Page 8 of The Ruthless Rivalry

I didn’t answer right away. His words hit a little too close to home.

Sly nudged me with his elbow, his smile more genuine now. “But hey, at least we’ve got each other. Twins, remember? Doesn’t matter what they do, we’ve got each other.”

I gave a small smile back, appreciating the way he always managed to bring me back to something simpler, something more real. “Yeah, we’ve got each other.” I looked at him, feeling the truth of it settle in. “Always. We’re wombmates.”

“Wombmates for life,” Sly echoed, his voice mellowed. He stood up, stretching his arms above his head. “Speaking of which, mom and dad will be arriving back to campus early tomorrow. You know how eager they are to see our scores from the pre-trial and find out where we rank.”

I groan, running a hand through my hair. “Don’t remind me. I’ve been dreading it all week.”

“Hey, we’ve got this,” Sly said, his tone reassuring. “You got, what? Twenty-six flags?”

I nod, but can’t shake the knot of anxiety in my stomach. The pre-trial was a crucial test for all students, but especially us Legacy students, determining our potential and ranking us against our peers. Our parents’ expectations weighed heavily on both of us.

“But you ended up with thirty-four,” I remind him. While it was a whole eight more than what I had, it paled in comparison to Bishop’s fifty-one.

Sly shrugged, trying to downplay his achievement. “Numbers aren’t everything. You’ve got skills I could only dream of.”

I appreciated his attempt at comfort, but the pressure still gnawed at me. “Maybe, but you know how mom and dad are. They’ll compare us, like always.” And Sly would come out on top, as usual.

His expression darkened. “Yeah, I know. But hey, we’re in this together. No matter what happens with the rankings, we’ve got each other’s backs.”

My twin had always been the one constant in my life, the one thing I could rely on without fail. Our parents were often preoccupied with their own lives, but we had each other and the other Legacies—that was all that mattered.

I nodded, feeling a surge of gratitude for my brother. “You’re right. Thanks, Sly.”

He grinned, a familiar mischief lighting his eyes. “Anytime. Now, speaking of having each other’s backs…” Without warning, he leapt into the pool, sending a massive wave of water crashing over me. I sputtered, drenched in seconds. “Can you grab my towel? I think I left it on the chair over there.”

I couldn’t help smiling as I walked over to retrieve it. “You’re incorrigible, you know that?”

“Part of my charm,” Sly called, floating lazily on his back like he had all the time in the world.

“More like part of your ‘I’m-an-annoying-twin’ syndrome,” I shot back, tossing the towel with exaggerated flair right into the water.

“Hey! Not cool!” he protested, paddling to the edge of the pool like a grumpy seal. The forgotten towel sinking slowly beneath the water.

I leaned back in the chair, perfectly content as I sprawled out. “Consider it payback for soaking my shoes. Maybe if you didn’t splash me like a five-year-old, I wouldn’t have to go to such measures.”

“You know, this kind of attitude is the reason I’m the favorite.” He said it with a cocky grin, the kind that always seemed to get the girls on campus all hot and bothered.

I scoffed, eyes rolling. “Oh please. As if you need to remind me. Mom and Dad make it painfully obvious every chance they get.”

For a split second, his playful expression faltered—just a flicker of guilt that disappeared as quickly as it came. “Aw, come on. I was just joking. You know they love us both equally.”

“Yeah, right,” I mutter, looking away to hide the sting I couldn’t shake off. The familiar ache of not quite measuring up settled deep in my chest. We both knew what ‘equally’ really meant.

Sly ran a hand through his damp hair, a small sigh escaping him as he shifted to a more serious tone. “Look, I know thingshave been…a lot lately. With school, the Altair games, all that pressure. But you can’t let Mom and Dad’s expectations get under your skin. You’re better than that.”

“Easy for you to say,” I shoot back, crossing my arms. “You’re the one who always meets their expectations. You’re their golden child.”

Sly’s eyes narrow, and he pushes himself up onto the pool’s edge, running his fingers through his hair again. “That’s not true, and you know it. Remember last year’s chemistry final? Mom didn’t speak to me for an entire week after she saw my grade.”

“Oh wow, a whole week,” I said, sarcasm dripping from my voice. “Try living with their disappointment every single day.”

I saw his face fall, and immediately, regret hits me like a ton of bricks. I shouldn’t have lashed out at him like that. It was just that I was still so rattled by everything with Alex, and Bishop’s confusing indecision. And now, with our parents here this weekend…this was the weekend I dreaded most, but especially this year. Altair had always been my escape, the one place where I felt free of their judgment. The limited phone access kept them at a distance. There was no way they’d sit down and handwrite a letter either. What used to be my refuge now felt suffocating.

He reached out, squeezing my hand, but it did little to comfort me. I felt that familiar ache in my chest—the knowledge that no matter how much Sly cared, I’d always be the one who didn’t measure up.

“Go on,” I said, forcing a smile that didn’t reach my eyes. “Finish your laps. I know you’ve got that big swim meet coming up.”

---