Seeing Double
Chapter One
Jamie's POV
I sighed. I knew I shouldn't, but I just had to skip again. I couldn't stand just sitting in class, doing nothing when I knew very well that she was just standing outside. She was right outside. All I had to do was ask for a bathroom pass…and I'd get to see her again. All I had to do….
Before I even knew it, my hand was raised. A voice that no longer belonged to me asked the math teacher for a bathroom pass. I was passively glad that I'd had this urge in math, because I'd used almost all of my available passes in my other classes. It wasn't really my fault, though. I wasn't Jamie anymore when I thought of her. I wasn't in control, and I meant that almost literally.
The strange thing was, I really didn't know that much about Dana. I knew she had an identical twin, Corey. I knew she had some strange interest in me. I knew that she smoked and skipped class and wore leather jackets.
I knew that I should stay away from her. I also knew that I couldn't.
You see, I was a bit of a strange person. I liked the 'emo' and 'skater' looks, so that's what I dressed like. Skinny jeans, tight shirts, swoopy, long hair. But inside, I was still a little bit…iffy. I didn't really know who I was, and I wasn't comfortable with myself. I didn't like being Jamie Whitlock. But I knew I had to be, and I knew that it was best to try to get to know myself.
I was kind of a goody-two-shoes. I did my homework and obeyed teachers and got good grades. It was exactly the opposite of Dana. She never had her assignments and I was pretty sure she'd flunk out soon. If they didn't expel her first for smoking on school property.
Whenever I thought about it, it made no sense that Dana seemed to like me. She was the kind of girl that didn't socialize with anyone who didn't swear at teachers. Everyone talked about her, but she didn't really care. She was okay with being a badass, apparently. She knew how far her reputation had spread. She knew that she was known. It was obvious by the way the younger students quailed under her glare.
That was one thing she said she liked about me was that I didn't quail under her gaze. I wasn't scared of her. I really wasn't. I mean, she looked all tough, but she wasn't any older than the rest of us. Physically, she really couldn't do much. Unless she was a black belt in karate or was telekinetic, she couldn't hurt someone like me. I was about six inches taller than her and probably forty pounds heavier.
By this time, I was in the hallway, walking to our normal meeting place. She was almost always there. I don't know how, but she knew when I'd skip to see her. Or maybe she just never went to class.
While I was walking to the English hall, I thought about Dana. Or, actually, her sister, Corey. They were identical twins. I never saw Corey, but I knew she was miles away from Dana. She always did her homework and she seemed to try not to stick out. She didn't seem to talk to too many people, but unlike her sister, it was out of shyness, not others' fear of her.
Before I knew it, I was at our little nook in the hall. There stood Dana, a half a foot shorter than me, still slightly intimidating. She was smoking, as usual, in her slim-fit leather jacket and skinny jeans. Her dark hair was let down, flowing around her rather dark skin. Her unusual eyes, halfway between blue and green with some strange gold parts, sparkled slightly when she saw me.
She hesitated a bit, something I'd never seen her do before. It was like she didn't know what she was going to do. She opened her mouth as if to say something, to comment, but closed it. Hm…I wonder what she was thinking about.
It's not like I'd know. Dana was not known for spilling her thoughts to anyone, in any form. Except perhaps her writing. She was a brilliant writer, and sometimes I thought that her beautiful poems and prose were the only reason that the school hadn't kicked her out by now. She had won Greenfield High several trophies in renown writing competitions. She wrote of so many different things, I was usually unsure of which she really felt. She wrote of horrifying, crippling pain and then she'd write of the beauty of life and how happiness was the meaning of life.
I shook my head. I was getting lost in my thoughts, something that Dana got a bit annoyed at. I supposed she was so used to having things written out in her mind, in perfect order and grammar, that she thought everyone's mind was like that.
She walked out the side doors, and I assumed that I was to follow. I walked into the buttery sunshine that was rare up here in rural New York. It was almost always windy, rainy, snowy, or overcast…no wonder she chose today to come out into the school yard.
I trailed wordlessly like a lost puppy as she walked across the parking lot to the playground of the adjoining elementary school. To my surprise, she stubbed out her cigarette as she walked onto the property. A dreamy, sort of misty, look came into her eyes that I'd never seen before.
She sat down on a swing, swaying back and forth slightly. I eyed her critically, from a photographer's point of view, before I followed suit. I decided that if I could ever convince her, I'd have to do a photo shoot with her here. It just looked so perfect; here was the typical 'bad girl', sitting on a swing and looking regretful.
Wait…Dana was looking regretful? She was never regretful. I looked back at her expression, and it was gone. More of a sad, longing look was there. She finally spoke, and it was in the flowing poetry of her prose.
"They say you can't come back again…the memories haunt you. You can never take it back again." She sighed.
I was extremely confused. Dana had never showed much emotion in front of me before. Was she opening up to me? I kind of hoped she was. She seemed like such a sad little girl, but she put a face on. A mask. To hide herself from the world, she had to be tough.
She sighed again.
She twisted her swing around, to face me. Her lips formed a question, the least expected from her.
"Will you be my boyfriend, Jamie?"
I was stunned. Of course, I liked her. I mean, what's not to like. She's practically the dream girl, for goodness' sakes. And no one would admit it, just because she smoked and looked tough. My answer was obvious and on my tongue before I could have second thoughts.
"I'd love too, Dana."
For some reason, she flinched at the sound of her own name. I ignored it. She smiled widely, happy with my answer. She started swinging higher and higher, soon clearing my head with her feet. I'd never seen her so outright joyous, and it was glorious. It always made me happy to make others happy, and this was the epitome of it.
Dana opened her mouth again, and this time she seemed to speak before she could stop herself. The words that came out set a million things in motion.
"I'm not Dana, actually…I'm Corey."
I sighed. I knew I shouldn't, but I just had to skip again. I couldn't stand just sitting in class, doing nothing when I knew very well that she was just standing outside. She was right outside. All I had to do was ask for a bathroom pass…and I'd get to see her again. All I had to do….
Before I even knew it, my hand was raised. A voice that no longer belonged to me asked the math teacher for a bathroom pass. I was passively glad that I'd had this urge in math, because I'd used almost all of my available passes in my other classes. It wasn't really my fault, though. I wasn't Jamie anymore when I thought of her. I wasn't in control, and I meant that almost literally.
The strange thing was, I really didn't know that much about Dana. I knew she had an identical twin, Corey. I knew she had some strange interest in me. I knew that she smoked and skipped class and wore leather jackets.
I knew that I should stay away from her. I also knew that I couldn't.
You see, I was a bit of a strange person. I liked the 'emo' and 'skater' looks, so that's what I dressed like. Skinny jeans, tight shirts, swoopy, long hair. But inside, I was still a little bit…iffy. I didn't really know who I was, and I wasn't comfortable with myself. I didn't like being Jamie Whitlock. But I knew I had to be, and I knew that it was best to try to get to know myself.
I was kind of a goody-two-shoes. I did my homework and obeyed teachers and got good grades. It was exactly the opposite of Dana. She never had her assignments and I was pretty sure she'd flunk out soon. If they didn't expel her first for smoking on school property.
Whenever I thought about it, it made no sense that Dana seemed to like me. She was the kind of girl that didn't socialize with anyone who didn't swear at teachers. Everyone talked about her, but she didn't really care. She was okay with being a badass, apparently. She knew how far her reputation had spread. She knew that she was known. It was obvious by the way the younger students quailed under her glare.
That was one thing she said she liked about me was that I didn't quail under her gaze. I wasn't scared of her. I really wasn't. I mean, she looked all tough, but she wasn't any older than the rest of us. Physically, she really couldn't do much. Unless she was a black belt in karate or was telekinetic, she couldn't hurt someone like me. I was about six inches taller than her and probably forty pounds heavier.
By this time, I was in the hallway, walking to our normal meeting place. She was almost always there. I don't know how, but she knew when I'd skip to see her. Or maybe she just never went to class.
While I was walking to the English hall, I thought about Dana. Or, actually, her sister, Corey. They were identical twins. I never saw Corey, but I knew she was miles away from Dana. She always did her homework and she seemed to try not to stick out. She didn't seem to talk to too many people, but unlike her sister, it was out of shyness, not others' fear of her.
Before I knew it, I was at our little nook in the hall. There stood Dana, a half a foot shorter than me, still slightly intimidating. She was smoking, as usual, in her slim-fit leather jacket and skinny jeans. Her dark hair was let down, flowing around her rather dark skin. Her unusual eyes, halfway between blue and green with some strange gold parts, sparkled slightly when she saw me.
She hesitated a bit, something I'd never seen her do before. It was like she didn't know what she was going to do. She opened her mouth as if to say something, to comment, but closed it. Hm…I wonder what she was thinking about.
It's not like I'd know. Dana was not known for spilling her thoughts to anyone, in any form. Except perhaps her writing. She was a brilliant writer, and sometimes I thought that her beautiful poems and prose were the only reason that the school hadn't kicked her out by now. She had won Greenfield High several trophies in renown writing competitions. She wrote of so many different things, I was usually unsure of which she really felt. She wrote of horrifying, crippling pain and then she'd write of the beauty of life and how happiness was the meaning of life.
I shook my head. I was getting lost in my thoughts, something that Dana got a bit annoyed at. I supposed she was so used to having things written out in her mind, in perfect order and grammar, that she thought everyone's mind was like that.
She walked out the side doors, and I assumed that I was to follow. I walked into the buttery sunshine that was rare up here in rural New York. It was almost always windy, rainy, snowy, or overcast…no wonder she chose today to come out into the school yard.
I trailed wordlessly like a lost puppy as she walked across the parking lot to the playground of the adjoining elementary school. To my surprise, she stubbed out her cigarette as she walked onto the property. A dreamy, sort of misty, look came into her eyes that I'd never seen before.
She sat down on a swing, swaying back and forth slightly. I eyed her critically, from a photographer's point of view, before I followed suit. I decided that if I could ever convince her, I'd have to do a photo shoot with her here. It just looked so perfect; here was the typical 'bad girl', sitting on a swing and looking regretful.
Wait…Dana was looking regretful? She was never regretful. I looked back at her expression, and it was gone. More of a sad, longing look was there. She finally spoke, and it was in the flowing poetry of her prose.
"They say you can't come back again…the memories haunt you. You can never take it back again." She sighed.
I was extremely confused. Dana had never showed much emotion in front of me before. Was she opening up to me? I kind of hoped she was. She seemed like such a sad little girl, but she put a face on. A mask. To hide herself from the world, she had to be tough.
She sighed again.
She twisted her swing around, to face me. Her lips formed a question, the least expected from her.
"Will you be my boyfriend, Jamie?"
I was stunned. Of course, I liked her. I mean, what's not to like. She's practically the dream girl, for goodness' sakes. And no one would admit it, just because she smoked and looked tough. My answer was obvious and on my tongue before I could have second thoughts.
"I'd love too, Dana."
For some reason, she flinched at the sound of her own name. I ignored it. She smiled widely, happy with my answer. She started swinging higher and higher, soon clearing my head with her feet. I'd never seen her so outright joyous, and it was glorious. It always made me happy to make others happy, and this was the epitome of it.
Dana opened her mouth again, and this time she seemed to speak before she could stop herself. The words that came out set a million things in motion.
"I'm not Dana, actually…I'm Corey."