The Difference Between You and Me

Chapter 22

It's been almost two years since Ammie moved to this town. At first everything was a nightmare; new town, new home, new high school, new environment, new people, it was just very annoying for Ammie. But reluctantly, she adjusted and here she is now with a best friend and a potential love interest. Josh and Ammie had been hanging out a lot since they agreed to be friends. He occasionally walks her home and doesn't at all tries to pry in her personal life. Ammie smiled at the thought of Josh as she stared up at the ceiling of her bedroom. He was a really cool guy who maintained his bad boy persona but was very real and deep. Oh how things have changed, not too long ago the sight of Josh would ruin her mood for the rest of the day or was she just fooling herself all along and had been blinded by the cloud of hurt and pain from her past that hovered over her life? Ammie's cell phone buzzed with a notification disrupting the still silence. She reached over the bedside table and slid her phone open to see a message from Jade. Opening the message, Ammie began to get out of bed but suddenly froze as her feet was about to touch the carpeted floor.

"Happy Birthday," she repeated to herself as she read Jade's message. Confused, Ammie jumped off the bed and checked the calendar that hanged on the back of her bedroom door. But before she had time to process the information and react, the door burst open and in came Jade and Josh smiling and holding a huge rectangular-shaped cake covered in colourful frosting, along with her mother and brothers all wearing a worried look except for Jackson who was beaming with excitement.

"Happy Birthday to you,"

"Happy Birthday to..."

"Stop!" Ammie yelled cutting Josh and Jade's singing

"What is all this?" she asked her question directed to Katy

"I tried to stop them," Katy answered sympathetically

"What happened? What's wrong Ammie?" Josh asked confused. Before anyone could see her cry Ammie ran out the room and out the house, not caring that she was still wearing her pyjamas which consisted of a shorts and oversized t-shirt., as well as her hair looked like a bird's nest not to mention she was barefooted. Ammie jogged down the road and went to the nearby park. She sat on one of the benches as she tried to fathom her racing thoughts into constellations ignoring the weird stares people were given her for looking like a hobo.

Back at the house, Josh and Jade looked at each other, both beyond confused, "can someone tell me what is happening?" Josh asked in frustration

"Let's go downstairs," Katy spoke up, "Calvin, take the cake and put it in the refrigerator. Everyone followed Ms. Reid downstairs and into the living room. they all sat and stared at Ammie's mother patiently with the exception of Tristan who went after the cake.

"Ammie has a twin sister she began," she began, "her name is Annie. When Annie, their father and family came to Washington both girls were only twelve years old and it was the first time they were seeing each other since their father basically tricked me and kidnapped Annie at three years old in the middle of DC with his wife. But I didn't press charges, applied for custody or anything of the sort because I would be deemed unfit to take care of both girls as a single, unemployed mother and he was the one I had to rely on for financial support, at least until they took Annie and left the country. When I told Ammie she had a twin sister for the first time, she was so excited, she would celebrate all her birthdays as if they were for two people and she would keep asking me where her other half was. But I would lie to her every time.

Their dad and his wife agreed to let Annie spend a week at our house and both girls were beyond ecstatic. They spent every waking minute with each other during that week. I too was so happy to have both my girls together and in my presence. When the week was over Ammie and Annie cried that day, because they had to leave each other. Annie made a promise to Ammie that she would call her, and Annie had her own cell phone but Ammie didn't nor did she have a computer so she would use the house phone when necessary. After Annie left to go back to London, Ammie would come from school, and the first thing she did was check the answering machine to see if Annie had left any messages or tried calling. But day after day, she was disappointed. And steadily Ammie became a cold soul, she ceased to celebrate her birthdays and when the day came around it was like a normal day for Ammie, she even forgot sometimes and though it bothered us we just let her live you know. We tried our best not to mention it, celebrating the day among ourselves and being careful not to upset her because we understood her pain".

"How come she never said anything to any of us?" Jade asked

Katy laughed but her laugh lacked amusement, "you know how Ammie is, I'm sure. Always so exclusive, closed off and secretive. Even with her own family, Annie only made her worse,"

Until this moment Josh hadn't said a word, he seemed to be deep in thought about what Katy had just told them.

"...Josh, Josh" he heard Jade calling his name and he just got up and stormed out the house ignoring Jade's calls after him.