Seeing Double
Chapter 2: Corey's POV.
The silence stretched comfortably as we both sat on the swings, both lost in our own thoughts. I spaced out completely while the lyrics to "Mrs. Brown, You've Got a Lovely Daughter" floated through my head. The old-fashioned song always seemed to calm me down; I always felt safe and happy whenever I herd it. One of my fondest and only childhood memories of my mom was her voice singing softly as Dana and I fell asleep. She would always, jokingly, sing "Mrs. Brown, you've got a lovely daughter (lovely daughter)" because that was her surname. I felt a shadow come over my face and intense sorrow and regret filled me. Our mother had died when we were six.
Dana took over as a sort of mother for me since then. It's true, we are technically the same age, but she always took care of me like she was much older. At the funeral, I faintly remember stumbling around in tears asking frantically where Mommy was. I was so lost and scared and everyone was so sad. I think I knew that Mommy was hurt, but it didn't stop my asking. Everyone who heard just kinda looked at me with pity in their eyes accept Daddy and Dana. Daddy was staring straight ahead with a far-away look in his eyes and a blank expression on his face, but Dana leaned down to me and whispered just two words, those two fatal words, "She's gone." Things still haven't changed much for us, dads still distant, but Dana looks after me well enough.
I guess that's partly why she is the way she is. She had responsibility thrust upon her at the tender age of six. After that, she just kinda closed up to the world and became tougher. Maybe if she could be tough on the outside, she could find the strength to carry on and be though on the inside too.
I looked up to see a vacant expression on his face. The first thought running through my head was that I really should have told Jamie outright. If I hadn't, I might have had more time with him than I know I will.
Jamie.
I had hated to lie to him for so long. But I felt so strange towards him. Whenever I had had a crush in the past, it was always so tragically dramatic an affair. The unrequited love, the tragic loss. The undeniable romance. I loved the drama of it all, but not much else. I remember reading somewhere a line that seamed to fit so perfectly. "Romance is not just love, its passion and fire, color and light." That was the basis of my juvenile crushes.
But then I met Jamie, and everything was different. It was so strange and innately unidentifiable, but always there, a constant presence since the day I met him. It was not a new feeling, but much deeper and truer than any other love I imagined existed.
"But it's sad/She doesn't love me now/She's made it clear enough/It ain't no good to beg." Well, that just sums up my predicament with Jamie. I like him; he doesn't notice me or know I exist. Literally. And to make matters worse, he likes Dana and she doesn't seem to like him. And I just had to stick my nose into the whole affair and meddle and ruin any lingering trace of a chance that I had with Jamie. Who would want to start a relationship with someone who lied to them the whole time?
A small sigh from Jamie brought me back to reality. Well, if I had meddled thus far, I might as well go all out.
"Will you be my boyfriend?" Cautiously.
Stupidstupidstupidstupid! No. The look of pure elation on his face wasn't right. I couldn't set him up like this, its Dana he likes, not me! And he'd be crushed to find out that it had been a doppelganger that liked him, not his dream girl. I had to set things right. Even so, knowing what must surely happen, knowing that I was asking for trouble and would get it no matter what I did; I still couldn't keep the ecstatic grin to rival his own off my face.
Dana has a new boyfriend. I wonder what she'll do to me when she finds out, when Jamie bounds up to her tomorrow and tries to put his arm around her. I'm toast. I mean, I really respect her and treat her like I would my mother so it's painful when she's angry or disappointed in me. I can't let that happen.
"I'm Corey."
All in all, the shortest relationship of my life.
Dana took over as a sort of mother for me since then. It's true, we are technically the same age, but she always took care of me like she was much older. At the funeral, I faintly remember stumbling around in tears asking frantically where Mommy was. I was so lost and scared and everyone was so sad. I think I knew that Mommy was hurt, but it didn't stop my asking. Everyone who heard just kinda looked at me with pity in their eyes accept Daddy and Dana. Daddy was staring straight ahead with a far-away look in his eyes and a blank expression on his face, but Dana leaned down to me and whispered just two words, those two fatal words, "She's gone." Things still haven't changed much for us, dads still distant, but Dana looks after me well enough.
I guess that's partly why she is the way she is. She had responsibility thrust upon her at the tender age of six. After that, she just kinda closed up to the world and became tougher. Maybe if she could be tough on the outside, she could find the strength to carry on and be though on the inside too.
I looked up to see a vacant expression on his face. The first thought running through my head was that I really should have told Jamie outright. If I hadn't, I might have had more time with him than I know I will.
Jamie.
I had hated to lie to him for so long. But I felt so strange towards him. Whenever I had had a crush in the past, it was always so tragically dramatic an affair. The unrequited love, the tragic loss. The undeniable romance. I loved the drama of it all, but not much else. I remember reading somewhere a line that seamed to fit so perfectly. "Romance is not just love, its passion and fire, color and light." That was the basis of my juvenile crushes.
But then I met Jamie, and everything was different. It was so strange and innately unidentifiable, but always there, a constant presence since the day I met him. It was not a new feeling, but much deeper and truer than any other love I imagined existed.
"But it's sad/She doesn't love me now/She's made it clear enough/It ain't no good to beg." Well, that just sums up my predicament with Jamie. I like him; he doesn't notice me or know I exist. Literally. And to make matters worse, he likes Dana and she doesn't seem to like him. And I just had to stick my nose into the whole affair and meddle and ruin any lingering trace of a chance that I had with Jamie. Who would want to start a relationship with someone who lied to them the whole time?
A small sigh from Jamie brought me back to reality. Well, if I had meddled thus far, I might as well go all out.
"Will you be my boyfriend?" Cautiously.
Stupidstupidstupidstupid! No. The look of pure elation on his face wasn't right. I couldn't set him up like this, its Dana he likes, not me! And he'd be crushed to find out that it had been a doppelganger that liked him, not his dream girl. I had to set things right. Even so, knowing what must surely happen, knowing that I was asking for trouble and would get it no matter what I did; I still couldn't keep the ecstatic grin to rival his own off my face.
Dana has a new boyfriend. I wonder what she'll do to me when she finds out, when Jamie bounds up to her tomorrow and tries to put his arm around her. I'm toast. I mean, I really respect her and treat her like I would my mother so it's painful when she's angry or disappointed in me. I can't let that happen.
"I'm Corey."
All in all, the shortest relationship of my life.