The Twin

by Natasha Preston

  “Let’s go,” I say. I walk ahead of them and we catch the attention of almost everyone standing around.

  Walking through the open double doors, I take a breath as what feels like a hundred pairs of eyes snap to us, heads turning as we walk past.

  Iris and I are identical in body only. Our faces are the same, but her hair almost touches her butt, and she likes skirts and heels and often wears pink. I’m more of a jeans-and-T-shirt kind of girl. If the T-shirt has a band or dumb slogan, even better.

  The two girls who look the same but dress worlds apart. The twins who were split up but forced back together by tragedy.

  “Hey, Ivy,” a couple guys from Ty’s football team call over, and I wave. Trent and Michael aren’t that close to Ty, so I only know them in passing and don’t feel like I need to stop and chat. I just want to get this over with and have a normal school day.

  Inside the main office, Dad has to check over some paperwork with one of the secretaries. I stay with Iris as Mrs. Lewis, the assistant principal, hands her a schedule. I don’t think she usually deals with admissions, but I guess we’re a special case.

  Iris glances around as if she’s surveying her property. Mrs. Lewis watches her, like she’s assessing where Iris will fit in. Her leathery face gives nothing away, but I think she knows my sister is destined for the popular circle. She looks perfect, clearly pays attention to her appearance, and doesn’t care much for authority.

  Turning to me, Iris asks, “Do you have any of these classes, Ivy?”

  I scan her schedule. As much as I want to be there for her, I’m glad that we don’t have all of the same classes. She’s my twin, but I still need my own time. I’ll be sharing so much more now, and I want some space.

  I shake my head. “Only the first one, but I can show you where the other classrooms are.”

  Iris sinks, her body visibly shrinking. “Oh.” She takes a shaky breath. “I…I don’t think I can do this.”

  She can’t do this? Three seconds ago, she was standing like she owned the place already. I wrap my hand around her arm. “Iris, what’s wrong?”

  She turns to me, eyes wide like she’s seen a ghost. “Ivy, I can’t.” She looks like she wants to run back to Dad’s car.

  “Okay, calm down.” I grip both of her upper arms. “It’s fine if you don’t want to do this yet.”

  Mrs. Lewis waves Dad over.

  Iris’s eyes flit to Dad and then back to me. “I want to, but I can’t do it alone.”

  “You’re not alone. I’m here too.”

  “But I won’t see you. I’ll be alone for almost the entire time.”

  I let go of her. “I’ll find you at lunch.”

  She takes another ragged breath that sounds like she’s breathing through a blanket. “I’ll have three classes before that. I don’t know anyone. I can’t.”

  Seriously, what is going on? I look to Dad for help, but he’s as thrown by her reaction as me. She’s always been outgoing, making friends in seconds. Why so scared about not knowing anyone?

  “I think I should take you home and we’ll try again next week,” Dad says.

  Iris shakes her head. “It’ll only get worse if I put it off. We all know that, right? The longer you leave something, the harder it is.”

  What? I’m confused as hell. This yoyo thing she’s got going on is giving me a headache. I didn’t have nearly enough sleep last night for this.

  The school psychologist comes over. “Iris, would you feel better if we changed your schedule to match Ivy’s?”

  What! My head snaps in her direction.

  Iris’s mouth falls open. “Really? Can you do that? I would feel a lot better with Ivy with me.”

  Am I dreaming? Have I been sucked into some sort of alternate reality? Iris doesn’t need anyone to hold her hand. All through our life she’s been the fearless one. She rolled, crawled, climbed, and walked first.

  “Are you sure you want to do this, Iris?” Dad asks her.

  She peels her eyes away from me and smiles up at Dad. “I’m sure. If Ivy is with me, I’ll be fine. I don’t want to miss any more school and fall behind, not with everything else that’s going on. It would be too much.”

  “Then we’d love it if you could change Iris’s schedule,” Dad says.

  Iris looks thrilled. “Thank you so much.”

  My ears ring.

  I walk out of the office in a bit of a daze five minutes later.

  Iris makes a joke with Mrs. Lewis. She’s smiling and laughing. The anxious moment has passed. Sayonara, moment. The girl is now fine.

  I’m trying to process what just happened. One minute, everything is cool—Iris is desperate to get to school and start her new life—and the next she’s breaking down and we have all the same classes. Like, every single time I sit at a desk, she will be there.

  I’m pretty sure that no one else would be allowed to change classes on the spot—our school is notorious for refusing to budge once a schedule is made. What does that tell you? We’re a special case because our mom is dead. And Iris really can get whatever she wants.

  Iris takes a deep breath. “Time for our first class!” She turns to Dad. “Thanks for letting me start early.”

  He gives her a hug and kisses the top of her head. “If you need anything, call me. That goes for you too, Ivy. The school psychologist is aware of the situation, so you can go to her any time if you want.”

  Iris shrugs. “I’ll be fine. Ready, Ivy?”

  “Yeah, let’s go. Later, Dad.”

  Laughing, he replies, “Later.”

  I guide Iris through the corridors toward our first class. We have a little time since we got to school super early, so I’m hoping I’ll spot Ty.

  “This school is tiny,” Iris says.

  “Yep.” It’s about half the size of Iris’s school in the city. I love it, though. I’m not a city girl. I love forests and fields too much to be in a place that’s super built up. And I love that I know, or know of, pretty much everyone in this school. It makes it harder to keep a secret, but if you’re into gossip, this school is for you.

  Iris is most definitely into gossip. I always heard her on the phone with her friends talking about everyone else at her school. It’s still driving me crazy that I can’t remember her old bestie’s name. She hasn’t mentioned her either. Or anyone else.

  As we walk, Iris makes clicking sounds with her shoes, while my Converse are silent. Her heels put her about two inches taller than me. There is no way I could wear shoes like that all day.

  I only have good coordination when I’m in the pool.

  “Will you introduce me to more people?”

  “Of course. If you want to take up cheerleading here, too, I can introduce you to Ellie.”

  “She’s head, right?”

  “Yep.”

  “Hmm,” Iris murmurs, and it almost sounded like she said, “For now.” Well, if anyone could take the throne from Ellie, it’s my sister. Iris has this ability to wrap people around her little finger. Growing up, she rarely got into trouble, easily talking her way out of situations that I couldn’t get away with. People seem to be drawn to her, to the way she owns everything she looks at. Case in point with the schedule thing.

  “Do you think you want to join the squad?”

  “Maybe. I enjoyed it before.” Then she shrugs. “But you never know what the team’s going to be like…how you’ll fit in.”

  I look at her black skirt, yellow top, and yellow heels. She looks like Ellie and her team. That was her inner circle in the city. She’ll slot right into their group like she created it.

  “Oh, you’ll fit in,” I assure her.

  “What are the boys like here? I need to know who’s a snake so I can avoid them.”

  “I don’t really have a lot to do with many of the
m. Ty’s friends are cool. You seemed to get along well with Leo, Alec, and Todd.”

  “Yeah, they seem nice. What positions do they play?”

  “Err…they play on the field. I don’t know. Ty is the quarterback.”

  She laughs. “Wow, Ivy. You should really pay more attention to Tyler’s team.”

  “He doesn’t want me to pay more attention to his team. I know where he plays, and I sit through hours of his games, but that doesn’t mean I need to know the game.”

  “You know you’re not really American if you don’t like football, right?”

  I bump her arm with mine and laugh. “That’s okay, I’d love to live in Europe anyway.”

  “Who is that?” she asks.

  Following her line of sight, I spot Logan standing tall with his footballer’s body and short, sandy hair. “Don’t go there. Logan is the running back and Ellie’s boyfriend.”

  “Okay, I’m going to ask a question now, and I don’t want you to take it the wrong way.”

  Oh, that does not sound like I’m going to take it the right way.

  “Go on…,” I say.

  Iris stops in the middle of the hall. “You’re not a cheerleader, you’re not friends with Ellie, but you’re dating the star of the football team.”

  “You’re wondering why he’s interested in me.”

  She smirks. “Babe, you look like me, so of course I’m not.”

  “I never really knew him; then one day we were both at Leo’s house. I was Leo’s lab partner and found out he’s actually really cool. So we were in Leo’s living room watching Texas Chainsaw Massacre, and Ty and I talked through the whole movie. Then he asked me out.”

  “Did anyone say anything about you two?”

  “Why, because I’m not in the super-popular inner circle?” I shrug. “Probably, but neither of us cares. Ty might be the quarterback, but he’s perfectly happy to be himself. He doesn’t try to fit in and neither do I. Everyone is really nice and inviting me to parties now, though.” Well, everyone but Ellie.

  Iris nods. “I don’t think we’ve ever spoken so much about what’s going on in your life before.”

  “We haven’t. Maybe you can tell me more about your life soon.”

  “My life starts now, so you’ll know it all anyway.” She looks up and raises her arm. “Leo, hey.”

  “Hey, Iris.” His almost black eyes are warm and sympathetic. “Ty’s behind me somewhere.”

  I look over his shoulder and sure enough, Ty walks around the corner.

  “I’m glad you’re back,” Ty says, grabbing my hand and tugging me to him.

  “Me too,” I whisper, pressing against his chest. It feels like such a long time since I was here. I’ve missed Ty and my friends. I’ve even missed school. “Do you have practice tonight?”

  He smiles as he brushes a strand of hair from my face. “Yeah. Why don’t you come and watch? I’ve missed looking up and seeing you. Or do you need to get home with Iris?”

  “I can stay,” I tell him before I think about it. It’s Iris’s first day, so I probably should go straight home with her, but I need to be here. I need something normal, something that hasn’t changed beyond recognition since Mom died.

  I’ll even watch football practice for that feeling.

  “You sure?”

  “Definitely. I’ve missed watching you running around a patch of grass, throwing a bag of air.”

  Ty chuckles and flicks the end of my nose. “I’ll make a football fan of you eventually.”

  “I like the snacks.”

  Ty’s family go all out for big games. Dad and I have been to their tailgates a couple of times. Ty’s mom makes football-themed food and everything. It’s kind of ridiculous to me, but everything she makes tastes amazing, so go team.

  He glances above my head. “How’s it going with the sister?”

  “Okay. She has the same schedule as me.”

  “That’s good. It’ll help her settle in faster, right?” He tilts his head. “Not that she’s going to need any help.”

  Twisting my head, I look over my shoulder. “No, I guess not.”

  Ellie and Logan have joined Leo and Iris. My sister is charismatic, laughing, flicking her super-long hair over her shoulder and waving her hands as she talks to them.

  “Have you heard when the scout is coming?” Ty asks.

  I take a breath and lay my head on his shoulder. “Nope. I just want it over because it’s stressing me out, but I need more time to practice.”

  His arm snakes around my back. “Babe, you’re in. There is no way Stanford wouldn’t want you.”

  “There are tons of amazing swimmers.”

  “It’s not just about that. You can do it all; you’re passionate and focused. Don’t stress, swim.”

  He’s right about all of that. But the boyfriend or girlfriend of every other teen desperate for a scholarship is just as sure as Ty.

  “Stanford won’t be as fun if you’re not there too.”

  He shrugs. “Doesn’t matter where we are, Ivy. I got you.”

  “Long distance is stupid.”

  Laughing, he nods. “It’ll suck not seeing you every day but there are these things called phones—”

  “Ha ha,” I mutter dryly. “For that I’m making you FaceTime me every night so it’s like we’re living together even if you turn traitorous and pick a different college.”

  The bell pierces through the school, signaling the start of classes. “Go to class, Ivy,” he says with a smirk and humor in his green eyes. “I’ll see you at lunch?”

  “Definitely.”

  I kiss him before he heads in the opposite direction.

  “Ready, Iris?”

  “Uh-huh. Later, guys,” she says to Ellie, Logan, and Leo.

  “Looks like you don’t need me to introduce you to anyone. Did you speak to Ellie about joining the team?”

  “I figured high school is high school no matter where you are. And no, I didn’t mention it. I don’t even know if I want to do it yet. One step at a time.”

  Okay, I’m kind of glad that she’s taking her time with this one. Iris seems to want to jump headfirst into her new life. At least she’s not filling her schedule to the max before she’s comfortable here.

  There is a reason why Iris left with Mom. Even at the age of ten, she wanted more. She wanted the city life. The pace is different here.

  We walk into class and Iris introduces herself to the teacher. I take my seat.

  Why did she need to be on the same schedule as me again?

  The only thing she’s needed me for so far is to show her where to go. I could have done that and gone to my next class. There is always going to be someone around who will tell you where a room is.

  She doesn’t need me. Her reaction to her original schedule was an act. Iris wants to be in my classes for some other reason.

  Why?

  12

  Iris and I are meeting up with Ty and Leo at lunch. They’re waiting for us in the cafeteria because Iris wanted to touch up her makeup before we join them. So I’ve spent the last five minutes in the bathroom watching my sister apply mascara. I’m hungry and cranky.

  “Okay,” Iris says, pressing her lips together after applying a layer of pink gloss right before she eats. Where’s the sense there?

  My stomach rumbles. “You’re done now?” I ask her, my tone not quite as light as I intended.

  She slips the gloss in her bag. “I am. Let’s go to lunch. Is there much of a selection?”

  “It’s not too bad. There was a lot of campaigning for healthier meals a year ago, which helped. I’m sure you’ll find something.”

  Iris opens the bathroom door and we walk out. “Good. I hate it when cafeteria food looks like cafeteria food.”

  “When di
d I say it doesn’t look like cafeteria food?”

  She laughs. “Do you usually sit with Ty?”

  “Most of the time, yeah. Sophie and Haley too.”

  “Do you think they’ll mind me joining you?”

  I lead Iris to the cafeteria. “They definitely won’t mind.”

  She smiles. “I’m glad I’m here. It’s kind of cool to chill with you again, so thanks for letting me in your crew.”

  “Of course.”

  As weird as it is, I am enjoying having Iris back. I did miss her when we lived apart, despite not really hanging out together. If we share friends, we’ll get to spend more time together. Maybe we can pull some twin switches on the teachers and our friends. We both missed out on that one. That’s got to be a perk of being an identical twin, right?

  Ellie steps in front of us, flicking her heavily highlighted hair. “Iris, sit with us?” she asks. “You too, Ivy.”

  I would rather eat in the bathroom.

  Maybe that’s a bit harsh.

  But not really.

  “Oh, we’re meeting Tyler and Leo,” Iris replies. “Why don’t you join us?”

  I side-eye my sister. Come on!

  “Do you mind, Ivy?” Ellie says. “I know how you like Ty all to yourself.”

  “What’s that supposed to mean?”

  Ellie shrugs. “He just used to sit with us more often before you.”

  “Oh, you mean the way Logan used to hang at Ty’s until he started dating you?”

  Iris laughs, nudging my arm.

  Nope. I’m not being nice to Ellie when she’s being a bitch. I don’t care if she is Queen Bee.

  Ellie just laughs. “Touché, Ivy. Is it okay that we sit with you?”

  I force a smile. “It’s fine.”

  Sometimes I think that Ellie likes me. Or at least likes that I fight back. It must get old having people agree with you all the time.

  Hey, we’re all just trying to survive high school, right?

  I head to grab some food. I pick up a bottle of water and a plate of fries. Yes, I’m having a plate of carbs. They’re comforting, and I need that right now.

  Iris and I are the talk of the school. It’ll blow over fast, I know that, but I hate being the center of attention. All I want is to get through the day with no drama so I can chill with Ty and my friends, or swim.