The Soft Sides of the Hollis Brothers

Chapter 1

It was going to be a difficult journey. Traveling from the school bus to the front door through a sea of faces was most certainly difficult. Well, at least to Amalee. She didn't like being rude, she was a little on the small side, and she was raised to let other people pass by first.  The two people in front of her walking shoulder to shoulder didn't seem to care either way. They were pushing people, albeit gently, out of their way.

Amalee decided that instead of joining in and doing the job herself, she would walk behind the two until they reached the doors. That way, she could avoid running into as many people as possible without being too aggressive. By the time they were inside, the crowd would have thinned and she would be able to make it herself. Feeling like a genius for coming up with such a brilliant idea, she glanced up at her unknowing escorts.

The duo in front of her were two relatively tall boys. One of them was quite broad-shouldered and seemed to have some meat on his bones. The other was slightly shorter and more lightly built. They both had dark brown hair. Seeing as Amalee couldn't see their faces, she decided she couldn't possibly make any judgements and tried to focus on not knocking into anybody.

All around her people were talking away with their friends, jabbing at their enemies, and sharing stories of the summer. Girls with skinny legs and tanned skin were complimenting each others makeup and talking about how whats-her-face had kissed so-and-so. Boys with sports jerseys were exclaiming loudly about how many games they won in whatever sport and against whoever. All except Amalee and the two boys in front of her.

She couldn't help but wonder what made them so silent. Perhaps they were new. Maybe they were just as secretly disappointed with their peers as Amalee was. They might just be very shy. Amalee loved shy people. They were her favorite. They had the most secrets. She didn't want to know secrets so she could start gossip. She despised everything about gossip. Secrets should be earned through careful conversation and companionship. Not just passed along like the flu. Besides, gossip was hardly ever true, right?

Suddenly the boys stopped and she ran into them. Neither of them bothered to look at her. Instead, they continued walking after a brief pause, although Amalee could swear that the smaller of the two rotated his head the slightest bit. The broad-shouldered on opened the door and walked through, closely followed by the shorter who didn't bother to hold the door. 

Once you entered the doors of Shelton Middle School, there were three paths to choose from. One led to the left, where the gym, cafeteria, and music rooms were. The hallway to the right was where the fifth and sixth grade classes were. Right down the center, almost directly across from the three sets of glass-encased double doors, was where the seventh and eighth graders had their classes.

Still without exchanging a word, the two boys walked straight down the middle hallway. Amalee thought that must mean they weren't new. If somebody was new they would look around wide-eyed and confusedly. Despite being completely silent, they didn't look lost or nervous. She followed them, being an eighth grader herself, and watched as they turned into a classroom.

Amalee was mystified.