The Twin

by Natasha Preston

  “Ty, say something,” I whisper.

  “I’m not sure what to say. Is Iris looking to talk?”

  “While I’m asleep?”

  He lifts one shoulder in another shrug. “Who knows? I’m not really worried about Iris, though.”

  I am.

  “I think I should take you home.”

  My eyes widen. “What? No! Dad will freak out.”

  “When has your dad ever freaked out?”

  “You know what I mean. If I skipped class he would, and you know it.”

  My phone buzzes in my pocket.

  Oh great, it’s starting. Ty looks at my pocket and lifts his eyebrow. Nope, I don’t really want to look at the message.

  But he keeps looking at me.

  Where are you? Should I go to the office?

  No! I’ll be in the next class. Don’t go to anyone!

  “Who is it?” Ty asks.

  “My twin. She’s asking where I am.”

  Someone taps on the glass.

  “Ivy, I need you to come with me,” the school psychologist, Ms. Hart, says.

  My mouth drops open. Did she tell? Did my sister actually tell someone that I skipped class? Who asked the psychologist to come and get me? Shouldn’t it be a teacher ready to chuck a punishment my way?

  Or because my mom died that means every time I screw up I need to talk? Ms. Hart briefly explains what’s going to happen.

  Ty walks in the opposite direction to us. He gets to go back to class. I get to have a meeting. Oh, and my dad will be invited to a meeting after school too.

  Wonderful.

  I’m so over school, and I’m so over my sister. I don’t care what she’s going through; there is no reason for her to make my life difficult.

  “I needed a minute before returning to class. Ty was only trying to help,” I tell Ms. Hart as we walk through the double doors and make a right into her office.

  “Take a seat, Ivy.”

  I do as I’m told because although I want to get shouty again, that’s not going to go down well in here.

  “Please tell me Ty isn’t in trouble.”

  “Tyler is fine, Ivy. You are the one I’m worried about.”

  “Look, I know I should have gone to class but—”

  She shakes her head. “This isn’t about class. Ivy, your dad has informed me you are seeing a therapist, which is fantastic, but I think it’s become clear that you need more help at school. We’ve been observing you.”

  Who is we?

  “Why do you need my dad here to tell me that?”

  “We’ve been aware that you have been struggling for a while.”

  “What?”

  “Your teachers have reported that you’re distracted in class.”

  That’s because Iris always hums or taps or whispers, and she is in every one of my classes. “My grades haven’t slipped.”

  She sits down opposite me and threads her fingers together. “And that is great, but we can’t ignore this because it eventually could affect your grades. Your outburst in class only shows me that I’m right. We need to get your father involved so we can put in place the help you need now.”

  I fold my arms. “Transfer Iris out of my classes and you will see a vast improvement.”

  Her eyebrows rise.

  “Or transfer me out. I don’t really care which one of us goes at this point.”

  Calm down. You’re doing a crap job of convincing her you’re okay.

  The worst part is if my mom hadn’t just died, no one would question me having one crappy moment. Now suddenly everything I do is because I’m grieving. I can’t just have a bad day anymore.

  I break eye contact with Ms. Hart because it’s pointless talking to her. She’s made up her mind. I can only imagine what Iris said to her.

  Dad will know the truth when I tell him what actually happened. He’s always believed me.

  I spend the next two class periods with her, doing work on my own because I can only assume that I’m now not trusted to be silent in class.

  Dad has taken time off work to come here. He’s dropping everything to attend this meeting, so that’s going to have him in a bad mood coming through the door.

  “What’s going on?” he asks as Ms. Hart lets him into the room.

  “Please, take a seat,” she says.

  I close my book for English Lit. It doesn’t feel much like a Shakespeare day anyway.

  Dad sits beside me on the uncomfortable brown leather chair. His blue eyes are pinned on me. “Ivy?”

  I shake my head. “Iris has been irritating me in class since, like, the third day here. Today I snapped because I couldn’t concentrate. Now it’s all my fault.”

  That about sums it up.

  Ms. Hart takes over. “Ivy’s outburst in class today prompted her teacher to have a word with me. I found her in the car lot with Tyler West.”

  Dad raises his sandy eyebrows at me.

  “I needed a minute to calm down and Ty knew that. We weren’t going to go anywhere.”

  “That’s not why we’re here, Ivy. We’re worried about you.”

  “You don’t need to be, Ms. Hart, but I do think I should be moved out of Iris’s classes.”

  “What?” Dad’s voice is laced with shock. “Why do you want that? Ivy, what is going on? I wasn’t even aware you two are having issues.”

  I place my hands on the desk. “I think it’s better if we have different schedules. She doesn’t need me anymore; she’s settled in and made friends just fine.”

  Dad watches me like he thinks I’ve been abducted and someone else was left in my place. “That seems very hasty. You didn’t sleep well; you haven’t for a while.”

  “Ivy, we can give you more emotional support at school if you’re finding it difficult.”

  Right now, I’m finding Iris difficult.

  I shake my head. “No, I don’t need that.”

  “I would like to suggest that you come and see me on a regular basis for now. I’m here for you, whenever you need.”

  Dad pipes up. “I think that would be a good idea. I know Meera is helping you, but if you’re getting stressed at school, it’ll be good for you to talk to someone here too.”

  Taking a deep breath, I force a smile. “Okay.”

  Ugh, agreeing with them is like swallowing salt. But we’re not getting anywhere. Dad is siding with Ms. Hart and Iris. No one is seeing what she’s been doing wrong because I’m the one who reacted to her.

  Well, fine. I’ll deal with it on my own.

  26

  All of last night, Dad and Iris kept their distance. I can barely look at her, the little liar. She wanted a reaction in the classroom, she got one, and now she’s very smug. I want to scream, but I have to be smart about this.

  She is clever, but I’m not going to be sucked into her games. I don’t care if she taps on every table in school. I’m going to keep my cool and be civil. I refuse to react to her again. I’m cutting off the oxygen.

  It’s been the longest week in history, thanks to Iris and her mind games, but it’s Friday. I’m watched constantly at school now, the teachers waiting for another outburst and Ms. Hart dropping by classes to see how I’m doing. Even Coach keeps her eyes on me more than usual.

  I’m trying not to be too hostile to everyone, though I feel it. My teachers think that I’m struggling and they’re looking out for me. No one has seen the games that Iris is playing, but that’s fine, because she can’t continue them forever.

  I keep my eyes on the floor as I walk. I can feel people staring, eyes burning into me hoping to catch my next show. I don’t know what Iris has said, but no one is as chatty to me anymore. All I’ve done is snap at my sister in a class. How that suddenly makes me an outcas
t, I don’t know. But whatever.

  I don’t need these people anyway. Ty, Haley, and Sophie know me. Whatever Iris is saying about me, and I can only imagine how she’s making me look, it doesn’t matter.

  One of the first thing that Mom and Dad taught us is that someone’s opinion about you only matters if you care about them. At this moment I don’t care much for Iris.

  “Ivy!” Ty shouts.

  I twist because his voice is deep, intense and snappy.

  “What’s up?” I ask as he reaches me.

  “What is this?” He holds up his phone.

  Frowning, I take the cell. No.

  Oh my God. It’s a picture of me and Logan. It was taken about a year ago at a party. At the party where Logan kissed me.

  I shake my head, the blood draining from my face, making me dizzy. “Ty, I can explain.”

  He takes a deep breath. “You kissed Logan.”

  I stare him in the eyes. “No, I didn’t.”

  “I have the picture, Ivy!”

  I glance around as people walking past start to pay attention to us. Ty shoves his phone in his pocket and folds his arms. The way he’s looking at me, eyes narrowed and jaw tight, has my stomach churning. His nose is scrunched like he’s disgusted.

  “I can see how it looks, Ty, but I didn’t kiss him.” I take a step closer and his body tenses. “Please. Logan was drunk at Ellie’s party and he kissed me. I pushed him away and he realized what he’d done. It was all over in a second.”

  “If that’s what happened, why didn’t you tell me?”

  “Can we go somewhere else and talk?” I plead. People have stopped to watch.

  Looks like my next show is right now.

  “We’ll miss class.”

  “I don’t care!” I exclaim. “Please take a walk with me. I won’t be able to focus until we sort this out.”

  His chest expands as he takes a long breath. I hate what he’s thinking right now. He’s so mad at me his face is red. But the worst part is the pain in his eyes.

  “Fine,” he growls.

  Ty turns and stalks off away from me. I follow, my heart dropping at the possibility he won’t believe me.

  “Ivy, where are you going?” Iris asks.

  I barely hear her as I rush past, trying to catch up with Ty.

  “Ivy?”

  Looking over my shoulder, I snap, “Later!”

  I don’t hear a reply because I run to catch the door. My palms slam into the wood as it swings back from Ty practically kicking it open. I push and slip outside.

  “Tyler, will you wait up?”

  He doesn’t slow at all.

  “Tyler!” Gripping hold of the strap of my bag over my shoulder, I break into a sprint and follow.

  Ty runs around the corner and we’re by the side of the building, just visible from the front doors.

  “What?” he snaps.

  “Stop running from me.”

  “I have.” He runs his hands through his hair. “God, Ivy, you kissed someone else.”

  “No, I said I didn’t, and I was telling the truth. When I pushed Logan away, he was shocked. Neither of us planned it and neither of us is attracted to the other. He was so apologetic and scared that you would find out.”

  “So you chose him over me?”

  “No! I didn’t want to ruin your friendship with him because of one dumb mistake.”

  “Did you kiss him back?”

  “Of course I didn’t. It was instant, Ty. I shoved him so hard he almost fell over. I need you to believe me. I would never cheat on you.”

  He looks away, his green eyes frosting over.

  I’m petrified that he won’t forgive me. Not for the kiss but because I kept it secret.

  “Ty, please,” I say, taking a step closer to him. My vision blurs with tears. “Don’t turn away from me like we’re over. I’m sorry I didn’t tell you.”

  How did this happen?

  “Did he ask you not to tell me or was that your idea?”

  “We both kind of decided.”

  “While he was drunk?”

  Closing my eyes, I breathe, “We spoke the following day.”

  He laughs without humor. “Of course you did.”

  When I open my eyes again, he’s watching me, but I might as well be made of glass. “Ty, you’re not listening to me.”

  “Yeah, I am.”

  “You might hear the words but you’re not listening. I’m sorry I didn’t tell you before.”

  “You already said that.”

  “And I’ll keep saying it until you believe me.”

  He shakes his head, eyes downcast. “I can’t believe this.”

  “Where did you get that picture?”

  “It was sent to me.”

  “By who?”

  “I don’t know. It was a blocked number.”

  I didn’t see anyone else in the basement when Logan kissed me. But I was distracted, pushing him off and yelling at him.

  A blocked number?

  Whoever took it waited five months to share it with Ty. So why now?

  “You know, at first I thought it was Photoshopped. There is no way you or Logan would have done that.”

  “I didn’t.”

  “No, he did, and you lied about it.”

  “What would you have done if I’d gone straight to you at that party?”

  Ty’s eyes narrow. He would have started something with Logan.

  “Exactly. I’m not excusing his behavior because he never should have done that, but he’d had too much to drink and he made a massive mistake. He was so worried that you would hate him.”

  “Ivy, he would have been worried that I would have him kicked off the team. He couldn’t care less about me.”

  “You guys are friends.”

  He glares. “Not good friends. I wouldn’t tell him any real stuff, and I wouldn’t trust him with my girlfriend.”

  “I didn’t know that. But having him kicked off the team for some stupid mistake would have been wrong.”

  “You’re defending him?”

  “You know I’m not. Don’t be dramatic.”

  His eyes meet mine again and he whispers, “You lied to me.”

  “Ty,” I say, swiping tears as they drop. “Please, we can fix this.”

  “You thought I would never find out.”

  That’s exactly what I thought because too much time had passed. We grew closer, things were working out, and I couldn’t say it.

  “I hoped you wouldn’t because I didn’t want to hurt you.”

  He shakes his head again. “Keeping something from me is what hurts, Ivy. You pushing some dude away who tried to kiss you wouldn’t.”

  “Well, I didn’t know that. We had only been together three months and you never said you didn’t really like Logan. I was trying to protect your friendship.”

  “What else are you keeping from me?”

  I ball my hands. “Don’t. Maybe I used bad judgment; you do not get to act like I’m some stranger. You know me, Ty, even if you want to pretend that you don’t right now.”

  Above us, the sky clouds over dark gray.

  He looks away and inhales sharply. “You have to tell me things like that.”

  “I know. I’m sorry.”

  “I need to talk to Logan.”

  “This doesn’t need to be a big deal. He was drunk and super apologetic when he realized what he’d done.”

  Tucking his phone back in his pocket, he replies, “I need to talk to him.”

  Ty walks away from me, and I press my palm against the wall.

  My eyes lift as the hairs on my forearms rise.

  With my breath catching in my throat, I dig my nails into the brick. Iris is by the front doo
r of the hall, watching with a faint smile on her devil lips.

  She sent the picture. How? And why is she doing this to me?

  I spend the rest of the day walking around with the heaviest unsettled feeling in my heart. Nausea rolls in the pit of my stomach.

  Iris was watching like she was waiting for this. But I can’t get my head around it. Sure, we’ve had a few arguments and snapped at each other, but I thought we were doing okay. There has been more good than bad between us.

  Why is she trying to irritate me in class and cause a rift between me and Ty? And where the hell did she get that picture? She didn’t even know my friends until she moved here, so there is no way she took it.

  Who else is behind this? No one else has a problem with me.

  That I know of.

  No, it has to be Iris. There are too many things happening for it not to be.

  I wince as my head throbs with an intense ache. I backed her up with Dad not introducing Rachel to our lives. I’m trying to be a good sister.

  Why is she trying to get back at me?

  27

  After my session with Meera on Friday, I head to Ellie’s pool party with Ty. A very quiet and still sulking Ty. It’s been four days since the entirely different kind of photo bomb was dropped on us, and although he says he’s okay, he’s not.

  All I can do is wait for him to get over it and assure him that I won’t doubt us again. Things are so much different now compared to when we first started dating.

  If I’m honest, I thought he would get bored with me and find someone in his circle. That led to me making a mistake.

  Logan hasn’t been at school the last couple of days. Apparently, he’s out of town with his family, but it seems a bit coincidental. He usually has a house party when his family goes away. This time, right after Ty finds out he tried to kiss me, he goes with them.

  Iris is laughing with Ellie by the pool. They’re wearing the same color bikini—hot pink. They seem to be getting closer, though Iris barely ever mentions her at home. She’s all about me, Sophie, and Haley when Ellie isn’t around. So I have no idea if their friendship is genuine or if she would sever the cord as easily as she did with her old friends.

  “Here,” Ty says, handing me a Dr Pepper.