My parents were out for far longer than I had expected, especially for just going to validate a postal address. Natalie and I remained poised on the couch long after the battle had ended, managing to find Mean Girls on one of the family channels. It surprised me just how quickly Natalie had gotten me to open up to her; her bubbly personality was almost contagious. And I still don't know if that's a good or bad thing.
Even though we didn't talk much, I had to admit that I enjoyed her company. I never realized just how great it was to have someone who will laugh along with you to your favorite comedy moving, making everything way funnier than what it already is. It was perfect, and best of all, Natalie somehow got me to bypass the awkward stage I usually go through when I meet new people. What a pleasant change to avoid that!
The sky was beginning to darken when a knock finally drew us out of our movie-induced trances. Natalie's eyes flickered to the clock, a deep frown on her face. Knowing very well my parents wouldn't knock on the door of their own home and sensing her sudden discomfort, it didn't take much to deduce that whoever stood outside was here for her and her alone. All the same, I rose from the couch and made my way over to the door tentatively. Taking a deep breath, I turned the knob and pulled it open.
What I saw then made my mouth run dry.
A tall young man with shoulder-length brown hair and the softest hazel eyes stood framed in the doorway, offering me a white-toothed smile. His face was almost as pale as Natalie's, but not a freckle touched his face. He stood fit and lean, blue jeans and a white tank top drenched in sweat.
"Good evening," he greeted me with a crooked grin. "I'm looking for my sister. Is she here, by any chance?"
Natalie let out a pathetic moan from over on the couch, earning both my attention and that of her brother. I watched blankly as she rolled off the couch and landing face-first on the floor, not moving a single muscle aside from those needed to run her mouth. "Go home, Jaxon."
The corner of Jaxon's mouth twitched as he looked over at Natalie, crossing his arms over his chest. "Mother said that if you intend to eat tonight that you'd better get your curly-headed, freckle-faced self back home right now.
Natalie just moaned, rolling over so that she lay on her back, staring up at the ceiling.
Shaking his head with a sigh of exasperation, Jaxon gave me a small smile. "I'm Jaxon Johnson, by the way," he introduced himself with a slight incline of his head. "And I'm this piece of work's older brother. She was supposed to be home an hour ago, you know." He laughed to himself, eyes sparkling in a manner that almost made my heart stop beating altogether. "And who might you be?"
Feeling my face flush red at the question, I looked down at my feet awkwardly. Welcome back, introvert, I though wryly. "Kimberly," I answered quietly. "Kimberly Douglas."
"Well, it's a pleasure to meet you, Kimmy. Natalie was rather hoping a girl about her age would move in down here," he looked me up and down with a kindly smile. "And I can't say I'm too disappointed with this arrangement, either." His laugh filled the air, and I felt as though I would just die then and there.
I had never had a crush before. I had never even really met a boy before. But the way my stomach churned when I looked at Jaxon, and even more when he looked at me... Was this, perhaps, what having a crush felt like? Maybe I was wrong, but I thought I felt those butterflies the other girls would always talk about.
"Give me a break, I'm coming," Natalie grumbled, slouching her way over to stand by the door. She gave me a faltering smile. "Guess I have to go now," she sighed in discouragement. I just gave her a small smile, unable to keep my gaze from flickering to Jaxon every few seconds or so. Impossibly, he seemed not to notice, even though I knew I wasn't being very discreet about it.
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The Brainiac (Book One in the Meta Sequence)
الخيال العلمي"We can't save her from herself." When fourteen-year-old prodigy Kimberly Douglas overhears a tense conversation between her parents, her life is suddenly thrown upside down. Suddenly, she is forced to deal with a villainous stalker, a new school, a...
