CHAPTER 2

THE TWINS

This table was made to sit four, that's what Mya thought to herself. That meant the twins, their mother and their father. Tonight, it was just Mya and her twin sister Amy. They hadn't had all four of the chairs filled in a few years and this made Mya really upset. Their mother left long ago, with promises that she would return, and their father...well lately he was never home. Who knows what hes out there doing?

Who was Mya Kidding? Her and her sister both knew what was happening. Their father had met someone. He could make up all the lies and excuses he wanted to, but they already knew the truth. Mya looked across the table and it was like seeing her own reflection. Amy had been playing around in her food for the last twenty minutes, probably just as upset as she was; only she was trying to hide it. Amy's reddish brown hair was up in a messy bun and she wore her housecoat. She had suffered from a summer cold last week and was just now returning back to normal. Her nose was less red, her brown eyes less puffy.

"What was his excuse this time?" Mya asked, breaking the silence. Amy didn't look up from her own plate as she spoke.

"He's working late." Mya set her fork down on the table right beside her empty plate, wanting to explode. And she did. She made her left hand into a fist and bashed it onto the wooden table, causing Amy to jump just a bit. This had happened so often Amy was surprised that Mya still had such a strong reaction to it. "Just... calm down."

"That is crap, and you know it," Mya fussed, "I don't know whats worse. The fact that he's cheating on mom, or the fact that he's lying about it to our faces. " Amy inhaled and then exhaled. This was an argument that they have many nights, and no matter how many times she explained it, Mya never seemed to understand.

"He's not cheating on mom," Amy started, "Mom left almost three years ago." Mya glared at her sister.

"She said she would be back." Mya reacted as if Amy had just punched her in the gut with those words. It was hard to understand how her sister would be all right with another woman that was not their mother, entering their lives. It was like she didn't have faith that everything would return back to normal.

"You can't honestly still believe that," Amy reacted, "Three years Mya...if she were coming back she would have been back by now. Dad has had his life on hold for a long time. its about time he moved on."

"I can't believe I am hearing this," Mya said. She now crossed her arms.

"You've been hearing this," Amy replied, finally looking at her sister. Mya was getting red in the face, which meant she was getting angrier and angrier by the second. Her long hair lay on her back in a thick braid. Whenever she made a sharp movement her braid whipped along, as if it had a mind of its own. She wore her usual attire; sweat pants and a tank top. Just like a tomboy. "I keep telling you this. Mom isn't coming back, and I don't know about you, but I like the way dad has been the last few months. He's happier. And that's all I want him to be." Mya arose from the table. She stood tall, but standing at 5'4, she wasn't threatening. Leave it to Amy to try and point out the silver linings in this mess. That was just the kind of person she was. Ms. Positive. She would never admit if she were hurting or upset. She likes to please people, and faking her happiness to do it doesn't seem to bother her. Mya knew better than that of course.

"What about our happiness?" She asked. Amy didn't bother to ask what would make her sister happy, because she already knew. All Mya wanted was their family to go back to the way is used to be, but what she wanted was nothing but a fairy tale. The moment their mom walked out that door, Amy knew they wouldn't see her again. "I just want her home Amy. I want dad to stop messing around with this ...bimbo---"

"Bimbo? Really Mya? You don't even know her."

"That is sort of the point. We haven't heard anything about this woman. He acts as if she doesn't exist." Even though we know she does, Mya finished in thought.

"Maybe dad is just playing it safe and waiting to let us know," Amy guessed.

"Waiting for what?"

"He's waiting to see if she is worth bringing home and introducing to us. He is waiting to see how serious things may get." Amy clarified.

"Things don't need to get serious," Mya snapped quickly. Amy was starting to get upset. Mya was so close minded and she was stuck in the past. Over time, Amy hoped that things would get better and Mya would accept any changes to take place in their lives, but that time had yet to arrive. Things only seemed to get worse.

"You know what Mya, I don't know what to say to you. I hope this relationship dad is in does get serious, that way, he can stay happy. This woman has managed to put a smile on dad's face, and I am grateful for that. It's better than the frowns mom left him with. I'm happy for him and you should be too." There wasn't much more to say. Amy got on to her feet, pushed her chair into the dining table, and shuffled out the room. Mya stared. What happened to her family?

THE BOYS

It was seven pm and the sun was beginning to set. Chad Worthy stared up at the basketball hoop, ball in hand. This is where he found himself almost every night; waiting for the guys to play a game of basketball before they had to return to school the next morning. He found himself wondering how many more nights he was going to have to just mess around with the guys before graduation. After all, this was their senior year. His parents were already talking of all these different colleges he should apply to. They made him study like his life depended on it. Sometimes it was hard to keep up with his friends, basketball and studies. He could feel the pressure as the end of high school approached. After this, everything was going to change.

"Are you going to shoot the ball or what?" the blond head boy behind him asked, breaking Chad's thought. For a moment, he had forgotten that he wasn't alone. Chad tossed the ball, and listened to the woosh sound the net made as the ball went in. Chad smiled. He was the star of the basketball team and had been pretty much all of high school. The only frustrating thing was the fact that Chad never became captain. With the end of high school approaching, he never would. "Tell me you're doing basketball this year."

"Of course," Chad spoke, his voice low. "Don't I every year?" Brandon smiled. A game of one on one came into his mind, but he saw a car pull up in the school parking lot. The basketball court they played at sat to the side of the school building and on a hill. It made it hard for a game to get too intense . If you got too excited and throw the ball to the ground, like Chad did, you were only giving it the speed it needed to roll away, down the hill, where no one ever seemed to want to go chasing.

"That's what I like to hear," one of his close friends, Jason, said with a nod. He must've had his parents car tonight; usually he would car pool with their friend Christian. Jason wasn't big on sports, but he played mainly for the social climb and to be a part of the male boding experiences. He was short, uncoordinated and had barely any body mass. He was an awkward kid, but he had no problems fitting in. Brandon on the other hand was different. He was tall, buff, and did every sport he could. His reason? He was hoping to score some sort of scholarship to college. Jason wasn't a senior, just an uprising Junior. He didn't have to stop and think about his future quite yet, but Chad hoped he was taking notes. He had been around on numerous occasions when the 'future' popped up. He heard every worry, pro and con, and hopefully he'd be more prepared for next year. All of these thoughts on college were beginning to make Chad's head hurt. It was time for a game. However, three was an odd number.

"Has anyone seen Sandino or Chris?" Chad asked.

"You know Chris is going to be late, as usual. Sandino said something about a date tonight." Christian was the most unreliable person of their group. He always made plans and was either late or cancelled them. He made promises that he could never keep. He was just one of those guys. The flakes. Sandino was more reliable than anyone. He was also the most honest. He was a ladies man. He always had dates, which was something Chad found himself a bit jealous of, but still they were best friends. Chad had spent so much time with these guys, he couldn't imagine life without them.

"A date with who?" Chad was curious. The other two boys shrugged. They all had a pretty good guess, though they never said it aloud.