”

  “You’re not about to announce you’re like a serial killer or something, are you?” Kalei asked.

  “No, no!” I said. “It’s um…” Oka’s ed expression softened a bit, turning into something more supportive. “Hi.” I don’t know why I said “Hi,” in a versation I had already gottey detly far into. “So I kind of wao say this early on so. Um, hi, I’m transgender. I was born something else, and worked to bee, the me you see. Er, now.”

  Kalei didn’t look up from her game. “Ro.”

  “Oh cool!” Oka squealed. “Sorry, that might’ve been aly excited rea.”

  “No, I uh,” I sat dht away. “I was expeg. Or brag. For not that rea.”

  “What, like we’d be mad?” Kalei asked. “Aren’t transgender i pretty on? That’s what my mom said at least. We are kinda like at least lowkey shapeshifters, after all. I have a trans uncle. I think. Or, maybe he's not a i. Trans people are on in general though I think?”

  “Right, I uh,” I said. I stood up again for no reason, then o find a purpose for my standing up, so I rushed to the bathroom and raer for a bit before ing back.

  “Thanks for telling us, Zeta.” Oka said. “We have your back! You, look like that took a lot to say, so go you! I’m proud you told us!”

  “I uh, yeah.” I said. “I don’t know what I was expeg but uh. Thank you both.”

  “Uh huh,” Kalei said, barely turning away from her game.

  "I just got the pill too, so uh. Yeah. Things are going really good there." I said.

  "Ohhh," Oka said. "The one for i, right?"

  I nodded, unsure of how to process Oka's geerest.

  "I read about that in a magazily!" Oka said. "That's awesome, so you must be feeling super great then!"

  "I...I am, yeah." I said.

  Oka gave me a thumbs up and a wink that alsht me a strange fort, maybe even more so than the smile she gave earlier. OK, not more than the smiles, but a nifort in its own way.