C5

I walked into the dance hall despite the constant rumble in my stomach, coming out of the dressing room wearing pink joggers and matching sports bra, I planned to slip to the back unnoticed but…

“hi there, dancer girl” I turned around to face Tasha’s boyfriend

Ex…

“uh hi, it’s Mikael not dancer girl” I said and he smiled

“I’m sorry, for everything. Why didn’t you tell me you weren’t Tasha?” his expression turned serious, causing a lump to form in my throat.

“she..Tasha didn’t tell you, I felt she had her reasons.”

“selfish ones” I heard him mutter, his gaze stopping on the charm on my neck, the one Tyrell had given to me seven years ago.

“nice necklace…soooo you still plan on dancing huh?” he said and I smiled

“won’t that piss your sister off?”

“yup like hell, but I’m done staying behind her shadow and besides, I like that shocked look on your face everytime you see me dancing” he laughed..sounded like music

“freaky huh?..I can live with that”

“touché”

_________________

Tasha sighed in frustration as her friends, Amelia and Vicky, chattered about stuff that was in her opinion, godamn unreasonable.

“how true are the rumors Tasha?” Vicky asked taking a sip of her diet coke.

“yeah I heard she’s hotter than you, has a better ass” Amelia chuckled, her blue eyes twinkled. She never was one to mince words.

“what are you, gay?”

“oh come on, you’re taking away the fun Tasha, why didn’t you ever tell us you had a twin sister?” Vicky asked

“how does it feel to have a twin, share everything?” Amelia asked

“What?” Tasha asked, irritation clear in her voice. But either Amelia hadn’t heard or had ignored it.

“I mean, do you do that switching stuff, play pranks on your boyfriends” a crazy look came into her eyes. “ do y’all fuck together?” she said and Tasha choked on her soda.

“what the hell?!”

“sorry, sorry. I’m just curious that’s all.”

“how’s it going with you and Damian, heard you guys broke up..again”

Vicky asked and tasha pouted

“you know how we are, he’ll come back to me”

“now that there are two of you, okurrrrr”

“shut up Amelia, you don’t know anything”

“oh I know that Damian walked away this time, and the way he looks at that girl when she dances..damn! I should know sugar, I dance too” Amelia said, she never failed to flare up a fight either. But she wasn’t wrong, Damian did leave tasha, and till now hadn’t even sent a single text.. which was weird. She sighed and with one hateful glare towards Amelia noisily got up and left the cafeteria.

_______________________

Amelia and Vicky were Tasha’s closest friends..or as close as what she could call friends. She’d spent her freshman year building her reputation, rich parents, trendy clothes, hot boyfriend, bitchy attitude. What was missing were her minions, and Amelia and Vicky fit right into the slot. She got the attention she wanted, she never went anywhere without the girls, life was great…till Mikael came back. She could remember when they were ten, it all seemed like yesterday…

***********

They were packing for their trip to Seattle, a business trip for their parents, it would serve as a two week vacation for the sisters, they were scheduled to come back three days before school reopened for a new term. Killing two birds with one stone their mom had said.

Tasha sat on the chair, suitcase on the floor facing her window. From there she could see her sister, Tiana, as she was called then, hanging out with their neighbor. A boy, what was his name?.

She never liked to play with them, they looked crappy and played scrawny games. So while they were out playing, she’d be in her room playing with her dolls or reading a book. But sometimes she wondered what it was like to play with them, laugh with them. Coincidentally, their neighbors were moving out that same week, said they wanted to get a bigger house. Everyone knew except Tiana, dad had said its better if she didn’t know just yet.. it would break her heart. Tasha watched as the boy gave Tiana a beautiful necklace.

‘so you don’t forget me just yet’ she had heard him say. She saw Tiana’s expression change, saw her run away and come back with a purple flower.

He gave her a necklace and she gave him a flower..pathetic. but Tasha’s distaste didn’t stop the smile that was creeping up on the little boys face.

when the flight touched down, mom had held their hands tightly, telling them not to let go of each other. The lobby was pretty rowdy and she tried to keep close as her mother walked forward. Tiana was trying to tell her something, but she ignored her..when everywhere was calm they would talk. But minutes later her mother looked at her with troubled brown eyes.

‘where’s Tiana?’ tasha turned back to show her mom her twin sister, but she was gone, like thin air, nowhere in sight. They’d searched, cried, made annoncements. Tasha had seen anger, disappointment and sorrow in her dad’s eyes, and though he didn’t Say anything, part of her felt it was directed at her.

********

Their business trip had been cut one week short, no one said a word to each other. A hostile silence blanketed the house…and though it was hard, tasha learned to live with that, make a life out of the shambles Tiana’s disappearance caused, she learned to live with the fact that her father had never completely forgiven her for ignoring Tiana that afternoon. She got good grades, had a cute but annoying boyfriend, who managed her excesses..until now. he couldn’t be serious about the breakup, not when she was in her most trying time..not when she needed him most. This is when he comes back and apologizes not walkaway… and all because of a girl that hasn’t been back for a complete two weeks. She was gonna make this work. Tiana, Mikael or whatever her name is will not take everything away from her. The bells rang and as she walked to class, a name creeped up in her head. The name of the boy that gave Tiana the necklace…

Tyrell.