Bad Influence - popular girl x nerd boy

20- Lucas

A crown of brains rests upon my sister's head, complimenting her princess demeanor as she stares at herself in the mirror. She jumps out of the chair the second Rome is done pushing the last bobby pin ontop of her side part, throwing thin arms around Rome's waist. A startled gasp escapes Rome's lips, her body unresponsive while she processes the physical contact.

"Thank you! I love it so much!" Rome apprehensively places her hand atop of Lily's back, patting her like she doesn't know what else to do. Once Lily lets go of her new favorite person, I tug on Rome's arm and lead her out of the pink room.

When I shut the door behind us I take a minute to memorize the smile on Lily's face.

She glows with glee, and seeing her feel so beautiful and confident sparks a fire in my heart. I have let the flames of the love I have for my family fuel me, but sometimes I feel it burning me whole.

Rome is grinning as we step into the hallway, almost floating for a reason I can't comprehend.

Rome, the infamous cheer captain that must have been invited to at least half a dozen parties tonight, sat down with my little sister and took time to make her happy. Instead of rushing into the project that is awaiting us in my bedroom, which would have allowed her to leave in less than two hours, she spent time with a little girl in desperate need of another girl's company.

Brand new sneakers toe the doorframe of my room, Rome peaking her head inside before finally lifting her feet forward. She takes everything in slowly, admiring the dark blue walls and black furniture. Two soft toned lamps leave shadows in my room, the lighting low but enough to see the soft brown eyes survey my room. She walks through the room like she was walking into my brain, peering curiously at the objects and memories that tell her more about who I am than any question she could ever ask.

I'm surprised when she skips over my shelves and desk, spending the most time examining my proud collection of book series on a black book case, pausing longest on a specific book. Wedged between my historical documents and my science fiction novels, a small, introductory to astronomy book is hidden on my shelf, a book that I could not find the patience to read while fantasy was there to grab my attention instead. For a moment, I watch her investigate the book until she eventually moves on.

She peaks skeptically at the walls, huffing out air when she realizes I have nothing hanging up; not a single poster or image in sight.

"There's no photos of you." She observes.

"The hallway school photos weren't enough?" She sits on my bed, picking up a stuffed dog that my mom gave me years ago when I was nervous to start middle school. I named it after a character in a movie, dork that I was.

"I think you should actually blow that photo up, maybe hang it on your ceiling so you can see it right before you go to bed." She nods, the image of child me burned into our minds.

"Is that what you have? A whole museum of your face in your room?" I move closer to her, standing a couple of feet away while she stares up at me from my mattress.

"Why would I ever want to look at anything else?" She turns my teasing implications around, directing what could have been a stabbing comment into a weapon of her own.

I wonder how she got so skilled at defending herself.

She sets her collection of school supplies on my bed, picking out her computer and opening Google Classroom to check over the rubric one more time. I sit down at my desk, using the school provided chromebook to finish the rest of the work.

It takes us nearly an hour to complete the project, and still I force her to practice the presentation twice before she quits and throws her macbook shut. She delivers the information with charisma and charm, soothing my nerves about the soon-to-be final grade for the class.