Me, My Brother, and the Last Night of Summer
Copyright 2024 by Heather Rose Brown

This is a short story about a preteen nonbinary kid trying to deal with gender issues, and what happens when a sibling with similar but different issues reaches out to them.

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I was curled up on my bed, using a sketchy phone app to search the grey web for an online source of hormone blockers, when someone knocked on my bedroom door.

"Who is it?" I shouted while shutting down the app.

"It's me, Darcy," my little brother shouted back through the door.

I smiled when I heard him using my new name, then got up and opened my door before saying, "Come in, Shel."

He grinned and said, "Thanks," before striding into my room. His grin went lopsided as he ran his fingers through his freshly buzzed hair and said, "I know ya really stuck your neck out when ya told Dad you'd cut my hair this morning, but ... I kinda need another favor."

I thought about the promising lead I'd uncovered, then said, "I'm a bit busy right now. Maybe another time?"

"After what you did to Michelle," our dad said while leaning against my doorframe, "you'd better do anything she asks you."

Shel frowned at Dad when he heard his deadname. Even though he hadn't completely come out to our parents like he'd done with me, they still knew he didn't want to be called Michelle. His face softened when he looked at me and said, "Never mind."

"Never mind my ass," Dad said, giving us both a somewhat unfocused glare before taking a sip from the dark brown bottle in his hand.

I glared back at my father before I turned my attention back to my brother, then rested a gentle hand on his shoulder while saying, "Whatever ya wanna say, go ahead and say it."

He looked down at his sandals and said, "I was just wonderin' ... would ya be up to goin' on a bike ride with me tonight?" He looked back up and said, "I know it's pretty late, but ... it's the last night of summer, and ... I just thought it'd be kinda nice."

I thought again about the lead I'd found, then I thought about my brother spending another minute in the same house with the man who'd threatened to buy a wig to make his 'daughter' look proper. I grabbed Shel's hand and said, "You got it," before leading the way out of my room.

"Where you think you're going?" our dad said while shifting to a more upright position."

I did my best to ignore the stench of stale sweat and beer while muttering, "Out," before shoving my way through the gap between Dad and the doorframe.

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There were still wisps of pink and orange where the sun had dipped below the horizon, but most of the sky was dotted with bright pinpoints of starlight. As I climbed onto my bike, sad music started playing in the house, which meant our dad would be sleeping off the six-pack by the time me and my brother got back.

I looked over at my little brother. The only light available was coming through the living room curtains, but I could still tell he was smiling from ear to ear. Even having to ride a girl's bike couldn't ruin his mood. I smiled back, and said, "Come on."

My brother and I pedaled down our gravel driveway onto the cracked asphalt some people might mistake for a road. We turned towards where the moon would soon be rising, and began pedaling faster.

The air was still a little damp from the muggy afternoon, but it had cooled when the sun set, and felt almost velvety when it slipped over my bare arms and fluttered through my growing hair. I glanced at my brother, and saw the silhouette of a boy who was more relaxed than I'd seen him all summer.

I also saw the person who'd be there for me, no matter what, just like I'd always be there for him. At that moment, I realized that, as brother and ... whatever I was, we'd make it through anything that came our way.