Wet Paint

I'm not a season

I roll over and awkwardly flop off of my bed. I've been homeschooled for most of my life. Which leaves me with somewhat little to no social skills. Sophie opens the door behind me, "What's taking so long? It's time for breakfast and your Mom made pancakes" I don't answer. She puts a hand on my shoulder, "Need help?" 

"well if you want to...." I sigh eventually.

She grabs a black and white shirt and holds them up in front of me, "No... I think you're more of an autumn." She goes back into my drawers. An autumn? I'm not a seaso-
She holds up a red shirt and white shorts, "Here. Put this on. I guess... well what should we do with your hair?" She gestures to my short blonde hair. I cut it after my dad left. I shrug, "not much that we can do" She huffs, "But that's so boring!" "It's easier" I pull on my favorite hoodie that says 'words are hard', and walk quickly out of our room.

We go downstairs, The smell of sausage and pancakes fills the air, lightening my mood. We eat in silence. Mom is still in the kitchen, apparently making enough pancakes for the rest of the month. It's awkward, sitting alone with the new addition to my family. Even if I did become closer to Sophie, we're not the best of friends. Finally, Jake breaks the silence,

"What grade are you in, Lia?" He asks, setting the newspaper down in front of his plate.

"I should be in grade seven... but mom thinks that because I've been homeschooled for the majority of my life, I should step down a grade." I shrug.

"I'm not the best teacher!" Mom calls from the kitchen. Jake chuckles.

Sophie smiles over at me from across the table, "So you'll be in my class! I think it's better that way, so we'll both have each other as friends." Nodding in agreement, I gather my plate, cutlery, and glass and carry them into the kitchen where mom is stirring a large bowl of pancake mix on the island. A burning sell comes from the stove. I set my dishes in the sink and hurry to flip the pancakes, which are now black and smoldering.

"Thanks, Lia." Mom sighs, wiping her hands on a towel. Sophie walks in with her dishes, dropping them into the sink along with mine. Mom hands us each a five dollar bill, "For lunch. Sorry that I couldn't make lunches today girls, I have work to do." She hugs us both and goes back to the pancakes.

Sophie and I walk to school in silence. I have nothing to say, and I don't really mind the quiet. She fidgets with her hair.

"What does your mom do?" She asks suddenly. I look over at her, as she looks down at the sidewalk.

"She's an Anesthesiologist," I mutter, surprised with her interest with my mother.

"Which means..."

"Well, she's a doctor who practices Anesthesia. She specializes in perioperative care, development of an anesthetic plan... and the administration of anesthetics." I've memorized this speech, explaining to interested children and adults alike. Sophie still looks confused.

"Do you even know what Anesthesia is?" I ask, sort of smiling. She shakes her head.

"It's like... a painkiller. So she works with that sort of stuff."

"Oh okay." Sophie nods. I nod too. More silence.

We finally arrive at the school, which isn't very big. Crossing the road, more students begin to come into view. Nervousness fills my stomach. Sophie grasps my hand. I want to pull away but it's comforting.

"Do you remember where our class is?" I ask. Sophie pulls a folded piece of paper from her pocket. It's her schedule.

"Homeroom is with Mrs Watson. Where's your schedule?" She asks. I point to my backpack. She nods.

We navigate our way through the hallways, which are cluttered with students. I bend down to tie my shoes, but when I look up, Sophie has disappeared. Crap! Searching for her bright blue backpack, I crash into someone. The boy looks up, flustered. He had dropped a pile of books onto the ground.

"Sorry!" I cringe, bending down again to help him with his books.

"No... It's fine." He stands up. I do too. I smile. Not on purpose, but I just do. He smiles back and my heart does a little flutter thing. Which is questionable, because I've never reacted to a simple smile in such a way. He starts to walk away. I snap back, "Wait!" he turns.

"Do you know where Mrs Watson's room is?" I call after him. He smiles and nods, "Yeah, follow me." I follow him around the other students, who are starting to thin out as we reach closer to the start of class. We reach Mrs. Watson's class as the bell rings.

"Oh... you're late now... I'm sorry." I stutter apologetically, looking down at my feet. He shakes his head, "No. It's fine." I nod and take a seat beside Sophie, who looks skeptical, "Close call for the first day. Where were you?"
I open my mouth to answer, but the boy behind me interrupts me, "Aw, Sorry man. Guess you gotta sit with them then." I turn but it seems he's talking to me. I turn back, confused. And then someone sits beside Sophie. His brown hair sort of covers his eyes. He has a large nose but it compliment's his long face. He's very attractive. Why am I thinking this?! Shut up! Uhg!

"Hi. What's your name?" Sophie asks timidly. The boy looks up. He's the guy I bumped into. I'm in his homeroom!

"I'm Henry. Henry Oak. You?" he flashes a small smile.

"My name's Sophie. And this is my... stepsister, Lia." She gestures to me. I smile, shyly and Henry's smile widens at the sight of me. Does he like me?

"Alright, class!" Mrs. Watson calls. The students go silent.
"The first thing we are going to do is... play a game. Alright? So we'll go down your list of names and you can tell us three things about yourself that you'd like to share! Good. Let's start off... Maya Arcov?"

Maya looks around the class, and quietly states, "My name is Maya but please call me May. I am eleven years old and I like dogs. I have four dogs one is a beagle his name is Bagel," The class laughs, "The other is a little Schnoodle puppy that we just got, we named him Captain, Another is named Fuzzball, she is a Yorkshire terrier, and my dog, who I got when I was seven before my little twin brothers were born is a Border Collie Named Weasly."

The class listens quietly as she talks, everyone calm and smiling.

"That's very cool. Okay, now, Elizabeth Appernett" Mrs. Watson calls. I try to look as bright-eyed as all of my classmates, but it's just boring. I start to get tired and retreat to my notebook. Sophie looks bored as well. She starts to color the flowers on her folder.
I don't know how these people are all so peaceful. Do they not feel any other emotions?