All In | ✓

Eighteen

"Can we talk?" Elisica reaches out and tugs at my hoodie sleeve. I nod and close my locker, wincing as she flinches.

"Sorry."

"It's okay." She smiles in assurance. "It's just an old habit."

"What happened to give you that habit?"

"Doesn't matter."

"I think it does, but I'm guessing we'll talk about that another time."

Elisica leads me to an empty library, where she takes a seat on our usual table.

"I need to tell you something," she says, lacing her fingers together. "It's important."

"What's up?" I lean against the front counter and tuck my hands into my pockets. "Is it about the bet or something?"

"No, it's about- it's about me." She starts looking around at the different bookshelves. "You know how Hudson told you he was bi?"

"You're not straight?"

"No- well, yes, but that's not what I'm trying to tell you." She laughs a bit at herself. "I'm such a nervous wreck. Give me a moment."

"We having a party in here?" Chase opens the door with his foot. Elisica perks up.

"I'm failing, help me out please," Elisica begs.

"I've never been in your shoes before, I'm sorry. I don't know how to help."

"Give me moral support."

"Give me a Y!" Chase exclaims, faking a cheerleader pose. "Give me an O! Give me a U! Give me a C, A, N, D, O, I, T! What does that spell?"

"You're a terrible cheerleader."

"Okay that's just mean."

Elisica starts laughing at Chase's fake hurt expression.

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry," she breathes. "Thanks for that."

Chase's frown immediately turns into a smile. "You're welcome." He turns around and leaves the room, making sure to close the door behind him.

"He's a really good person, isn't he?"

"Yeah, he is." Elisica shakes her head and makes a soft noise. "That really helped. I'll thank him again later."

"So what did you need to tell me?"

"I don't go by Elisica to certain people," she begins. "I go by Eli, which isn't short for Elisica. It's short for Elijah."

"You're trans."

"Yeah." Eli nods, looking down at her hands. "I still don't have a proper name and I didn't want to go by my birth name anymore, so I decided to go by Elijah for the time being."

"What are your pronouns?"

Eli whips her head up, smiling softly. "He/him."

"So use Eli around others, and Elijah when we're in private, right?"

He nods and swipes at his eyes. "Thanks, Jack."

"I hope you know that I still like you."

"You do?"

"Yeah." I shrug. "Doesn't matter if you're a guy or a girl or nonbinary. You're still you. Your personality is the same and you're still the same amazing person."

"Thanks." He runs a hand through his hair and smiles. "I didn't expect this to go as well as it did."

"Hey." I walk over to him and take his hands in my own. "I don't hate you. I wouldn't hate you over something like this. I don't hate anyone for who they love or who they are because there's no reason for me to be so bothered by who other people are."