Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe and Self-Acceptance

Defying Gender Norms and Taking Pride in One's Own Identity 

Learning to be Unafraid of Rediscovering Yourself 

"Sometimes I thought that being fifteen was the worst tragedy of all." 

Aristotle "Ari" Mendoza constantly felt like his life was someone else's idea, like he was just a passenger in the ride of his life. He was the kind of boy who liked not being seen, until he met Dante Quintana at the swimming pool one summer. It was the kind of friendship where they instantly clicked, like the magnetic attraction of polar opposites.

Their meets get more frequent and Ari is astounded by the genuine sincerity of Dante and his uncharacteristic outlook on life. He didn't say things to be funny, he was just being himself. Dante taught him language of literature and art and his passionate desire to unearth the secrets of the universe and change the world with their possession. Dante was another mystery of the universe that Ari tried to uncover.

"I don't understand how you could live in a mean world and not have any of the meanness rub off on you. How could a guy live without meanness?"

Dante had supportive and communicative parents, whereas Ari's- not so much. His mother kept the reason for his brother's imprisonment a secret from Ari whereas his father suffered from PTSD even before Ari was born. He felt truly suffocated and isolated in his own home but growing closer to the Dante's family made him realize what he was missing. 

"I'm crazy about my mom and dad." That really made me smile. I'd never heard anyone say that about their parents. Except Dante.

Ari is repulsed by the idea of liking a boy. While Dante confesses his love for Ari, Ari prefers to dismiss his behind the veil of friendship. He's terrified of accepting his identity because his aunt was exiled from his family for being a lesbian and she died alone with only Ari and his parents in attendance at her funeral. 

"The summer sun wasn't meant for boys like me. Boys like me belong to the rain." 

After Dante comes back from Chicago, he gets brutally roughed up by a bunch of local boys for kissing his boyfriend Daniel. The idea of people judging him so harshly based on his sexual orientation is enraging for Ari, who doesn't realize his own hypocrisy in it. 

"Maybe everyone loves differently. Maybe that's all that matters."

Ari had time and again shown his love for Dante through subtle acts but it took a long conflict with himself to finally come to terms with his identity. To understand that it is okay to be fifteen and not always to the right thing, just do the best one can at the moment. To know that we all fight our own private wars. To know that family can be a complex thing and with a prolonged minute efforts and effective communication, every fissure in these relationships can be healed. All it takes is mutual understanding and the willingness to take a step towards resolution. 

"Maybe we just lived between hurting and healing."

It's Pride Month- the time of the year when we acknowledge and support the long and hard battle of Gender Equality. We have come a long way and we still have milestones to cover to win this battle. Show your support and let's make everyone reading this feel like they belong, like they truly deserve all the love not only this month but for every single day of their splendid lives!

Thank you for reading and stay tuned for the next one :)