"Our differences make us unique,
but our acceptance of those
differences makes us whole."
[Drake's P.O.V]
In the dimly lit corridor, I found myself standing rigidly before the formidable detention room, the echo of my earlier fury still burning like a low ember in my chest. I was seething, no, that was too strong a word. I was just... irate? The perfect descriptor eluded me.
Me?
Having a crush on him?
The thought was laug.
Absolutely not!
He was no Romeo, and I was certainly not his Juliet, ready to swoon at a mere glimpse of his shadow. This wasn't some trite, overused love story. Love at first sight was a myth, at least for me.
His arrogance was infuriating. I mentally rolled my eyes, attempting to banish him from my thoughts. As I reached for the doorknob, my hand slipped, causing the door to swing open with a loud bang.
"Easy there, you're not a wrestler, are you?" quipped Mr. Parker, our P.E. teacher. He was seated at the front of the classroom, and I saw his magazine fly towards the window, a clear indication of his surprise.
"I'm sorry," I mumbled, closing the door behind me.
The room was almost empty, save for one person.
"Hey, what are you doing here?" I asked, approaching the boy near the window.
"Because of you, pea brain!" He retorted. It was my younger brother, Blake.
As I grab a chair beside him I noticed something different.
While Blake and I were complete opposites in many ways, our physical appearances highlighted our differences even more. Blake possessed a pair of striking sky blue eyes, contrasting with my own eyes that were as dark as the night sky. His curly blond hair cascaded in a carefree manner, while my straight black hair fell with a sense of sleekness. His complexion boasted a smooth, porcelain-like quality, in stark contrast to my own more ordinary fair skin.
It was almost comical how Blake seemed to possess more delicate and feminine features than even our friend Anna. His love for reading delved into subjects like math, science, and biology – wait is biology and science are same?– anyways he excelled in his studies, always achieving top grades and earning the coveted A+.
In contrast, I struggled to even lift a book for more than a minute of study. My grades were consistently poor, with an occasional D bringing me a fleeting sense of triumph. I had little regard for keeping track of my possessions, often misplacing them without a care. While Blake was a social butterfly, effortlessly making friends wherever he went, I was content with the small circle of friends I had, consisting mainly of Anna and Nico.
Speaking of Nico, where is that guy anyway?
It wasn't that I was an introvert, but rather a fear of seeing people leave my life someday held me back. Perhaps my lack of friends could also be attributed to a childhood incident in second grade when I claimed that Spiderman was my uncle. It was an absurd statement, but my classmates had believed me at the time.
"Fine! I'll cook next time," Blake's voice broke through my thoughts, interrupting my reflections on our differences.
I shrugged nonchalantly. "Don't want to die," I replied, absentmindedly playing with my nails.
"And yet, you once drank a glass of olive oil thinking it was water," he smirked, finally finding something to tease me about. "How stupid was that, right?" He emphasized the word 'stupid' with a playful tone.
Well, in my defense, I was much younger back then, just a seventh-grader who had just finished chasing a squirrel. I was tired and thirsty, so when I spotted a glass with liquid in the kitchen sink, I assumed it was water and drank it. Little did I know, it was my mom who had put the oil in that glass.
"Just don't burn down the kitchen... again," he retorted, winking at me.
Teasing each other was a common thread that ran through our relationship, despite our frequent arguments. And though we often clashed, there was one thing I knew for certain - I would always protect him, no matter what.
~~~~~~~~~~~
After our argument, the rest of our time in detention was spent in relative silence. I occupied myself with scrolling through my phone, knowing full well that phones were not allowed in detention. However, the teacher had succumbed to a deep slumber for at least half an hour, making it the perfect opportunity to pass the time. I found myself watching mindless videos on TikTok, even stumbling upon a clip of a dog chasing its own tail.
Cringeee!
Occasionally, I glanced over at Blake, whose eyes remained locked on his book, his dedication to studying never wavering. I couldn't help but wonder how he could endure such intense focus. Even just a minute of studying made my brain feel like it was about to explode.
"Hey," I whispered, breaking the silence between us. "Did you tell Mom that we're in detention again?"
"Yeah," he replied simply, nodding his head while keeping his gaze fixed on the pages of his book.
Leaning closer, I continued, "So, what did she say?"
He sighed and lazily looked at me. "She just said 'good luck,'" he answered before returning his attention to his book.
That was so typical of our mom. She had a knack for offering brief, yet somehow meaningful, words of encouragement. She was also partially to blame for our tardiness that morning.
A typical Mom.
To be fair, it was partly my fault for oversleeping. I had woken up at 6:24 am, realizing it was my turn to cook breakfast. My mom and I took turns preparing the morning meal, and today happened to be my assigned day.
In a rush, I decided to boil some eggs, thinking it would save me time to take a shower. I placed the eggs and water in the pot, then hurried off to the bathroom, completely forgetting to turn on the stove.
Yeah, yeah, call me stupid.
Hey who isn't? Right, my brother.
You might be wondering why my mom was involved in this story. Well, when I finished my shower, I discovered that the stove hadn't been turned on. We had only 15minutes left before class started. Blake and I had already agreed to skip breakfast and head straight to school, but our mom, being the caring and persistent person she was–take note the sarcas– wouldn't let us leave without eating something.
Reluctantly, I hurriedly cooked the eggs again, trying to make up for lost time.
Long story short, we're still late.
As I was about to playfully poke Blake's shoulder, teasing him about his cooking skills, the sound of the bell rang out, signaling the end of detention.
"See you next time, detention," I muttered under my breath, a hint of sarcasm in my voice.
Blake packed his things into his bag, while I remained seated at my desk, waiting for him to finish. I turned my gaze over my shoulder and noticed that our teacher had finally awakened, startled by the sound of the bell, again.
Too much coffee can literally kill you.
Once Blake was done, he nodded at me, and we both made our way out of the detention room.
"Hey, Blake," I called out, halting in my steps.
"What!?" he snapped, nearly colliding with me from behind.
I turned to face him, a mischievous smile playing on my lips. "I just wanted to say..." I paused, building up the suspense.
He blinked, his expression blank, waiting for me to continue.
"...Your cooking skills always suck," I burst into laughter, turning on my heel and running out of the detention room, pulling the door shut behind me.
Blake followed suit, his face turning a deep shade of red, he look like he was about to burst.
As I stepped out of the detention room, my mind still lost in the previous encounter, I failed to notice the figure standing right in front of the door. In a moment of carelessness, my body collided with a solid, unyielding chest, sending a jolt of surprise through me.
The impact was like colliding with a wall, but this wall had a pulse. It felt as if I had run into a force of nature, a human embodiment of strength and solidity. For a split second, time seemed to freeze as my body teetered on the edge of falling backward.
Instinctively, my hand reached out, desperately searching for something to grab onto, anything to prevent my collision with the unforgiving floor. In a twist of fate, my hand found purchase on the guy's collar, my fingers gripping tightly as if my life depended on it.
But instead of succumbing to gravity, the stranger's reflexes kicked in. With an almost supernatural grace, he effortlessly maneuvered our fall, flipping us mid-air in a breathtaking display of agility. In a matter of seconds, he went from being the immovable object to the one in control, his back meeting the perfectly waxed, shiny floor while my body was pinned on top of his.
The world spun around me as I tried to make sense of what had just happened. The rush of adrenaline coursed through my veins, my heart pounding in my chest.
Wanna hear what's more embarrassing?
His soft lips, brush against my forehead.
•••••••
A/N: What do you think about the new character?
Pls give me some a feedback so that I can improve my writing skills.
And can you suggest a name for a boy/girl.