Compared

Chapter 2

~SARAH~

Sarah leans against her locker as she checks out the guy across the hall from her. His hair was brown and long enough that it curled at the ends, but not long enough that it fell into his eyes. It didn't fall into his crystal blue eyes.

"He is hot." She said almost to herself.

After a long moment she turned to her sister. "Right Sammy?"

Sam turned from inside her locker, "What? Yeah."

Sarah turned back to the mystery boy. "I'm going to get to know that boy." She smirked slightly before turning back to her sister. "I'll see you later, 'kay?"

"Yeah. Love ya," Sam responded.

Sarah wiggled her fingers in a sort-of wave. She then linked arms in between her two best friends. Their clique was back, and it was time to reclaim her rightful place as queen bee.

~SAM~

Sam organizes her textbooks in her locker and checks her bag to make sure she has everything for before lunch.

She hears her sister talking in the background. "Right Sammy?"

Sam looks toward her sister to see what she is talking about. Across the hall she sees a tall boy leaning against his locker. Sam could care less about him. Her sister doesn't know any better. Her sister will never know the truth. She will never know what Sam really thinks.

"What? Yeah." She says kind of half heartedly. Luckily her sister didn't notice.

Sarah finally left for class and the girls said goodbye.

Sam grabbed her bag and started walking toward her first period. Math. She was decent at math, but wasn't looking forward to having it first every day.

She stepped into the classroom and walked to the back. She pulled out her sketch book and started drawing. She felt in place when she drew. Them feeling and sound of the pencil on the paper calmed her. Thats probably why language arts was her best subject. That feeling of the pencil as she puts words on the paper.

"That's really cool," someone says from behind her.

Sam jumps slightly. She had completely zoned out. She didn't even slightly notice someone sit down next to her.

She looks up and finds the boy her sister was staring at this morning. "You think?" She asks the question, not sure of what else to say.

"Totally." The boy flips his hair to the side and reaches for her sketch book. "May I?" He asks the question hoping she would let him see other drawings.

Sam bit her lip before responding. "Sure, I guess." She looks at him as he leans back into his seat and turns the pages.

He looks up from the book. "I'm Max by the way."

"Sam." She smiles slightly and he looks back down at the book.

~MAX~

Max looks at each picture. The one that caught his eye when he walked in was a skull lying on a bed of rose petals. It was oddly realistic. Perfectly shaded and soft yet dense.

As he flipped through the previous drawings, Sam's talent only proved itself. There was a dragon, and flowers, and faces of people he didn't know. Occasionally, he would glance up at Sam, the girl who took a stick of lead and turned it into these life-like drawings. He stopped at a picture of a young girl sitting on a swing set and glanced up at Sam.

Sam stood up a little bit to see which one he was looking at. "Oh, I drew that a couple years ago," she said nervously. "It's not my best work."

"What? No," Max started. "It's perfect. I was just wondering," He looked up at Sam. "Is that you?" Max didn't understand how someone could draw themselves. You always see yourself backward.

"No." Sam sighed slightly. She was clearly relieved. "It's my sister, Sarah. We're twins." She paused before continuing, "Skirts aren't really my style." She points the young girl's clothes.

Max looks over Sam's outfit. "Yeah, I can see that." He laughs a small laugh, more of a sharp intake of air really. "You actually listen to them, or just like the vintage shirts?" He gestures toward her Van Halen shirt.

"I listen," she said smirking. "You, on the other hand probably don't even know who they are. You just want to talk shit."

"I do to listen to them," Max said "but I'm not buying that you do." He smirked slightly. "Favorite album?"

"1984. Easy." She got a certain twinkle in her eye that Max couldn't place. "You still have to prove yoiur self... What's your favorite song on that album? If you say 1984 I will punch you. Naming the cover song doesn't prove you know anything."

"Hot for teacher." Max's favorite album was 1984 too. He noticed Sam laugh. "What?"

"You got a thing for Mrs. Smith?" Sam looked toward the older, heavy-set teacher who was starting the class.

"Shut up." Max laughed as he put Sam's sketch book on her desk. They both turned to face the front just as Mrs. Smith started roll. He tried to pay attention the teacher, but found himself looking at the girl next to him. It was okay, though, they wouldn't learn anything on the first day anyway.

At the end of class, he said goodbye and she waved. He glanced back at her as the walked away from him and down the hallway, and he couldn't help but smile.

~SAM~

Sam waved goodbye to Max as she headed down the hallway. She and Max had compared schedules and the only other class they had together was Mr. Brown, who was know for a strict, quiet classroom.

Sam thought about this morning, when she had barely noticed him across the hall. She smiled as she realized she would get to see him every morning. He was a great friend.

A great friend. Sam was worried that he would want more than a great friend. She just didnt like him like that. She never would. The old "it's not you it's me" line made the most sense, but he wasn't going to buy something like that, even if it was true.

She wouldn't be able to tell him the truth though. She couldn't even tell her sister, her twin. Some things are meant to be secrets, and her reason for not liking him like that was one of them.

Sam figured she could cross that bridge when she got there. Right then,though, she needed to cross the bridge of 2nd and 3rd period so she could make it to lunch.

******

CHAPTER 2!! I HOPE YOU GUYS LIKED IT. BE SURE TO COMMENT YOUR THOUGHTS AND MAYBE PREDICT SAM'S BIG SECRET. I PROMISE THERE WILL BE MORE OF SARAH NEXT CHAPTER.

LOVE YA,

-AJ