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Chapter 1: I lose my mind somewhere outside high school

Nothing made sense to me. I couldn't understand what the teacher at the front of the room was going on about, nor could I seem to grasp how the people around me talked so effortlessly without having to think for five minutes about what they were going to say. I couldn't understand how they appeared so relaxed and I couldn't understand why they decided not to pay attention and then complained about the teacher when they got low marks on their tests.

I got low marks too, but at least I tried to listen and learn. Like everything else, I could never grasp the concept of anything the teacher tried to teach me. It made sense, but I just could never memorize the names and dates of World Studies, the equations from Math, the verbs and nouns from Language Studies, or the chemical equations I come across in Science. I'm sure it would help if the information would stay in one place long enough for me to study them and learn what they mean. Instead, the numbers on the board flew about the room and swirled around my classmate's heads and made it almost impossible for me to understand anything.

I grew frustrated with the class and dropped my head on the table in an attempt to block out the voices of the other students. I prayed for the clock to spin faster and thanked the universe for math being the last class of the day.

"Jasper, pick your head up or I'll call your parents," the teacher called, making me sit back up.

I sent him an amused look and he blushed. "You know what I mean, young man."

I bit back a laugh and put my head back down, making a lunch detention slip out of his drawer and onto my desk.

Twenty minutes later, when the bell finally rang and the numbers finally stopped their abuse and the teacher finally stopped talking and I could finally breathe, the class gathered their belongings and left me alone with the teacher.

I slowly packed up my book bag, stumbling a bit under the stressful gaze of the teacher, and then, naturally, tripped as I left the room.

I worked my way through the hallway, trying to stick to the walls and keep my head down. I was quickly exposed by a mass of black hair slamming into me from the side and throwing me against the wall of lockers next to me.

I rubbed my shoulder and turned to look at the dent in the lockers. "Koda, that was the worst place for you to do that."

He threw his arm over my shoulder and quickly steered me away from the crime scene. "We were never here."

I shrugged and leaned into his side slightly, "It's not like anyone will notice."

"True, but still." He trailed off.

I understood completely. If he were to get in trouble with the school again, he would probably be killed by our parents or worse. He might even get expelled.

As we walked to the parking lot, he pretended to not notice the flirtatious looks that were sent to him by almost everyone we walked by.

I love the guy, but he gets attention from almost everyone. It's all sexual and I don't get it. He is my brother, but only in the sense that we lived in the same home and were much closer than your average blood related brotherly pair. We aren't blood related though, so our brains aren't wired to not be attracted to each other. We've only known each other about seven years, hardly enough time for me to form a crush on him. I don't know what exactly his feelings are, but there are times when I think he does have the smallest thing for me.

The looks continued, passing over me and shooting straight at Koda. I more or less understood why they wanted him. With his black hair and light brown eyes and strong but scrawny build and then the fact that he's taller than me by at least five inches at six foot three, the boy matched what could be identified as sexy.

I just went by definition and society's standards, of course, there is no way I'd be able to consider anything sexy if I used my own definition. I don't even think I have my own definition. I don't think I care enough to have a definition.

I didn't realize I was staring at this boy who was staring at Koda until Koda, who was staring at me, called my name, making me jump and make a nasty face.

Koda assumed I was responding to the boy's stares and said, "Jas, calm down. I wouldn't." He ruffled my hair and pulled my keys out of my back pocket.

I grabbed them back and shook my head at him, "No."

He pouted, "I just wanted to ride her with you. Please? I walked to school this morning and it looks like it'll rain by the time I get home if I walk and I'm going to your place anyways so it shouldn't be a problem and I thought you were my brother you shouldn't be wanting me to walk to your place in the rain think of the water damage my shoes will cause on your brand new-"

"Fine!" I cut him off, "You can ride with me. But I am driving."

"Good." He smirked.

We made our way to the glorious motorcycle parked in the far corner of the parking lot. When I was sixteen, a family friend was selling her for nine thousand dollars and after seeing her, I knew I had to have her. Two years later, I had three quarters of the money. As an eighteenth birthday surprise, my parents gave me two dollars for every one dollar I had saved up so I could pay for the bike and anything that the high school required money for. Four months later, I have graduation paid, a bike, and an apartment ready for Koda and I to share once he turns eighteen in a few months.

I climbed on the beautifully amazing piece of machinery and he hopped on behind me after I gave him my helmet.

I rolled my eyes as I felt him cuddle into my back after wrapping his arms around my waist. "This is why people think we are dating."

"We would make a great couple, though. It's too bad we got the same foster parents. Makes me off limits," He replied.

"Shut up." I pulled out of the parking space and lot and drove out onto the main road.

As I hit the speed limit, the bun my hair was tied in was knocked out by the wind and I lost the hair tie that had held it in place. I heard Koda sputter as my hair hit him in the face and pulled over quickly, not even have traveled a mile.