Two Sides

1

Vivi 

"What is going on?!" My best friend, Clara, exclaimed when the scene on the TV finally switched from the horrifying scene unfolding behind our school to the bald news reporter with a thin mustache. 

No one seemed to have an answer because no one said anything, and our eyes stayed glued to the TV. 

I looked over at Mila, who was hugging her knees on the floor, her green eyes wide with... fear? I think it's fear. Maybe we were scared there actually was a murderer in town, and that they're on strike. I let out a shaky breath, still eyeing Mila. At least she wasn't crying. She tends to get emotional.

Too soon, I thought, because as soon I moved my eyes away from Mila to Quinn, Mila let out a choked sob and had her face buried in her hands before I knew it. It didn't take long before Clara was crying, too. 

Quinn looked like she wanted to barf. Although I've only known her for a month, I knew she wasn't the type to cry easily. 

Quinn spoke up first. "Bianca was the first person to welcome me to R. Her sister was probably nice too." 

I mentally facepalmed. Leave it up to Quinn to make an unintended compliment to Bianca instead of saying something in condolence to Bonnie. She never knew the right thing to say; something I had first noticed when she tried to comfort me two weeks ago, after my cat had gone missing. 

She looked away from the tv and started to bite her nails. I didn't know she was a nail-biter- it was probably a nervous habit or something. For me, it was just a bad habit. I would love to have long, normal nails like everyone else, but I never even notice I'm biting them until my nails are non-existent. 

We sat in silence for a few more minutes until my twin brother, Vincent, burst open my bedroom door. 

"Vinny." I muttered, my irritation evident in my voice.  This was the third time he's barged into my room unannounced today. He could try and not be annoying while my friends were here, but apparently that was too much to ask. He stood in the doorway, looking between my friends and their tear-stricken faces. 

"I heard crying." He said, frowning at Clara and Mila. His finally looked towards Quinn, and I could almost see the hearts in his eyes. 

Barf. No matter how hard he tried, he couldn't hide his growing crush on her, and it was absolutely nauseating to witness. 

"We were watching the news." Mila said, looking back at the TV. 

Vinny managed to tear his eyes away from Quinn to take a look at the screen. He read the headline and sighed. 

"Oh, yeah. Luke told me about that. He says his Mom was at the school when they found her. Printing papers or something. Did any of you know her?" He asked, looking only at Quinn. It was clear her only wanted to talk to her, but was trying (and failing) to not make it obvious. "I mean, besides her being Bianca's sister."

Clara wiped her tears, her eyes trained on Bonnie Clyde's picture on the TV. The photo changed from her school portrait to a photo of her and her sister smiling towards the camera on a moving speedboat. They're both wearing blue lifejackets on top of their swimsuits. They're identical, right down to the dimples on their cheeks. The only way I could tell them apart was the difference in their red-brown hair's length. 

"She's in drama club with me." Mila said. 

"Was." Vinny corrected, and Mila's tears came rushing back. 

I jumped off my bed and shut the door in his face. I pushed the lock on the doorknob despite it being completely useless. If only this stupid lock would work. 

"I'm gonna go wash my face." Clara stood abruptly from her spot on the carpet. "Mila? You should come too."

They left my room and entered the bathroom across the hall. I picked up the remote and turned off the TV. 

"Do you think she was killed?" Quinn asked. She was still focused on biting her nails. "Like Mr. Hart?" 

"Maybe." I shrugged. I could tell Quinn was thinking the same thing as me, so I said it. "Maybe she killed herself."

I rarely ever saw Bonnie around school since I didn't share many classes with her, but she always seemed so... alone. I didn't know anyone who was her friend, or if she she even had any friends. Her uniform was always disheveled, with undone buttons or a missing tie. I used to think that she just didn't care so much about how people saw her, unlike her sister, but as we grew up, she started talking less and I started seeing her less. She was always in her sisters shadow until she wasn't there at all. At one point there was a rumor spreading that she actually had depression and was on medication for it. It wasn't hard to believe. 

I think I had seen Bonnie more in the past few weeks than I'd seen her in the past year. She had been following her sister around again, like she used to in middle school. I couldn't help but shake the feeling that it was her last attempt at a better, happier life. I guess it didn't work out. 

Quinn stood up and started gathering her stuff from the corner where we stacked our backpacks and other junk in. She's leaving early, I guess. 

So much for studying. 

"I'm gonna go see if Dad has any inside scoops. Even though he probably won't tell me, it won't hurt to try." Quinn said, pulling on her bright yellow jacket. It would of been hideous on anyone else, but somehow, yellow was her color. She knew it too, most of her wardrobe was yellow. 

I nod, solemnly. Quinn's dad is a cop, and he's how we first found out the details to how Joshua Hart died earlier than everyone else. He talks a bit too loud for work that's supposed to be top secret. 

"See you tomorrow." she called, as she headed out the door. 

Mila and Clara got out of the bathroom, and started to follow Quinn downstairs, so I got up too. My brother was in the living room, with a bag of chips and a remote in his hands. 

"Don't go through the woods." He looked over at Quinn, his usually smug features softened. "I mean, it's pretty much haunted at this point, right?" 

I barked a laugh, and jumped onto the couch next to him, snatching the remote from his hands. he doesn't fight back for it, which is the effect of Quinn within 10 feet from him. 

"I'd miss all the action if I didn't. I wanna go see some stuff for myself." Quinn's smile dims a little. "Plus, my dad's gonna be there, anyway." 

She closed the door shut behind her after waving, and Vinny looked like he wanted to run after her. With his shorts. In the cold. 

Mila sighed, and then turned back to the stairs. "I think I'm gonna go too. I have work later and I need some sleep." 

Clara followed. "There goes my ride." 

I turned towards my brother, watching his eyes trained on the soccer game I haven't changed yet. Even though he's annoying most of the time, I couldn't imagine life without him. He was a part of me, and if anything were to happen to him, I don't know what I would do. I used to wish he was a girl when I was younger. I used to wish we were identical. I don't know if that would make losing him harder or not, but just thinking about how Bianca must feel made me sick. 

"What?" Vinny snapped. I hadn't realized I was still staring at him. 

I rolled my eyes. "Nothing."