Two Birds [Twin Sized Mattress Prequel]

[Chapter 16] Surround Sound

Finally, the Climax (tm)!

This is the twins' birthday from Jerome's POV

Walking up the seemingly endless driveway of the Kuznetsov family home, the pit in Jerome's stomach only grew with time. His palms were sweating profusely and his knees were wobbling with every step.

"Uh, Jay? I know we make a lot of jokes about you being an alcoholic," Buggs looked down at his friend's sweating and shaking form. "But are you ok?"

"Yeah!" Jerome said with a trembling voice. "Why wouldn't I be?" He tried to soothe Buggs' concern with a joking tone and a wave of his hand.

"You look like a scared chihuahua," Monty spoke up from behind them, trailing behind them on purpose as he dragged his feet on the asphalt.

Jerome looked behind him to glare at his best friend. He opened his mouth to say something but Buggs cut him off. "He has reason to be nervous, after what he did to Diana." Buggs shrugged and kept walking.

"Gee thanks, you guys are a wonderful support system." Jerome rolled his eyes and balled his fists. Buggs shrugged and kept walking.

The four of them walked up to the front step and rang the doorbell. The twin's mother answered and took them to the back where the party was taking place. The shorter woman slid the back door revealing a loud bustling party with almost all of their graduating class. The twin's mother gave the teens a polite smile before shutting the door behind her and returning to the large mansion.

While the other three stood stunned by the door, Jerome scanned the crowd like a man on a mission. Diana's height prevented her from sticking out in a crowd, the size of the yard didn't help either. Taking the first steps away from the porch he felt a hard yank on his shirt sleeve. Tripping slightly, he turned to face Cindy with a hard expression on her face.

"What?" He asked impatiently.

"You aren't actually gonna talk to her, right?" Cindy had a furrow in her brow with her head cocked to the side.

"Of course I am." He pulled his arm away and glared at the girl behind him. "Why shouldn't I?" The question was rhetorical. Jerome knew all the reasons he shouldn't talk to Diana, he had been going over them again and again in his head last night while he tossed and turned in his bed.

"I mean, you guys left off on a bed note last month, maybe give her time-" He spotted Diana in the distance. She was sitting on a bench talking to one of the other members of the gardening club. Her hands moved fast with excitement while Emmy watched, enraptured by whatever Diana was talking about. Jerome pushed Cindy to the side, way harder than necessary, and strode over to her in reinstated confidence.

Emmy looked up from Diana and gestured with her hands for the smaller girl to be behind her. When she did turn her eyes went wide, her skin paled, and her jaw dropped. To anyone observing this scene, they would think Diana saw a ghost.

"H-hey, D..." He waves awkwardly. Suddenly his body feels too tall, too heavy, his hand feels as though it weighs a thousand pounds as he drops it back down to his side.

Diana says (nor signs) nothing, just stares at his face with an undiscernible look on her face. Not quite fear, but not quite anger. The girl sitting next to Diana looked back and forth between the two of them with her eyes frantically, as though she was trying to telepathically decipher the tension between them. "Um, Diana," she tapped the girl on the shoulder, seemingly knocking her out of her trance. "I'm gonna go. I'll see you later." She shot Jerome an apologetic look before scurrying away. Leaving the two of them alone.