Chapter 1:
"JUST A SMALL TOWN GIRL!" "LIVING IN A LONELY WORLD!" "SHE TOOK A MIDNIGHT TRAIN GOING ANYWHERE!!" I collapsed in laughter. Sara punched me in the arm. "You're crazy, ya know." "Of course I know! But, we are twins after all." "Does that make me crazy too?" She looked concerned. "BONKERS!" I cried out. "JUST A CITY BOY!" I hollered out, and she tackled me on the floor. I heard my phone ringing in the distance. "COMING!" I yelled. I don't know why, they couldn't hear me. I pulled myself up off the floor. Or I tried to at least. Sara had a hold of my ankle. Oh, it was on. I flipped over and gave my ankle a quick jerk. It came free and I popped up off the floor. "Gotta do better than that if you wanna take me down," I called over my shoulder as I walked away. Now, to find my phone. "Hey, Sara?!" I called out. "Yeah?" she yelled back. "Call my phone! I think it's under all of Cody's crap!" I heard the phone ringing again. I saw a pair of his boxer's light up. "I found it!" I hollered. I grabbed my phone and went back to our room. "When is that mess of a boy leaving?" I huffed. I was kidding of course. I adore all my siblings. But that boy's crap was everywhere. "Well, he and Amy are leaving on their honeymoon in a week!" Sara replied. "Are you serious?! They finally got a date for it??" My brother Cody has been married to Amy for about 4 months now, and they are just now finding the time to go on a honeymoon. "I just got the text confirming it from Amy!" she told me. "YES! Cody is supposed to be moving out after that. Hopefully." I replied. "Yeah, then we can actually walk through the living room." She giggled and rolled over on to her back. My sister Sara was one of my best friends. We looked identical, in every way except for two: she was 2 inches taller than me (which she likes to use to her advantage) and she wore her red hair in a pixie cut. It suit her personality well. Our personalities were anything but identical. At school, Sara is very quiet and reserved. She doesn't have a lot of friends, but those she has love her to death. She's a very artsy person. She draws the most beautiful pictures I've ever seen. And she paints. Despite the fact that we look identical, most people don't know that I have a twin. Well, I'm actually triplet, but most people know about Josh. But they always overlook Sara. I, however, am quite the opposite. I'm friends with practically everyone, except for the shady people. I'm close to a lot of people, and we all love each other a ton. I live for band and sports. I guess you could say that I'm popular, but I don't act like it. I'm not one of those bitch girls. I'm a very bubbly and outgoing person. I talk to everyone. And I couldn't draw a stick person to save my life. I can draw some cartoons, but I've got to have something to go by. At home, Sara talks a lot more. I guess she just feels comfortable around her family. As she should. Something we do have in common is a love for learning. We both do extremely well in school, and actually enjoy it (for the most part). We also both read. A lot. We share books all the time. It brings us closer. Sara's giggle pulled me back out of my thoughts. "What?" I asked, stretching out across her bed next to her. She just shook her head and smiled at her phone some more. "Oh. I get it. This is about Spencer, isn't it?" I said knowingly. "How did you know?" She was actually surprised. "Sister, dear, you are utterly transparent." I smiled and kissed her the forehead. I could hear some of the younger kids getting up. "I guess I'd better go feed the munchkins." I sighed, jokingly. "Hey, somebody's gotta do it," Sara replied. I grabbed my phone and jogged down the stairs. I now remembered that I had a missed call from earlier. I checked my phone to see who it was from. It was from Liam. And there was a voicemail. I pressed play and his voice came through the other end. "Hey, Alex! Just wanted to know if you wanted to come on a hike today with me and some friends. Text me if you want to later, I'm sure your phone is buried underneath Cody's crap. Hahahaha. Bye!" I smiled to myself. A hike out with a close friend would be a great way to spend the day. And he's bringing friends. He knows how much I love to meet new people. Call me a socialite if you will, but I've got more friends than anyone I know. Wait. Liam's friends are probably guys. Possibly attractive? I better call in back up. It's best not to be trapped in a sea of testosterone in the middle of a forest. I dialed the number, and she picked up on the second ring. "Hello?" "Hey, Haley! How's about a hike today? I think you'll enjoy it." "Sure thing! I'll be at your house in 10!" I hung up, and smiled. Spending the day with Liam and Haley, one of my best friends, on a hike was just what I needed. Today was going to be glorious, and nothing could stand in my way.
