Surprise! I commissioned the selfie Liz & Jessie took in the last chapter. It's made by the very talented serphena on tumblr. Do you guys like it?

Obviously, I told the kids their mom and me had sat in a tree the moment they came home from their grandparents. Though Elizabeth's eyes had shot daggers at me, she'd basked in the attention the three gave them, asking her all about it like she'd done something as exceptional as visiting the moon. After some pleading from Ari, Elizabeth gave in and took all of us back to the park. There, she raced Ari to the top of a short oak while Camille buried her face in my legs, afraid to watch, and Manon paced to and from, caught between excitement and nerves. I didn't think I'd ever seen something as amazing as this; Ari giggling hysterically, Elizabeth continuously checking if she was okay yet still determined to come in first place. In the end, they were sitting next to each other a few feet up, obscured behind all the brittle leaves, and it was almost impossible to imagine they'd ever had trouble bonding.

Life changed drastically after that. Whatever had gotten into Elizabeth, I hoped with all my heart it was here to stay. She reduced her work hours from practically always to only thirty-two and was surprisingly disciplined in ignoring her phone on her days off. She seemed lighter, more prone to laughter, and I liked thinking I'd had a hand in that, though I probably didn't. Even Hakim, who had become my friend after all those hours of tutoring, had commented that she seemed happier, after being surprised she accepted his invitation to have lunch with the two of us. Miss Schneider had noticed it as well, cornering me in the bathroom one day, armed with a sponge and a bucket of soap. "Something's up with the boss," she'd said, "you don't think she's err — been rolling around the hay with a gentleman, do you?" I hadn't considered that yet, and I didn't particularly want to either. I'd been mildly successful in telling myself my stomach would get tired of all those backflips before long now, but it was harder to ignore the way my chest constricted at the idea of Elizabeth with someone else. In any case, I couldn't imagine her finding the time to get some on the side, unless she was satisfied with some very bad and quick hetero sex. Besides, I was sure she would've told me. Right?

It was a Wednesday afternoon, and Elizabeth was marching across concrete tiles to the Montessori school's front entrance, with me trailing behind her, trying to keep up. Just half an hour ago, I'd been sprawled out in the armchair in her office, having been stranded there after bringing her a cup of milk with some coffee, contemplating her hopefully non-existent dating life. I'd just been scrolling through TikTok while she typed away on her laptop furiously, constantly sending me annoyed glances, when she got a call from the school.

At first, she'd gone rigid — "Is this about Manon?" she'd asked, and I'd known what she was scared of. She'd been stalling her much-needed confession to her eldest, getting snappy and defensive every time I brought it up. If I hadn't noticed the freezing terror in her eyes whenever we discussed it, I might've gotten annoyed. I guess nobody would look forward to breaking their kid's heart and confusing them even more, but it was a necessary evil to prevent further scarring. Finally, I'd told her Hakim and me would be taking the youngest two and his seven-year-old cousin to the children's museum in Richmond on Saturday and that it would be an excellent time for her to do what she had to do.

The call wasn't about Manon, though. It was about Ari. She was fine, but apparently the teacher had some concerns about her that couldn't wait any longer. Which, truthfully, didn't surprise either of us. After all, this was Ari, the one I'd caught trying to climb onto the roof only twenty-two hours before and who'd stolen my phone some days before that.

Elizabeth pushed against the bulky glass door. It didn't move. She huffed, giving it another shove, then produced a frustrated groan. "Do they fucking lock this thing so the children can't escape?"

I pointed at the sign next to it. "It says 'pull.'"

There was a moment in which she closed her eyes, breathing in deeply, before she proceeded to open it, a lot more calmly than she was. I couldn't hold back a snicker as she held it and I sneaked past her, earning myself a hissed: "Oh, shut up."

She was impatient, sighing deeply while scribbling her name at the front desk, talking curtly and borderline snippy to the clerk behind it. I made up for it with some kind words, knowing by now she didn't mean to be like this. It was just her trying to deal with her worries.

Ari's teacher was waiting for us outside the classroom, smiling broadly, her hands joined on her belly. She was the sort of woman I wished would've taught me when I was young, with long skirts and heavy beaded necklaces, her hair tied back with a tie-dyed bandana. "Ah, Ari's moms," she said, in her gentle voice. "Thank you for coming."

Elizabeth had halted in her step, narrowing her eyes just a bit. Obviously, she'd heard the same thing I had, which meant I hadn't imagined it and made it acceptable for me to blush like I did. "Excuse me, Miss Yengde," she said, "but did you say moms?"

"Please, call me Wishi." She seemed unperturbed by Elizabeth's tone, calmly adjusting the round glasses on her nose, which had sat askew, her silver bracelets tinkling happily. "And I'm sorry, could you tell me what terms I should be using?"

Maybe it was the adorable, open look on her lined face, or maybe something had short-circuited in Elizabeth's brain — anyway, she was stunned into silence. I laughed, trying to ignore the wriggly tickling in the pit of my stomach. "I'm not Ari's mom," I said, scratching my hair. "I'm Jessie, the nanny."

Wishi leaned back slightly, blinking as she looked from Liz to me. "Jessie, you said?"

Elizabeth and I shared a confused glance. "That's right."

She hummed, kneading her wrist, then stepped aside and motioned for us to enter the classroom. Every time I'd been here, I'd felt something light fly off my chest. Tiny tables were grouped to form sections of four or more, accompanied by chairs just as small, with a digital board on one wall and cabinets full of boxes, books, pens, and all sorts of games lined along another. The rest of the surfaces were covered in artwork: the current theme was space, and someone had scrapped all eight planets in our Solar system, plus the sun and the moon, and hang them from the ceiling with an invisible string, in which what I was pretty sure was the correct order. My gaze fell on one of the art pieces next to the ticking clock, immediately recognizing the warrior astronaut Ari told me she'd drawn. Only she would give someone in a spacesuit a sword. The whole thing was in stark contrast to the bleak, barren classrooms of my childhood. I definitely missed out.

Wishi offered me her desk chair, having noticed my limping. I declined, instead plopping down onto one of the kid's ones. Elizabeth did the same, and I had to suppress a giggle. Not only did she look adorable all bunched up like that, her knees were touching mine due to our awkward positions, making my stomach do a few more somersaults. Trying to act normal, I focused on Wishi's face, hoping my expression was one of curious puzzlement and not outright giddiness. Ari's moms.

Wishi rolled around the desk, adjusting the chair's height and informing us that the kids were watching an educational movie in the auditorium. "So," she said, slapping her hands on her thighs, "I'm sure you're wondering why I asked you to come."

"Not really." I shrugged. "Knowing Ari, she probably tried to smuggle something dangerous in." I turned to Elizabeth. "You don't have a gun, do you?"

She scowled at me, which only made her look cuter, if that was even possible. "No, of course not. What do you take me for?"

Honestly, she wasn't the type for it, but I never knew with that dickhead Connery and any unpleasant artifacts he might've left lying around.

Wishi smiled, temporarily creating more lines in her brown skin. "It's not really about Ari's tendencies to... test the limits," she said, then tapped a finger to her chin. "Or maybe it is. I believe it all holds together." She lifted her hands, bringing them together in a swooping motion. "Before we get to that, it would help me a great deal if the two of you would agree to answer some... personal questions. Your response to my greeting makes me think all of this is bigger than I'd realized."

I said "sure" at the same time Elizabeth said, "that depends on the questions." I could sense she was nervous by the way her legs had tensed, her voice going into defensive mode, and I nudged her knee with mine to remind her she wasn't alone.

"Ari has been telling some stories lately," Wishi continued. "At first, I didn't know they were false, and they seemed to make her happy, so..." She lowered her head gravely, a little over the top if you asked me. "But now, it's getting her in trouble, and judging by what you just told me, she's been lying too all this time. Which brings me to my questions. Feel free to tell me it's none of my business. I just think it would help me understand the situation."

Lately. I hadn't noticed anything different about Ari lately, other than that she seemed to be shining with joy from all the attention her mom was giving her out of the blue. What if I'd missed something? Maybe I wasn't good at being a nanny after all. Suddenly, I felt a hand on my knee — Elizabeth was glaring at me, obviously annoyed by me tapping my foot, something I hadn't even realized I was doing. I swallowed, trying not to ponder too much over the disappointment that coursed through me when she retracted again.

"Miss Canfield—"

"Elizabeth is fine." Her words were so clipped I was sure she was just as spooked as I was.

"Elizabeth," Wishi graciously conceded, "would you by any chance be pansexual?"

I could not. I just couldn't. This was gay panic as I'd never, not once in my life, experienced before. My entire body tensed, which she was definitely noticing, considering my knee was still pressed against hers. I nearly choked on my own breathing, cramming my fist to my mouth in an attempt to force the giggles back down my throat. This wasn't like the time Cami had asked her — that seemed so long ago, when she was still a bit of a distant, mysterious persona I was slightly afraid of. Now, feelings were involved, feelings that were insistent on making their existence known by swirling around my stomach, making me nauseous. Now, the question was serious. Now, the answer could be 'yes,' as far as I knew.

I dared to look to my left. Elizabeth's lips were parted, stuck on a soundless "oh" — the entirety of her had frozen, from her dark eyes to her mouth, to the hands in her lap, resting on the fabric of the tight emerald dress she was wearing. The image of her like this was terrifying, even when she recovered from the shock and tugged at her turtleneck like it was suffocating her. "Excuse me?" she said, once again, only the usual threat behind the words was dampened by the clear alarm in her voice.

It took everything in me not to squeal, squirming in the tiny chair like I was Camille who had to go to the bathroom.

"Pansexual," Wishi repeated, "it's when a person—"

"I know what it is!" Elizabeth interrupted, an unmistakable blush creeping up her cheeks. She crossed her legs, then seemed to realize that made her dress inch higher and uncrossed them again, pulling the stretchy material down as far as possible. That was the moment she turned to me, sending an electric shock through me that made me jolt. "She lives in my house. I know the whole damn alphabet by now."

"So, Jessie, you are a lesbian?" Wishi asked me patiently. I knew we were all adults here, and I was supposed to be mature about it instead of acting like my flustered fourteen-year-old self meeting another queer girl for the first time ever, but I was so not prepared for this.

Elizabeth scoffed. "Typical," she said, "normally, she can't seem to stop talking." She flipped her hair over her shoulder, something she did when she had to gather her thoughts, yet still wanted to appear intimidating. "Yes. Jessie is as gay as it gets. As for me," she paused, and my heart did as well, "I prefer not to label myself."

It was too much. My leg, which didn't work very well in any relaxing moment, now practically slammed into hers, and I had to grab onto the back of the chair in order not to fall off. I tried to hide my gasp in a fake coughing fit, which probably only made it worse. Of course, Elizabeth didn't have the decency to look the other way. No, she had to stare at me pointedly, appearing much calmer than she could possibly be. "Do I need to call an ambulance?" she said, just a hint of a teasing smirk quirking her lips.

Yes. Yes, she needed to call an ambulance, and it was all her fault — she couldn't just spring that on me, not when about five months ago she'd been adamant she was straight, and definitely not when she was wearing a dress like that, hugging her curves in all the right places, which was basically everywhere.

I straightened up, attempting to regain my balance, and cleared my throat. "I'm fine. I'm fine. Really." Even though my heart was pounding and my skin was on fire and I couldn't tear my eyes away from that beautiful face of hers. "No, wait, I'm not fine!" I blurted out then, and Wishi, who I had momentarily forgotten was even there, jumped. "Since when? Why didn't you tell me?"

"I didn't know I was under any obligation to tell my nanny every single thought that crosses my mind."

I gestured at Wishi, so wildly I almost punched her. "But you tell Ari's teacher?"

"Yes. She asked."

"Ladies—" Wishi started, but I talked over her: "Don't think we're not going to talk about this," I said. "But for now, congratulations. I'm proud of you." It came out kind of aggressively, probably because half shouting was easier than talking at the moment.

Elizabeth rolled her eyes. "Can we now get back to the reason we're here? I'd like to hear why the hell these questions are relevant to the current situation."

I nodded, though I couldn't yet make myself look away from her. I prefer not to label myself. The words echoed through my mind, stalling my breathing. When had she realized she wasn't as straight as a square after all? Had she been dating without my knowledge? Had she kissed someone, maybe some time while Hakim had been encouraging me to plow through the text he'd brought? Or had it been the app she pretended to hate so much, or all kinds of little things, like how it'd gone for me? How the holy cow had she suddenly managed to come to this conclusion?

"We're getting there," Wishi said. "I just have one last question. Is Ari's grandmother a trans woman?"

It took me a second to realize what she'd asked, still preoccupied with the new information I'd just received. Then, I noticed the face Elizabeth pulled, and it was so precious I doubled over, laughing so hard I wondered if the kids in the class next to us could hear me. She met my gaze, still scowling, and I expected a sharp admonishment to get myself together — instead, she laughed too, a kind of snorted giggle she usually only produced when she was tipsy, and, boy, it was so cute.

"I take that as a 'no'?" Wishi seemed amused, watching the both of us like she was observing our behavior closely, and it managed to stop me. I'd never appreciated being analyzed by a teacher-type— too many bad memories.

"Yes," Elizabeth said, her brows arched, "Ari's grandmother is a bigot."

"That's stating it lightly," I muttered, remembering too many cringe-worthy comments during awkward dinners in which the woman had done her best to ignore me.

Wishi turned her back on us, rummaging around the stacks of paper on her desk until she pulled out a drawing. She held it up in front of us; there were eight people on it, most of them with smiling faces, consisting of big, clumsy shapes. "Ari made this," she said, pointing at the figure in the center, "that's her, with her two sisters," she moved to the two on the side, a woman with long hair, wearing a dress, holding hands with a person in a sort of suit, "those are her moms, according to her," she tapped on the two on the side, "and her grandparents, of which her grandma is trans."

Only now did I discover the tiny sloppy handwritten tags on everyone's clothing: Cami, Ari, annoying big sister, mom E., mom J., gran, gramps. My face heated up like a furnace, and I had to do everything in my power not to gasp for air. Holy shit.

That was me. Definitely me. With my black hair reaching my shoulders, and my freckles, and the rainbow bracelet she'd braided for me — she'd even scribbled a miniature butterfly on the inside of my wrist.

Mom J.

Elizabeth had her lips pressed together, her fingers touching her forehead as she inspected herself in pencil strokes. "I told you," she said, looking at me now, "I told you something would happen if we kept having conversations about this."

A shock went through me, my palms sweaty, trying to calm down my heart. "The selfie," I said, grabbing her arm without thinking. "Ari's been on my phone. What if she saw it?"

"What? You didn't delete it?"

"Why would I? It was a good picture."

She closed her eyes, covering them with her hands, her shoulders rising as she took a deep breath. Maybe, a normal, rational person would've deleted it. Too bad I was a useless lesbian with feelings who liked to stare at it until the screen faded, having inner dialogues with myself about what was real and what wasn't.

Wishi cleared her throat. She shifted in her chair, lacing her fingers together on her knee, clearly uncomfortable.

"Oh god," Elizabeth said, sitting up, "it's not that kind of picture. It was completely decent, I assure you."

Holy crap. Gay panic alert. Not the moment to imagine a certain woman naked, something I'd been doing too much lately anyway. Not now, not when I'd just discovered she "didn't label herself," and certainly not with her dress ridden up like this.

"I don't need to know," Wishi said, putting the drawing away. "But this isn't what I wanted to discuss. You see," she began, and then both of us forgot about the drawing entirely.