I get to class early, as always. I watch as the others pile in just before the bell rings. I can't stand being late; it makes me so uneasy. And then there's John, who is always late. He scans the room, spots me, and sits beside me.
"How was Walmart?" he asks jokingly.
I look at him and laugh along. "It was alright, just went with my mom to pick up a few groceries," I reply.
He nods. "So, that was my brother next to me," he says.
"Oh, that explains why you two looked so similar," I say. He laughs, but I can't tell if he liked hearing that or not.
"My brother thinks you're cute," he says, sounding a bit annoyed. Class begins before I can ask anything else.
The teacher stands at the front, talking, but I can't hear her because my mind is preoccupied by what John said. So that was his brother? I replay last night in my head. He did look like John, but older and much shyer, it seemed—which is crazy, because John is already pretty quiet.
When class is over, John follows me out the door, trying to say something. I notice and slow down my pace.
"He wants me to give you his number," John says, looking through his phone.
I think about it. Even though I'm excited that someone thinks I'm cute, I'm still nervous. I haven't had a boyfriend yet, and my parents are really strict about boys. I look at John and politely decline. Thankfully, he's not offended, and we smile as we head to our next classes.
It's 12:15 p.m.—lunchtime. I don't feel like going into the lunchroom, so I go to my favorite hiding spot. I sit alone with my headphones and enjoy my peaceful picnic. It doesn't feel pitiful when it's just me here. I look to my left, where the gym building is, and I see signs advertising tonight's event. I'd actually forgotten about it. It's a little festival the school hosts near the end of the school year. The bell rings, signaling the end of lunch. I don't want it to be over. I'm not mentally motivated for class, but I force myself up, throw away my trash, and drag myself to class, with my headphones still playing my favorite song, "All The Right Moves" by One Republic. Ever heard of it?
I endure the last half of school and am ready to go home.
I'm not exactly relaxed to be home this evening, because my parents decided it would be good for us to go to the festival I saw advertised near the gym doors. Apparently, Mom saw it announced on the Welcome sign while waiting to pick me up earlier. So, I try to mentally prepare for that. I'm such a party animal, can't you tell?
After dinner, we all wait around until it's time to go. When we arrive, I already see the football field filled with students and their parents, a blow-up slide, and concession stands. I'm already dreading this. Dad finds a parking spot and is grumpy from the struggle of finding one. It's very crowded. As we get out of the car, I can hear everyone from up here; the football field is a little ways down, so we walk that way. No one looks at me because I'm no one's best friend. I just stick close to my family. Blake is hanging onto me; he's shy like me.
We walk around to see everything there is to do. Mom tries to get me to participate in some of the activities, but I don't want to. Blake does. He immediately races to the slide. I'm left by myself and wave to those I sometimes sit with at lunch. They wave back and pass by.
Some time passes as I walk around. Then I'm greeted by John.
"Hey, Sam! You're here!" he says, sounding excited.
"Hey, yeah, I'm here with my family," I reply, not as enthusiastic.
As I look around, I notice him behind John—John's brother from Walmart, the guy who thinks I'm cute. I quickly look away, but he doesn't. He's staring at me. John laughs.
"That's my brother, Matthew," he says, introducing us. Matthew steps in front of his little brother, arms crossed. He's a bit taller than me, so he looks down as he greets me.
"Hey…" he says very quietly.
"Hey," I reply just as quietly. I'm nervous—what do you expect?
He looks at me for a moment. John reads the situation and heads toward the slide, leaving just Matthew and me standing there, looking at each other.
"So, my brother says you didn't want my number?" he says softly.
I stay quiet. I don't know how to respond.
"Here, give me your number then," he says, smiling awkwardly.
I think about it, then give in. He hands me his phone, and I put in my number. I take a moment to really look at him. His clothes are a bit too big on him, just like John's. I can tell they're hand-me-downs. This time, Matthew's hair is buzzed short, so his blonde hair is barely visible, and his facial features stand out even more. The sun's in his eyes, so he squints and smiles awkwardly as he tries to look at me.
We stood there for a good minute, just looking at each other, in an awkward silence. He starts to ask if I'm here alone, so I point out my brother and parents. He nods, just like his little brother does. They're similar in some ways, but Matthew seems a lot more reserved. I tell him I have to go and then walk away. I find my parents and tell them I'm ready to leave. We gather my brother and head back to the car. On the car ride home, all I can think about is Matthew.