The Brothers, Chapter 1: September

“You're new here.” It was an observation he made as he looked me over.

“Yeah?” I raised my brows at him.

“I'm Julian.” He kind of waved his large olive hands at me.

“Khloe.”

“What year are you?”

“Junior.” He broke into a grin. It was so unassuming, I let my guard down enough to give him a tight smile in return.

“Same as me! Nice! What's your class schedule?” It wasn't until he was standing next to me that I noticed just how big he was. I'm not a small girl at five feet eight inches, but Julian dwarfed me with his height just north of six feet and shoulders half as wide as he was tall. He pushed his dark shaggy mane behind his ears while he glanced down at my schedule. Standing as close as he did, I noticed he had a peculiar smell for a high school giant. It reminded me of furniture polish and wood varnish, and maybe something like fresh cut grass. Glancing over him, I couldn't see any stains that pegged him as working on cabinetry, or mowing lawns, so I turned my attention back to the folded paper determining my fate.

“Your first class is near mine. I'll walk you there!”

Walking with Julian was a horrible idea. I was used to isolation – to being alone. The entourage that Julian attracted was loud, boisterous, and chittering like a large flock of bats. It was too much, too soon. There was a frenzied nature to their interactions that made me long for isolation. Girls tried to garner Julian's attention – flirting in their several-sizes-too-small shirts, showing too much belly, and too much boob. Boys clamored for higher places in the social pecking order by showing their closeness to Julian, who was close to the top. I fought down the competing reflexes to guffaw, faint, or vomit. The closer we tried to get to our classrooms, the more inconvenient Julian's friends became. He couldn't walk more than two feet before he was stopped by someone else to catch up after the summer. Generally these acquaintances of his looked at me trying to figure out who I was. The question was my relationship with Julian. I could see it in their eyes and posture. They seemed to ask, “Who is this girl? How did she usurp me?!”

I couldn't have known. It was too strange. It didn't take me long to get used to the idea of having a potential friend, even if it was doomed to failure. The problem was, it was bound to get more complicated. It always did. After all, it was high school.

At lunch, I had to get myself something from the cafeteria. Scoping out the different lines, my eyes kept coming back to a semi-familiar frame. It was the same broad back, same height, and even something like the movements of Julian. Feeling brave I got in line and tapped him on the shoulder.

“Yes?” The face that turned to me was so like Julian and so unlike him. He was just a shade lighter in the skin, his cheeks thinner, his jaw more sharply cut. As he moved I noticed a level of grace that Julian lacked. I also noticed that his broad back wasn't quite as broad as Julian's. It was just an illusion created by the large jacket he wore. His hair, covered by a beanie, could have been any length. His eyes however, were the same color and shape. Either this boy was related to Julian, or he was a doppelganger.

“Uh...” I gaped at him. He raised his brows at me and smiled crookedly.

“You must be looking for Julian.”

“But...” Speechless, I pointed at the boy who looked so much like the one I had met earlier. Just at that moment, Julian bounded up behind this confusing specimen.

“I see you met Leo. He's my twin.” Julian grinned widely at both of us before giving his twin a wry look. Leo flashed me a toothy grin. “We get into trouble together all the time. He plans it and I get blamed.” Now they chuckled showing their pointy teeth. Apparently I had more to worry about than my clingy red pants.