At the Ortega’s, there is only one person there who is Ari’s age, and it is a girl he cannot stand. Ari and Cassandra Ortega have had a mutually tense relationship for as long as he can remember. They exchange a few words before Cassandra gets very upset, thinking about her brother who has just passed. She yells at Ari and tells him he would never understand her pain or her brother’s pain. Ari decides to come out to Cassandra as gay and admits to her that he is scared about what the future holds. Cassandra immediately changes her tone and apologizes to Ari. They talk for a long time about each other’s lives. Cassandra tells Ari about her abusive father who beat her brother when he came out as gay, which is what ended her parents’ marriage. Ari tells her about Dante, introducing him as his boyfriend.

When Ari and his mother leave, Cassandra tells Ari that he can trust her to support him. She also tells him that he should consider befriending Gina and Susie, who would also be loyal to him. She tells him it is time to learn how to be loved.