Two of a Kind | Grethan

I

Beep!

Beep!

Beep!

The sound of Ethan's alarm blared all throughout his echoey room. His eyes fluttered open to the sun shining through his blinds, making him squint. He groaned angrily and shielded his tired eyes from the blinding light, and then turned to his bedside table to turn off the ear-raping alarm

"I hate mornings." His groggy and deep morning voice rumbled throughout the bedroom. It was the first day of summer, but he had forgotten to turn his alarm off for school. He was about to crawl back into bed before he heard the high-pitched beeping noises coming from outside.

Curious, he looked outside, covering the sun with his hand again. A moving truck was pulling into the driveway of the house across the street.

"Great, new people." He huffed and jumped back in bed, pretending that there was nothing to be seen or heard, and fell back to sleep almost in an instant.

He was awakened a second time to the doorbell ringing. He thought that his parents were home to answer it, so he left them to it. But then it rang again. And again.

He growled and jumped out of bed, throwing on a pair of dirty grey sweatpants that were laying on the floor, and walked out of his room grumpily to the front door, unlocking it and slowly opening it.

"Oh, hello! I'm-" a male voice stopped mid sentence.

A handsome young man stood before Ethan, caramel dipped chocolate brown hair that laid on the right side of his forehead, slightly shielding the eye under it. He had a hoop earring in one ear and a dangling silver wing earring in the other. A form fitting light grey t-shirt that showed off his large build laid on his torso with black adidas joggers and black high top vans.

When Ethan's eyes met with his perpetually large visitor, it felt like he was looking in a mirror.

This guy looks just like me! Well, his face, anyway...

Ethan thought as he stared blankly into the pretty boy's eyes.

"Woah." The boy gasped with an awkward chuckle. His voice was similar to that of Ethan's as well, slightly deeper in pitch. The only differences between the boy's faces were that the stranger had a freckle on his chin as opposed to the freckle on Ethan's cheek, and his smile was different. He scanned Ethan up and down with a look of pure shock.

He rubbed the back of his pale neck and then held his hand out. "My name's Grayson O'Brien, I just moved in across the street."

"Ethan Dolan." Ethan spoke lowly as he denied his handshake. "You woke me up."

"Oh crap, I woke you up? I'm sorry. It's just that I kinda threw my football in your backyard and I took it as an opportunity to meet you." Grayson said. His attitude was awfully cheerful, and he smiled a lot when he spoke. It was really weird because it was like he was the complete opposite of Ethan, but had the same exact face. Ethan found it rather fascinating.

"I can get it if you want, I don't want to be any more of a bother than I already have been." Grayson said, scanning him again.

"No, I'll get it." Ethan replied hastily and ran through the house, opening the back door, and searching for the ball as quickly as possible. Once he located it, he grabbed it and ran back to his new neighbor in the doorframe.

"Thanks! Hey man, maybe after I get settled in, we can hang out and maybe toss the ball around a little." He suggested. When Ethan held his ball out for him to take, Grayson's hand touched his. They both stood there for a few seconds, clueless.

Even his hands are like mine. Is he just like a copy of myself?
Thought Ethan as he felt the tips of his fingers tingle with his doppelgänger's touch.

"I'll pass." Ethan said, clearing his throat. He scratched the back of his neck, hoping his visitor would leave. Grayson gave Ethan a puzzling look, as if to say with his eyes 'this dude is weird'. His eyes were bright and full of curiosity, however.

"Aw, okay. Well I'd better get back now, my mom'll be needing me to help lift the heavy stuff. Nice meeting you." He laughed.

"Bye." Ethan spoke abruptly. Grayson waved and ran back across the street to his home. Ethan closed the door and slammed his back onto it, feeling embarrassed and confused. "Who was that guy?"

For the rest of his first day of summer, all Ethan could think of was that Grayson.

How could it be possible that someone looks so much like me?

Did I have a twin that I got separated from at birth?

Am I adopted?

Is he adopted?

So many questions flowed through his head as he sat by his windowsill in deep thought.

"Ethan!"  He heard his mom's shrill call from downstairs. He sighed and answered to her call by going to the kitchen, where she was.

"What?" He spoke in an annoyed tone as he reached the bottom of the stairs.

"Did you see the new people moving in across the street?" She asked curiously, setting her purse down on the counter.

"Yeah, I met one of them earlier." Ethan admitted.

"What's their name? What're they like? Are they your age?" She asked.

"His name's Grayson, and he's sickeningly cheerful. And I don't know, he seemed to be around seventeen or eighteen." He shrugged.

"Perfect! Now you'll have someone to hang out with during the break." She giggled. "I think I might go and introduce myself later, do you want to come?"

"No thanks."

"Are you sure? You might see your friend again."

"I'm fine, mom." He rolled his eyes in annoyance and went to his room. He threw himself onto his bed dramatically and sighed heavily.

"I don't want to see Grayson again." He spoke to himself. "Not now, not ever."

Meeting someone that looks just like you but is the exact opposite of yourself is too weird and bizarre for me to handle.

Besides, I don't need anyone else in my life.

I'm fine on my own.

Ethan thought to himself as he twiddled his thumbs in wonderment.