My Awkward Romance

1 - Hannah Ryan

Today was the last day of summer vacation. Thank God, Hannah thought. She hated summer. She couldn't wait to go back to school. Call her crazy, but she loved school. She was a socially awkward nerd, why wouldn't she love school?

Hannah was fourteen, had hazel eyes, dyed red hair, pale-as-fuck skin and was about 5'4". She hated her black Ray Ban glasses and black and gray braces. She'd had glasses since she was six and braces since she was nine.

Hannah didn't really have any friends. People at school thought she was weird because she liked school, was in two honors classes, listened to rock music, read comics, and also above-grade-level books.

"Hannah, dinner!" her mom, Stephanie, yelled up the stairs.

"Coming!" Hannah said. She put down her 50 Shades Darker book. Her parents didn't care what she read. She'd already read almost every book in the teen section at Barnes & Noble. She walked downstairs and sat down at the dinning room table. Stephanie placed a plate of vegetarian chicken and corn in front of her.

"Jackson, come downstairs! Dinner's ready!" Stephanie yelled up the stairs. Jackson was Hannah's sixteen year old brother. He and Hannah were complete opposites:

Hannah loved school, Jackson hates it.  Hannah had braces and glasses, Jackson never had either. Hannah had O.C.D, Anxiety, and A.D.H.D, Jackson was perfectly fine. Jackson played football, Hannah wasn't athletic at all. Hannah was a vegetarian, Jackson ate meat like it was a religion. Jackson was tall, Hannah was vertically challenged. Jackson had blue eyes, Hannah's were hazel. Jackson was tan, Hannah could pass for a vampire. It was amazing that they were even related.

"I'm home." Hannah's father, Evan, said. He had just gotten home from work. Evan taught Biochemistry at the local college. Stephanie was an author. Every time she wrote a new book, Hannah was the first person to read it.

"Hi, Steph." Evan said, and quickly kissed Stephanie. He loosened the blue tie he was wearing and took it off. He sat down in his chair and Stephanie put a plate of real chicken and corn in front of him.

"JACKSON DAVID RYAN, DINNER IS READY!" Stephanie yelled up the stairs again. A few seconds later, Jackson came down and sat across from Hannah at the table. Stephanie put a plate in front of Jackson and finally sat down next to him.

"So, how was everyone's day?" Evan asked. He asked the same question every night at dinner, and most always got the same answer.

"I wrote another chapter of my book." Stephanie said.

"I ran four miles." Jackson said. Hannah didn't want to talk, but after she didn't immediately say something, everyone stared at her.

"Hannah, what did you do today?" Evan asked.

"I finished 50 Shades Darker. And finished the last season of Doctor Who on Netflix." Hannah said, looking at the floor.

"Freak." Jackson said.

"Hey," Evan and Stephanie said at the same time.

"That was uncalled for. Now apologize to your sister." Evan said, sternly.

"Hannah, I'm sorry. Sorry that you're a freak that I, sadly, have to call my sister."

"JACKSON DAVID RYAN!" Stephanie shouted.

"No, I get it. I'm different, so I get made fun of. I'm used to it." Hannah said, quietly. It was true: Hannah was different. She was only fourteen and going into tenth grade. Her teachers thought she was too smart, so she skipped second grade. She was also in eleventh grade English and twelfth grade math.

"Maybe you should try being normal." Jackson said.

"I can't help that I'm smart, unlike some people."

"At least I'm not a freak of nature."

"At least I can sit through a horror movie without screaming like a little girl and hiding under a blanket." Hannah argued.

"At least my room can be a mess and I wont freak out about it." That's what pushed Hannah over the edge. She didn't care if people made fun of her for certain things. But when someone started to talk about her disorders, she got extremely pissed.

"Way to be a douchebag, to your own sister." Hannah said and stood up from the table. She walked up the first step, then turned back to Jackson. "At least I'm not dumb enough to have a kid when I'm 14." She walked up the staircase and into her room. She turned Pierce The Veils' Selfish Machines album on her iPod, grabbed The Chronicles of Vladimir Tod: Eighth Grade Bites by Heather Brewer (her favorite book), off her bookshelf, and sat on her bed.

A few minutes later, there was a soft knock on the door. "Come in." Hannah said, and paused the current song playing. Stephanie walked in and sat on her bed.

"Vladimir Tod, huh? You only read that when you're upset." Stephanie said.

"Because I can relate to him. He's an outcast, just like me." Hannah replied.

"I know Jackson made you upset. And I know that you can't help the fact that you have O.C.D. You were just born with it."

"I know, Steph."

"Why do you call me 'Stephanie'? Why don't you call me 'Mom'?" She asked.

"I don't know. 'Stephanie' is catchier than 'Mom'." Steph laughed. She kissed Hannah's forehead and left the room. Hannah pressed play on her iPod, filling the room with Mexican goodness.

A few minutes later, Jackson burst into the room. "Hey, bitch." He said, bitterly.

"What do you want?" Hannah asked, not taking her eyes off her book. Jackson ripped the book out of her hands and threw it on the ground. "Thanks, asshole." He pulled back his hand, and slapped his sister.

"Don't talk about my son." He said and left the room. Hannah put her hand on her cheek. It hurt, but there was no blood.

"Great." Hannah said, out loud. "People at school already do shit like that. Now, my own brother. How much worse can this get?"

Little did she know, her life was about to take a turn-for-the-better.

Here's the first chapter! I hope you like it.

XoXo

~XhannahX