Worrying Winters

Chapter 1: Maddison

The school bell rings, you could hear students get out of their chairs, stand up and start walking out their respective classrooms.

Me, my older brother, James and my younger brother, Charlie, have all just finished school, and now we are able to enjoy our Christmas break.

Me and my brother James walk out of the school and walk down the school's cobblestone pathway.

Our parents are in their car, they lean forward so me and James could see them. They are smiling.

I smile back. I'm uncertain if James smiles back too because I wasn't looking at him.

We get into the back of the car, James sits on a window seat and I sit on the other window seat, we do this so  our younger brother Charlie can sit in the middle of the car. He likes the middle of the car, and hates window seats.

Weird.

My name is Maddison Collins. I am fourteen years old. I have long wispy hair that sort of cascades down my shoulders, I have the same dark wood-coloured hair as my mom, my brothers Charlie and James also have the same hair colour. I like listening to Mitski, and my favourite authors are the Brontë sisters, specifically Anne Brontë. I think she's underrated. I feel as if she is this type of underdog, and that society considers her as a classic author, but people don't give much attention to her works.

My mother, who is sitting in the passenger seat of the front car, has high cheekbones, a snow white  skin tone and warm undertones that make her cheeks look a pinkish-red colour. She wears a short, slightly messy bob hairstyle. My mom works as a teacher.

James Collins, my parents' first chid (and, as I've mentioned before) my older brother, is fifteen, and has short fluffy hair. He likes the book "The Catcher In The Rye" by J.D Salinger. He believes that Holden Caulfield is asexual. When I said I thought Anne Brontë was underrated, he said that it's because she's not as good as a writer, and that Charlotte and Emily Brontë are way better. I disagree, but hey, everyone's different!

James also likes to wear baggy clothes.

James is also gay. He's told me this, but he hasn't told our parents. He's scared our parents won't accept him, and that they would kick him out the house or something like that. I'm demisexual, my parents know this, but they accepted me because I'm still straight, so I'm worried about how they'll react to James coming out.

My dad, who is driving the car, has blond hair and a beard. My dad is strictly Christian. Every Sunday, he takes me, Charlie and James to church. Dad believes homosexuality is a sin. That's the reason why James is scared to come out. James has nothing against religious people, but sometimes he tries to avoid them because he's not sure if they would be homophobic to him or not.

We drive to my brother Charlie's reception. We pick him up, and my parents give Charlie a bunch of kisses. He sits in the middle seat of the back of the car, and then I help him put on his seatbelt.

Charlie Collins has a round, chubby face and a little fat belly. Charlie has loads of small dimples that are evenly spread across his face. He is addicted to his IPad, (almost replicating how we teenagers love our phones). Charlie is a very cute four year old.

My dad now starts the car engine again, and he drives home.

I look out the window as we drive. I see the dark green leaves of the trees rustle about as cars drive by. I see a lot of billboards, almost all of them saying the same thing, something along the lines of "get bla bla bla % off for your Christmas shopping".