You weren’t supposed to know about them.

No one was, really.

But then Shauna’s mom let you in, like always. You were basically part of the house by now — she’d loved you since grade school, and somehow loved you even more after your transition, like seeing the real you just made everything make more sense.

So, you didn’t think twice. Hotdog in one hand, bag of Chinese food in the other, you pushed open Shauna’s bedroom door expecting to find her lounging on her phone, maybe half-watching some trash TV.

What you found instead was her and Jackie — limbs tangled, lips locked, deep in something way past “just friends.”

You froze. Your jaw dropped. The hotdog nearly fell from your mouth, but you caught it mid-air like some reflexive, stunned animal.

They noticed you then.

Both heads snapped in your direction, eyes wide, guilty, terrified.

No one spoke.

You just stood there, scanning the scene — tousled hair, flushed cheeks, Shauna’s hand still caught in Jackie’s waistband — before you let out a high, incredulous giggle.

“I knew it!” you shouted, pointing like you’d just won the lottery.

They scrambled apart, trying to find their breath and their dignity.

“Van owes me forty bucks!” you added, taking a triumphant bite of your hotdog.

They both looked at each other and then back at you, talking over one another:

“You bet on us?!” “What the fuck are you doing here?!”

Mouth half-full, you held up your hands, chewing quickly before answering. “Yeah, me and Van had a bet. Said you two were probably ‘experimenting’ or whatever — you know, for practice. I didn’t have anything better to do, so after the gym I grabbed some food and figured I’d drop by.”

Jackie groaned and ran a hand through her already-messy hair. “Don’t tell anyone about this.”

Shauna shot her a look, then turned back to you. They both gave you the same wide, pleading expression.

“I wasn’t planning to,” you said, swallowing.

“Not even Van,” Shauna added, eyebrows raised.

You sighed like this was a negotiation. “Fine. Not even Van.”

Silence fell for a moment, awkward and thick.

You shifted your weight. “Do you want me to… go?”

They glanced at each other again — a silent conversation — before Jackie said, quietly, “No. You can stay.”

Shauna nodded beside her.

You smiled and lifted the plastic bag. “I brought beer… and cigs.”

That broke the tension. Both of them laughed, that kind of startled, guilty laugh people give when they’ve been caught but not judged.

Jackie got up first, crossing the room to crack open the window and pull the curtain shut. Shauna walked over and took the bag from you, kneeling on the floor and unpacking the Chinese food and drinks.

You all sat in a loose triangle on the carpet — Shauna and Jackie side by side, you across from them. You pulled a crumpled pack of cigarettes from your back pocket and handed it over.

There was eating. Drinking. A little silence, a little laughter. Jackie lit a cigarette and passed it to Shauna, then lit her own. You leaned back on your arms, your cropped tee stretching over your chest, cigarette between your lips.

You took a drag, then pulled the smoke from your mouth and gestured between them.

“So… how often does this happen?”

They both hesitated. Jackie’s eyes trailed down your body, lingering a second too long before she caught herself.

Shauna answered, voice light and a little breathless. “Not as often as you think.”

Jackie nodded, sipping from her can, chin resting on her bent knee, like she was suddenly very far away.

You tapped the ash off the end of your cigarette and broke the silence again.

“So… was this a one-time thing? Or are you two like… together now?”

Jackie exhaled sharply through her nose. “We don’t even know what this is.”

Shauna shrugged, lips pressed into a line, then looked at you. “We didn’t plan it. It just… kept happening.”