One of the Boys

Chapter 3: Strangers Again

Soren:

I am an identical twin. I shared the same embryo as my twin, share the same voice as my twin, the same auburn hair and brown eyes, the same height,  and the same clothing sizes. The only thing different between Devin and I was our personality, and even that was very similar. But as much as Devin and I seemed so much alike as a whole, it was the tiny differences that people barely noticed about us, like the way we parted our hair, or the fact that I was left-handed while Devin was right-handed. No one really seemed to care, only thinking about us as the same, as if both of us together made one person.

We used this to our advantage. 

"Which one of you Castrano twins stole my baseball glove?" Landon stormed into our bedroom. He always stormed into our shared room. There was no such thing as privacy with Landon, especially since we grew up at one another's homes. It was a hot summer day, the summer before sixth grade and the summer before Landon's eighth grade of middle school. He had a girlfriend, in fact he had several girlfriends and was often busy going on "dates" instead of keeping his promises. 

"I don't know what you mean," Devin's eyes became wide and feigned ignorance. "Do you know what he means?" my twin asked me.

"I don't," I shook my head thoroughly. "First time I heard about it. Are you sure you didn't leave it in the yard or at Kei's house?"

"Listen brats," Landon snarled. He looked like a shark with his head shaven down and his teeth bared at us. "You know I never misplace my glove. I never forget where I last leave it, which is either in my room, sports bag or on my hand." 

"Weird," I tilted my head. "You forgot about taking us to the park to play catch the other day," I casually mentioned.

"And about paying us back the money you owe," Devin added. Landon groaned and palmed his forehead in irritation. 

He sighed. "I had to do important things"

"Like making out with Tammy Pine?" I slyly brought up. Tammy was not one of Landon's girlfriends but instead a girl a year older who was currently dating a very intimidating guy. 

"How did you-" Landon's eyes widened with shock. But the surprise quickly subsided as he ran his hand over his face. We knew practically everything. Nothing slipped passed either of us. "Look I get it. I'm sorry. Please don't tell anyone else and please give me back my glove," he pleaded with us.

"Devin has it," Devin shouted and ran out of our room and down the stairs. Landon who couldn't tell us apart started to slowly approach me, his eyes menacing and dangerous. "Devin," he said to me. "Give it back and I may or may not sludge you with a bat." I smiled, despite knowing Landon's threat was legitimate. Devin and I had a plan. 

"Soren," a breathless girl wearing a stained and ripped baseball cap that covered her eyes came sprinting into the room. Her sneakers were covered in dirt and her knee caps in grass stains. "Devin ran by saying you were in trouble!" Knowing Lucie, she probably dropped everything and sprinted over from wherever she was. 

"I'm not in trouble," I shrugged and stood up. "Devin is the one who stole Landon's glove," I announced. Landon, realizing that I was Soren, ran out of the room and flew down the flight of stairs in search for my twin. Lucie crossed her arms and raised her eyebrows.

"Where's the baseball glove, Soren?" She asked with a smug grin. 

"Third drawer to the left," I nodded in the direction of the clothes dresser. To this Lucie burst into laughter.  

Devin and I were always causing troubles whether it was with a teacher, family member, or one of the McCallister Boys. Lucie was the only one who could see through our antics.

She was the only one who could tell us apart. 

~~~~~

"Devin can you get some change from the back?" Landon looked back at me from the driver seat. 

"I'm Soren," I replied. Devin and I may have known Landon for most of our lives, but he still mixed us up, constantly.

"Who cares," he rolled his eyes and beckoned for the four quarters hidden in the pockets of the car seat. He stopped at the tollbooth and paid the fee. Kei was drumming his fingers against the dashboard nervously. 

Even Kei, who was more cautious than Landon, often mistook our identity. No one ever did it intentionally, we knew that, but deep down we wished someone would be able to decipher us and our identity as two separate people. No one, not even our own parents could tell us apart without hesitating, except for one person. That person was Lucie.

"You still think she'll be able to tell who's who?" I asked Devin when Landon and Kei were busy arguing about which exit to take into the airport terminals. My twin gave me a hopeful expression, much like the expression I shared on my face. 

"Then we'd know she was still our old Lucie," He added. We headed towards the exit where passengers got off their flights and baggage claim. Because Lucie's parents wouldn't be able to make it on time to pick her up, us McCallister Boys had offered to pick her up for them.  

~~~~~

"She should be here," Landon tapped his toe on the white linoleum tiles, still holding his nearly empty beer can. The airport was crowded and bustling with families and friends waiting for their loved ones to arrive.  "Weren't we on time?" He asked Kei.

Kei, however, was silent, only focusing on the automatic doors that slid open and shut in response to the motion sensors. Normally he'd reply with a slight groan and shake of his head and remind Landon that we were actually really late. 

Devin and I were too busy placing bets. 

"Five bucks it's that girl over there," Devin pointed to a girl who had dyed her hair a bright pink and blue with several piercings in her lips, ears, nose, and eyebrows. I shivered as we stared down the lanky girl dressed in black. 

"Not her," I cracked a smile, but mostly out of relief as she walked passed us, without even glancing. "What about that girl?" I joked, pointing to an obese middle-aged woman carrying two 24 oz coke bottles and lugging a tiny suitcase.

Devin whistled and Kei shot him a glare. He was too serious sometimes. 

"It could be one of those girls," My twin suggested a better looking group of girls with hair ranging from black, red,  and blond. I concentrated on their faces, but none of them seemed to look like Lucie. 

"It could be-" I started to say, but before I could finish I heard someone call my name from behind. 

"Soren!" It was a voice I definitely remembered, strong, clear, and full of confidence, this voice belonged to Lucie. Both Devin and I spun around, nearly colliding into one another. A girl, about 5'7, who was five inches shorter than us approached us with an eager bounce to her step. The girl's dirty blond hair, which seemed closer to brown then blond, was tied in a high messy bun. She wore a pair of navy blue shorts, a gray sweatshirt that had the Manchester soccer team crest on it, and a pair of worn black converse. Aside from her clothes, her green eyes were clear, her lips were moist and shimmering with lip gloss, and she wore a wide smile. 

"That can't be..." Devin started, but as she waved at us and only us his disbelief was proven wrong. 

"Oh my god," I muttered. I barely recognized her. While her voice and smile was the same, the rest of her appearance seemed changed. She was almost like a stranger. 

"What?" Both Kei and Landon turned around to see where we were looking. 

"Lucie," Devin started, unable to fully form a sentence. I completed his exact thoughts. 

"Is hot."