It’s always been rather complex with me, my life, my family…who I am. My mother told me that the reason that I have so many big things going on is ‘cause my grandpa did. She says that it’s passed down through the family.

I made a ‘W’ with my fingers, and while laughing told her whatever.

For one strange thing about me, I’ll just say that when I talk about myself, I don’t talk about my likes and dislikes. I talk about my quirks and opinions. I show you who I am a bit at a time and let you figure out the rest.

Then comes the family factor.

My brother is a big, tall, buff guy who loves football and girls.

My dad is a skinny, kinda lanky scientist with glasses the size of a small country.

My mom is tall and lean, athletic, but she’s a beautician and does her friends’ hair for free.

And me? I’ve gotten my eyes and complexion from my mother. I got my dad’s skinnier build, though I’m more athletic from my distance running. I’m pale, with lush dark hair that hangs a bit into my eyes, with a single purple streak down the right side. My eyes are bright blue, like my mothers, and large. I’m intelligent, or so I’ve been told, and I’m artistic and have a flare for fashion designing. I love sports, too.

I’m a little bit of everything.

Then the next interesting and slightly complicated part of my life are my friends. My life. My best friends are Kylie and Kyle. Yeah, a little confusing. Kylie is a short, lean girl, with bright pink hair and dazzling blue eyes. She loves wearing obnoxious colors and is the kind of person who always knows what’s going on with who and what, everywhere. Kyle is a tall, athletic completely straight boy who likes American Eagle, soccer, and models.

They’re both my life.

And me? Well, I guess that you’ll have to find out more as you go along.

--

“Hey Charlie! You freaking coffee addict! Would you come downstairs like, right now?!”

I propped my head up on my folded arms, recognizing the voice of Kylie right away. I hopped off my bed and turned off my iPod, sliding into a pair of shoes and taking the steps two at a time to crash into Kylie, who was wearing a monstrosity of a bright orange shirt and shiny silver pants.

“Did you say coffee?!” I asked, pulling away to hold her at arms length, grinning largley.

“Yeah, Kyle and I came to drag you off to the Corner to grab some caffeine.” She grinned widely back at me, and I caught Kyle rolling his eyes off to the side, arms folded over his broad chest.

“Don’t you roll your eyes at me!” I said, pointing an accusing finger his way.

“Or what? You’re gonna beat me up?” He shared the grin with us and I laughed.

“HEY MOM!” I screamed up the stairs.

“WHAT?”

“I’M GOING OUT WITH THE OUTCASTS!”

“KAY!”

“Mm’kay, let’s boogie,” I said, jabbing with my thumbs over my shoulder towards the door. I skirted a pile of science books, pulling open the large white door and running to Kyle’s easy black car.

“Did you seriously say ‘let’s boogie?’” he asked, raising an eyebrow.

“You better believe it,” I said, yelling out a quick shotgun and hopping into the front. Kylie sent a swing at me as she slid into the crowded back seat, tossing Kyle’s random stuff all onto one side of the car.

We arrived at the Corner, parking parallel. I stepped out of the car, my plaid green vans settling on the hot summer sidewalk.

“I might get an iced,” I said, waving a hand in front of my face.

“Good idea,” Kylie said, brushing a lock of hot pink from her eyes. I strode across the sidewalk, yanking open the door of the Corner and feeling the cold air strike upon my face.

“Ahhh…” I said, no doubtedly earning another roll of the eyes from Kyle.

“Charcoal! Heyyy!” I opened my eyes to glance at the source of the voice. I grinned widely, walking over to my favorite barista.

“Hey John,” I said to the tall Jamaican man. “Dude, I so want your dreads.”

“You’d look funny,” he said. “What do you want?”

“Iced coffee,” I said. Kyle and Kylie ordered while I looked through the CD’s they had for sale. I slid over a new jazz CD that I wanted, paying for the drinks and the CD.

We sat in our usual place, a circle of one red plush couch (Always mine.), a matching red chair (Kylie’s.), and a dark grey love seat, claimed by Kyle. I slid my bare feet out of my sandals, curling my legs underneath me and sipping at my iced coffee.

We went about our normal conversation, me catching Kylie glancing at someone across the café a few times. I didn’t bother looking, guessing it was probably some cute person. (Kylie is bi.)

“Dude, Charcoal!” Kylie whispered suddenly, leaning in. “There’s a guy over there that’s checking you out like no other!”

I raised a single eyebrow, pretending to glance at the clock and spotting an attractive teen, looking around my age, watching me. When my eyes caught his for an instant, he quickly looked away. I felt a smirk pull at my lips, but held back.

“He’s cute,” I whispered back, sipping at my drink with a goofy smile on my face. Kyle rolled his eyes again. He’s known for that.

I caught a quick look again, locking with green eyes behind a pair of reading glasses for an instant. His hair was long and brown, pulled into a ponytail at the top of his neck. He wore a black shirt depicting a band that I didn’t know, and a pair of semi-loose jeans held up with a brown belt.

I glanced back at Kylie, grinning. “This could be a good thing,” I sang lightly, setting the finished cup of iced coffee on the table between the two of us. She was about to say more when a clip of a song by Paramore rang out. She held up a finger, flipping open the phone.

“’Lo?” she asked boredly. She listened for a moment.

“Hey guys,” she said to us, “I gotta take this. I’ll be back in a minute.” She stood and walked to the door, stepping outside and chatting with who we assumed was probably her boyfriend. She always took calls from him.

“I’m gonna go get another drink,” Kyle said, standing and walking back over to Joe. I found myself alone.

Or…not?

I glanced up when a shadow fell over my eyesight, locking eyes with stunning green. I felt my stomach flip.

“Hey there,” the tall, attractive boy said, his voice perfect. “I was wondering if I could buy you another iced coffee?”

“Ah…” I said, taken by surprise. “Oh, sure. That would be…fantastic.” I smiled at him. I caught Kyle and Kylie standing together by the door, grinning, Kylie’s phone call apparently over.

Wait…

THEY PLANNED THIS!

I had a quick angry look argument with them while the boy went to get me my drink. I quickly changed my look back to a smile as he set the cup in front of me, settling into Kylie’s usual chair.

“Hello,” he said with a smile. “So…I’m Dante.”

“I’m Charlie, better known as Charcoal,” I said, holding out a hand. He slid his into it, lifting it to his lips, eyes locked onto mine as he kissed it gently. I felt my face burn.

“Wonderful to meet you,” he said, letting me pull my hand back. I watched him sip at a steaming drink, and I guessed a mocha by the smell of it.

“So I’m guessing that you like jazz music?” he asked, gesturing to the CD sitting next to my first cup.

“I love jazz,” I said. “I play the saxophone and I’m working at the jazz guitar. How about you?”

“I like jazz too,” he said, green eyes stunning. “I’m an amateur at the piano.” I glanced down at his fingers, pale and long, graceful.

“I love the sound of a piano,” I said, flipping my hair out of my eyes. “I’ve never tried to play, though.”

“It’s a hard thing to do.” He smiled over his mug at me. I noticed the reading glasses were now up on his head, and a pencil was tucked behind his ear.

I opened my mouth to reply, when my phone suddenly started buzzing in my pocket. I jumped a bit, pulling out the interrupter.

“I’m sorry,” I said. “Just a second.”

I opened my new text message from Kylie. ‘Should we leave you here? ‘Cause we’re gonna head down to the mall.’

I glanced back up at Dante. “I apologize,” I said, “But I have to take off.” I sent a look at the twosome standing by the door.

“That’s fine,” he said. “I probably should be taking off to work anyway.” We both stood.

“It was a pleasure to meet you,” I said, sending a shy smile at him.

“The pleasure is all mine,” he said, walking a step closer. Bu-bump. “Here,” he said, reaching down to pick up my hand, other hand pulling a pen out of his back pocket. He wrote down a string of numbers in flowy, neat writing, writing a ‘Dante’ below it.

“Give me a call sometime,” he said, smiling at me. He then turned neatly, waving a single hand once over his shoulder before stepping out of the Corner and walking around the brick side of the building.

I walked over to the twosome, both laughing their heads off. “I know you planned that! You called her in your pocket, didn’t you?!”

“Are you complaining?” Kylie asked me, grinning widely. “We know that the minute we left, he would come over. So we did.”

“I guess I can’t complain,” I said back, a smile sliding onto my face.

“Let’s go terrorize the mall then,” Kyle said, stepping out of the Corner and back to his car.

I made sure to instantly put his number into my phone.

--

Ahaha.

New idea?
Again?

Ohyeahhh.

-Jaws