The Shades in Between [BxB]

Chapter 3

*Flashback [Start]*
[Mrs.Dorian's 3rd grade class]

I sketched in my small drawing pad, the page of multiplication problems sitting untouched on my table. I looked up from my table time to time to check and see if the teacher would catch me, but she was too busy being on her phone. My brother Lucas sat next to me, glancing at my paper but shaking his head when he saw that I hadn't solved anything.

"Psst.. What is 8 times 5?" Lucas asked a few minutes later. "40" I whispered back. "7 times 3?"

"21"

"8 times 8"

"I don't know"

A few minutes later, after I had just started drawing the tail of my dinosaur, the teacher clapped her hands and said to all of us that it was time to turn in the page.

"Mia will you be a dear and collect all the pages? If you do, you can get something out of the treasure box," Mrs.Dorian said, smiling, a smudge of dark red lipstick on her teeth.

Mia got up, a proud grin on her face as if she had just won the lottery or something. She picked everyone's up and frowned when she saw my paper. "Mrs.Dorian!! Eli didn't do any of his problems," Mia tattled, her lips in a small pout. I stuck my tongue out at her, which in turn made her start crying.

I got into trouble after that, and they had to call my mom. After that whole fiasco was over, I sat back down in my seat, a scowl on my face. Mrs.Dorian had said that I couldn't get my sketchbook back until after class.

"Class! I have some exciting news," Mrs.Dorian said, "we have a new student, and his name is Colin." A boy, with blonde hair and blue eyes stood there awkwardly. He had crutches and something around his legs that seemed like it helped him stand.

"What's those sticks he has?" One kid yelled out. "I wanna know too!" Lucas said, excitedly. "Uh, these are my crutches.. they help me walk," Colin said, biting his lip nervously and darting his eyes around the classroom.

"Did you get those at Costco? Because I want one!" A kid blurted out. "Do you get to whack people with them?" Mia exclaimed. "Can I try using them??" Lucas asked, abruptly standing from his seat.

Colin looked like deer in headlights as he looked across the room at all the people shooting questions at him.

"Guys, guys settle down. We want Colin to feel welcome here," Mrs.Dorian said in a reprimanding tone, "Colin, you can go sit at the far table with Nicholas, Chloe, and Tara."

Lucas waved at Colin as he walked by to go to his table. I needed a new friend, but I knew nothing about social skills. Lucas on the other hand was the complete opposite, he won't stop bothering you until you became his friend.

A few weeks went by and I had no clue on how to talk to him. He seemed nice and he was the only one that didn't know how much of a loser I was.

I sat at the bottom of the tube slide, my sketchbook in hand. I hated recess, it was just another reminder of how I had no friends, and how un-athletic I actually was. Lucas's head popped out from the top of the tube slide, "Eli, come play tag with us."

I shook my head, "no I'd rather just draw." Lucas huffed, but let me be. "Woah, that's a cool drawing!" Colin said, peering over my shoulder. I quickly slammed my sketchbook shut in surprise. "O-oh.. thanks!"

He took a seat beside me and took the sketchbook from my hands and flipped to the page I was working on. "Is this some kind of robot man?" Colin asked in awe. I nodded shyly, "yeah, I got the idea from.." I trailed off, pointing at his crutches.