Elizabeth

“Thanks for sharing with me.”

“It’s nothing,” I say, shrugging. Quick, look at the floor so they won’t notice you staring at him.

“I can’t believe they have enough money in the budget for new sports equipment but they’re still unable to afford enough textbooks for the whole class.” Dustin sighs and drums his fingers along the side of my desk.  He pulled a chair up to the desk a few minutes ago so he could follow along in the textbook. The teacher drones on about the timeline of ancient civilizations.

“It’s no big deal.” The moment the words escape my lips, I want to kick myself. Why couldn’t I think of something witty or funny to say?! Then again, I think to myself, maybe it’s better this way; at least my lame comments make me sound uninterested.

My conflicting goals with this conversation confuse even me. I want Dustin to think I’m nice or cool or funny or something good so that he’ll be interested in me. But, at the same time, I know it’s better for me never to speak to him again so that my sisters will never have to know how I feel about him.           '

We are allowed to put our textbooks away after what seems like an eternity of averting my eyes and trying to avoid blushing. Finally, Dustin navigates his way back to his own desk, smiling at me and saying, “Thanks again, Elizabeth.”

I sigh. Hearing him call me that brings me back to the real world in which I am one of three and no one knows the difference.

My sisters and I are Ella, Lizzie, and Beth. We are the only ones who call each other that, though. We were born together and we’ve never been apart, so when referring to us, people just call us Elizabeth because they never know who’s who.

On the surface, at least, it is impossible to tell us apart. The curly blond hair and hazel eyes and bright smile are what we’re known for, but in terms of our minds, we couldn’t be more different. Our minds are the only things about us that are completely separate.

Lizzie is the liveliest one of our threesome. I’ve always thought that she was the prettiest of us, but of course there is no way to know, since she has the same face as I do. Perhaps, it’s her bubbly nature that makes her seem so pretty to me.  I’m not going to lie, though. When she is giggling or twirling her hair or bouncing her curls from shoulder to shoulder, it’s always about something that just isn’t right. She can stare at the most morbid picture and think it is hilarious. And, there’s no denying she’s manipulative.  She can flash a smile at anyone – although, it’s generally someone of the male variety – and always get what she wants out of them. That’s the thing about Lizzie: when it comes to other people, she always gets what she wants.

Beth is another story. She is the one who always gets what she wants among the three of us – see the difference? Also, she absolutely breathes logic and strategy.  If there’s anyone who is going to get us out of a bind, it is Beth. Then again, if someone were to get on her bad side – and believe me, there are a lot of them to get on – there’s no one better at plotting revenge.

Then, there I am – Ella. I’m what you could call the Comfortable One, I guess. That isn’t to say I’m some sort of schlub or something – seriously, I care about appearances as much as anyone ought to – but while Lizzie would be happiest prancing about in Daisy Dukes and heels, and Beth prefers skinny jeans and a color-coordinated handbag of some sort, I really wouldn’t mind just coming to school in a tank top and sneakers (not that either of them let me). If that makes me lazy, so be it. I’m also the Musical One; if it weren’t for me, Lizzie and Beth would be totally lost in that department. Not to mention, I can make people laugh more than either of my sisters.