Gil floated into the kitchen, sinking into his chair. Mrs. Gordon whistled away at the stove as Mr. Gordon read the daily news.
" Deema! Dinner's ready! Better hurry or else your food'll get cold! " Mrs. Gordon shouted, placing a plate in front of Gil and his father. Deema walked in sitting down in between her mother and father. Mr. Gordon looked up from his newspaper at his son, who was daydreaming of who knows what.
" Gil? Are you gonna eat? " The concerned father asked. Gil snapped out of his daydream, slowly nodding.
" What's wrong sweetie? " Mrs. Gordon asked, making her way to the table.
" Oh, it's nothing..." Gil muttered, jabbing at his broccoli. Deema snickered, taking a sip of her water.
" Something happen at school? " Mrs. Gordon lifted her son's head, but he didn't make any eye contact.
" Someone's in love, " Deema sneered, hiding her laughter from her family. Gil blushed, his face completely red.
" What? " Mr. and Mrs. Gordon shouted in unison. " What is she talking about, Gil? " Mr. Gordon added. Gil shook his head, running out of the kitchen. Deema rolled her eyes, finishing the rest of her macaroni and cheese. Mrs. Gordon rushed after her son, following him onto the porch.
" Something's bugging you Gilly, " Mrs. Gordon said, sitting down next to her son. Gil smiled at the use of his nickname. Back in preschool, his nickname used to be Gilly. No one could remember who used to call him that, but it had eventually caught on and everyone used it once in a while.
" How'd you know? " Gil looked up at his mother, who gave him a tight squeeze.
" 'Cause mother's know everything. " They both laughed as they embraced one another. Gil knew his mother would always be there when he needed her. And right now, Gil was really in need of his mother.
" So, what's this about being in love? " Mrs. Gordon asked as they broke apart. Gil blushed, looking down at his shoes.
" There's this girl, " Gil explained, " I've never seen or even met her before, but it seems like I've know her forever. I can't explain it, but I just have this feeling whenever I'm around her, almost like...I don't know..."
" Love's a hard thing to explain, Gil, " Mrs. Gordon reassured him. " But your a smart boy, so I'm sure you'll figure it out. "
" That's just it, I don't think I can. You see, I really, really like her, but if I'm seen hanging out with her..."
" Your reputation will be ruined. I know what it feels like, " Mrs. Gordon said, finishing Gil's sentence.
" Really? " Gil looked up at his mom, his eyes widening.
" Yep. Back in high school, I wasn't the most 'popular' girl in school. In fact, I was practically invisible. But then your father showed up and I fell head over heels for him. I would do anything just to be breathing the same air as him, even if that meant changing my whole schedule so I could be in every single one of his classes. " Mrs. Gordon explained.
" Wow, you were a 'nobody'? " Gil said, looking at his mother in disbelief.
" I know, I know, hard to believe right? Anyway, later in the year your father admitted his feelings for me, but told me that we couldn't be together. " Mrs. Gordon looked up at the sky, then back to her son. " I was heartbroken. Completely heartbroken. But over summer break I changed everything about myself. My hair, my face, even my personality, just to be with your father. " She put her hand on Gil's shoulder, turning him towards her. " Gil, love is a confusing, surprising puzzle, but if you put the right pieces together, maybe...just maybe, you'll be able to live a long, happy life. " Gil nodded, but didn't understand a word that was coming out of her mouth.
" Thanks mom, " Mrs. Gordon smiled as Gil stood up. He headed back into the house, walking into the kitchen to finish up his dinner.
" You know I could help you. " Deema said, putting the last dish into the dishwasher.
" What do you mean? " Gil asked with a mouth full of broccoli.
" I could help you, with Molly, " Deema answered her brother. " You know, I could tell her what a great guy you are and she'll fall madly in love with you. Then at your marriage you'll give me a big thank you gift of a thousand dollars and you'll take me with you on your honeymoon! Where are we going? Paris? China? Traveling to Florida and back on a yacht?! "
Gil rolled his eyes, handing Deema his plate. " I think I can handle this. "
" Okay, but don't blame me if you end up marrying Chloe, " Deema snickered, turning towards the sink.
" Hi Nonny! " Nonny looked up from his backpack, watching as Oona rushed towards him. He waved, continuing to stuff books into his bag. Nonny had actually been seeing a lot of Oona lately, in fact this is his fifth time today seeing her. It's not that Nonny didn't like her, he just thought it was unusual that Oona had suddenly popped into his life.
" I was heading over to Deema and Gil's place to study? Do you want to come? " Over the past few weeks Oona had started to become great friends with the two siblings. It was almost as if she was part of their family.
" Sure, " Nonny muttered, even though he had no idea who those people were.
" Come on in Oona! " Deema said, making way for the duo. " Oh, I see you've brought a visitor! "
Oona nodded, her pigtails bouncing up and down. " This is Nonny. "
" Hi! I'm Deema, but you probably already knew that. " Nonny stood there, giving Deema a blank stare. " No? Okay then! " Deema led Oona and Nonny into the living room, where Gil was sitting on the couch, a licorice stick hanging out his mouth.
" Gil! " Deema barked, causing Gil to choke on his candy. " We have guests. "
" Oh, hey Oona and..." Gil paused, looking at Nonny.
" Nonny. " Oona answered. Gil smiled, nodding at the ginger.
As the time passed, Nonny observed Dema and Gil and how they acted. They were almost the same, but Gil tended to be on the more calmer side. Nonny also noticed the way Gil acted towards Oona. He treated her as if she were a sister, which Nonny though didn't make any sense, considering he already had a sister. Nonny didn't know how to describe the twins. They were basically everything you would find in any typical 'popular', except for the fact that they didn't use the terms 'nobody' or 'populars'. They never called Oona or Nonny 'nobodies' and they never considered themselves as 'populars'.
" Okay kiddos, time for a snack! " A man had walked onto the room, carrying a platter of finger sandwiches and crackers. Nonny could easily tell that it was their father. He had the same blue eyes, and he and Gil both shared the same vibrant blue hair.
" Thanks daddy! " Deema sang, taking the tray from her father. Gil nodded, grabbing a handful of crackers. Oona giggled, watching as Gil shoved them into his face. Nonny didn't see what was funny, so he just continued with his homework, not saying a word for the rest of the study time.
Gil looked over at Nonny, curiosity rushing though him. Gil could tell Nonny was shy, he could tell right away. But Gil couldn't help but wonder about him. Questions flooded through his mind, but he never had the courage to ask. Nonny wasn't anything like Oona. Oona was so adorable, it would be hard not to love her. Gil saw how Oona had reacted towards him. She thought of him as a big brother. You know, the cool brother that has all the cool friends and can do all the cool stuff, that kind of brother. Gil couldn't help but treat her as a sister. Younger sister that is. Gil shook his head, clearing his mind from all distractions. He had to focus, if he got lower than a C in math, then his dad was gonna make him quit every single sport he played, which was too many to count. Gil got his love of sports from his dad. They would always go to professionals games when Gil was little, and Mr. Gordon would always teach Gil a thing or two about a sport.
" Bye! " Gil looked up from his notebook, realizing that he was lost in his thoughts. He stood up, watching as Deema closed the door.
" Where'd they go? " Gil asked, picking up the empty platter.
" They left, just now, " Deema said, walking up the steps. Gil sighed, flopping himself on the couch.