Chapter 1 - Oliver

10 YEARS OLD

I t's been a couple of years since it's been just my dad and me. He says it's because Mom couldn't take care of me anymore, and she had to go. I say it's because she was selfish and didn't care about me. She only cared about her drugs.

I'm only ten—except I'm not stupid. I've paid attention to the way she always missed my soccer games and how she never followed through with taking me to my art classes. My dad had to do it all, and he didn't complain once. But I noticed how she was never there, and no matter how much I told myself it was okay, it still hurt.

Now, my dad has met someone new. He said she and her son Hunter would be moving in with us soon. Apparently, they've been seeing each other for a while, but he didn't want to introduce us until they were sure . About what, I don't know. But they're getting married soon, is all he told me.

Hunter and Lucy are from Atlanta, Georgia. They will be moving into our house in North Carolina soon, but Dad said he wanted us to meet them where they're comfortable, so here we are—in an aquarium—one of my favorite places to go. I've always been obsessed with whale sharks, and apparently, this is one of the only places in the United States that has them.

My hands shake slightly as we wait for them by the whale sharks, and I twist my fingers to keep them from being noticeable. I don't know why I'm nervous. I guess I don't exactly have lots of friends, but I get by.

Someone steps up to me, standing at my side until our shoulders are brushing. We're about the same height, and when I look next to me, there's a kid with light brown hair and the darkest green eyes I've ever seen. My stomach flips when he smiles at me, and I gulp at the unfamiliar feeling.

"So I guess we're gonna be brothers?" I ask him with a small smile, if only to not make this awkward for either of us.

"I guess so." He says. "But we don't have to share a room, thank God."

I snort at that. "What's your name?"

"Hunter." He replies with awe on his face as he glances at the whale sharks.

"You have really green eyes," I blurt, then almost smack myself for it.

"And you have really blue ones. Oliver, right?"

I nod.

"I can be Green." He grins. "If you'll be Blue."

I smile back, then gesture at him to sit with me on the ground. "I'd like that."

We spend the next few minutes in silence, watching the fish and the whale sharks. I look at him, really look at him, and realize he's pretty—for a boy. His eyes are big, his cheeks pink from the cold, and his lips are big and pouty. He's staring at me just as intently, like he's trying to put together a puzzle, but the pieces are scattered everywhere. I'd help him find it if he told me what he was looking for, though I have a feeling I will want to help him with a lot of stuff from now on.

"Ollie," he starts, and my stomach flutters with tiny little butterflies. No one ever calls me that. "Do you play any sports?"

"Soccer." I nod. "But I'm not that good at it."

"So what are you good at, then?" Hunter asks me, and I don't have to think about it at all.

"Painting." I shrug. "Drawing."

He chuckles, "I suck at that. But maybe you could draw me?"

"Sure." I tell him then, because it's rude not to ask, "What are you good at?"

"Hockey." His green eyes light up, looking brighter than they were just a moment ago. "And anything else I set my mind to. Just not art."

"That makes sense." And it does. He seems like the kind of person who would be good at everything. "I can teach you whatever you want to know about art."

"Nah." He shakes his head and pushes me playfully. "I'll leave that one to you."

We smile at each other, gazing into each other's eyes, and I swear I could hear something click into place.

I think…it's my heart.