Chasing the Browns

Chapter One

It was totally cliche, the moment that Jack Brown walked into our Biology class. He had blonde hair and blue eyes; he was fairly tall and had an infectious smile...the girls even added in sighs when he stepped in. It was such a typical high school film moment.

'Everyone,' started our teacher, Mr Granger, 'this is our new student, Jack Brown. I hope you will all make him feel very welcome. Anything you would like to say, Jack?'

I didn't even have to see to guess the looks on all the girls' faces. My best friend, Marie, turned around to look at me from her space in front of my desk with an awed expression. 'He is hot,' she said, wiggling her eyebrows.

I rolled my eyes and turned my gaze to the front of the classroom. Jack flashed his irresistible grin again. 'Nah, sir. Where should I sit?'

Mr Granger looked around the classroom. I sat on the back row, all by myself. No one ever really wants to sit next to me. I'm, like, the "typical nerd". I don't look nerdy, and I don't act nerdy; it's just that I happen to get A's and A+'s on every assignment. People used to look at me for answers, then, when I didn't do Kai's homework for him one time, he made my classroom life a misery. He's the "bad boy" in our year. Brown hair, green eyes, captain of the football team, and a new girlfriend every month. It's almost unbelievable to think that we were ever friends at the age of five.

There were only two spaces left in the class. At the front  and at the back next to me. A few people sent me nervous glances but Jack picked the seat next to Dayna at the front and they looked away.

Dayna. Dayna Parks. She is the mother of all girls, the prettiest in our year - although, I'm sure if you peeled off her inch-thick makeup, nothing would look at all pleasing underneath. 

And she hates me. I'm not sure whether it's because I'm a bit of a nerd, or whether it's because Marie picked me over her. It was a few years ago. Me and Marie had always been the best of friends since we could walk. She hung around with me even when other people wanted to hang around with her, and, eventually the others left her alone. Then, when we came to high school, it was as if everything had changed. She'd rolled up her skirt and started using makeup. That was all she needed to get attention. Dayna seemed to notice and she started talking to us more. The more she talked, the more I actually realised that she wasn't the blood-sucking parasite she seemed to be. Then she asked Marie if she wanted to hang out with them, with Dayna and her sister, Irina. She kindly declined the offer, and then Dayna went back to hating us.

Nothing changed after that.

Dayna smirked as Jack sat down next to her, turning around and flashing a I've-got-this-one-in-the-bag look at everyone who bothered to pay attention.

'Where's the other one?' Kai called out.

Yeah, there were supposed to be two. Apparently they were twins. The Brown twins.

'Yeah, is he as good-looking as this one is?' Irina chuckled.

As if to answer her question, the other Brown twin stumbled in, his backpack falling off as he tumbled to the ground. The sixth-former who'd pushed him laughed as he walked past our classroom, and the twin groaned as he got up from the floor, dusting off his top.

Everyone started laughing.

Apparently you make an impression on someone within the first five seconds of your first encounter. Whoever said that certainly wasn't wrong.

Mr Granger helped up the twin. 'Everyone, this is Nicholas Brown.'

'It's Nick,' he muttered, righting his glasses which had fallen askew.