What Makes It Wrong For Us To Fall in Love?

"Elizabeth, can you come here for a moment?" My father's voice rang through the house, strained and full of frustration.

I got up off of my bed and began to walk to the den. There I saw my father was sitting at the table, pinching the bridge of his nose.

"What's up?" I asked him putting my hands into my back pockets.

He sighed heavily. "Your sister Emily is having a hard time right now. Well, she's giving your mother a hard time. She can't take the incessant complaints and...partying. Quite honestly, she's fed up."

Damn, I really don't like where this is going.

"So she's called me, to ask that you two switch with each other for the remaining two months of the summer." He paused. "She's hoping that by her staying over here, Emily will learn not to be such...a...well let's be honest here, such a little whore."

I was a tad shocked at his choice of words.

Blunt as he may be, he's just being truthful.

To be honest with you, I never really have liked Emily. We're about as different as night and day.

She's the outgoing miss popular. I'm...the complete opposite to be honest. She's had a bajillion different boyfriends, accounted the way she got them was by being such a partier. We're turning 18 on the first of August, and I have yet to get my first kiss. How embarrassing is that? I'm turning 18 and I'm still as innocent as can be...

And to that, sometimes I wonder if it's because she's prettier than me. She definitely is, though I've been told many a many times by my best friends Lonnie and Christina that that's not the case. I know that we look pretty much exactly the same because of the fact that we're twins, but... I don't know. She's got this flawless air to her.

Like she doesn't even have to try and look the way she does.

"Is that alright with you?" My father said, bringing me back from my thoughts.

"Uh...Yeah." What choice did I have?

"Your mom will be picking you up tomorrow at twelve..." He trailed off, sending me a you-know-you-don't-have-to-do-this look.

I merely nodded my head and walked back to my room to begin packing.

***

So many thoughts were running through my head, as Mockingbird by Chase Coy played softly in the background.

Two months is quite a while. Two months away from Lonnie and Christina would seem like a lifetime.

But I knew my mother, and I knew firsthand how infuriating Emily could be.

What if I made no friends there?

What if all I did was sit around for lack of friends to hang out with?

What if...

I tried my best to drown out all the horrible "what if's" and tried to focus on the positive.

From what I heard from Christina, down in Tempe there are some mighty fine boys.

She's been there on short vacations, many a many times.

I used to live there in what...the sixth grade? That was until my parents got divorced, and I moved out here with my dad.

I wonder how much things have changed.

That got me thinking...What happened to Jess?

We were best friends way back then. We did everything together. I mean everything.

I wasn't paying attention when suddenly I heard someone whisper boo into my ear.

"Holy shit!" I whipped around to come face to face with a laughing Lonnie. "Lonnie! You nearly gave me a freaking heart attack!"

"Oh c'mon Elizabeth, it's all in good fun!"

I rolled my eyes, smiling as I continued to shove things in my suitcase.

He eyed the nearly empty thing, raising his eyebrows. "Why are you packing?"

I sighed. "Emily made too many fucking mistakes and now we're trading places for the next two months."

He rolled his eyes. "Damn, that girl is too much trouble."

"You're telling me."

"Your parents are seriously going to make you do this?"

"Well yeah, I mean, what can I tell them? Oh hey mom, I don't really care how much of an ass Emily is being to you, so I'm not trading places? I know how she is. My mom has got to be the most patient woman on the planet, and if Emily's getting to her, than she's had to have gotten pretty damn bad." I huffed trying to zip up the zipper. Since when did I have so many clothes?

Lonnie noticed my troubles and told me to sit on the suitcase, before he zipped it up.

"Thanks."

"Anytime." Things were quiet for a minute as I began to shove multiple cds and other random crap into my duffel bag.

"Y'know, two months is quite a while." Lonnie said breaking the silence.

"You're telling me. Especially when I know nobody there."

"Maybe I can talk Christina and her parents into taking me with them."

"Wait, they're visiting Tempe?"

He nodded, "In about a month and a half, yeah."

"Things are looking considerably better." I half smiled. "That means I'll be only be alone for about half of that time."

"I'm sure it won't be that bad."

"I know it's not going to be bad, I'm probably just going to be bored as hell."

"Hey, you have mine and Christina's numbers. Call whenever you want, 'cause obviously without you around we probably won't be up to much."

I smiled at that.

"As much as I love to watch you shove stuff into your bag, I don't" He chucked, as I flipped him off."But I have to go home."

I laughed, "Alright Lonnie, hopefully I'll see you in a month."

"You will see me in a month." He said, hugging me and then waltzing out the door.

***

I lay in my bed, thinking things over.

Maybe this wouldn't be so bad.

Maybe I'll meet some new people.

Maybe I'll get my first kiss.

Here's to hoping.