Everyone wants to know why I don't talk. I just don't, that's why. Do I need a reason? 'Hannah, you have a pretty voice. Why can't I hear it?' On and on every day. 'Why aren't you like David?' or 'You are great at volleyball! Why don't you make your parents proud of two athletes!' They don't get it. They are the reason I don't play sports or talk to them.
David is the line-backer for our football team, and he is the reason that we always win. Me on the other hand have no life, no friends, but a 4.0 GPA. I'm fine with that, even though I get called a nerd. I'm not the only one either. I have Sammy, Damion, and Lisa. We stick together during school, but don't talk. Just to make us look better. If I were to get in a fight though, one of them would have my back and vise versa.
Sammy has shoulder length hair and a dimple on his right cheek. Though he rarely smiles, I am the only one that knows he has it, I think. He is taller than me too. His voice is not squeaky, but not deep. More deep that squeaky I would say.
Damion on the other hand has his hair to the top of his ear and no dimple. He has an average male voice and is about my height. He is the oldest of the 'crew.'
Then there is Lisa. She looks like an outcast to our 'crew' with hip length blonde hair, two piercings on each ear, and baby blue eyes. She is someone you have to get to know. Otherwise, you would think she is the most popular girl in school. But she is a great person.
Finally, there is me. I have chin length dirty blonde hair with artificial highlights. I'm about five foot six. I also have freckles, two piercings in each ear, gray-blue eyes, and a zit here and there. I read almost everyday.
"Hey Hannah! Lookin' good." There goes Alex. He is the school hot rod. He has one thing that everyone is looking for: good looks, good grades, good personality, and finally, money. I don't like any of that from him. I just ignore him.
I finally get in the bus to get home. At this time of year in this part of Louisiana, they are cutting and burning sugar cane, so I get a big smell of that. And a big smell of a preppy girl's perfume. Yuck. I turn around in my seat to see my bratty brother that gets everything that he wants. He is trying to swoon some girl. By-the-by, he has a girlfriend, but she is nice. Nothing like him or any of the other girls that he used to date.
"Then I threw the ball down field..." He must be talking about that one game that they won 56-0. Big whoop. That is how he gets the girl. That one story can change everything to him he thinks.
I turn back around to see a new boy sitting next to me.
"Hello. Mind if I sit here? Everywhere else is taken." mystery boy says with an adorable British accent. He also looks like Theodore James, but with even darker hair and blue eyes.
"Sure. Nobody usually sits with me anyway. What's your name? Mine is Hannah."
"Mason." That is the last thing he says until it's time to get off the bus. I stand up to leave and he does too, obviously. But this part confuses me.
"You live around here too? Same with him?" Mason asks.
"Uh, yeah. My brother, David, and I live in that yellow house right there. Where do you live?" We are already off the bus.
"Right here." he says, indicating the house right across the street from mine. I never knew that one was for sell.
"Cool! Well, see you tomorrow." I say and I go inside straight to my room. The I start my after school rituals. I open my window, turn my radio on, and start practicing my singing. Nobody knows this, but I have been using my own money to take music classes to perfect my singing gift.
"Nice singing sweetheart!" I hear Mason scream out of his window. I tell him he can come over if he wants to hear it face to face, scared of his response.
"Okay. Just let me put a shirt on and I'll be right over. Do you want me to bring anything?" That is when I realized he was shirtless.
"No. Just you is fine." That was cheesy. I hope he didn't realize that.
"Okay. See you in a second."
When he gets to my house, I brought him to my room and sang my favorite song "Little Toy Guns" by the country singer Carrie Underwood. He seemed to like it and get into it.
"Why don't you sing a song you know? I would like to hear you sing."
"Oh, uh, sure. How about 'What Hurts the Most' by Rascal Flatts?"
"I love that song! Please sing that!" Then he sang with a voice that I didn't think a human could sing. It was that amazing. "Dang you can sing! Let's get off topic and play Twenty Questions. What is your favorite color?"
When we both answered twenty questions each, my mom was home and makes him go home. I close my window and take a shower. I start to think about him and how I broke my number one rule that says not to talk to anyone that I don't know. But then again, it should be fine, because I got to know him.
After my shower, my father is home and requests to talk to me.
"Yes?"
"Honey, what is this?" He found the bill for my singing class in the mail. Oh no.
"Oh, that. It's nothing. You see, I have been talking singing classes for the past month, using my own money by the way, and I think that I got really better. Wanna hear?"
"Why didn't you tell us? We would have payed for it." That is what I expected them to say.
"I don't want y'all to. That is why I did it. I am glad for your support, but I wanted to do it on my own. Anyway, I have a recital Thursday if y'all want to go. It's free for parents." I also can by a ticket for Mason, but I don't tell them that. They don't even know him yet. "And another thing, I've made a new friend. He lives across the street from this house. His name is Mason."
"That's great honey. If you want, you can go back to your room. And we will wait 'till Thursday so it is a surprise. And Mason can come over for supper if he wants."
"I'll call him through the window. Love y'all so much!" I get to my room and open my window while I notice that Mason is shirtless once again.
"You may want to put a shirt on! You can come over for supper if you want!" I say laughing. He jumped about a foot into the air, making me laugh even harder. "You want to?"
"Sure. I'll just tell my mom." That is when he yells to his mom through his closed door that he is eating over at my house. "Done." I start to laugh again, this time falling over onto my bed.
He gets to my house and comes to my room once again, but he gets stopped by David.
"Where do you think you are going?"
"Uh, going to Hannah's room. Your parents invited me over for 'supper.'"
"A British boy. Cute. Well, I give you permission. I was just trying to scare you." My brother may not be as bad as I implied. He just wants to protect his little sister. And I love him for that.
"Okay..."
We then get to know each other a little more and he gets more comfortable with me. Then he scoots closer to me. I get uncomfortable.
"What are you doing. I mean it's fine, but,... I... what...?" I start to stutter. I then get a strong urge to kiss him.
I accept the urge.
He is shocked at first, but the complies. This is my first kiss, and I can tell it is his first too. If you were in the room with us though, I bet you could see the sparks flying. That is how good this is. Then he stops.
"Did I do something wrong? I'm sorry if I did."
"No, it's not you. I just didn't know how to stop. I'm sorry it was a rough ending."
"Hannah! Supper is ready!" I hear David call. This will be a great adventure to tell my parents. They don't want their baby girl to get hurt, especially by a boy.
"Hey guys! What's for supper?" Then the fun begins. David blurts out that Mason and I kissed. My parents, though, don't get shocked.
"Okay, and? That is none of your business. Does it harm you?"
"I just don't want you to get hurt. I know how boys are. They will hurt you."
"I can deal with it. I have before." I say quietly.
"Sorry Hannah."
I look at Mason, and he looks at me. "I think I'll be fine though. I trust him." I say, still looking at him.
