Andy's Shorts to GA Prompts - 13. Prompt #91

The alarm clock sounded. I don’t know how long the alarm rang for as I’ve always been a very deep sleeper; I actually slept through our neighbour’s house burning down. I rubbed the sleep out of my eyes and looked around my bedroom, only to find my brother and my best friend were already up; that explains why the alarm clock was left to try and wake me up. It’s odd . . . I’ve never known my brother Josh to be able to wake up without the alarm clock. I wonder if Timmy had a rough night, causing Josh to wake up? He’s had trouble sleeping lately, but I don’t know why; he won’t talk to me about what’s troubling him.

I dragged myself out of the bed and went into the bathroom I share with my brother. I quickly washed my face, brushed my teeth and peed. I sat back down on my bed and put on my slippers. I couldn’t be asked to get dressed so I put on my dressing gown over my pyjamas.

“Morning Ophelia, Bianca, Cordelia, Rosalind. How are we this morning?” I love my Dionaea muscipula (more commonly known as a Venus Flytrap), and I always talk to her – call me crazy if you like. I noticed Ophelia was closed and I wondered what she was having for breakfast. I don’t know why I think of her as a “her” but I always have; it just doesn’t seem right to think of my plant as male. I got her a gift three years ago, when she only had two leaves (who I called Ophelia and Rosalind) and now she has four. I hope she’ll flower this year; I’ve been looking forward to seeing the white blooms for about nine months now. Just think she’ll soon be able to have babies of her own, my little girl all grown up.

I looked in the mirror by my bedside and sighed deeply. I had finally decided last night just who and what I am. I stared at my reflection and said to my Flytrap, “Girls, I have come to the realisation that I’m different. I’m gay.” There. I had finally admitted it to myself, and had finally spoken those words aloud. I giggled to myself though at the very thought of the first person I admitted to that I’m gay is a plant. I stifled a yawn and decided to go looking for my brother and my best friend.

As I walked down the stairs I heard voices coming from the kitchen.

“I’m sorry Maxxie, did we wake you? Were we being too loud?” Josh asked me.

“No. The alarm clock woke me.”

“What?”

“I said ‘the alarm clock woke me’. It’s just gone seven. I noticed you two were already up, so I came looking for you. What time did you two wake up?”

“About quarter past two. Timmy had a nightmare.”

“And you two didn’t bother going back to sleep?”

“Well, we got to talking and I guess time slipped by,” said Timmy.

“I’ll say. What on earth can you two have talked about for five hours? In terms of word count I’ve got a better relationship with my Venus Flytrap than you two have with each other.”

Timmy said, “We had a lot to talk about, and there’s something I need to tell you, something I want to tell you.”

Timmy looked over at my brother Josh. I could see the wordless conversation passing between the two of them; just what did they talk about. “Maxxie, there’s no really easy way to say this, so I’m just going to say it. I’m gay.”

I ran over to my friend and hugged him tightly with a tear in my eye. “Timmy, it doesn’t matter to me; you’re my best friend. I love you; I always have and I always will. Nothing will ever change that.”

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