• I can’t say I’m happy I moved, I loved my friends back home, but they knew that it would be better for me to leave and begin anew. They knew more than anyone how I felt.
    You see, I have three brothers who are perfect, two sisters who are perfect then my parents who are perfect. All I have that’s imperfect, like me is my grandpa, who we’re going to live next to and who I’m going to live with because my grandma died two months ago. Grandpa’s very lonely, and needs someone like him to keep him company. That someone is me.
    I love art, I’m good at it. I love music; I’m first chair in my violin section. I love reading, I’m the best writer in my class, just like my grandpa, like him, I’m bad at math and science, I’m not the best person to have on your team when it comes to sports, even though I love them.
    I’m what my parents never wanted, I’m the ugly outcast. Everyone else in my family is movie star gorgeous, smart and always knows what to say. Perfect faces, little and powerful voices that make you melt, and very smart. I’m plain, pale black hair; the only thing I like about my appearance is our family heirloom, our striking green eyes. I’m tall, but I’m plump, not fat, I haven’t lost my baby fat. At least that’s what everyone says. It never helps when you’re twelve and a half and felt like no one cares except for your grandparents who live in Florida, well now grandparent.
    “Hey, Gramps I’m home!” I said as I opened the light yellow front door to the small house.
    “I’m in the studio Jinx!” he yelled his voice making every worry in my heard fade away. I dropped my bags and ran down the familiar hallway to the last door on the left. It was large and faced the ocean, like the three rooms next to it, our rooms. I saw him painting the ocean, looking over, and his smile was wide. I hadn’t seen him smile like that since the month before gram died, but there was still that pain in his eyes.
    “Welcome home Jinx,” he got up and walked over. He was tall, lean and in his sixties. He had been an avid surfer and lived in Hawaii for a while before returning to Florida to marry my Grandma. Gramps opened his arms wide laughed, “Too old for a hug from your grandpa yet?”
    I smiled and hugged him, “Never!” I laughed. He let go and held me at arm’s length, his green eyes, like mine, were looking me over.
    “Older, but still that little girl I saw at the beach playing with seashells ten years ago.” I turned away smiling, to look at the paintings around the room. They were mostly of the sea, or the sky. Some were forests; my favorite was one of the sunset with two people sitting on a sand dune, looking out over the ocean.
    “Still my favorite,” I said pointing, “I have my sketch book if you want to look at it, and a few pastel drawings.” he smiled and led me out and into the hall.
    “I have a surprise for you.” He led me to the room next door, his room and opened it. I gasped when I saw a blue room with easels, a few chairs and hooks on the walls.
    “A studio, but Gramps your room.” I looked at him my eyes wide.
    “Not to worry dear, I’ve moved across the hall so you can have one of your own, and look I’ve a got a door to both mine and your room.”
    “Thank you.” I whispered, walking in. The floor was hardwood now, and there were no curtains on the sliding door out to the deck. I looked at the new set of paints and pencils and pastels on the table next to the door. A stack of canvases stood on the floor. I walked out to the deck and took a deep breath of the salty air. It was humid but warm; it was way different from home in Maine. I closed my eyes and remembered the way my grandma used to braid my black hair and watch the waves roll onto shore with me.
    “Jinx!” my sister, Hannah waved at me from the yard next to ours. Well that was their yard; this is mine, kind of sort of. I still didn’t understand. Hannah’s freshly lip glossed lips gave me the feeling she was going down to the beach. So did the fact that she was wearing a dress that was down to her knees and tied around the neck.
    “Yeah?” I said.
    “Going down to the beach, want to come?” I shook my head. All of my siblings were either in their junior or senior years in high school or in college, I doubt they wanted a thirteen year old hanging around with them, they tried to be nice and help me but I was better off on my own.
    “Okay then, see you later.” She sounded a little sad, but a group of boys were walking down the beach and they had caught her eye.
    I walked back into the house as she ran down to the beach. I grabbed my bags and headed to my room. There were shells on the vanity, just like the last time I was here. A few were new; my grandparents were always adding little things to my room. Like there was a new bed stand, with a new lamp and a new alarm clock. There was a small desk in the corner. That desk I recognized was my grams.
    I started putting my clothes away in the drawers under the bed, shorts tee shirts jeans and sweatshirts. A few pairs of sweat pants and I was done. I knew that I would be happy with the constant warmth, but I would miss the sparkling snow on Christmas Eve. I found my brush and put in on the vanity, along with my shell necklaces and my many rings. I liked rings, simple ones though, the ones that were silver and not that overdone with decorations, a few sparkles were alright with me.
    I put my books in the drawers in the bed stand. I found a letter in the bottom one under a new small sketch book. It said Jinx on it, written in my gram’s loopy lettering, under it was written your thirteenth birthday. My birthday wasn’t until next week; I moved the letter and my sketch book onto the top of the bed stand and finished putting my books in the drawer. I sat on the light blue comforter and noticed the new canopy above the bed. I laughed at the many little shells that hung on it, I loved shells they were my favorite thing to collect. You’d find one in all of my drawings no matter how small, one time I even twisted one into the hair of an Eskimo. That one was in my large sketch book still in my art bag.
    I decided to call Claire, one of my friends from home, to say hi. She said she wasn’t going anywhere until she heard I was safe and hadn’t gotten into a horrible car crash during the two day drive to Florida. I thought she should get a life when I had none at the moment.
    I dialed the ten digit number on my cell and waited for someone, probably her sister to pick up the phone.
    “Hello?” a little voice asked, it was her little sister Kelly again. She was three and loved cell phones, like most little kids.
    “Hi Kelly, its Jinx can I talk to Clair?” I asked her in my loving voice. She squealed,
    “Jinx!” I heard a crash and realized she dropped the phone. I was her favorite of Claire’s friends she always told me, and when she found out I was moving it killed her.
    “Hey Jinx, sorry about that-Kelly go away while I talk to Jinx.” She paused, “No its my turn to talk to her, you can talk to her next time.” I smiled as I remembered the way Kelly used to bounce up and down when she wanted something. I missed her.
    “Sorry, so how’s Florida? Already liking it more than boring old Maine?”
    “Kind of I don’t know I miss every one but I can’t wait to get into to school as anyone but Jasmine Allen, the unpopular of the Allen kids.” Jasmine was my real name, but I liked Jinx more, it sounded more fun.
    “Yeah, well I’m glad you’re not dead. How’s your grandpa?” I smiled, Claire always asked about my grandparents instead of my siblings.
    “He’s doing pretty well considering.” I heard a knock at the door as grandpa came in.
    “Lunch in five.” He whispered, I mouthed “okay” and went back to listening to Claire babble about how she and Haley had three classes together and Josh Hanson was in her Spanish class.
    “I’ve got to go, lunch time. Bye Claire.” I hung up the phone as she said goodbye.
    The kitchen was small, blue and yellow striped wallpaper with white cabinets and a small two person table. I froze as a I realized I would be sitting in my grandma’s seat every day.
    “Hope you don’t mind PBJ.” Grandpa said, sticking a knife into the peanut butter.
    “Not at all, I love it; simple and delicious” I sat down and looked out the window that faced the front garden, I saw a few kids about my age ride past on their bikes. A paper plate slid in front of me and Gramps sat in front of me. I bit into the sandwich; I smiled as I tasted my favorite strawberry jelly.
    “School started next week?” he asked, I nodded, my mouth was sticky from the peanut butter.
    “Good, got all of your supplies?” I nodded again, I reached behind me and felt the fridge, I pulled it open and grabbed the milk. An empty cup was in front of me. I looked at my Grandfather and he nodded, peanut butter means no talking in this house, we always pile it on. Filling my glass I saw a boy walk up the driveway, he held a bag. I got up to meet him, my mouth was now clear of peanut butter. I heard him knock and I opened the door.
    “Hi,” he smiled, his blue eyes were breathtaking, “I’m Kyle from next door, I have some vegetables for Pops.”
    “Pops?” I asked, this boy was weird.
    “Come on in Kyle!” Gramps yelled from the Kitchen.
    “I’m Jinx by the way.” He eyed me, suddenly recognition flashed in his eyes.
    “I know, we used to play together when you visited.” I looked at him; I didn’t remember him at all.
    I followed him to the kitchen, “So I see you two re-met??” I stared at him.
    “Yeah, I’m going to go sketch in my studio.”