Page 31 of My Turn

I moved to the window and looked out at the football field in the distance, remembering the first time I’d seen him. Me and my friends had been watching the freshmen tryouts, laughing and fawning over the boys like our lives depended on it. I hadn’t been sure if I wanted to date a jock because the movies always made them out to be assholes, but then I’d thought about ones like A Cinderella Story where the quarterback actually turns out to be a sweet guy who adores the female lead. That was something I could get behind.

When he took off his helmet, my worries didn’t matter. He was beautiful and I decided that I’d find a way to get to know him. I wasn’t shy, per se, and I was in that mid-level popularity in school where I could talk to most groups of people and they accepted me.

It was supposed to be my happily ever after. That boy with the dark hair and bright eyes felt dangerous in the most delicious way. When he smiled, the sun shone down on him. I saw the scar on his lip and thought it added something special to his face.

Yeah, that guy had been Jayce. I didn’t know he was a twin at the time, so when I saw Jake in the hallway one day, I struck up conversation. We hit it off immediately and it wasn’t until he brought me home to meet his family that I realized my mistake. Jayce came down the stairs and I’d seen that scar. My mouth dropped open when I saw that they looked exactly the same aside from that.

It didn’t really matter, of course. I’d seen him first, but I fell in love with Jake. He was the one who took me out to ice creamand a movie. He met me in the park when I snuck out of my room to avoid my parents yelling, which was often. Eventually, it became me, Jake, and Jayce. We were a trio that was inseparable all through high school. When we got to college, it was more like me and Jake, and me and Jayce. They were still close, but our relationships evolved in different directions.

Me, Jake, and Jayce. Those were three things that would never be together again. And that was depressing as hell.

A soft knock made me turn around. Mike stood in the doorway with his hands in his pockets. He offered me a smile but didn’t come inside.

“I hope you’re feeling better,” he said.

“Yeah, I’m okay. I think my stomach was just rejecting that wine at dinner because of all the alcohol the night before.”

“Next time, we’ll skip the wine.”

I bit my lip and diverted to my desk so I could gather my things. The buses were pulling away outside and generally I’d stay a little longer, but I didn’t feel like being here after my trip down memory lane.

“Are you heading out?” I asked.

He nodded. “I’ll walk with you.”

I wanted him to, but I didn’t know if it was a good idea. Nothing had come of Erebus’ threats so far, but I was afraid to push him any further.

Oh, god, I couldn’t believe I was referring to him as Erebus in my head now. He was stealing my love for mythology and that was completely unacceptable.

“How’s your daughter? Going hard on the candy, I bet.”

He laughed. “Too much. I had to hide it so that I could portion it out at intervals. She’s going to knock the world off its axis with all that energy.”

“We need to find a way to siphon some of their energy. I know I could use it.”

“Maybe we could use them to power the world.”

“Not a bad idea. How old is she?”

“She’s about to turn ten.”

I hummed. “It goes fast. Every year when I see Jake’s cousins, they look a foot taller.”

At the mention of him, I cleared my throat and looked forward. It was hard to stop bringing someone up in conversation when you’d been doing it for so long.

“That guy at the party,” Mike ventured slowly. “He’s Jake’s brother.”

“Yeah. How’d you know?”

“Jake came to a few school events with you. When I saw your friend, I was confused. I didn’t realize he had a twin.”

“Yup. Jayce and Jake. The football stars of Alpine Grove High School.”

“Does that make you famous here by association?”

“Maybe,” I laughed. “Probably not for what I’d want, though. People used to claim that I was in a relationship with both brothers. That or they’d ask me if I ever mixed them up in the bedroom. High schoolers are gross.”

“So, it was never like that with Jayce?”

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