shine - grayson dolan

0.3 «Emerson Samuels»

I head downstairs, where both my brothers were at the kitchen counter, eating.

"Morning, darling," my mother called from her place at the stove. She set down a plate of pancakes, and I quickly devoured them. My mom smiled at me, and I weakly smiled back.

I followed Elliot and Evan out the door, and sat in the backseat. Ugh. This was going to be a long day, and I so did not get enough sleep yesterday.

We arrived at school quickly, and I went to my locker, not bothering to say anything to my brothers. It didn't really matter, since they were too busy whispering to each other again. I was jealous of their relationship, I admit it, okay?

I grabbed my stuff and settled into homeroom. I sat in the very back of the class. A moment later, Ethan came in and waved at me.

I sighed. He seemed nice enough and all, but I really didn't want to wave because he might take it the wrong way and think we were becoming friends, which I was so not ready for. On the other hand, it would be rude not to wave back, considering he was the only one in this class - not to mention the entire school – who had acknowledged my existence.

After a second of mental debate, I finally waved back and gave him a small smile, which he returned. He sat in the desk right in front of me, but thankfully, we didn't speak after that.

Homeroom went by smoothly, and so did my other morning classes. It was finally lunch. I bought a large plate of pasta and went to an empty table, waiting for my brothers to join me just like they did every day.

But they never did. I looked around the crowded lunchroom, and saw two familiar brown-haired heads. Those jerks, they were sitting with a bunch of jocks from the football team. I expected them to go off and get their own friends, just not this soon.

It made me wonder: why shouldn't I make friends? Why were Elliot and Evan going to be the popular ones? Why not me?

I quickly shook my head, brushing away those thoughts. Some girl down the table was looking at me funny, but I ignored her. I knew exactly why I couldn't have friends. The same thing would happen as last time, and it would hurt no one but me. Easier to avoid a problem altogether then to cause one and then struggle to solve it, right?

I assured myself I was right, and went back to eating my lunch, which I finished and then threw away, heading to the art classroom in the west wing of the school building.

After 45 minutes of painting a portrait of a random woman, I was dissatisfied. The eyes were too big for the face, and I had completely messed up her eyebrows and chin/neck area. Maybe I could pass it off as abstract if I added a little more color.

As I was thinking this, I didn't hear a girl sneak up and sit in the empty stool next to mine. "That's pretty cool," she said, making me jump. I almost dropped the red paint I was holding, and thankfully, my shorts were spared. That would have been a total bitch to clean.

"Uh, thanks," I replied, not sure what else to say.

"I'm Mia," she extended a hand splattered with dried paint. She had blond hair and deep green eyes. She looked like an artist. She was wearing a baggy blue shirt and black pants. Her black and white Converse were splattered with paint just like her hands.

I hesitantly took it, "Emerson Samuels."

"Hey, are your brothers Elliot and Evan Samuels?" she suddenly asked.

I looked at her in confusion, my brothers were famous now? "Yes, they're my twin brothers."

"Oh my God, you are so lucky."