The Perfect Balance

Chapter One

Shout out to @authenticbot-for the beautiful cover! There were so many amazing entries and it was very hard to choose! I'd like to thank you all again for the support and I appreciate you all so much!

I close my book and huff loudly. I stare at the hardcover literature piece as I grip it tightly in my hands. Tossing it onto my covers beside me, I sigh. Have you ever read a book or watched a movie that took place in a horrid situation- like, say, a post-apocalyptic world, and the main character finds love? There can literally be seven people in their group but one of them is around the protagonist's age and just so happens to fall in love with her and vice versa.

But here you are, sitting on planet Earth with seven billion people and can't seem to find someone who likes you back? If your answer to that question is no, then good for you. But if your answer is yes, then welcome to the club. Population 2, or maybe more. Who knows? Maybe we can fall in love...or maybe not.

I don't know why I torture myself with these stupid romance novels, especially now when I'm supposed to be studying for my upcoming tests. No matter how hard I try to keep myself from reading them, I continuously find myself falling into the alternate universe of two people's relationship. And don't get me started on the love triangle books- a girl can find two guys that are interested in her but here I am struggling to get a guy to notice me. I hate pitying myself but sometimes, after reading 400 pages of pure sappy love and cheesiness, I feel like I deserve it. And it's not even like these books are realistic. None of them cater to their audiences of normal teenagers in a high school with a population in the hundreds. But I guess I'm generalizing. Perhaps there's a kindhearted but rebellious jock out there with a preppy and slightly snobby cheerleader on his arm, sharing a kiss after winning their homecoming game...

    Before I can delve too deep in my self deprecating thoughts, I turn to find the door to my room being shoved open by one of my three brothers. "What?" I ask in annoyance, slightly startled. I want to ask if he's ever heard of a thing called knocking but the answer is obvious; he hasn't.

    "Are you working today?" my eldest brother, Calum, asks curiously. His curly blonde hair appears in my room first, followed by his slightly tanned skin and large brown, glasses clad eyes.

    "Yeah," I answer in short. "Why?"

    "Because I'm heading in that direction. I was wondering if you need a ride," he explains.

    "No, I'll walk," I reply sarcastically, earning an eye roll from him. I should be a bit more grateful but he startled me and for some reason, it irritated me more than usual.

    "So you don't need a ride?" he retorts and I sigh, giving up.

    "Yes, Calum, I do," I answer.

    "Then be ready in twenty minutes or I'm leaving you behind," he calls as he slams my door. I stare at the wooden panels before heaving myself out of bed, grabbing my book as I go. I put it on my desk before pulling open my closet and shoving my legs into my jeans. As I continue to dress, I search for my name-tag. I finally find it sitting atop of the dirty clothes in my hamper, so I stick the pin into my shirt and fix it so it's straight and neat. Orion S.

    "I'm about to leave without you!" my brother nags from the hallway. I ignore him as I run my brush through my dirty blonde hair, which cuts off an inch before my shoulders. It's straight and has only a small amount of volume. Sometimes, if I tilt my head back far enough, I look like a potato with hair that starts at my ears.

I tie my hair back into a braid and slowly examine my face. Like my brother's, my eyes are brown and large, making me appear innocent. Whether I am or not, I refuse to acknowledge. I'm considerably tall. I guess it runs in my family. My mom is almost 6'0" so it only makes sense that I'm 5'9" and thankfully, I'm finished growing. My brothers are close in height; all of them are taller than me; the same goes for my father.