The Lunacy Fringe

“You know I saw a movie once about these twins who had freaky powers?” Quinn told me as he sat on the front steps during lunch. He put his books down, and I sat next to him. We looked over at where all his friends were congregated around the big tree.

“Like telepathy?” I asked him.

“Yeah, exactly.”

“So, read my mind.”

“I don’t have to. You just read mine.” He turned to face me and grinned. I rolled my eyes and looked away. “No, but seriously. What are you for real thinking about?”

“You mean you can’t tell?”

“No. Kind of disappointing, actually.”

“I don’t think I’d actually want to share a mind with you.”
“Likewise. I can’t imagine what you think about. Disgusting things, probably.”

“Ditto. But okay—I do have a question.”

“Shoot.”

“It’s kind of stupid.” I turned to him again. I could see everyone hanging out by the tree, and I wondered if they’d spotted us yet.

“What?” Quinn asked, leaning his boney elbows on his boney knees.

“Is there someone you might—you know—like?” A single eyebrow rose in response. He looked at me like he was about to spew more sarcastic nonsense.

“Why do you ask?”

“I’m your sister. I need to know these things. If we’d grown up together, I bet I’d already know. So I’m making up for lost time.”

“I like a lot of people. I like most people. That seems to be one of my defining traits.”

“That’s not what I mean, stupid.”

“I’m a nice guy. I like people.”

“I meant like—a girl.”

“I think girls are radical.” I rolled my eyes in frustration again. This was getting me nowhere, and he knew exactly what I was trying to get at. I promised Billie I would, but he was having too much fun being a butthead. If Quinn had any “defining traits,” it was that he found joy in being a little shit.

“Like—a crush—on a specific person,” I elaborated. The eyebrow was still up, but the corner of his mouth turned up into a half-smile.

“What are you trying to say, Ruby?”

“I was just wondering.”

“Do you know something I don’t?”

“No! I don’t know anything! I’m just curious because—you know—twin stuff. Like we can’t share a mind, but we should know things about each other, right?”

“What about you? You have any crushes I should know about?” I snorted and turned away.

“I do have a boyfriend, you know.”

“A boyfriend who lives half a country away, and you’ll probably never see again.” I winced. “Sorry, that was mean.”

“It’s alright. But since you hurt my feelings, you now owe me one. And what I want is for you to answer honestly.” He sighed heavily and looked out over the yard.

“Fine, you’re right. So to answer your question—there is someone.” I turned back to him, eyes wide with excitement.

“Really? Who?”

“That—I’m not telling.” I should have guessed.

Then he grabbed his books, stood up, and headed for the group. I scurried after him, struggling to keep up with his long strides. He was already seated by the time I got there. I took my place beside Billie and tried to figure out where the conversation was before we interrupted with our arrival. Something about a party Aaron’s brother was throwing. He wanted to know who was going to come.

“I’ll go if Ruby goes,” Quinn said, moving his feet back and forth. He put his arms behind his head. I just happened to catch Felix rolling his eyes.

“Is she going to be your date?” Freddy asked as he shoved chips into his mouth.

“Uh, no, that’s disgusting. What a disgusting thing to say.”

“Ruby’s not disgusting. I’m pretty sure she showers. At least more than you do.”

“Everyone showers more than Quinn,” Amy muttered from behind us, making the entire group erupt with laughter at his expense. It didn’t seem to faze him.

“Listen, you guys, I can’t be Ruby’s date because that would be incest. Which is fucking disgusting. So you guys are all sinners who need to go to church for even suggesting such a thing. You should really be ashamed of yourselves.”

“What?” Aaron asked. Even though Quinn made a joke, no one seemed to catch it. They were more focused on the information he’d just slipped.

“You heard what I said. Church, sinner!”

“Is Ruby your cousin?”

“No, I don’t have any cousins. She’s my sister.”

“Oh, okay. I got it now. Hahaha. Funny.”

“He doesn’t believe me, Ruby,” he told me. I shrugged and stole one of Billie’s chips even though she’d gone still and looked back and forth between us like we were nuts.

“Your reputation for bullshit probably has something to do with it,” I replied.

“I don’t bullshit that much.”

“It was not five minutes ago that you were trying to convince me you had telepathy.”

“Not generalized telepathy. Just like—twin telepathy. That’s a whole different kind. Everyone knows that.”

“Twins? You guys are serious?” Billie asked. I nodded.

“Serious as a heart attack, baby.”

“I thought you guys were cousins!”

“I never said that,” I reminded her.

“You weren’t supposed to say anything at all!” Quinn said.

“I didn’t! But I couldn’t let her think what she was thinking.”

“Ugh. I can’t trust you with anything anymore. It’s a good thing you can’t read my mind.”

“How come you never said you had a sister?” Billie snapped.

“I have two sisters.”

“I meant a twin, jackass!”

“I didn’t tell you? Sorry.”

“He told me,” Felix said from Quinn’s other side. Everyone turned to him now. He looked back up, surprised to see so many people staring back at him. As if it never occurred to him that he was the only person Quinn ever told. “At least—he told me he had a twin sister. I just didn’t know it was Ruby.” He went back to scribbling in his notebook and pretending we didn’t exist. His girlfriend watched over his shoulder. She looked bored and irritated again.

“I feel so stupid now,” Billie said. “I thought you guys liked each other.”

“No, that’s disgusting,” Quinn reminded her.

“God, you even talk the same. Is that why you moved here, Ruby?” she turned to ask me. I nodded.

“Yep.”

“No wonder you guys look alike. I feel like such a dumbass now.”

“You’re not. Quinn is. He’s the one who kept his own sister a secret from his friends.” She laughed with what sounded like relief.

I looked back up and caught Felix watching me. His eyes seemed almost blue against the green of the grass, but they were still striking in contrast to the dark color of his hair and eyelashes. Except once he saw that I noticed him, he immediately returned to his notebook. Then I noticed Quinn was looking back and forth between the two of us.

“What?” I muttered.

“Telepathy,” he said.