Pieces [Wattpad's Editor's Choice]

8: RaCiNg PuLsE

"Wow, something freaky happened last night and I wanna hear all about it."

The voice was followed with a loud smack! And I jolted upright. My mass of curls piled around my head, more knotted than last night. I rubbed one eye, but the room was too bright, so I plopped back onto my back until my body was ready.

The night before came in flashes: a frat house, scattered papers in Professor Howard's room, flasks and chemicals spilling in the Wacky Lab, lights, sparks, fire, a strange man with a beautiful face who made my insides melt...Isaac Marks' dorm...his bed...him elbowing me at least 435 times. (Guestimate: maybe it was only once.)

I snapped my eyes open again. What?

I pushed myself upright again. It was daylight. The room carried a faint yellow glow and everything sharpened like a camera coming into focus. I surveyed the room carefully: there was the pile of dirty clothes in the corner, an open closet door across from us, a blue quilt draped over me, Isaac lying next to me on his stomach, his arms under the pillow, his eyes still closed and his face turned towards me...

Was last night real? This part, maybe. But what about the rest? The basement? My Lover?

Before I could glance over, another loud smack! arrested my attention and I flinched. Someone whacked Isaac's back with a shirt for the second time and shouted, "Bro! Get the fuck up! It's almost one."

I knew that voice. I knew it all too well. My insides twisted in knots and I didn't want to see who the voice belonged to. I already knew. I didn't need to check. But still, I felt the bed for my glasses. Once I found them next to my pillow, I brought them to my face and turned towards the voice finally, tracing it back to-

Holy...freaking...Mary Mother of God...

My mouth fell open as the twerp locked eyes with me. His smirk dissolved into a frown instantly. He froze. I froze. My face heated. And my first instinct was to pull the blankets over me even though Isaac was the one without a shirt.

"Frannie, what the hell are you doing here?"

"Me? What are you doing here? You're supposed to be at the Valentine's party!" My voice came out muffled.

"I was, but it's fucking one p-m. I live here."

From under the quilts, I nudged Isaac's shoulder. He was a heavy sleeper. I shook him harder, and harder, and finally I screamed, "Wake up!" and shoved him off the bed.

I heard a thud and pulled the blankets down to look. He jolted awake, arms flying, and his head whipped back and forth as he tried to shake off his sleep. "What? Huh? What's going on?"

"Bro, what the hell are you doing in bed with my sister?" Phillip nudged Isaac's leg with his shoe and looked down at him.

"Why didn't you tell me Phillip was your roommate!?" I shouted over the bed.

Isaac looked up at both of us, an eyebrow furrowing. He propped an elbow on his knee. "Wait, you two are related?"

No one spoke. But we didn't need to-Isaac's eyes roamed between us as he took in our similarities.

Aside from our personalities, Phillip and I were carbon-copies of each other. We both had curly brown hair that never cooperated no matter how many times we brushed it, except Phillip liked tying his back into a small man-bun and I left mine a disastrous mess. We had the same olive-green eyes that had a yellowish tint in the sunlight, which sometimes made our eyes look like the inside of a lime. Phillip had one ear pierced and sometimes wore dangling earrings, whereas I had several piercings in my ears-helix, industrial, tragus, and three lobe piercings. Phillip was a good foot taller than me, but we both had the same pale complexion.