Genesis barely remembered going home from the mall. All she remembered was the shock she was in. Mirna had been murdered. She wouldn't be able to reset everything to the way it was. Genesis would be stuck as a woman for the rest of her life. By the time she got home, she was right on the verge of crying. She didn't even bother talking to her dad or stepmom. She just went straight to her room, flopped down on her bed, and started crying. She cried nonstop for half an hour, feeling really sorry for herself. Her life had hit a low point that she doubted she could get up from. Genesis didn't care that it was a school night and that she had homework to do. She didn't care that her stepmom was making potato soup and biscuits for dinner. All she wanted to do was stay in her room for the rest of the night and cry until Death took her home.

***

Somehow or other, Genesis managed to get up and ready for school the next morning. Since she couldn't stand to ride to school with Ramona, she texted Charlotte and asked if she could hitch a ride with her. Thankfully, Charlotte said yes.

Charlotte pulled up in front of Genesis' house just a few minutes later. Genesis got her backpack and went out to meet her friend. "Hey," Charlotte said when Genesis got into her car. "You feeling okay?"

"No," Genesis admitted.

"You're still sad about yesterday?" Charlotte asked.

Genesis nodded.

"You know, Ramona was really upset too," said Charlotte. "After you left, I talked to her for a bit."

"Really?"

"Yeah. She feels bad for starting that rumor about you."

"Ramona never feels bad about anything," Genesis replied.

"Well, she did now," said Charlotte. "And she felt really hurt by...you know."

Genesis cringed, remembering the words she'd used to insult Ramona. Looking back, yeah, they were some pretty powerful slurs, but...this was Ramona they were talking about. She deserved it....didn't she?

When Genesis didn't say anything, Charlotte added "Ramona really didn't mean to hurt you. She was just trying to get rid of Adam. She didn't want you to end up in another situation like the one with Wallace."

"Well, she did hurt me," said Genesis. "She's forever ruined my reputation at school."

"Just give it a few weeks," said Charlotte. "It'll all blow over. One time I had a guy pull up my skirt, and everyone forgot about it really quick."

"I hope you're right," said Genesis.

***

Not surprisingly, the rest of the people at school hadn't forgotten about the whole lesbian thing just yet. When Genesis got to school and went through the halls, people still shied away from her and whispered behind her back. It hurt Genesis to see it, but she just tried not to pay attention to it. She just went about her business and got her textbooks and binders from her locker. Then she made a detour to the bathroom, since she had to pee and had neglected to do so before she left.

Genesis went into the girls' bathroom, locked herself inside a stall, and then sat down on the toilet. While she was letting loose her pee, she heard a couple more girls come in. At first she didn't pay attention to their voices, but then she realized one of them was crying. "We won't even be able to go to the regionals," the crying girl sobbed. "Ally and Amanda have a family obligation, and now that Ellen Crow has quit, we don't have enough cheerleaders to go to regionals!"

With a start, Genesis realized Ramona was the crying girl.

"Hey, it's okay," the other girl, who Genesis recognized as Modesty, said. "You can find more people to recruit."

"No, I can't," Ramona sobbed. "I've asked around, and no one wants to join the squad. So everything I've worked for-everything-was for nothing. I won't have any chance at all of winning regionals, and I might not even get to do cheerleading in college!" And with that, she burst into another round of tears.

"Oh, Ramona," Modesty said as she hugged her friend. At least, Genesis assumed she was hugging her, from the way she saw her feet step forward. "I would love to join the squad, but I'm already in the girls' basketball team, so I can't."

"I know," said Ramona. "I understand." But she was still crying when the two of them left.

To her surprise, Genesis felt awful. Charlotte had told her Ramona had been hurt by their argument yesterday, but now she'd had something else on top of that. She'd lost a bunch of her cheer squad members, and she wouldn't be able to take her squad to the regional championships, which she'd been wanting more than anything. Having spent time on the squad herself, Genesis had seen how much it meant to her. And now she wouldn't be getting it. But what could Genesis do? She'd already quit the cheerleading squad, and after the things she'd said to Ramona yesterday, she wouldn't have been surprised if Ramona wouldn't let her back on the squad. Then again, what was the point in trying to do something good for Ramona? Sooner or later she'd show her true colors again, and they'd be in even more drama.

After Genesis had left the stall and washed her hands, she went to Homeroom with her mind a blur. She felt really shaken up by what she'd overheard, and she didn't know what to do next. By the time she got to Mr. Aaron's class, she was walking on autopilot like an emotionless zombie.

"Hey!" Genesis heard someone say.

"What?"

It turned out the speaker was Mr. Aaron. "Genesis," he said. "I asked how you're doing."

"Oh. I'm...not good," said Genesis.

"Really? Why?"

Genesis sighed. "It's Ramona," she said. "I had a big fight with her yesterday. About that rumor she started about me."

"Rumor?"

"She told Adam Severson that I was lesbian, and then he started telling everyone else," said Genesis. "And when I confronted her about it, I...said some things."

"Ooh," said Mr. Aaron. "That's rough."

"I just can't believe it," said Genesis. "We were just starting to get along better, and then she has to go and ruin it by trashing my reputation at school."

"I don't think she meant to hurt you," said Mr. Aaron. "It sounds like she was just trying to get rid of a boy you weren't interested in."

"That's what she said," said Genesis. "But now I just...I don't think we can ever recover from this."

"You will. It's what siblings do."

Genesis sighed. She was so tired of everyone insisting Ramona was her sister even though she wasn't. "Ramona isn't my sibling," she said. "She's just some stuck-up bitch whose mom was dumb enough to marry my dad."

"Which makes her your stepsister," said Mr. Aaron.

"So? We've never liked each other at all. What's the point in trying to reconcile with her?"

Mr. Aaron leaned in like he always did when he wanted to make an important point. "Genesis, let me tell you something that my grandpa told me when I was your age," he said. "Siblings, even stepsiblings, are important. Unlike your parents, or your spouse, or your own kids, your siblings are with you for your entire life. If you have a good relationship with your brothers, or sisters, that'll do you a lot of good in the long run."

When Genesis didn't respond, Mr. Aaron continued. "Let me tell you a story. When I was nine years old, my father died of lung cancer. For several years, it was just my mother and I. But then, when I was in middle school, my mother found a new husband. And her new husband had a son named David, who became my new stepbrother. At first it was awkward, having another kid in the house who was suddenly my 'brother.' But, over time, we put aside our differences and became good friends. Even now, David and I see each other almost every month. Sometimes he drives me a little crazy, but we're still on good terms. In fact, my kids say Uncle David is their favorite relative. So just think of how much better it'll be down the road if you fix your relationship with Ramona."

Genesis sighed. "You're right," she said.

Mr. Aaron smiled approvingly. "That's the spirit," he said. "Now, how are you going to apologize to Ramona?"

There was only one way Genesis could think of.

***

Ramona stood before what was left of her cheer squad. "Guys, I'm very sorry to say this," she said, "But we will not be going to regionals this year."

"What?" said Talia.

"I know. It-it really pains me to say this," said Ramona. "But since we're one member short, they won't let us compete."

"I'm sorry, Ramona," said Charlotte. And she really meant it.

"And since we can't go to regionals, this means..." Ramona started to get choked up. "This means we won't have a chance of winning the regionals."

"Yes you will," said a new voice. Every head turned to see Genesis walking into the gym, wearing her old cheer uniform that she hadn't gotten rid of for some reason.

"What-Genesis?" Ramona asked.

"I heard you're short a member," she said. "And I want to rejoin."

"What?" said Charlotte. "Can she do that?"

"Yes, she can," said Mrs. Wilson.

Ramona was so shocked, she could hardly speak. "Genesis...I thought..."

"I'm sorry, Ramona," said Genesis. "I'm really sorry about yesterday."

"But you said..."

"Mr. Aaron talked some sense into me," said Genesis. "And I know how important winning the regionals is to you, and that you need another member of your cheer squad. So now I'm rejoining."

Minutes before, Ramona had been on the verge of crying, but now she was shedding tears of joy. "Oh, thank you, Genesis," she said, hugging her stepsister. "Thank you so much."

"It's what sisters do, isn't it?" said Genesis.

Mrs. Wilson smiled. "That's very sweet of you," she said. "But we've started doing some more cheer routines since you left. You're gonna have to learn them all now."

"That's okay," said Genesis. "I'm ready."

To be concluded...