Thin Line

Chapter 5

"Hey Sierra." Justin says to me as he takes the seat next to me at the computers in the library.

"Oh, hi." I say to him.

"How is your essay going?" He asks me.

"Well, I think Mrs. Quinn will be very convinced that Alexander Hamilton and John Laurens were in a relationship after reading this." I tell him.

"I am sure she will be, it is a very easy thing to argue." He tells me.

"Obviously, they were clearly together." I remind him. "How is your essay?" I ask him.

"It is okay I guess, it isn't my best work, but I am just trying to get it over with at this point." He admits to me.

"Same, I want this essay out of my life. As interesting as gay founding fathers are, I am getting a little tired of the topic." I admit.

Trust me, I love the story of the Hamilton-Laurens affair, but I have done way too much research on it at this point.

"How old is your brother?" I ask him, trying to continue the conversation.

"He is just a year younger than us, so sixteen. Why?" He replies.

"I just remember you mentioned a gay brother, and I was curious. What is his name?" I ask him, wounding who he is.

"Caleb." He replies.

I try and remember a junior named Caleb.

"I don't think I know him." I tell him, at our large school this is not surprising, I do not know people in my own grade.

"Do you have any siblings?" Justin asks me.

"I have a little sister, Hannah." I tell him.

"Hannah? How old is she?" He asks, acting a little surprised about her name.

"She is twelve, and my mom picked my name, and my dad picked hers, my dad clearly did not realize that Hannah is a name mostly for white girls." I tell him, I mean, it is not like certain names are meant for certain races, but when I think of the name Hannah, I think of a white girl. My name on the other hand, is seen with every race fairly equally.

"So that must mean your dad is white than?" He asks me.

"Yes, my dad is white, and my mom is black." I tell him.

"That's cool." He tells me. "Sometimes I think being just a basic white guy is boring." He adds.

"I mean, maybe a little bit." I tease.

"Thanks." He replies.

"I'm kidding, kind of. But it isn't like race defines us." I add.

"That is very true." He adds.

•    

"Sierra, do you have a pen?" Justin asks me.

"Really, you forgot a pen? It is almost like we need one in every class." I tell him.

"I had one then I lost it." He explains.

"Fine, but I want it back." I tell him, getting a bright pink pen covered in flowers from my bag and handing it to him.

"Really?" He asks, taking the pen from me.

"That is all I have." I say, truthfully, all my pens are pink and/or have a floral pattern on them. "Besides, it is just a pen."

"I don't know what else to expect from you, I guess." He says.

What is that supposed to mean?

I just like the color pink and floral patterns.