Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe 2023

In the sweltering summer of 1987, El Paso’s Aristotle “Ari” Mendoza was a teenage storm cloud, brewing with resentment towards his parents’ secretive nature regarding his incarcerated brother Bernardo. It wasn’t until he met Dante Quintana, an unconventional and spirited fellow Mexican-American, at a public pool that Ari began to find solace in the unlikeliest of friendships. As they splashed and laughed together, Ari discovered that Dante’s world was vastly different from his own - one filled with art, poetry, and a deep connection to the vast expanse of the night sky.

As the summer drew to a close, Dante shared the bittersweet news that his family would be relocating to Chicago for the upcoming school year, leaving Ari feeling abandoned and adrift. But their bond was strong enough to withstand even the most turbulent of times. In the aftermath of a harrowing near-miss when Dante narrowly avoided being hit by a car, Ari’s heroics left him injured but unbroken.

The following year saw Ari tentatively finding his footing in school, befriending a female classmate named Elena and learning to navigate the complexities of adolescence. Meanwhile, Dante’s letters from Chicago hinted at an emerging sense of self and a burgeoning awareness of his own sexuality. It was only later that Ari would discover the painful truth behind Bernardo’s imprisonment - a tragic event that had left their family fractured.

As the seasons changed, the Quintanas returned to El Paso, bringing with them the promise of new beginnings. Against the backdrop of a star-studded desert night, Dante asked Ari to kiss him, sparking a chain reaction of emotions that would alter the course of their lives forever. Ari’s world was turned upside down as he struggled to reconcile his own feelings with the harsh realities of the world around him.

The loss of his beloved Tia Ophelia, who had been ostracized by their family for her non-traditional lifestyle, served only to further complicate Ari’s already tumultuous emotions. It wasn’t until Dante was viciously attacked by homophobic thugs in an alleyway that Ari was finally forced to confront the depth of his feelings and the true nature of his friendship with Dante.

In the aftermath of this brutal assault, Ari’s parents were powerless to stop their son from exacting a measure of justice upon one of the perpetrators. But it wasn’t until he sat down with them, grappling with the full weight of his emotions, that Ari finally understood the true extent of his love for Dante.

As the sun dipped below the horizon on a desert highway, Ari and Dante found themselves back where their journey had begun - in the open, unbridled expanse of the American West. With hearts overflowing and hands intertwined, they lay in the back of Ari’s truck, basking in the golden glow of a new dawn, ready to face whatever the future might hold for them.