Rhapsody in Brown

So, I'm part of a writing group, and one of the members posted this challenge:

Using the basic description of the character below, write a short paragraph or two describing the character and giving him more of an interesting personality (the character definitely needs one). Have fun.



"Gabe is of average height and weight. He has brown hair, brown eyes, and likes the color brown. He wears brown shoes (no surprise there)and a brown shirt."



So here's my take: it's longer than a couple paragraphs (because I got carried away).

As I fiddled with my locker, I eavesdropped on the female voices squealing across the hall.


"So cute."


"Adorable."


"You think Gabe's really still in high school?"


At my name, I turned, like any normal person would. Maybe not the best description, given my monocolor appearance. Brown loafers, cinnamon-colored shirt, chocolate pants, same color eyes behind owl-eye glasses and pale brown hair in short waves. Even my backpack was an unidentifiable dark tan. At first and second takes people gave me those looks saying 'nice but weird', and there weren't more takes, because I was a drab fixture in their eyes. Kind of like a dead lamp slouching in the corner.


The girl twined a curl around her finger and smiled. "That's what I read in Seventeen. They wouldn't lie about that, would they?"

I restrained a snort. Seventeen lied about a lot. I'd know.

Her friend in the pink shirt sighed, going dizzy-eyed. "He's sooo hot." The edges of her lips curved up. "I wonder what school he goes to. That article did say he's single."

I shook my head, half-smirking as I rescued Hamlet from the confines of my backpack and shoved him into the locker. Gabe Johansson, teenage star of Life Interrupted, the hit show. Yeah, he was in high school, supposedly, but even the paparazzi couldn't find him. And I knew he wouldn't date either of those girls. He knew them too well.

The girls kept prattling. I strode out of the building, backpack over shoulder. Silly females. So aware of guys and yet so blind.

I opened the cell phone and dialed my agent. "Yeah, it's Gabe. Just got out of school."

He snorted. "Public school. A bunch of morons forced to spend twelve years of their lives together. Will you please buy into the tutor idea?"

"Yeah, yeah. Tell me for the three-thousandth time and I'll think about it." I strode toward the parking lot. "So anyway, you mentioned another deal?"

"Yeah, I did. Interested in being the next Tobey Maguire? Spider-Man 4 is having auditions."

My nerves buzzed under my skin. "Heck yeah I'm interested. I'll be right over." I unlocked my BMW and stepped in. "Oh yeah - do me a favor and keep this out of the news until it's a done deal."

He laughed, New York accent rasping across the line. "You got it, Johansson."