“So, whaddya wanna talk about, blondie?  Those two’ll probably talk for a bit – they’re like a couple of gossipy old birds when they’re left alone.”

I chuckled.  Mirai and Dr. Stephens did seem very comfortable in each other’s company.  It almost seemed fatherly, the way Dr. Stephens had looked at him.  I remembered what Chann had said about him being the only teacher who stood up for Mirai.

“Well, maybe you can tell me stories about you and Mirai.”

“If I tell you everything, it’ll suck all of the fun out of getting to know him!”  Chann let out a playful, teasing laugh.  “Can’t we talk about something other than Mirai?  Or are you that enamored with him?”

I felt my cheeks heat once more.

“Aww, you do like him!”

“I do not know if I like him like that…”

“At least admit he’s cute.”

“He is beautiful,” I muttered, wondering if Chann would hear and comment on it.

“I’ve always told Mirai that I wouldn’t approve any guy for him, but I think I could approve of you.  You seem like you’ve got a good head on your shoulders, you’ve been nothing but brilliant towards Mirai, and I think he likes you back.”

I blushed harder.  “You really think so?”

“He usually doesn’t warm to people so fast.  Trust me, this is huge.  So long as you treat him right, you two could be a good couple.”

“You almost sound like a father approving his daughter’s new boyfriend.”

“No, I sound like a big brother trying to get his best mate a love life in a world full of dimwitted, sex-addicted tools.  Blegh!”  Chann pulled a face, sticking out his tongue and closing an eye.  “I’ve never understood the appeal of sex myself, but Mirai’s into it and it’s fun to talk about it with him.”

I tilted my head to the side a bit.  “I thought all Americans liked sex.”

“Some asexuals don’t.”  Chann’s emerald eyes sparkled with amusement.  “Ever heard the term?”

“In my biology class – it means an organism can reproduce on its own.”  I chuckled self-consciously.  “But that is not what you mean, is it?”

Chann snickered.  “Asexual, as a sexuality, means I don’t feel sexual attraction.  I’m also aromantic, which means I don’t feel romantic attraction.  Basically means I’m gonna be a bachelor my whole life and I’m good with that.  I’m comfortable with who I am, and the few people whose opinions I value support me wholeheartedly.  I don’t feel the need to announce it to the world, since it’s nobody’s business but mine.”

“Then why did you tell me?”

“Because I wanted to.”

I smiled.  I liked Chann more every minute I spent with him.  He didn’t spark the interest in me that Mirai did – he wasn’t as attractive to me, or as mysterious, or as alluring – but he was funny, easy-going, and compassion and happiness radiated off him.  I supposed it was as simple as me wanting to be friends with Chann and wanting more than that with Mirai.  I recalled the doubtful thoughts about our friendship that I’d had when talking to Richie.

“Chann, do you think we are friends?”  I regretted the words the moment they left my lips.  Who asks something like that?!

“‘Course.  I like you, Mirai likes you, you like us – what other reasons do I need?”

The door opened and Mirai hurried out.  He collapsed into Chann’s arms and, for a brief moment I thought he was hurt, but he just seemed shaken.

“Hey, champ.  You alright?”  Mirai nodded.  “Oh, c’mon, I know you better than that.  Hard conversation?”  Mirai shrugged, hesitated, then nodded slightly.  “You know I’m up to talk about it whenever you are, right?”

Mirai nodded then touched his fingertips to his chin and moved his arm out until it was level with his waist.  I guessed it was sign language for ‘thank you’, and I felt a small thrill of pride when Chann said “Of course,”, ultimately confirming the thought.

“Sasuke?”  I jumped at the sound of Dr. Stephens’ voice.  “May I please talk to you?”

“Yes, of course.”  I hoped I didn’t sound as formal and weird to him as I sounded to myself.

I followed Dr. Stephens into his classroom.  He was a rather tall man, almost as tall as Chann, with dark brown hair and piercing green eyes.  He was dressed in a dark grey overcoat with a pale grey scarf and a grey vest over a pale shirt.  It was surprisingly formal, compared to the raiment of the other teachers I’d seen, and seemed out-of-place in the blazing heat outside and the less-than-refreshing classroom.  I felt both intimidated and assured by his presence.  He closed the door behind me and I felt my nerves start to awaken.

“Dr. Stephens, have I done something wrong?”

“Not at all.  I simply do not keep secrets from my students, and I believe you deserve to know that I am well aware of who you are.”

“Wh-Who I am?  I am no one special…”  I was terrified of what was about to come.  I prayed it was a mistake, that he didn’t know what I thought he knew, but I had the dreadful, sinking feeling that he knew exactly what he was talking about and that it was about to be all over…

“You might not think so, but the world does.”

I swallowed hard.  He knew.  Jesus, Mary, and Joseph, he knew.

“S-So…  you know who I am?”

“Yes.  Angelo Sasuke Euclaw, eldest son of Dante and Francesca Euclaw; you and your father are the most prospective heirs to the Euclaw fortune in your respective generations.  Your immediate family recently moved here to take part in a business project concerning Savannah’s deep-sea port.  I have to say, I did not anticipate having a billionaire in my class.”  Dr. Stephens’ green eyes bore into mine with a vivid intensity.  “It says on your student file that you explicitly requested to be called Sasuke instead of Angelo.  It is therefore clear to me that you have not told anyone who you are, nor do you intend to.  Would you care to tell me why?”

“I do not want people to be my friend because I am rich,” I muttered.  “I want people to like me for me.”

“I can certainly understand keeping that from the general population – with the people at this school being who they are, it is a wise decision – but I implore you to tell Chann and Mirai.”

“Could you…  tell me more?”  I didn’t know the English word for ‘elaborate’.  “What advice do you have?”

“Hmm.”  Dr. Stephens paused for a moment.  “You have a valid reason for keeping your true identity secret.  I understand that.  However, there is a time when every hidden fact becomes deception.  Right now, you can say that you are waiting for the right time to tell them who you are, but there will come a time when waiting becomes lying.  I cannot tell you when that time will come, but I can assure you that it will, and sooner than you think.  My advice to you is to put faith in the friendship you have already formed with Chann and Mirai and tell them as soon as possible.  Waiting for the right moment could be waiting too long.  I can assure you that they will understand why you kept this secret at first, but once it becomes a lie, Chann will find it hard to forgive you.”

“Mirai forgive easy?”  I knew the words weren’t right.  I was so shaken up that I felt like I was forgetting all the English I’d learned.

“To him, there would be nothing to forgive.  That boy doesn’t have a hateful bone in his body.  If he cannot hate the discriminatory people who have harmed him and taken what is most precious to him, he cannot hate you for concealing your true identity.”

“You will not tell him?”

“You are keeping your identity secret for a reason.  It is not within my rights to give you away.”

I was stunned.  I had fully expected him to go outside and tell Chann and Mirai this instant.  The thought had even flashed across my mind that he’d told Mirai when they’d talked, and that’s why he seemed so upset.  Looking into his eyes, I knew he was serious:  he wasn’t going to give me away.  I could see why Chann and Mirai liked him so much.

“You’re free to go, Sasuke, although I hope you haven’t seen this as any kind of interrogation.”

“Th-Thank you, Dr. Stephens.”

I was still in a daze as I left the classroom.  Chann and Mirai were sitting side-by-side outside, Chann murmuring softly into Mirai’s ear.  Mirai let out a small chuckle at whatever his best friend had said, then turned his luminous eyes on me.  He seemed much calmer than before.  His gaze softened with concern as he studied my face.

“Hey, mate.  You okay?  You look like you’ve seen a ghost!” Chann joked.

“I am okay.  Just a serious talk.”

“You know I’ve noticed you never use contractions?  You sound crazy formal without them.”

“Contractions?”

“Combining words to make them shorter and talk quicker.  Like, shortening ‘I am’ to ‘I’m’, ‘what is’ to ‘what’s’, that kind of thing.”

“I never learned…  contractions.”

“You’ll pick it up soon enough.  See, ‘you will’ shortened to ‘you’ll’.  People use ‘em all the time.”

“It is – it’s? – strange how different classroom language is to real language.”

“Tell me about it!”  Chann snickered.  “And yeah, it’s ‘it’s’.”

“I thought I knew more English.  It seems I do not know enough.”

“You know enough to communicate.  We understand what you’re saying, you understand what we’re saying – you don’t need to hurry to get all informal.  Besides, it’s hard to learn a whole language; I’m still learning sign language for Mirai, especially since he uses informal signs.  Every time I think I’ve figured his signs out, he comes up with something new!”

Mirai snorted and made a single gesture, similar to the ‘thank you’ sign from before.  Instead of touching his chin, he curled his fingers beneath it and flicked them out.  Chann scowled and gave him a light swat on the side of the head.

“What does that sign mean?” I queried.

“He just said ‘fuck you’.  You have filthy hands, Mirai, absolutely filthy.”

Mirai rolled his eyes and made the sign again.  I chuckled; I had begun to suspect that Mirai was the sarcastic type, and seeing him flippantly curse was the cherry on top.  A spark of mischief similar to the one in Chann’s had entered his brilliant eyes.  It amazed me that he didn’t need to say anything to convey his personality – his facial expressions, the way he walked, even the way his hands moved as he signed seemed to say more than words ever could.

“Alright, champ; up you go.  We’ve gotta get to class.”

Chann stood up and held out a hand to help Mirai up.  Mirai refused it, just as he’d done before.  We stood on either side of him and I relished just how right it felt to be beside him like this.  I got the feeling that I’d be at Mirai’s side for years, placing an arm around his shoulders, holding his hand, cuddling him, kissing him, whispering sweet nothings into his ear just because…

The following morning, I faced my mama, my ears burning with frustration.

“Mama, please let me walk to school!” I begged.

“Absolutely not!  God only knows what kind of poor, pathetic heathen might try and attack you.”

“But most everyone else walks!  This is not the kind of place where people drive everywhere; the roads are small and made of cobblestone, too bumpy for a car to drive comfortably.  I want to blend in, Mama, and look like any other American.”

“You mean you want to look like a commoner?!”

“Not a commoner, per se…”

Mama snorted and turned her back on me.  “Your papa will drive you to school and that is the end of it.  I will not have any more argument!  You are a proper young man and you shall act and appear as such.”

I swallowed against a snarl of anger; having a go at her wouldn’t get me anywhere.  Papa was waiting by the doorway, pretending that he wasn’t absorbing every word of the conversation.  I stormed outside, ignoring Mama’s sharp command to say goodbye to her.  Papa followed me and whispered, “I will drop you off where I picked you up yesterday, so no one will see you.  You can walk the last little bit.”

“But such vigorous exercise is not befitting of a gentleman,” I sneered.  “I must be driven around in a limo, or a Ferrari, or maybe even a gilded horse-drawn carriage!  I am a billionaire’s son – everyone must take one look at me and know that I am rich, rich, rich!”

“Remember that it’s your mama who stresses appearances,” Papa said sharply.

“I know…”  I let go of the sarcasm.  Papa wanted to fit into American culture as badly as I did and he was aware of the measures we had to take to do so.  We were monetary royalty, aristocrats in our own right, and we had to work hard to keep our identities secret from the general public.  Cruising through handmade streets in a glossy white limo would hardly accomplish that.  Even the way I dressed wasn’t subtle; while the students at my school wore oversized sweaters, yoga pants, jerseys, and expensive but tacky-looking sneakers, I stood apart from the crowd in my crisp, collared shirts and polished wingtips.  My most casual outfit outshone them all.  Hopefully, I’d be able to get my hands on something more…  American teenager in the coming days.

I was silent the entire drive.  I was getting anxious to see Chann and Mirai again, although I was even more anxious about keeping my identity secret.  I wasn’t ready to let them know I was wealthy just yet.  Papa pulled the car to a gentle stop on the side of the road and gave me a reassuring smile.

“Go and make the best of your day.”

“I will,” I said in English.  “I will see you after school.”

“I’ll be right here, waiting for you.”  Papa didn’t switch to English.

I nodded, kissed Papa’s cheek, and stepped out of the car.  I scanned the area around us, searching for anyone who might have seen me get out of what was honestly a half-limo.  Nobody was around, and I rushed to get away from it.  I might have been born and raised an Italian billionaire but, right now, I was an immigrant teenager succeeding at assimilating into a new culture.

Sort of.