Then, before I could even wrap my head around that, she asked me to join her and Easton on this road trip they were taking to meet his parents.
So that—her words, not mine—she could introduce me to his family as the sister she’s been secretly proud of.
As Easton’s Rover guzzles gas, happiness flutters in my chest. For once, she’s letting me in.
Our parents are happy about it too, for their own reasons. They’re relieved I won’t be left alone in the city while they’re halfway across the world, volunteering in Africa. Especially now that Alexandra—my best and really my only friend—took off on a year-long trip to the Amazon.
Yes, this trip is going to be amazing. It already is.
Just like Bronwyn suggested, I put the past behind us. Forgot about all the times she got her debate club friends to laugh at me, to call me Skylar the Mouse, so we could start fresh.
Not like she was wrong to call me that. I’m shorter and far less striking than my twin. Her chestnut hair has always been wavy with a glossy shine. Her jade-green eyes have a feline quality, especially when she wears eyeliner.
I can’t compare to her. I’m five-foot-two, of average build, with my blonde hair usually in a messy bun or just plain messy, and eyes that are an unremarkable shade of green.
But even if she’s right, it still hurts.
Although…I can’t really blame her. Our parents, good and kind as they are, were the reason Bronwyn and I drifted apart.
They’ve always dreamed that both their daughters would become doctors. That’s why, when my sister announced at tenyears old that she’d never be one, they made sure she knew they were disappointed in her and praised me every chance they got.
In turn, Bronwyn made sure I knew she hated me.
My heart crumples at the memories of our family dynamics before I shake them off.
We’re here now, together.
To new beginnings.
I focus on thatandon how sweet she was to agree to a pit stop along the way just because I asked her, without a fight.
My excitement about the leather museum we’re going to visit can hardly be contained. She’ll love it too, I’m sure she will.
I already do.
For as long as I can remember, school, medicine, science, and the world itself have fascinated me. So naturally, I had to look up what we could do on our road trip other than driving across the US and meeting Easton’s parents.
That’s how I stumbled upon this attraction a few miles ahead, in a little town called Colbert.
The pump coughs before the nozzle jerks free of the tank, making me jump.
“Hey, Bronwyn, you here?” I glance around for my twin. “Easton?”
Nothing.
They’re not by the stucco wall of the old bathroom. Not under the decaying sign that reads GAS HERE. The only person in sight is the older man slumped in a rusty lawn chair, who’s snoring while a few missing person posters peel sadly from the wall behind him.
A shiver crawls up my spine. For no reason, really.
People get lost all the time.
Not Bronwyn. Not Easton. They’re here. They have to be. I just can’t see them.
They’re probably making out somewhere, maybe even in the store, like they do around campus.
It’s such a relief knowing she has someone who loves her the way he does.
I’m not jealous of either of them.
