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“Who can tell me what causes a shadow?” Mrs. Perkins said, jabbing her index finger at the image of the sun projected on the screen.
Jamal squinted from the back of the class. His teacher wore a hideous floral-print dress the color of goopy pink stomach medicine that matched the slight sunburn on her normally milky-white arms. Her perfectly round face was accented by a pair of perfectly round glasses with thick lenses that made her look like an owl. Or at least, that was what Jamal had always thought.
Her huge green eyes scanned the class expectantly. Jamal thrust his hand up. I know the answer, he thought. Pick me! He loved science class the most. Science felt like a never-ending puzzle he could try to solve. Even better, the more he learned, the more exciting it got.
But Mrs. Perkins’s oversized eyes looked right over him—and her gaze landed on his brother. His twin brother. Identical twin, to be exact. Malik was technically older than Jamal, having been born a full five minutes earlier.
And he never let Jamal forget it.
“Malik,” Mrs. Perkins said, calling on Jamal’s brother instead. Like Jamal didn’t even exist. Like he was invisible.
“Right, a shadow is caused by an object blocking the rays of the sun,” Malik said, oblivious to his brother’s sullen expression. “The bigger the object, the bigger the shadow.”
“Correct, as always.” Mrs. Perkins beamed at Malik, which made her eyes appear even larger. “No wonder you’re the top student in my class. Heck, the whole school.”
“You know it, Mrs. P,” Malik said with a cocky grin and a wink. “Straight As all the way.”
If Jamal called a teacher by a casual nickname like that, he’d probably be reprimanded, maybe even sent to the principal’s office. But not Malik. He was both the smartest and the most popular kid at Princess River Middle School, which meant he could get away with anything. If Jamal ever got noticed—a rare occurrence—it was never for something good. There was, for instance, the horrific gym wedgie incident of last year, a memory that made Jamal squirm. It involved a big kid named Colton, who always picked on Jamal and who had, apparently, recently perfected his wedgie-giving skills. Suffice it to say, Jamal hadn’t worn tighty-whities to school since. But aside from that nightmare, most of the time it was like he didn’t exist.
While Mrs. Perkins blathered on about the sun’s rays, Jamal studied his brother’s face—high cheekbones, freckled brown skin, mop of curly black hair that made him a few inches taller. It was like staring at his own reflection. How could they be the same in so many ways—birthday, age, appearance, parents—yet so different at the same time?
Maybe Jamal wasn’t invisible. Maybe he was a shadow—there, but unnoticed—and his brother, Malik, was the large object blocking the rays of the sun.
Knock. Knock. Knock.
There was a tentative rap on the door.
Jamal jerked his eyes away from his brother. “Come on in,” Mrs. Perkins said in a singsong voice.
The door swung open to reveal a girl whom Jamal had never seen before. She had brown skin a touch lighter than Jamal’s and wore punk skater clothes—skinny jeans torn at the knees, paired with a fluorescent logo shirt and scuffed black-and-white Vans. He could tell that she was a real skater from her scabby knees and skinned elbows. Her hair was shaved into a short Mohawk and dyed bright purple.
This girl stood out.
Jamal couldn’t stop staring at her.
“Uh, I think this is my class. I’m Riley…DeSeroux. I just transferred to Princess River.” She thrust out a crumpled class schedule, casting her gaze down to her feet.
“Welcome to science class, Ms. DeSeroux,” Mrs. Perkins said, studying the paper through her oversized glasses. “Go ahead and take a seat.”
Riley slid into the empty seat next to Jamal. It was empty for a reason. Nobody wanted to sit next to Jamal.
Except the new girl.
She’ll wise up soon, he thought glumly. It’s not that he didn’t want to make a new friend. Well, a friend…period.
Jamal didn’t really have any friends. The closest thing was Malik, but brothers didn’t count. They had to hang out with you, at least sometimes. After all, he and Malik shared a small bedroom and a set of parental units. But these days, they didn’t spend much time together. Malik was too busy with his fan club, as Jamal thought of his brother’s popular friends, who all seemed to worship the ground he walked on.
Jamal glanced at Riley again. He knew it was bad to stare at the sun, but he couldn’t help it. She practically glowed. But that could have been her bright shirt.
He considered whispering something like “Hey, welcome to Princess River.” Or maybe “Want me to show you around campus?”
But it sounded silly even in his head. Still, he tried to muster up the courage. He cleared his throat.
“Hey, Riley—” he started.
The bell rang, cutting him off. The class bolted up and crowded around Malik, rushing into the hall. Jamal was left alone, plodding toward the door. Even Riley sped away, leaving him in her dust. He watched her back as she disappeared into the crowded hallway packed with rowdy students.
It was for the better anyway. Even if Jamal had been able to introduce himself, Riley would have forgotten he existed as soon as she met Malik. That’s what always happened. It wasn’t worth trying to talk to her. He had always felt invisible, but after Mrs. Perkins’s lecture, he realized he was more like a shadow. His outline was there, but nobody paid attention to him, especially not when he was standing next to his brother.
