The next time I say YES I'm actually gonna LISTEN to the question. I thought as I walked down the lane with my 15-year-old sister Kimia, both of us holding baskets of food, flowers and whatnots. The summer breeze brushed past my sundress that warm, early Sunday morning. At that point, I was beginning to feel like lil Ol' Red Riding Hood, going to her grandma's to deliver fruits and vegetables, only that it was flowers and junk food we were going to deliver to our lazy, stupid uncle as a gift for his birthday. Mum had practically begged Kimia and I but since my headphones had been plugged in at that time, I had just nodded to shoo her away. BIG mistake.

     "My legs are DYING. Doesn't mum know that teenagers have a life too?" Kimia whined.

     "She's just using it to torture us." I said.

     "Well, it's working." Kimia murmured.

     I knew mum was just using her sprained ankle as an excuse to make us do whatever she asked us. Kimia and I were the only people she could rely on. The three of us lived in a three-bedroom flat somewhere in the middle of Minnesota, USA. We never really knew our dad because he died when I was four and Kimia was two. It was really tough for  my mum, bringing up two kids from that early stage and as a single mother, and it got so bad when I was five that she sent me to live with grandma before I was brought back at the age of seven.

     Because of problems at home, I never had time to focus on friends at school, which was why I was seen as an outcast and a weirdo who nobody noticed. My best friend, believe it or not, was my headphone, because whenever my day didn't go well, I would just plug in my headphones and zone out. Always worked.

     "Kobie!!!" My sister yelled, snapping me back to reality.

     "Huh..."

     "Gosh, you're such a dreamer!"

     "I wasn't daydreaming. I was thinking about something..."

     "I asked a question." Kimia said, ignoring my statement.

     "What?"

     "You said Abner lives somewhere on this street."

     Abner was Kimia's crush, and had been since she got to Minsburr High when she was eleven. He still hadn't noticed her though, but she believed he would soon.

     "Yea so?"

     "Where?" She asked.

     "Does your whole world revolve around Abner?"

     "Probably," Kimia said with a little shrug.

     "I don't have time for this." I said, walking ahead of her. She pulled me back.

     "Come on! You promised me you'd show me where he lives!" She said. Since the day I told her I saw Abner entering a house on that street, she had been bugging me to take her there.

     "So what'll you say when you get there?"

     "Oh please. I'm a hottie genius. I know what to say when it's time to say it. Now show me... Pleeeaaase!"

     "Ugh, fine!" I said, turning round to lead her to the house. I knew my sister better than even SHE knew herself. She always called herself a hottie genius, but whenever she got a chance to talk to a guy, she would suddenly become sweaty and would start stuttering and freaking out on the inside.

     As we approached the house, she began to walk more slowly.

     "Nervous, huh?" I said with a victorious grin.

     "No!" Kimia fibbed, "I just have a blister on my foot." She finished, just as we reached the porch of the house.

     "This is stupid, y'know." I said as we stopped at the doorstep.

     "No it isn't." She said, although she seemed unsure of herself.

     I sighed, exasperated, and turned to ring the doorbell. We waited as we heard a little chime from inside and then footsteps. The knob turned and the door opened, revealing a tall, muscular figure with long blonde hair covering part of his face, and dark green eyes.

     "Yo." He said. His voice was cool and dreamy, and it could make any girl waver and flutter. But it wasn't Abner.

     "Hey... I... Um... We... Hey..." Kimia stuttered.

     "We're looking for Abner?" Sorry to bother you though. My sister can be really silly and she forgot to write down the page of the homework she was given, so she was wondering if Abner could be of any help." I said, earning a glare from Kimia. The dude at the door raised an eyebrow.

     "She's got no friends or something?" He asked. I could see Kimia's cheeks turning bright red.

     "She does." I said softly but firmly, "Is this where Abner lives?"

     "He's my bro. So yea."

     "May we see him?" I asked. The dude hesitated before finally giving way to let us in.

     The aromatic smell of vanilla shot up my  nostrils as we entered the house and I couldn't help but stop to take a good whiff of it.

     "Want a drink or something?" He asked.

     "Nah. Just Abner please." I said. The guy gave me a smirk which made me wonder whether I had said something wrong. Then he dashed upstairs.

     Immediately he had disappeared, Kimia smacked my arm.

     "Way to go, embarrassing me like that! You made me seem like some socially awkward weirdo!"

     "You're welcome." I said sarcastically. Kimia scoffed, folding her arms and shaking her head.

     Just then the same guy ran downstairs with someone tailing behind him. It was Abner. Kimia grabbed my wrist. Her fingernails dug into my flesh, sending shivers of pain all over my body.

     "Hey," Abner said, giving us a curious look.

     "Um, hi... You know Kimia right? In history class?" I said.

     "Huh?"

     "Kimia. You know, Kimia Mayers." I said. 'Please know her. Please know her.' I begged my stars, hoping my sister wouldn't be humiliated in front of two hunk-adories.

     "Doesn't really ring a bell..."

     "Kimia MAYERS!" I said with gritted teeth and a warning glare.

     "Ohh! Minia... Um... Thingamajig..."

     "Kimia." I said.

     "Yea. Kimia. I know you. From... English class?"

     "History. U.S History." I said, getting frustrated. Was this dude retarded or something?

     "Wadup?" He asked.

     "She just wants to..."

     "Say hi. So... Hi." Kimia said. I could tell by her voice that she had had enough.

     "Hey..." Abner said, confused.

     The dude that had answered the door also gave us weird looks, probably wondering why we were so awkward.

     "We'll be going now." I said, grabbing Kimia's arm. We both turned to leave and headed for the door.

     "Hey, wait." Someone said. We both turned. It was Abner's brother that had spoken.

     "I know you," He said, referring to me. "From calculus?"

     "Probably," I replied.

     "Why don't we all just do a reunion," Kimia murmured, rolling her eyes.

     "You're the introvert. You rarely talk in class."

     "It's a wonder you noticed." I said, turning to leave again.

     "You're kinda cute up close, y'know." He said. I felt blood rush to my cheeks and I tried to cover my face with my hair to avoid him noticing.

     "Thanks." I murmured, rushing out of the house with Kimia tagging along behind me.