Chapter 1

Chapter One

 

 

      As I stared at myself in my big oval mirror, I tried to point out everything wrong with me. That wasn’t a big challenge. The challenge was trying to figure out what was right with me. Hard to believe I was part of a family consisting of a beauty queen and two sports fanatics. Unimaginable that two perfect people like my mother and father would have a daughter anything like me.

      My father, Jeff Summers had shiny black hair that always seemed to be styled perfectly.  His brown eyes were like milk chocolate and he had the movie star tan everyone wanted. It was strange he even had a tan because he was always in his office, on a plane, or in a court room. He was a successful lawyer, which also meant he barely spent any time with us. When he did come home, it was only for a couple of days.  

      My dad loved every sport imaginable, and in high school he played football and wrestled. He and my mother met through sports. She was the varsity captain cheerleader and my father was the quarterback. Seems like a fairytale for most people, super jock and head cheerleader fall in love and start a family. What everyone dreamed they would do. My mother, Janice Summers didn’t look like your typical mother. She had blond hair that she always wore just past her shoulders. It was always styled as if she had come from the salon. She had amazing blue eyes the color of the ocean.

      When she got mad, her eyes would develop dark specks of green. That was rare, and normally because she was mad at me for not trying hard enough to be pretty. She always wanted me to try harder than I did, and I could tell it was embarrassing for her to go places with me. She wore makeup right when she woke in the morning until she went to bed at night. She looked like she belonged in a soap opera.

      Right after high school my parents found out they were expecting a baby. They were both excited about the news, and decide to get married right away. My mom decided she would stay home with the baby so my dad could go off to college and become a lawyer, like he had always wanted. My mother had a beautiful boy, which is where my older brother, Martin comes into the perfect family.

      Martin looked almost exactly like my dad. He had the same shiny black hair but it was a little wavy like my mother’s. His eyes were the same milk chocolate eyes as my dad’s and with all of this came the perfect tan. Like my dad, Martin also loved to play and watch sports. He played sports all year-round, beginning with soccer, then basketball, and finally baseball to end the year. This made Martin one of the most popular boys at our school, which might be embarrassing for me if anyone knew we were brother and sister. Most people don’t know I exist. The people that do know I exist don’t believe Martin is really my brother, even though he is always nice to me.  But really, what jock would be nice to a nerd, unless they are related in some way?

      I don’t know why my parents didn’t stop with Martin, because they would have been the perfect family. Unfortunately for them, that wasn’t the case. A year after my mom had Martin she decided she wanted another baby. She dreamed she would have a beautiful little girl like her and that her family would be complete and perfect. No one thought it was possible they would have a nerdy girl that didn’t know a thing about makeup or fashion. I guess the surprise was on them because that is exactly what happened.

      I was very different from Martin, in almost every way you could imagine. To begin with, like my mom I was blond. Unlike my mom however, I never styled my hair. As a result, it was often frizzy and appeared un-brushed. Honestly, I was too lazy to wake up in the morning and actually do anything with it. My hair was also much longer then my mom’s. I hadn’t cut it in at least three years.

      My eyes were dark blue, almost brown, which would have been pretty if I didn’t hide them behind coke-bottled glasses. I was also short for my age, 5’3 and hadn’t grown into my figure like most sophomore girl. I didn’t play sports like my brother or dad and I definitely wasn’t a cheerleader like my mom. I was the family nerd, and I liked to spend most of my time reading. Sometimes I wished I could be as pretty as my mom, but I knew that was impossible. I tried my hardest to focus on other things though. If I always worried about my looks, I would drive myself crazy.

      I shook my head, trying to release myself from the daze I had fallen into, and looked over at the clock. It was time for me to leave for school. I grabbed my backpack and jumped up from my computer chair. As I shut my bedroom door, I noticed Martin was still in the bathroom perfecting his look. I rolled my eyes. I still couldn’t believe he spent more time looking in a mirror then I did. It shouldn’t be that hard for a guy to get ready.

      I ventured down the stairs and when I made my way to the kitchen, I stopped in the doorway and leaned against the wall. My mom was at the stove making breakfast, already prepared for the new day with makeup and her hair perfectly done. It was odd to me she was able to act like a normal everyday mom and still look so beautiful. I guess after doing her makeup as often as she did, it probably seemed like nothing to her. My best friend Gracie thought my mom was the prettiest person in the whole world. I happened to agree with her.

      “Hey Mom,” I said, clearing my throat.

      “Hey Ash, how did you sleep last night?” she asked, not turning to look at me.

      “I guess I slept pretty good.”

      “That’s good. Do you want breakfast?” she asked. “It’s almost, done I just need to cook some eggs.”

      “No thanks Mom! I told Gracie I would meet her early for school. She has something to tell me that can’t wait,” I sighed.

      “Oh that sounds exciting,” Mom smiled at me. She looked like she wanted me to tell her more. I really didn’t know why Gracie had to talk to me though.

      “I guess. I don’t really know what she wants to tell me,” I said.

      “Gracie is always full of so much excitement so I am sure it is going to be something good,” she said. My mom saw it as excitement but I looked at it as drama.

      “I guess I should get going.”

      “Okay honey, make sure you come home right after school.” she stated, “Your dad is coming home today and we need to talk to you and Martin.”

      “Oh that doesn’t sound good,” I moaned.

      She laughed, “It’s nothing bad I promise, but it is important.”

      “Okay, let Martin know so I can get a ride home from him,” I said walking to the front door.

      “Okay, have a good day!” Mom shouted.

      “You too,” I said.

 

 

 

 

Author's Note

This is my first published book so any notes on how to improve my writing is appreciated.