"Jonathan Marick, pleased to meet you."

           A boy roughly around seventeen smiled down at Emily, his tousled blonde hair falling into his eyes. He was handsome, and Emily took in his buttoned shirt and sleek math notebook. He looked sophisticated; he looked like a tutor.

          "Emily Wilson." Emily held out her hand, and Jonathan shook it, still smiling. "I'm really glad you're here, this math is killing me."

          Jonathan laughed, pushing his glasses up his nose and taking the empty seat next to Emily. They were in the library, the quiet chattering of other students and their tutors the only sound in the room. "C'mon, it can't be that bad. Let me have a look."

          Emily shoved her spiral notebook at him without a moment's hesitation, propping her head up in her arms. "There. Trig functions and stupid specialized right triangles. Total death. Enough said." Jonathan shook his head, taking Emily's pencil and crossing out a few attempts she'd made at the first couple problems. He scribbled down a note, circling something and marking another question right. Finally, he held out the notebook, tucking the pencil into the spiral.

          "You've actually got most of it down. The only thing you're forgetting is your 30-60-90 and 45-45-90 sequences."

          Emily blinked in confusion. "What?"

          "We're going to be here for a while, aren't we?"

          "Judging by the fact that I've never even heard of 60-45-89, yes, yes we are."

          By the time that Jonathan and Emily finished, the girl's head was spinning from an overload of information. Jonathan was incredibly nice, remaining patient with Emily even when she failed to grasp a concept multiple times. He was actually really funny and sweet, and Emily quickly found herself becoming comfortable around him.

          She did have a few suspicious about Jonathan though. When she'd asked him if he knew her brother, he'd blushed immediately and refused to say anything on the subject. Emily had decided that she would have to interrogate Andy when she returned home.

          As she walked out of the library, Emily noticed a girl sitting in the middle of the hallway, her head in her hands and her hair a tangled mess. Soft cries could be heard from her curled up figure, and Emily felt a pang in her heart, hurrying over to ask the girl what was wrong. However, the girl had no interest in Emily, pulling herself to her feet as soon as she heard footsteps approaching her.

          "Hey, are you okay?" Emily asked gently, reaching out a hand to the girl, who resounded with a crude glare.

          "Why would I tell you?" The girl snapped, crossing her arms over her chest and shaking her head to remove the hair from her eyes. "You don't even care."

          "Of course I care." Emily smiled. "The better question is, why wouldn't I care if you're okay?"

          "You don't know me." The girl stated. "I know you though, hell, everyone knows you. The great Emily Rose Wilson that can do no wrong. It's annoying as fuck. So please, enlighten me on why I should tell you anything."

          Taken aback, Emily stared at the girl. She'd never really been called annoying or perfect, as Emily wasn't typically someone that people disliked or hated. She got along with mostly everyone; she didn't put herself above others like her brother sometimes did. "I'm sorry, but nothing gives you the right to say that to me. I'm just trying to help."

          The girl snorted, rolling her eyes. "The sad part is, I actually want to believe you. You seem genuinely nice. I know the truth about you though. You and your dumbfuck of a brother, prancing through the halls like you're some kind of royalty and-"

          Emily cut her off angrily. "Don't you dare say anything about my brother. Like I said before, you know nothing about me or my family. So please excuse me while I go find another way to spend my time that isn't wasting it by trying to help you. You clearly don't want it."

          "So you're not just a pretty face then!" The girl taunted, and Emily began to walk down the hallway, pulling her books close to her chest. It wasn't like she'd never been called a name before, everyone had been made fun of at one point or another. The girl's words hit a sore spot though, striking Emily where she was weak. She had said that Emily acted like she was a perfect child who was above everyone else, while in reality, Emily was simply another girl who had been lucky enough to be born into a family that was better off than others. She hadn't chosen her life or asked for wealth, she'd just been lucky.

         Pushing back her shoulders and straightening her back, Emily continued through the halls until she had left the school, trying to shove the words of the girl to the back of her mind.

           "Honey, I'm home!"

            Once again, the hollow silence of Emily's home was broken by Andy's entrance. The teenage boy dropped his keys on the table by the front door, humming to himself as he made his way to the kitchen.

"Is anyone home?" Andy called, peering into the living room confusedly as he wandered through the house. Usually, by the time Andy returned home Emily was somewhere on her phone or watching tv. However, the house was eerily silent and the absence of Emily made Andy's chest clench in worry.

             "Em?" Andy tried again, walking towards the stairs. The light in Emily's room was on, and Andy rushed up the stairs. He could see his little sister bundled up under the covers on her bed, her phone clasped in her hands, headphones resting around her neck.

               Not noticing her brother, Emily continued to stare blankly at the screen of her phone, her thoughts drifting towards the girl that she'd met previously. No matter how hard she tried, Emily couldn't seem to brush of what the girl had said. It bothered her to no end; as someone who worked hard to create an image that wasn't preppy or unkind, the fact that the girl had called her both those things greatly upset Emily.

               "Emily." Andy shook his sister's shoulder as gently as possible, though she still jumped in surprise. He could tell that she was upset by her quiet demeanor and her appearance; her hair was a mess from her tugging at the ends, and there were deep creases and worry lines on her forehead. It was unsettling to see.             

               "Jesus!" Emily cried, rolling over so that she could see her brother. Andy laid down on the bed next to her, tucking his hands behind his head and propping his feet up on one of her pillows. Emily slapped his leg away.

               "I'm flattered, but please just call me Andy." Emily snorted, though it seemed slightly forced, lightly hitting her brother again on the shoulder. "Are you okay, Em? You seem, I don't know, depressed?" Andy's voice took on a more gentle tone as he spoke to his sister, the boy adjusting his position so that he was laying on his side and looking directly at Emily.

"I'm fine, don't worry." Emily sighed. "It's just - someone said something - but I'm okay. I promise."

"I'll kill them." Andy stated without hesitation. "I mean it. Nobody messes with my baby sister." Emily shook her head, a small but genuine smile beginning to spread across her face.

"Thanks, Andy."

"Anytime, Em."