Page 2 of Once Upon an Apocalypse

“Yeah, yeah, whatever,” Hayden mumbles as he pushes past Karl with a defeated huff.

“Well, it was still a fun time, wasn’t it, honey?” my mom asks as she wraps an arm around my shoulders and kisses my temple.

I smile up at her, “So much fun, mom. Best birthday ever!”

“Come on, dorks, let’s get our picture of defeat over with and go eat,” Hayden mumbles.

Karl hands Hayden a “womp womp” sign with the biggest doofus face. I couldn’t help but cackle out loud. I place a hat on my head while my mom gets the “I’m with stupid” sign, pointing it at Hayden. It’s not often the three of us get to be together, so even in defeat, we put our best smiles on for the camera.

As the three of us sit down at one of our favorite Manhattan restaurants, I pull out my phone to send Jonah and Sarah our defeat picture from the escape room. I send the messages separately, hoping to get some flirty messages from Jonah, knowing he wouldn’t send them in a group chat with my best friend, who also happens to be his twin sister.

I’ve lived next to Sarah and Jonah Rosenberg my whole life. Our houses share part of a driveway that bridges over a stream in a wooded area of Flanders, New Jersey. While Jonah’s house is a mini mansion, that’s way too big for his family of four, my house is a typical bi-level, perfect for a family of four. With my brother off at college and my mom working at the hospital most days, even our small house feels too large.

If my dad was still alive, I’m sure I’d still have the house to myself. I don’t mind it, but I definitely miss having a full house. I miss family time.

The Rosenbergs were our lifeline then after my dad died. They would watch Hayden and me whenever my mom had to pull double shifts. We were their second pair of kids for a solid three years until we were old enough to be on our own. During those years, Sarah and I became like sisters. We had already been super close, but after spending so much time together, we became inseparable. And my feelings for Jonah intensified.

Is it weird that I have a major crush on my best friend’s twin brother? No, not at all. At least that’s what I tell myself. But I feel strange keeping my feelings from Sarah when Jonah is now so very aware of them.

Since my car has been an unreliable piece of shit all school year, Jonah has been driving me and Sarah to school every morning, and me to work every evening in his very reliable Honda Accord. The trip to and from work is only five minutes, but I don’t always leave his car right away when we arrive home. One night, we started flirting with each other. Another night, we almost kissed. A few nights ago, we confessed our feelings for each other.

I look down at my phone as it vibrates, smiling when I see Jonah’s curly mop of brown hair on my screen.

Jonah: You didn’t escape the room? I’m a little shocked. You guys have never been defeated before.

Me: Five seconds! We missed it by five freaking seconds!!

Jonah: What was the theme?

Me: End of the world, so we screwed up big time

Jonah: Nah, we’re okay, I mean, at least the world isn’t ending today or tomorrow, maybe in the next ten years

I send Jonah a scream emoji before looking up to find my mom staring at me with a shit-eating grin.

“What?” I ask

“Is that Jonah you’re texting?” my mom asks in her sweetest voice, propping her head in her hands.

Hayden looks up from the menu he’s holding, and says in a sing-song voice, “Ohhhh, Jonah Rosenberg? Have you finally gotten in his pants?”

My mom smacks Hayden on the backside of his head, making the blush on my cheeks turn redder as I giggle at the shocked look on his face.

“What? Lori has been pining for Jonah for years.” Hayden pats the back of this head delicately, mouthing an “ow” before saying out loud, “Take a break, sis. If your face gets any redder, mom will have to perform CPR.”

Damn my ginger genes. I can never hide my embarrassment with this pasty white skin. Taking a deep breath, I calm my nerves, which instantly spike out of control when I read Jonah’s next message.

Jonah: So…you turn 18 tomorrow

The winky face he sends next makes it impossible to breathe. So I send him a quick response, telling him I’ll call him when I get home, then drop my phone back in my purse. “Can we talk about something else, please?”

“I need to run to the little boy’s room. If the waiter comes over, can you order me a coke?” Hayden asks.

“Sure, honey,” my mom says as Hayden turns to head toward the bathroom. But she’s not done with the topic of Jonah. “I saw you two in the car the other day. You looked very cozy together.”

Jonah and I still haven’t kissed, but have come close a few times. I keep making excuses not to kiss him. He’s my best friend’s brother. He’s eighteen and I’m seventeen. We are only a few months apart in age. Despite that, I’m a stickler for the rules. But tomorrow, that will change.

“Yeah, we’re friends.” I try to sound casual, but my mom sees right through me. “Okay, so he confessed to me he’s been in love with me for years and then I let it slip that I’ve had a crush on him for forever. But we are just friends. For now.”

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