Despite All Obstacles Part II

Hetero-chro-mian Twins

BARBARA'S STORY

This afternoon.

Patt seems like a cool dude. When we first made eye contact, I knew we were gonna click. He takes his phone out again. He has a Samsung Galaxy.

"Do you have a Facebook?" He asks me.

"Yes, I do. It's Gracie Roberts," I tell him.

He gives me his phone. "Text it to me, and I'll text mine."

I smile and dial my number into his phone. I give it back to him. He taps on it.

I feel a vibration in my pocket and take out my iPhone 5S.

"You do not have an iPhone. Samsung is way better. Believe me," he tells me in a joking way.

"Get outta here, Patt. iPhone hasn't failed me, yet" I joke with him back. I look at my phone.

+16265556789: Heterochromian Patt

I look up at him. "I like the Facebook name. It suits you."

Me(+14245550369): Gracie Roberts

"Thanks. Is Grace your middle name?" He asks me.

I pause, thinking about poppa. "Yes, it is. It means thankful."

He looks down at the text. "Barbara Grace Roberts." He looks back up. When he says my full name that I was supposed to have, it hits me in the heart.

"Actually, it's Barbara Grace Steward. That's my poppa's last name," I tell him, tryin' not to cry in front of him.

"Oh. Gotcha." He puts his phone in his pocket of his blue hoodie.

"Hey, little bro!" Somebody with Patt's voice greets him. They look exactly alike. They're identical twins, but the twin has light brown hair.

"Hey, big bro," Patt responds back, but with less enthusiasm. They also do the Three Stooges handshake. He's also a Parrot. That makes two rivals of my old school to acknowledge.

His brother faces me. "Hi," he greets with a closed smile.

"Hi," I greet back. He turns back to Patt. It's amazing how they both have one blue eye and one brown eye on opposite sides and different hair colors. One blonde. One brunette. This is rocket science.

"Barbara, this is Matt, my brother. Matt, this is Barbara, the new girl," Patt introduces us to each other.

"Nice to meet you, Matt," I exchange my hand and he waves his with a smile. Also, a lefty. I guess he's shy.

Patt cuts off the awkwardness. "So, Barbara. What should I call you by nickname? I'm Patt for Patthew. Embarrassing name. I know. He's Matt for Matthew, a very common name. Ryan is bro because he doesn't have one. China is Shortcake because she's short. You sat beside her in music, this morning, but you'll see her next time." That Asian girl's name's China?

"Nicknames are for true friends, by the way," Matt tells me. He's looking at me like the cheerleaders did when I walked to my new locker. I can tell he's not so open to new people like his brother.

"Y'all can call me Gracie, my friends from Inglewood did," I tell them. They look at each other confused. "I know what you're thinking. My friends prefer to call me Gracie...."

"Because Grace is your middle name, right?" Matt interrupts me.

"Yeah. Annnd my family calls me Barbie," I admit. I feel so awkward after saying this. I can feel them both judging me with their hetero-chro-, with their brown and blue eyes in different places.

"So, your friends from Inglewood takes offense of your family calling you Barbie?" Patt clarifies with a question.

"Yeah. They do because of...."

"A skinny white doll?" Matt interrupts me, again. We're quiet as the hall's clearing up. It's like Matt's reading me without me noticing, which is really good in my opinion, yet scary.

"Yes. That's....why," I admit by looking at my fidgeting. I look back up. Patt nods, looking down at the ground and thinning his lips, as Matt smiles at me, sizing me up. I feel so awkward. I wish I was invisible again.

"Well, little bro, I'll see you during dinner," Matt breaks the silence. They do their Three Stooges handshake as they're about to part. Matt looks back at me. "Welcome to Palm Trees Sr. High," he pauses, shaking his head while smiling, "Barbie."

It feels like I gave him a reason to look down on me. He chuckles and walks away to lunch. Patt and I watch him. I look at the time. It's 12:04.

"He seems nice," I lie. I don't think Matt likes me that much.

Patt heavily sighs. "Ever since he became popular, he has changed. We started having less in common. He had his first girlfriend, last year, who's no longer here. She was also a cheerleader. She broke his heart very badly. He hasn't trusted a girl ever since. Sorry, that he was such a jerk. Also, he doesn't warm up to new people well."

Patt sounds irritated about Matt's popularity. I get that popularity would pick somebody and it would be hard to get out of it, because you want people to still like you.

"I get it. I'm not so friendly to new people either. I usually keep to myself," I admit.

"Well, I'll see you after school?" Patt asks, but he actually insists.

"Yes. I'll like that," I agree to meet him again.

"We're studying for our classes in the library, after school. Doesn't have to be the same subject. It's like our routine to do better in school and be prepared for college," Patt tells me. I don't really enjoy studying. I only do it to pass time because I was so friendless.

"Okay, I'll be there," I never had study buddies before. Teachers in middle school would constantly make us work in groups. We weren't allowed to work alone. I would quietly work with groups on assignments.

"Okay, see you, Gracie," he says and waves to me. Yes, a new friend!

"See you, Patt," I watch him run to his advisory diagonally across mine and I return in mine. The bell rings. It's 12:05.