"Aria!" Lauren snaps, her face no longer smiling.
"You have to switch with me for the big science test. All you have is P.E. and that's dumb!" I say, rolling my eyes. I'm always the one who wants to switch places with my twin sister, Lauren. Today my teacher hinted that there would be a huge science test and now I'm stuck with her stupid P.E. class.
I mean sure, Lauren will ace the test and I have to do is her P.E, but couldn't she be the one to ask for a change? Sure, I've made her switch with me plenty of times when she really doesn't want to, but hey, we're all different.
"Great! You'll do it, now you know the rules," I reply, my round chocolate eye zooming in on her identical ones. When were were babies our parents used nail polish to detect who was who. To this very day they still don't know one of us form the next.
"Right, brag about cheer leading, flirt with Zac......" Lauren trails off. She snaps back into attention once she sees my face.
"Take my clothes and go change," I demand, stomping my foot. Lauren walks out two minutes later wearing a tight, teal shirt, a super, super, short skirt and her dark brown hair is in a ponytail.
"Great!" I say, a huge smile planted on my lips. I walk down the hall in Aria's gym shorts and loose tee.
"Five laps, 'round that track!" Ms. Janres screeches. "What a wonder she never got married," I whisper sarcastically to Hallie, Aria's best friend. Then we're off on the large, red track, I speed ahead, my long legs are great for running. As soon as we're done, Jarnes decides to make us play dodge ball, like we are some nerdy fifth graders who don't have anything better to do. As if! Then again at least I don't have to be in science....
1,2,1,2,1,2,1,2......" Janres says, patting my forehead with a and saying '2.'
"I'm on the other team," Hallie whines, her long, ratty chestnut curls hanging limply in alignment to her waist.
I shrug and dart to one end of the cement basketball court.
"Go!" Janres screams. I linger along the very back of the court and think about Aria and me. I love having an identical twin, I can force her to switch places with me, frame her.....I can do a lot.
"Your the only ones left!" Janres screams excitedly, i look across the court and see Hallie quivering in a corner, her team screaming at her to the the small red ball that's in her hand. I sprint to the very front of the court and hurl a ball at Hallie.
"Hit," says Janres, less excitedly. She's only happy when games are full of suspense. Hallie drags her feet to the sidelines and meets her angry team.
"Yeah!" I woot haughtily. Hallie shoots a confused glance at me. Maybe that last move was a little too me-like. Lauren is in the middle of the social ladder, she doesn't really get picked on becuase she's generally nice to everyone and she stays out of the spotlight.
I am at the very top of the ladder, the queen bee cheerleader. And I LOVE it, it's amazing having everyone secretly want to be you and think you're pretty and funny!
"Lauren?" Hallie asks, carefully touching my face.
"Aria said I'd be cooler if I tried to win something for once," I say, adding an eye-roll for effect.
"I guess she was just messing with me," I sigh wryly, as if I'm disgusted by my sister, a.k.a......ME!
"Where do you want to eat lunch?" Hallie asks, wringing her pudgy fingers. i pause and tilt my head again. I itch my neck with my slender arm and then realize I don't really need to wonder where Lauren would eat.
"The lunchroom," I say, more than the slightest bit of duh! in my voice. Hallie's expression changes and she looks puzzled.
"But you hate the lunchroom," she says, stepping away from me as if she's totally weirded out. What!? I almost scream. How could you not like the lunchroom.
"Your so gullible!" I giggle girlishly. Hallie browns and shifts her feet on the ground. Wow, she must get made fun of a lot.
Just then Bekki, Lauren's other friend pops over to me.
"Bye!" I shout to Hallie. Turning back to Bekki, I see a sly grin on her face. Bekki is the more gossipy one of Lauren's friends.
"SHE GAINED TEN POUNDS IN A WEEK!" Bekki screams in my ear. My jaw drops open.
"Oh-my-god!" I scream, my signature move for when I hear really great gossip that I can't believe. I turn and look at Hallie who's standing all alone on the sideline and shrug.
"So please tell me she's out!" I yell back, rolling my eyes as if it would be ridiculous not to kick her out.
"Should we?" Bekki replies shyly.
"Oh yeah!" I say devilishly. Wow, Lauren's life is awesome,I think, wondering why I ever thought mine was way way way better.
We walk over to Hallie preparing ourselves for saying the meanest thing possible, "You're out."
"I'm what?" Hallie says, not hearing us.
"You're out. As in not in, so...." I begin, smirking smugly. I'm so doing Lauren a favor. Who knew this chick was so fat?
"So like get away," Bekki giggles, like this is all some big joke to her. I look at Hallie who is gaping at us with her mouth open. She stares at me and I see her lip quiver.
"What am I supposed to say when Ariella Davis calls me 'dumpy' and 'stupid?' Why are you doing this!?" Hallie shrieks, looking my straight in the eye. I put my hand over my heart and roll my eyes. Bekki laughs like it's the funniest thing she's ever heard. Suck up.
"Realize the truth," I bark back, I'm almost surprised by my meanness, but then again I am Aria, not Lauren.
"Oopsies!" I say and walk away, Bekki in hot pursuit. Bekki's mouth drops open as soon as we get to the buses.
"Wow," she says, surprised at me.
"I've been waiting to do that for years, I mean the girl has never tried. Her hair is so blah and the best thing she has ever done makeup wise is put on some freaking mascara. Honestly, she never deserved to hang out with us," I say.
I look back at Hallie who is dragging her feet.
"Look at those fat kankles!" Bekki sneers and I grimace.
"That was a little too loud," I inform Bekki less-than-pleasantly.
Hallie is still looking down and I can't help but think it's slightly funny that instead of kissing our butts, she just sulks.
I giggle and step onto my bus. My dad is at work and my mother just doesn't do pick ups. Imagine that.
Lauren hangs out with Michelle Jane, a B-lister when she has nothing better to do, MJ has long auburn hair and hazel eyes, she's really tall and a little too thin.
"Laurie!!!" MJ shouts, waving down to the back of the bus, apparently all the other B-listers get rides home. Lauren hates being called Laurie, it reminds her of Eric Forman's ugly, weird sister in That 70's Show.
"Heyyyyy!" I say and run to the back of the bus. I throw Lauren's vintage Ralph Lauren messenger bag on the third seat, signaling that no one else is to sit there.
"So guess what?" I say, smiling slyly.
"What?" MJ asks, blinking her almond shaped eyes and swing her feet which are resting in Nine West wedges.
"Bekki and I totally dumped Fat Hallie," I say, giggling like a model. She cocks her head sideways and raises her thick eyebrows.
"You were just telling me how you were going to dump Stupid Bekki," she replies, putting a heavy emphasis on Stupid and Bekki.
"Yeah I know but then I realized that Bekki was devious and Hallie was fat and stupid," I say coolly. God, Lauren could have told me about this, I think, making a mental note to get really mad at Lauren and force her to trade with me again.
"Okay," MJ says, shrugging.
Then I see a big black spider wandering along on of the outside window frames and I'm reminded of the time when I was younger and I an identical spider on a homeless woman's sign which read WISHING FOR CHICKEN.
"So do you have a family?" I asked, staring into the woman's teal eyes. She shook her head. I pouted out my lower lip.
"Life would be bad with out a family. Oh, and chicken," I said, eying the big crooked letters that were sprawled out on the dark sign.
"Yes," she replied, letting out a tight smile. A tear wavering in her eye for a moment before rolling out and onto her cheek.
"I used to have a daughter," she said, looking down. "but them social workers stole her." she finished, more and more and more tears went rolling down her cheeks in big jagged lines. Then my mother saw me and then she saw the woman's face and her jaw dropped open.
She ran from Mrs. Delpha, her friend and went straight over to the lady.
"She's only seven, I'm really sorry!" my mother said, flashing a forced smile.
"No, she bring back good memories of Melody," the woman said.
"Melody is her daughter," I explained to my confused mother. For a moment I thought my mother was going to let my stay but then her grip tightened and she pulled me away.
I snap out of the memory to hear MJ tell me it's my stop.
"Bye, see ya tomorrow," I say and hurry off the yellow school bus, feeling quite childish and stupid doing so.
I run home pretty much all the way home and by the time I get into my room I'm just happy to lay down on my comfy bedspread.