Under the Gray Willow Tree

Chapter 32

I have never really wanted to mix with anyone in school before. Actually, to be truthful to myself, it's actually the other way round. No one really wanted to mix with me in school. Maybe it's because everyone sees me as the 'just another girl who has a lot of friends' type of person.

But that's like the total opposite of me.

But, with the effort that I put in throughout the week to make some new friends, I managed to make two new friends with no one's help: Jason and Caryl Hope. They're siblings. One is my age, and the other is thirteen. They're not so bad, and Jason actually shares three classes with me.

I can't believe I never knew that!

He shares English Literature, Gym and Art with me. I guess I was too blinded by my work and by Gray to actually see anything else. Not that I mind though. It's a relaxing thought to know that I won't be all alone in every single class that I attend in school.

Just to put things straight, not everyone in Art paints, but we all do have the same topic. Everyone in Art does something... Well... Artsy! Like for example, some draws, some sketches, some paints – like me – some do handicrafts, while others use colour pencils.

Jason, for example, sketches. And his sketches are scary... In a good way. Scary as in so good, it's almost fake! It looks like a picture that's taken out of real life and put on paper.

However, he does tell me some of the things he does during his free time. Apparently, he loves sports. He draws only because he prefers Art over all the other electives left that he had to choose from. I keep telling him that he has a talent in Art, but he doesn't believe me.

He also told me that the main sport he plays is tennis, according to him, though I've never been to his training session once. He says that he'll bring me one day though.

He has a sandy shade of blonde, and falls messily all over the place. His eyes are a warm shade of olive green. He's quite tall, though don't ask me roughly how tall he is as I am terrible at estimation. He's quite a down-to-earth kind of guy...

And as for Caryl, however, she is almost the opposite of her brother. Character wise, I mean. She has casual, long, curly light brown hair and the same type of olive green eyes as her brother. She is also remarkably tall for a thirteen-year-old.

However, instead of the athletic type, Caryl is more of the academic type. She likes to read, though she doesn't wear glasses. She's quite stubborn, the total opposite of her sibling. She's simple yet fashionable. The only thing the two of them share in common is the fact that they are both very kind people.

Hanging out with them very often really wastes a lot of my free time back in the apartment. Not that I am complaining about that! Actually, I am really grateful for that. It gives me a lot less time to think about things... As I always seem to be thinking every time I am alone or when I have nothing to do.

And thank goodness they don't gossip!

I know that most guys do not gossip, but some do. And girls do most of the gossiping. But every time I am hanging out with them, they're always together. They seem very close, though they always argue with each other over the smallest thing. Siblings' quarrels!

Most of the time when we hang out, we would discuss about school work – which we rarely do as Caryl will get left out – draw – which we rarely do too because Caryl doesn't exactly like drawing – catch a movie, or just talk. There's nothing much to do after all. Most of the time we would just sit silently around and watch a movie.