3PB/SarahC/New

Mom told you that you got somebody new looking after you when you get home from school. You're glad because you didn't really like the lady who did it before, but you're a bit nervous because this time it's a boy and he's not really all that much older than you.

You let yourself in through the front door; since you've been old enough to walk home on your own, you've had your own front door key, tied to a ribbon pinned inside your jacket pocket so that you won't lose it. When you get inside you can hear that the TV is on so you hang your coat up, take a deep breath and go into the living room.

You see a skinny boy with dark hair and glasses sitting on the couch next to Jason; Jason's your six-year-old brother and of course, he gets out of school earlier than you. When he sees you he stands up and sticks his hand out like grownups do and not knowing what else to do you shake hands with him. "You must be Sarah," he says; "I'm Jordan." He sits down again and you go over to sit on one of the armchairs; he keeps looking at you making you feel a little bit uncomfortable.

"Why are you looking at me like that," you say.

He blushes and looks away. "I'm sorry," he says; "it's just that I didn't think you'd be so pretty."

"You think I'm pretty?" You say. You know that's the kind of thing adults say about kids, even when they're not; but there is something about a high school boy saying it that just sounds weird. Older kids are not supposed to think kids your age look pretty.

"Oh yeah, I love how your hair looks." He tells you. This just makes you embarrassed. "I gotta go get changed." You say and beat a hasty retreat. Once you get into your bedroom you kick yourself for being so stupid. He's a teenager. A teenager can't like a kid your age. He's gotta be just trying to act like an adult because he's a babysitter. You take your school uniform off and hang it up carefully. Uniforms are expensive and you know that your Mom hasn't got any money to waste. Normally, you put your PJ's on and go back downstairs to watch TV and then have tea, but you're not sure if you should with a strange boy in the house, you don't want him to think you are lazy and wear your pyjamas all day when you are not at school. No, there you go again! No, it's not that! You don't want a stranger to see you in your pyjamas because it's not proper! That's it!

Back downstairs, Jordan's in the kitchen warming something up in the microwave and he sends Jason up to get changed out of his school uniform before he eats, then we all sit round the kitchen table. Jordan asks us the usual stuff about what we did at school you just shrug and say "not much"; he laughs and says that's exactly what he always says when his mother asks him the same question. Jason tells some story about something that happened in the playground and you watch Jordan as he listens and decide that he's okay, even if he is a bit dorky looking.

After tea...

• Jordan gets out a deck of cards
• He brings Jason upstairs for a bath