Do You Read Me?

Chapter One--Clones!

"This is so weird," Robbie said slowly. He stared at Johnny like a biologist does a lab rat. "You look just like me."

"No--you look just like me," Johnny insisted with a crazy grin.

"All  except for the weird hair cut," Robbie said, making the exception.

"Hey, it's not weird, it's cool," Johnny said with a slightly insulted look. Some people just didn't know awesome when they saw it.

"It's messy and unbrushed," Robbie said flatly.

"It's spiky, my dear friend," Johnny corrected.

"Oh, whatever."

"Hey! Robbie, what if we're clones?" Johnny spoke up suddenly. " Just like Spider-man and the Scarlet Spider? We don't know which one the clone is..."

"Well, we aren't exactly identical," Robbie decided. "I'm an inch shorter and I have blue eyes."

"Ah, yes," Johnny sighed with pretend remorse, "You must be the clone--it's always the clones that have the faults, anyways."

Robbie turned to him with snapping eyes. "Faults? What's that supposed to mean?"

Johnny instantly started cracking up in laughter. He was amused by the look on his face. "Dang, can't you take a joke?"

Robbie's expression relaxed, and he looked down at the sidewalk now as they walked along side-by-side. Johnny guessed that he was forgiven, then. Johnny had only known this kid for about fifteen minutes, and already he was proving to be weird. Robbie seemed like the super-quiet type...an anti-social type of guy. It was funny how they could look so alike but be so different from one another. But the quiet guy was kinda what Johnny wanted to be, being sick of the spotlight.

But Robbie had already blown his cover. Johnny would have never been noticed if he wasn't no righteous, and had to stand up for the little guys. But there Robbie was, getting picked on by that big bozo without a brain, Regan Miles. Now every one would want to run to Johnny and be his friend, and he wouldn't be able to turn them down because he was Mr. Nice Guy!

"Unless..."

"Eh?" Robbie perked up, raising his eyebrows. "Unless what?"

"Well, I was thinking. In my old school I was super-popular and all that, right? Well I got tired of that and I want to try something new...but I don't really know how. Could you teach me?"

"Uhm...I'm not sure what you're asking. And I'm not very good at teaching, so..." Robbie's voice trailed off, and he started staring off into space. Creepy.

"Well, I mean, like....um how do I say this..? Oh, I need you to give me lessons on being a nerd!" He finished this off with a grin.

"A nerd?"

He nodded vigorously. "Uh, huh!"

"I'll just go ahead and take that as a compliment. But I don't think you can teach someone something like that."

"Oh, sure you can! You see, I think I'm a real nerd deep down inside, but I just don't know how to show it yet." He jabbed Robbie lightly in the shoulder with his elbow. "So now on, let's be friends."

"Hmm..." Robbie mused with a slight smile. "Do I really have an option?"

Johnny laughed at this comment, and Robbie chuckled a little with him.

"Dude," Johnny said, "You seriously need to lighten up!"

Robbie looked surprised, and said softly, "I do? I'm not even mad anymore."