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They even wrote their own songs and played them at every hour of the day, and judging from the obvious sounds leaking through the garage, today’s practice space was at ours.

They were nice, more than nice actually. They were good people who formed a real bond with my brother. I was happy for my brother, but deep down, I wished I had friends like that.

Emmie’s younger sister, Lily, was nice and kind to me, and I actually liked her but she already had a best friend—Mikey. Those two were too close and have been best friends for years and hanging out with them always made me feel like I shouldn’t really be there. So I only met Lily when Mikey wasn’t around, but it was hard considering they were always together.

“Hey, Mom,” I announced as I entered our home and padded straight to the kitchen. “I’m back.”

“Hey, Katy, good day at school?” she asked as she whisked away the brown gooey batter, which I knew was for my favorite chocolate cupcakes. As much as I liked to limit myself to the amount of sugar I consumed on a daily basis, my mother loved to spoil me.

“Yes, Mom,” I muttered, pressing a kiss on her cheek as I hugged her from behind.

She flashed me her kind smile over her shoulder before she went back to whisking.

I nuzzled my cheek against her neck, inhaling her sweet lily scent as it laced with the chocolate in the air.

She smelled like home.

I sighed deeply as her familiar warmth seeped into my body. My mother was my second comfortable place on earth.

My twin was my first. We understood each other in ways others couldn’t possibly comprehend. He just got me and I was forever grateful that I at least had one best friend attached to me for life.

The loud crunch of tires hitting the gravel made us both look out the window. Lined with Mom’s herb plants, it looked out onto our usually quiet street, which was now crowded with a huge white U-Haul truck.

A man and a woman, looking the same age as my mom and dad, stepped out of a torn-down navy-blue SUV and walked straight ahead to speak with an older-looking gentleman who hopped out of the U-Haul.

The back door of the SUV dashed open, and a pair of pale thin legs clad in a mini checkered skirt and Vans jumped out. My eyes trailed along the length of her tight green T-shirt plastered on her like a second skin, and the beaded necklaces that hung around her delicate neck. Her warm brown hair was tied back in a tight ponytail, accentuating the sleek contours of her cheekbones.

She was the same age as me and I just couldn’t help but feel jealous of how gorgeous both her face and her body looked. I knew I wasn’t supposed to think that way, but lately, I couldn’t help but compare myself to all the pretty girls my age. They had something I didn’t have and that made me very jealous.

I was so busy staring at her that I didn’t notice the tall boy who arrived beside her. Whatever he said made her smile and something about that sent a pang through my heart.

Though he had his hoodie drawn up, I could see waves of his dark chestnut hair falling over his piercing brown eyes.

The shade was so deep like my favorite chocolate.

When he lifted his head, his face came into full view and the warm orangy-yellow sun lit the sharp angles of his beautiful face. A tiny gasp escaped my lips before I could stop myself.

I’d never seen a boy so beautiful before.

So beautiful that he made my heart feel funny.

Made my head spin dizzy.

And made my knees feel weak.

I had never felt this way before, let alone for a boy.

Was this what the girls in the movies felt when they spoke about love at first sight?

And was I having a crush? On a boy whose name I didn’t even know. Yet I wanted to learn, to study each syllable of it, so it could be the last whisper on my lips each night before I fell asleep.

Study all his favorite things so they could become my favorite.

I didn’t know anything about him but I wanted him.

I wanted him more than anything in this world.

I wanted all his truths, his lies, his pains, and his laughter.