Love You Forever Baby Girl

twin trouble

Life in the Castellan household is never boring, that's for sure. As I sit in the living room, watching my twins, Victor and Sabrina, bicker back and forth like two cats in a bag, I swear I can feel my sanity slowly slipping away. It's the afternoon, and the typical post-school chaos has commenced, transforming my once peaceful living room into a war zone of slamming doors, raised voices, and the faint crackle of electricity in the air.

"Victor! Stop acting like such a jerk!" Sabrina screeches, her usually bright voice cracking with frustration.

I glance over at Luke, who's sitting on the arm of the couch, attempting to appear composed as he flips through a stack of paperwork for work. He looks up over his glasses, raising an eyebrow. "Really, you two? Do we have to go down this road again?"

Victor stands with his arms crossed, a smirk plastered across his face. "It's not my fault Sabrina can't take a joke. Maybe if she didn't take everything so seriously, she wouldn't be such a—"

"Such a what, Victor?" Sabrina challenges, hands on her hips, glaring at her brother.

"A fucking bitch!" Victor shouts, clearly enjoying the fiery look in Sabrina's eyes.

The irritation wells up within me like a kettle about to boil. "Victor!" I call, my voice firm. "Watch your language. We do not use that kind of vocabulary in this house."

He rolls his eyes dramatically, a habit he inherited from me. "Oh, come on, Mom. She's acting like a drama queen. I'm just saying what everyone else is thinking!"

"Yeah, because everyone else is a jerk too!" Sabrina shoots back, her cheeks flushed in anger. "You're so full of yourself!"

"Hey, enough!" Luke interjects, his voice low but commanding. He's the calm one. Always has been. "Don't make this worse, both of you. We're not about to have another episode like last week."

"Victor started it!" Sabrina accuses, pointing an accusing finger at her twin.

"Listen, Sabrina, you're just mad because he's right!" Victor quips, his face lighting up with mischief. He continues, "I mean, seriously, who cares if I called you a bitch? You're acting like one!"

I can feel my patience thin. "Vict—"

"You know what, Mom? Maybe you should let Sabrina handle her own problems. Isn't that what you always say — to stand up for yourself?"

"That's not the point!" I reply, feeling a throbbing headache developing. "The point is how you're going about it. You don't have to be so rude."

Victor leans back against the wall, adopting a nonchalant pose. "Rude? I'm just using facts. Facts are important, right?"

"Not when they come with swearing!" I exclaim, my voice rising slightly as I struggle to maintain my composure. "This is not a battlefield, and I refuse to let you turn it into one!"

Sabrina pouts, crossing her arms, and despite my annoyance, I can't help but notice how much she looks like me when she's angry. "I'm not taking it anymore, okay? I'm tired of him always picking on me."

Luke, sensing the tension, stretches his arms and shrugs. "Alright, can we just take a breath for a second? We're family. We shouldn't be fighting like this. But, Victor," he continues, "do you really think using language like that is okay? You're fourteen now. You need to be better than this."

His gaze is steady, and I can see the acknowledgment on Victor's face. But before he can respond, Sabrina chimes in. "Maybe if you didn't provoke him, he wouldn't say those things!"

Victor shoots Sabrina a look. "Oh, please, you thrive on my provocation. Admit it!"

"That's not the point!" she retorts, her voice rising to a screech again.

"Actually, it kind of is," Vic replies, grinning, knowing he's pushed her further.

"Victor, shut up!" I plead, fighting the growing urge to just bury my face in my hands. "Do we need to have a family meeting about respect and boundaries again? Because I'm honestly considering it!"

Luke chuckles softly, and Sabrina huffs as she sits down dramatically on the couch. "Whatever, I'm done."

Victor grins wider, seeing Sabrina return to her sulky self. "See? I won! You're too easy to upset. It's like playing a video game on easy mode."

Sabrina shoots him a venomous glare that could pierce steel. "I'll show you easy mode when I beat you at the next competition. Just wait."

"It's not even a competition if I already know I'm going to win." Victor leans back further, casually tossing a pillow in the air and catching it. "You should just give up."

At that moment, I can no longer contain it. "Okay, that's enough, both of you! If you're going to keep fighting, I'm going to take away your video games for the next month. You need to learn how to communicate without resorting to name-calling and swearing."

Victor's jaw drops. "Mom, that's not fair! I'm just—"

"Did you just 'Mom' me?" I narrow my eyes. I've mastered that look, and he knows it.

Sabrina giggles softly, giving him a smirk. "Yeah, you heard her. No video games for a month!"

Victor pretends to sulk, though I can see a smirk at the edges of his mouth. "Fine! This is so unfair. You know what's really unfair? Having to deal with her all the time."

Sabrina throws a pillow right at him. "At least I'm not a total loser!"

"Okay, first of all," Luke starts, stepping in before this escalates more, "that kind of language is unacceptable. And second, Sabrina, you need to respect your brother, even if he's being irritating."

"Respect is earned, not given!" Sabrina shoots back, flipping her hair dramatically.

I sigh heavily, running a hand through my hair. "Can we all just take a moment to breathe? Seriously? I don't want to listen to you two tearing each other apart."

"Mom!" Victor complains. "Sabrina is literally trying to ruin my life!"

"And you're trying to make mine worse!" she retorts. "Don't act like you're the victim here!"

Luke stands up, crossing over to the kids with his hands on his hips. "How about we focus on finding a solution instead of pointing fingers? Why don't we sit down together and figure out what's really bothering you two?"

For a moment, there is silence. Victor looks to Sabrina, and she tilts her head, contemplating. "Fine. Let's just talk."

"I can live with that," Luke replies, softening his tone, reclaiming his 'dad voice.' "Let's sit down at the table. I'll grab some snacks while you two cool down."

As the twins reluctantly agree, I plop down on the couch, a small smile creeping onto my face. Maybe this once, we'll find a way to talk things out like the family we are. After all, this is just a regular day in our chaotic, loving home, and I wouldn't trade it for anything in the world.