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I was eleven and in my freshman year of high school when we moved. Surprisingly, that day was one of the best I had in school. No one bothered me or even questioned why I was there. Later, I discovered I wasn't the first kid genius there, and the principal had strict rules against bullying. I triumphantly got off the bus and headed down the street toward my house when a boy with clothes too big and a massive overbite came running over to me.
"That's the wrong bus," he said. "How did you get home from the high school bus?"
"I'm in high school." I pulled the straps on my bookbag tighter.
"No way. How old are you?" he asked as he stared at my face gauging my age.
"Eleven. My name is Matty Chen." I stuck out my hand.
"Cool, I'm Frankie." He slapped my hand. "That little girl running toward us is my little sis, Mal. Let's hide from her. She is so annoying."
"I don't mind. She can hang with us." I shrugged. I knew all about being bullied and being left out. This little girl with lopsided pigtails shouldn't feel that way.
"Come on. She just wants to be around me and my best friend, Jake. She will annoy you within five minutes." Frankie crossed his arms.
"Bet." I stuck out my hand.
"Huh?" The kid scratched his chin.
"Two dollars. She annoys me within five minutes, and I pay. She doesn't, and you pay." I kept my hand stuck out.
Frankie shook my hand just as the little girl approached us. She bent over and sucked in as much breath as her little lungs could handle.
"Hey, I'm Mal. Why is your bookbag so big?" She pointed at me.
"I'm Matty. I go to high school. Wanna play a game?" I smiled down at her.
"Sure. What kind? I love games." She stood upright.
"It's called hush." I pulled a dollar bill from my pocket. "You hang out with us without saying a word for five minutes, and I'll give you this."
She nodded and made a zipper motion across her lips. Five minutes later and Frankie paid up. I was up a dollar and proved to the new kid that his sister didn't have to be considered annoying. After that, I always convinced Frankie to let Mal hang with us. I wasn't sure why but eleven-year-old me knew Mal was the only girl for me.
As she grew up and became the kind, clumsy girl that laughed wholeheartedly, I knew the younger me was correct. No other girl in the world compared to her.
"I can't believe you guys are all leaving at the end of summer." Frankie clicked on the TV.
"I was just thinking about how we met. If it wasn't for you, I would still be the weird kid that studies too much." I grabbed the controller and started up Last of Us.
"You still are the weird kid. Just think about all the fun you would have missed out on." Frankie punched me in the arm.
I shoved him back. "I'm going to get you for that. Now tell me about this new girl you have been seeing. Is she as hot as you say?"
He leaned back against the couch, my feet propped on the coffee table. "She is fucking hot, man. I can't stop thinking about her."
"Nice, when do I meet her?" I asked.
"Soon, what about you? You talking to anyone?"
Images of Mal filled my mind. I couldn't help but think of Mal, but my heart was heavy with guilt. She was the perfect woman — beautiful, intelligent, witty, and just the right amount of quirkiness. But she was Frankie's little sister, and Rex and Jake clearly had feelings for her too. Not that that bothered me. Even though I wanted to pursue things, a part of me knew it would be wrong because of Frankie.
As if she heard my thoughts, Mal walked into the room. Mal plopped on the sofa next to us and drank a sip of my soda. I smiled at her and turned my attention back to the video game.
"Mal, go away." Frankie rolled his eyes.
"Stop being a dick. Have you heard from Dad? This weekend is the anniversary, and I thought he would be home for it. Not that I care." Mal clicked away at her phone, not looking at either of us.
I knew the anniversary they talked about. The death of their mother. She died of cancer a few years ago at the age of forty-seven. The two siblings had been really close to their mom.
