How was the first chapter? This one's a bit longer, but I don't think it's too bad. Like I said, this one's more about introducing other characters. Hope you enjoy it! Please read and review.

No matter where you are in America, it's hot as hell in August. A ray of sun through the blinds shined on Peter's face. Any attempt at sleep from then on, was futile. He sat up in his bed, and rubbed his eyes. Peter thanked God that he was a morning person. After he cleared the sleep from his eyes, he noticed the sleeping form of his roommate. His heart raced as he remembered what happened the night before. Would it still be awkward? Was Jason always so tense? Peter shook his head to clear his mind. It was too early for this. He got out of bed and went to the kitchen. 'So this is my kitchen now' he thought. As he walked and slowly shook off sleep, he remembered the events of yesterday. He remembered the long drive here, his mother dragging his luggage, the guidance counselor leading them to his room, and then he met Jason. At the first glance, he seemed so cool, and so normal. But it didn't take long for that to change. Maybe Jason was a religious freak, and upon seeing that Peter wasn't, he was upset. But how would he know this just by looking at Peter? He thought about his mom. He thought of her crying and hugging him and staying as long as she could. He missed her. He knew he could talk to her about this. He knew she would understand and help him out like she always did. Sometimes she got a little suffocating, it seemed like she wanted to know everything about her little boy. She always said that he could tell her anything. But if she cared so much, then why bother sending him here? She never told him why. He missed his friends already. He was never terribly popular, he was always made fun of by the more athletic boys who teased him when he would drop a ball or miss a pass. The girls liked him though. He preferred their friendship over boys' who were always so rough and felt the need to prove something. Girls, he could talk to. He was often called "the pimp" by some kids because most of his friends were girls. Even in elementary school, there were girls who asked him to be their boyfriend. Often, he accepted. He loved it when they kissed him and hugged him, but there were some who said that they actually loved him. He lost his girlfriends as easily as he got them. They all felt like he acted like their brother, and he couldn't lie, to him they were like sisters. Stuff like that probably won't happen in middle school, and he'll just have to get used to getting teased by the jocks again. What if Jason was a jock? That wouldn't surprise him, he looked like the type to be active. God it was hot.

He got a glass of water and grabbed some ice from the freezer. He took his shirt off and sat on the stool in the kitchen. He couldn't help but feel a little vulnerable as he did so, what if Jason woke up and saw him without his shirt on? Then he reminded himself 'Guys take their shirts off all the time in front of each other, calm down.' He went over to find the thermostat, with the temperature the way it was, the A/C couldn't have been on. Naturally, it wasn't, but as much as he would've loved to turn it on, they decided to make things complicated with knobs and other doohickeys that were rather intimidating. How about a window? Next to the kitchen there was a small window that he opened. Yea didn't help much. What time was it? It had to have been early, as he fell asleep right after the sun set. The stove clock said 9:30. He sighed. Yep, pretty early. What to do now? He sat on the couch and turned on the small TV. To his surprise, it had more then three channels, but there was still nothing on. He left it on the Weather Channel and saw that it was only going to get hotter. As he just sat there, his thoughts started drifting back to Jason. What kind of person was he? There's only so much you can tell about someone just by seeing them. Maybe he really did just miss his family. He might he one of those who doesn't adjust to new people easily. Peter was sort of the same way, but new people never made him that uncomfortable. Oh well, he decided he should just give him some time and allow him to get comfortable around him. After all, they were going to be together for seven years, they would have to get used to each other.

Jason turned over in his bed; must it really be so bright? After a few minutes, the heat was unbearable. He sat up in his bed and sat there for who knows how long. He never really was a morning person. Half asleep, he got out of bed and went into the living room. Bit by bit, he started remembering the happenings of yesterday. He remembered getting up early and his parents driving him and his sister here, he remembered seeing Ms. Chantelle and moving his stuff in his room, he remembered helping his sister unpack, and oh shit, he remembered Peter. He stopped dead in his tracks right as he walked into the living room. "G'morning" Peter said, as he saw his roommate. Jason panicked. "Yea" he replied as he headed toward the kitchen, making sure to always look straight ahead. It was way to early to deal with him. "I know it's hot, but I have no idea how to turn on the A/C." Peter said with a small laugh. "Better grab some ice water and toss off your shirt. It doesn't help much, but it's better then getting heat stroke." Peter continued. After a minute, with still no reply, Peter gave up. 'That's alright.' he thought. 'He just got up.' and he settled back in his seat. He wanted to show Jason that there was nothing to be afraid of. At the same time, there was something even he wasn't quite sure of. There was something about Jason, but what he wasn't sure. He wanted Jason to like him, but it wasn't for the sake of survival. He set a goal: Jason will like him. 'At some point in time, He will come to like me.' Peter thought.

Jason stood in the kitchen, his eyes still adjusting to the ever-present sunlight. He got some water and an apple and started to head back to the room. He heard the boy, but did his best not to listen. "Going back to sleep? It's 11:30." Peter said as Jason walked by. He turned his head to look at him, then, feeling heat rise in his cheeks, quickly went back to the room. Peter sighed. After a few moments he came back out holding one of Peter's shirts "Put it on." he said, not looking directly at him. "Why? Aren't you hot? I'm just saying that you should take off yours too. You'll feel much better." Peter replied, it made sense didn't it? When it's hot, you take your shirt off. No big deal. "Just do it. What if someone walks in here, huh? What do you want them to think?" Jason said. He couldn't believe this boy. Waltzing around without a shirt on, then he wanted him to do it too! What did he think he was, some sort of fag? Confused, and feeling slightly defeated, Peter took the shirt and put it on.

Luckily, a knock on the door interrupted Peter's melancholy. He opened the door to find a girl, about his age standing with a surprised look on her face. The slightly chubby girl shyly smiled at Peter and asked if Jason was in. "Oh sure, hang on. Jason, There's a girl here for you!" Peter yelled. A girlfriend? Jeez, here for a day and already he was popular with the ladies. He envied her. Only because she managed to get on Jason's good side. Right? Right. Jason walked into the living room and smiled. "Hey, what's up?" He asked. The girl smiled, "I can't visit? I never saw your dorm." she said, welcoming herself in. "Um, hi." Peter said, as she walked by. "Oh hey, I'm Nadia." she said, her tone slightly weakening as she talked to him. "I'm Peter." he said, smiling as he shook her hand. "So what's it like living with my brother? Is he a pain?" Brother? So this was the twin sister he heard about. There were some subtle similarities, but really there wasn't much of a resemblance. Peter felt suddenly relieved. He laughed at the irony of her question, and they followed Nadia into the kitchen. "Good God, it's hot in here! How can you stand it? What, is your A/C broken?" She asked, futilely fanning herself with her hand. "I don't think it's broken, but if you know how to work it, then be my guest." Peter said, pointing to the thermostat. "Ours isn't like that. Sucks to be you." Nadia replied. "Speaking of which, how's your roommate?" Jason asked, speaking up for the first time. "Oh yes, Princess Ivy. Nah she's not too bad. A little spoilt, but aren't we all? At least she's nice; I think we'll get along fine. It was annoying when she had one of her guy friends over though. On the first day! She just moves in here, and her spell is already cast. Eh he wasn't a bad guy though. Some dude named Matt and apparently they've known each other since they were little kids, or some other crap. You look at them and you know they're going to hook up once his balls drop." she said, sipping some water. She was certainly different from her brother. "Clever observation, Nadia." Jason chimed in. "Thanks." she replied with a smile. "You know, when I told her I had a brother here, she said that she had to meet you." she said with a 'sucks to be you' face. "So be prepared. I think your fan club here is already forming." she laughed. "You certainly are a bit more talkative then your brother, aren't you?" Peter asked. "Hmm it's usually the other way around, but Jason doesn't really have a lot to say today for some reason. What about you, huh? Where do you hail from?" She asked, turning to Peter. "Oh, well I'm really not too far, only about an hour away." he answered nervously. "Lucky! We had to get up so early in order to get here, I didn't even sleep! I don't know why we couldn't have flown here, it's not like mom and dad necessarily need to pinch any pennies." she said with a 'sucks to be me' face. "You guys must be pretty well off, then." Peter said. "Well, dad's a judge and mom floats around. She's a party planner, so to speak, but it's more to high profile events then anything."

"So do you get to go to those parties?"

"Hah! Now that would be interesting."

"You mustn't get to see your parents that often then, right?"

"Uh well, no. It's not as bad as it seems though. It's easy to get through things like that with a twin, I highly recommend getting one." she said with a smile. Was this supposed to be the shy unpopular one? Peter was taken aback at how comfortable she was; maybe it was the presence of her brother that helped. "You're rather chatty today, Nadia." her brother chimed in. "Well, Peter's a good listener. It's like he cares about what I say, unlike some people." she replied. "Honestly," she started, turning back to Peter "With this guy it's basically in one ear, out the other." Peter lightly laughed which made Nadia smile. "Anyway, where's this roommate of yours, now?" Jason asked. He had a look on his face like he just thought of something. "She'll probably drop by, saying that she was looking for me, but really came to hit on you." Nadia said, walking into the living room and falling on the couch. "She hasn't even seen me." Jason said, following you. "She's seen pictures, probably the worst mistake I've ever made, giving her those things." she replied.

Speak of the devil; there was a knock on the door. "Aha! I better get that." Nadia said, jumping up. She opened the door and with fake cheerfulness exclaimed "Hi! Funny we should me here of all places!" she walked back in and closed the door; she was followed by a petite girl with a large smile on her face, as if she was expecting a present. Peter could see her eyes quickly scan the room before they found what they were looking for. "Oh, so you must be the twin brother!" she coyly exclaimed walking up to Jason. Nadia sat down on the couch and invited Peter to join her. "You gotta see this" she whispered to him. "Once she works her magic, there's no escape. Five bucks says she gets him to go on a date with her." she continued discreetly. Peter quietly laughed, praying with all his might that she was wrong. Jason deserved better then that. "I've heard quite a bit about you, you're sister seems so nice, I figured she had to get it from somewhere." Ivy said, shamelessly flirting. "I've also seen so many pictures. I have to say though, they really don't do you justice." she continued with a smile. "Thanks." Jason simply said. He was starting to have second thoughts about that battle plan he had a few minutes ago. While Nadia was ranting about her roommate, Jason thought she sounded perfect to help him get his mind off…things. What was he worried about, anyway? Well, there was starting a new school that was quite far from home, but that's more of Nadia's problem then his. He was just stressed right now, and this Ivy seemed like the perfect distraction. Now however, that she was in front of him, he started to chicken out. He walked into the kitchen, quickly followed by a slightly confused Ivy. Peter became a little anxious as he lost sight of the two.

She was a pretty girl, Peter could see that. She was not too short, or too tall, and had a small figure showing the first hints of feminine maturity. She had a beautifully generic face, with a perfectly neutral bone structure and brown eyes that fit her face just right. As she walked by, her long, light brown hair fluttered behind her. Every proportion was in place, as if she was immune to the pitfalls of adolescence. She was the portrait of the perfect, all-American girl, and Peter could understand Nadia's animosity. Nadia certainly wasn't ugly; rather, she was pretty normal. Next to perfect however, normal just looks mediocre. She was a little shorter then her brother and her build was nowhere near as athletic. Her hair was at a little below her shoulders, and was thin and dull brown. She had her brother's eyes, however, which were a crystalline blue and seemed to be the only resemblance they shared. Peter felt a sort of kinship with her, especially with how she was talking about how popular Jason was in their old school. It would probably be the same here, and he would have to deal with the flocks of girls that would come over, just as Nadia would have to deal with all the guys that chased Ivy. "We should follow them." Nadia whispered, after she couldn't hear what was going on in the kitchen. They got up and pressed their ears against the wall that separated the kitchen from the living room. "Aw come on! Plus, you could visit your sister." they heard Ivy say. "That's okay. I mean it." Jason replied exasperatedly. They could hear the opening and closing of cabinet doors as Jason looked for something. He was getting annoyed. Why was this girl being so damned persistent? "Well, we'll probably have classes together, and we could help each other." Ivy replied, Peter suppressed a laugh as he heard the panic in her voice. So she was trying to get him over to her room. From the way it sounded, she asked directly, which means she was running out of ideas.

Nadia was confused. Not because Ivy was failing miserably, she actually loved that, but because Jason was resisting. If this were anyone else, Nadia would've been rejoicing at witnessing Ivy's defeat, but this was Jason. Jason never resisted a girl. She should be happy and proud that her brother was resisting a call girl in the making, but something just seemed off. Normally when a pretty girl enters his line of vision, he turns up the charm and they swoon. She expected him to get along with Ivy just fine, what with her practically throwing herself at him. He sounded annoyed, bothered, and a little scared. Maybe now wasn't a good time. They were starting middle school in a week and living on their own. He probably just wasn't in the mood. Nadia felt a little guilty for not expecting that, she shared those feelings and dreaded the first day of school. There seems to be a rule, that if one sibling is immensely popular, the other has to be equally unpopular. Jason knew how to grab the attention of a whole room without saying a word, while she tried her best to stay out of that room full of people. She got used to it though, and decided that middle school would be different. She kept telling herself that it was her attitude, not her appearance that made people ignore her. She was going to start middle school with a whole new perspective, and things would be different. She tried to lose weight, she really did, but sometimes, it's just too hard. She was always a little on the heavy side, and finally gave up in the fifth grade. Her mom was no help, telling Nadia about how if she wasn't loosing weight, then she must be doing something wrong. She always made it seem like all her problems would just disappear if her extra weight did. She probably would've stopped eating all together if it wasn't for Jason. He was the first to let her know that there was more to life then being skinny. That there was more to a person then how they looked. She knew what was going to happen though, she knew that they would grow up and grow apart. It always happens. She knew she couldn't lean on him forever, that he would have his own friends and his own life, and she needed to get one of her own. She feared the day when that final bond was cut. But they were twins! They weren't your typical brother and sister. Wasn't there supposed to be some unbreakable bond between them? Shouldn't they be able to read each other's minds? Sometimes she felt like she could, especially when they were younger. The older they got however, the harder it became to understand him. He was always her crutch through elementary school, eating lunch with her and playing with her when no one else would. Consequentially, wherever he was, there was everyone else. She liked to pretend that they were there because they were genuinely interested in her. But the next day when she went up to them the first thing they'd ask was "Where's your brother?". She decided middle school was going to be her time. With God's help she could make it. She took the first step with Peter. It was like talking to someone she always knew and felt like she already made a friend. He was an adorable boy who looked like he might be shy too. That's probably why he was so receptive when she talked to him. Quiet people always made the best listeners. Would Jason like Peter? Jason never really had the patience for quiet people and got annoyed by them easily. It was the source of most of the fights between him and Nadia, he yelled at her for being so shy sometimes. Peter was too nice for that, and she hoped Jason would understand him. She would love for them all to be friends, and she could imagine being Peter's girlfriend in high school. Hey, she could dream, right? She tried to keep Ivy out of the picture, and try as she might, she couldn't shake the feeling that Jason would fall for her. She could see her being pregnant at their graduation, and suppressed a laugh at the cruel thought.

"So are you going to do any sports?" Ivy asked, trying anything to get this guy's attention. What was she doing wrong? He's hot, she's hot, it works! She had a bit of an empire in elementary school, with the boys following her like cattle. She assumed it would be easier in middle school, and for the most part it was, but this one was different. The more he resisted the more she fought. It was a losing battle now, but she wasn't going to give up. All of her little boyfriends were like her trophies, she had to win them, and this one was no different. She can't remember a time when she wasn't getting some boy's attention. She remembered the wonderful feeling she got in the first grade when she got her first boy toy: Matt. He was quiet and she thought it was just too cute how sweet he was. He easily clung her and she took care of him like a lost puppy. Her mother was proud that she made such a great friend, and they stuck together through elementary school and they were so excited when they found out they were going to the same middle and high school. Ivy was surprised at how relieved she felt, it's not like she needed him. She had plenty of friends who moved away, she didn't think it would matter if they were separated. Matt seemed happy too and she initially entertained the idea that they would room together, but her mom told her there was no chance of that. She missed her mom. She told her whenever anything happened, if a boy rejected her, or if she got in fight with one of her friends. Her dad wasn't really around much though. Her parents were divorced and she can't really remember them being together. Her mother married three times since, and was currently single. She couldn't count the boyfriends who came over and she never saw her mom happier when she was with one of her guys. She always said that life was there to enjoy. Ivy had asked who her dad was, and her mom always gave a very vague response. Whenever a knew guy came over, she couldn't but wonder if it was one of them. She also asked why her dad wasn't around. Her mom would frown and simply "You'll understand once you're all grown up."

"You know, I still have some unpacking to do." Jason said, stepping past the girl in front of him and walked into his room. Why won't she leave? Ivy was a little flustered, but she understood. She'll give up, for now. She walked into the living room and saw her silent roommate and some guy who was probably Jason's. Embarrassed by her public defeat, she smiled at them and said, "Guess I better head back too. I'll see you guys around." and she walked out the door. As soon as she left, Nadia let out a laugh. "That was fun. Just so you know though, she's going to be back. Sorry." she said as she sympathetically smiled at Peter. He sighed, it was only going to get worse. Nadia stretched her arms in the air and brought them down with a loud sigh. "Suppose I better get going too. It sucks that school's starting soon, but oh well. I guess I should go make sure our poor Juliet doesn't kill herself after being shot down by Romeo." she said with another smile and left. "See you around." Peter said, as he saw her leave. She was a nice girl who seemed so different from her brother, it was hard to believe they were related, let alone twins. Now alone, Peter wasn't sure what to do. He knew in his gut that it was a bad idea to see Jason, hopefully he'll lighten up once school started, but until then it was best to stay out of his way. Peter sat down on the couch and turned the TV back on. God, it was hot.

What happened? Jason lay on his bed and stared at the ceiling. Why did he feel like he was committing some horrible crime for even thinking of going out with Ivy? He never had a problem with anything like this before. Then again, things like this are much different in elementary school. He knew well enough that once you start to hit these ages, things start to change. Still, it didn't make sense. He wasn't going to sleep with her or anything. Maybe he felt bad about why he was going to go with her. But why was he? He was afraid to back out there for fear of seeing Peter's face. He really didn't feel like dealing with anything like that right now. For some reason, he felt ashamed. He felt like Peter had every right to be mad at him, but mad about what? He didn't do anything! He wanted to run out and yell "She came on to me, I had nothing to do with it!" and beg for forgiveness. He quickly turned over on his stomach to stop from thinking about that. But the more he resisted, the more it persisted. He had a scenario played out in his head.

He would walk into the living room and find Peter sulking on the couch

"She's pretty, isn't she?" he would say, with a sad smile. "No, it's nothing like that!"

Jason would say, panicked. "It's nothing really, she just likes me!" he would want to yell at him,

say anything to make him happy. "Really?" Peter would ask, with a tinge of hope in his eyes.

"Yes!" Jason would say, and then they both would smile.

What the hell is going on? Jason buried his face in his pillow and screamed. At that moment, he sort of wished that he could use that pillow to suffocate himself, anything to end this madness. More then anything, he wished he could go up to Peter and put the pillow over his face and kill him. He was the root of all of this. Wasn't he?

Ivy walked through the hallways, finding it harder and harder to hold back her tears. She lost a few before, but why does this one hurt so much? Since the girl's dorm was quite a walk away from the boy's she decided to make a little detour. She knocked on a room that was surprisingly close to Jason's. A boy, a little shorter then Ivy, answered the door. "What's wrong?" he asked, concern dawning his dark eyes. "It's nothing, some people are just rude." Ivy said, wiping the moisture from her eyes. She let herself in and sat down on the couch. "Nice place you have here." she said with a laugh, cursing the fact that every dorm room looked the same. The dark haired boy sat down beside her and laughed "It's nothing compared to yours, though. So what happened?" he asked. He was baffled by the fact that anyone could be mean to such a sweet girl. "Well, I went over to the dorm of my roommate's brother. I just wanted to introduce myself, you know, be nice." she said. She didn't like lying to this boy, but she didn't like telling him the truth either. However, he knew perfectly well what she meant by "be nice" and he hated the way she flirted. He sighed. It was only going to get worse. Secretly, he was happy that she was finally turned down, but he knew better then to say that. "But he wasn't having it. I suppose he may have been stressed, I just don't think I did anything wrong!" she finished. "Don't worry. School's starting soon, he's probably just homesick." the boy said. He hated seeing her this way. He would say anything if it made her feel better. "Thanks Matt. God, I really hope we have classes together. I don't know what I'll do if we don't." Ivy said, feeling better after a little venting. Matt laughed "Same. Do you want me to walk you back to your place?" he asked as she stood up. "Nah, I'll be okay. See you around." she said as she walked out the door. Matt sighed. They had always been friends, and it was his greatest fear that they would stay that way. In books and movies it always seems like the best friends are supposed to get together, but so far there was no hope of that. The door opening and closing jarred him out of his thoughts "Hey bro." the boy said as he quickly walked into his room. "Hey Lucas." Matt replied. He had hoped for a roommate he could relate to, but that boy was never around. Even when he was, it was for a few minutes and he left as quickly as he came. Matt went into the kitchen and his thoughts returned to Ivy. She was rarely upset about a guy turning her down. It didn't happen often, but it happened. This must have been important to her, and if that guy knew how upset he made her, maybe he'd change his mind. Matt shook his head. Why couldn't she see what was right in front of her? But he knew she was just in it for the chase. Hopefully, everything will get easier once school starts.

On her way back to her room, Nadia heard a familiar voice. "Hey" she heard as Ivy ran up to her. "What's the deal with your brother?" she asked keeping up with Nadia's quickening stride. "How should I know?" Nadia replied, not even looking at the other girl. "Well, tell him I meant no harm." Ivy said as they got to the room. "I just want to be friends." she continued. "Sure you do." Nadia said with a sarcastic smile as she took off her shoes and headed to the bedroom, why the hell was there only one? She remembered her guide saying something about how in middle school, you get a dorm with only one room, but once you get to high school you get one with two. Why was that so far away? Ivy stood bewildered in the living room. 'That whole family's messed up.' she thought. 'Can't imagine their parents' she thought with a laugh. She sat on the couch and turned on the TV. It was quite warm out.

What'd you think? Like I said, I'd love to know. They start school in the next one, so it should get even more interesting. I tried my best to make Ivy not look like a slutty bitch, afterall, she's only 11. I guess I could use the fact that they're young to justify the slight OOCness. You change quite a bit between 6th and 12th grade, after all. So please, leave some reviews.