Living with Sebastian again was, needless to say, different. He wasn't a slob but he wasn't a neat freak either. He didn't sit around and do nothing but he didn't exactly jump at the chance to help Mitch and I with chores and such. Nonetheless, I still didn't want him living with us.
I had talked to Mitch about it, but he insisted that I 'be nice' and 'leave him alone.' Yeah, I'd like to leave him alone, on a deserted island. Even though I didn't particularly agree with Mitch, there was still a part of me that felt bad for thinking negatively about Sebastian's reappearance. He had told his parole officer that he'd called me and I'd said that he could stay with me. How he had gotten my address was beyond me, but thanks to the LAPD, Sebastian was required to live with me for at least 6 months.
Despite this, I, of course, wasn't blind and I saw just how well Mitch and Sebastian seemed to be getting along. While I was silly and goofy with Mitch, Sebastian was witty and smart-alecky with him. But at the end of the day Mitch got into my arms and slept with me and kissed me and said he loved me, so I tried not to let it bother me.
Oh, I tried.
It just wasn't easy when you were out shopping with your identical twin and your boyfriend who were 10 yards ahead of you at all times laughing their heads off.
Mitch had insisted on taking Sebastian shopping, since the few belongings that Sebastian still had from prison included an ugly orange t-shirt and some second hand sweatpants. To quote Mitch, he had said 'No one living in my house will be dressed like that in public.' And like the puppy dog that Sebastian was around Mitch, he had willingly agreed.
I was just the driver, seeing as I didn't trust my twin around my boyfriend.
A final thing that kind of bothered me were the looks Sebastian and I got. People would usually see Sebastian first and then see me, and do an actual double take. No joke, a few people almost got run over staring at us. While Sebastian and I were so similar it was disgusting, the only noticeable difference was our eyes. He had bright green eyes that made people at ease with him, and they were kind yet held some kind of unspoken smugness. He had faint laughing lines around them, like I did, because just like our dad we both enjoyed a good laugh. I, on the other hand, had blue eyes that were one of the first things people noticed about me. I always got complimented on my eyes, but I never complained. Except nowadays, people wouldn't say "Your eyes are so nice!" No, now people said, "Your eyes are such a bright blue and your twin's eyes are such a vibrant green! If it wasn't for the different colors I wouldn't have noticed the difference between the two of you!"
~~~
Back at home, Mitch was showing Sebastian his expensive turn tables that he never let anyone, not even me, touch. Every time Sebastian reached out to touch a button or a knob Mitch would slap his hand away playfully, insisting that he was going to kill him if he didn't stop.
As I sat on the couch pretending to be watching tv, I thought about back when Sebastian used to live in our household and we were both prepubescent. We got along well. We were more than twins, we were best friends. We did everything together. Until the incident that completely changed my life.
[Flashback]
I ran into my house and tossed my backpack on the couch. I saw my folder fall out with 'Scott Hoying - 4th Grade' at the top. I bent down to pick it up, but stopped when my mom walked into the living room. She wrapped her arms around me, and even though I was confused, I hugged her back as she sobbed in my 10 year old arms.
"Mom? What's wrong?!" I asked her. She took a few moments to compose herself before bursting into tears again.
"Honey.. your brother has to leave us for a little while," She said through her sobs. I felt confused and alarmed.
"What? Why? Is he dead?" I asked, panicking. I could not lose Sebastian. He was my brother and best friend. I needed him.
My mom shook her head furiously.
"No, sweetheart. Your brother is going to a correctional facility. He- he tried to kill someone. On purpose," She said, and she was starting to calm down. Physically, at least.
"Is that, like, jail?" I asked. She shook her head.
"It's just a place where they'll try to.. help him. Then he'll be back," She said. I was speechless, and she pulled me into her arms again.
[Flashback over]
I came back to reality and struggled to blink back tears. From that moment on, everything changed. My parents were sad at first, but then as more time passed, they must've become ashamed, because they did everything to make it seem like Sebastian never existed. We moved from Dallas to Arlington, where we started a new life. I wasn't allowed to mention Sebastian to anyone. Ever. If it seemed like me or my sisters were ever going to start talking about Sebastian, our parents would hastily change the subject. Eventually, my two sisters and I learned to not mention him. He was pushed to the back of our mind, but we never ever forgot.
And it broke my heart. I yearned to see him every day, and I had no escape. My play buddy, my brother, the guy who understood me better than every body. At 10 years old, I had become disconnected from everyone except for my twin. That was until I met Mitch.
Ah, Mitchell Coby Michael Grassi. He came into my life and my entire existence did a 180 degrees turn. He made smile, he made me laugh, he blew me away with how talented he was.. he made me happy again.
And I liked to believe that he was my escape from facing the reality that was my delinquent brother. And everything was at peace until he finally got released. But not two months into his time of freedom, back into the system he went. This time, he wasn't going to be passed off as a disturbed kid. No, he was arrested for good that time. And I never saw him since, up until four days ago when he had stepped back into my life.
~~
The next morning, I awoke to the smell of pancakes and to the sound of loud singing. I figured it had to be Mitch making breakfast, which I found very sweet of him. I yawned and stood up. I didn't bother putting a shirt on, knowing that no one would be bothered by it. I walked out of my room and stopped in my tracks when I realized something.
Mitch hadn't slept in my room last night.
It had been 12 am, and I was exhausted. Mitch and Sebastian had been watching tv and laughing and drinking, which I had tried very hard to ignore. I wasn't jealous, not at all, just a little annoyed at the fact that Mitch seemed to enjoy my twin brother more than he enjoyed me. I wasn't even surprised that Mitch hadn't given the fact that Sebastian was a delinquent a second thought after he understood the situation.
I'd gone to bed, and after waiting for an hour for Mitch to get into bed with me, I'd given up. And I knew Mitch hadn't come in last night, because he always left the door ajar. Always. I shook my head. Maybe he fell asleep on the couch or something. No big deal, I thought.
I entered the kitchen, and music was blasting from Mitch's phone. He was laughing and smacking Sebastian's arm, and I watched with a raised eyebrow as Sebastian grabbed Mitch from around the waist and began tickling him. I could hear Mitch's laughter over the music, and he was smacking Sebastian just like he would if it were me tickling him. Sebastian reached over to the pancake mix and put some on Mitch's cheek.
It seemed as if Sebastian was about to lick it off of Mitch's cheek(which was unacceptable) and I felt my jaw drop. I walked over to Mitch's phone as fast as I could and paused the music causing both of them to look up at me.
"Would the two of you like to explain to me what exactly is going on in here?" I demanded. Mitch easily got out of Sebastian's arms and walked over to me, standing up on the tips of his toes to kiss me on the cheek. I was still pissed off, but I grabbed him around the waist and kissed him passionately. He tasted like syrup and pancakes.
"Cool it with the PDA, bro. Nothing was happening," Sebastian said. I could tell that he was trying to be reassuring, but there was something about his expression that made me keep my guard up.
"Yeah babe, Seb's right. We're just two good friends making pancakes," He said. He leaned forward to whisper in my ear. "But I'll admit that seeing you all daddy dom is turning me on..." While Mitch's words relaxed me, I didn't let myself get distracted.
"Seb? His name is Sebastian," I said lightly. Mitch rolled his eyes and looked over at Sebastian, who chuckled. "And there is no way you two are 'good friends.' It's been like, what, a week? You don't know him that well."
"That's way too much to say though. Mom and dad gave you the short name. Scott Hoying is easy to say, while saying Sebastian Hoying takes away valuable time. Don't sweat it," Sebastian said. Before I could speak, he gestured towards the stack of pancakes on the counter. "Want some?"
While the pancakes looked delicious, I had lost my appetite. I knew that maybe my jealousy was getting to be a bit too much, but I just couldn't let my guard down. Sebastian had only been staying with us for maybe a week, yet he and Mitch were so attached that I felt invisible. While Mitch seemingly gave his full attention to Sebastian without question, I had to practically drag him away from my twin brother so that he'd give me the light of day.
Yet Mitch's continuous attempts at reassuring me that he and Sebastian were "just friends" and he was "being friendly because the guy recently got out of jail"- they didn't convince me. The more I tried to brush it off, the more impossible it seemed to peel my eyes away from them whenever they shared a 'friendly' hug.
I didn't want to be unreasonable but with the way Sebastian acted, there was no way that I could keep my paranoia at bay.
"Scott?" Mitch called from the kitchen. I had retreated to the couch in defeat, deciding to leave the two of them in the kitchen.
"Yeah?" I called back.
"The rest of the band and Esther want to come over. I think it's time to introduce them to Sebastian."