Dark And Light
Happy 21st
Mia
You know, I hated my twin sister. No not hated her really, I loved her, I suppose she was my sister after all. My twin sister Maddy and I were nothing alike; we were like the negative of a photograph. Tomorrow it was our 21st birthday but we wouldn't be celebrating it together and we hadn't celebrated our birthdays together since we were about 12. I remembered that party so well, what a disaster. My parents had tried to do everything right for us. I feel a little guilty now thinking about it but we had such different tastes. I wanted a pink ballerina cake and Maddy; well Maddy wanted some fucking black iced cake with these brown spiders all over it. She was weird then and she was probably still weird now. I tried to work it out, the last time I had seen her was two years ago.
Maddy
I can't believe that we are going to be 21 tomorrow. I don't feel like I am going to be 21. What should a 21 year old be feeling anyway? I wonder how Mia will be celebrating her birthday? Probably going to some nightclub in a mini skirt with high heels and her blonde hair bleached as blonde as she could get it. She'll probably wear glitter as usual and there's bound to be something pink going on. She always had to wear pink. Gross. She was pink and fluffy and well...blonde.
Mia
I was going to a nightclub to celebrate my birthday but it was going to be the night before the big day as Judy was going away for a while. It would be just Judy and I, just the two of us, inseparable since infant school. She was so like me, she was more like my twin sister, we shared everything, well nearly everything we hadn't shared a boyfriend.. yet!
Maddy
Jed was coming round tomorrow to celebrate my birthday. Jed had been our neighbour since we were about two. We were very similar and did so much together, well we didn't actually go to many places, just hung out together, watched movies and stuff. He was the only one who really understood me. I bet Mia will be spending her birthday with that fucking bimbo Judy . God I couldn't stand her she was such an airhead all the two of them went on about were guys, clothes, shoes, make up and dancing. Fucking dancing. Every time I saw dancers on the TV I thought of Mia. May be she was one of them. After all she was a very successful dancer and had been in shows and on TV a couple of times. Good luck to her, I had two left feet.
Mia
I bet Maddy will be spending her birthday with that loser Jed. Fucking hell she needs to get a life what on earth does she see in that geek from next door? They were like a couple of weirdoes. Black was all they seemed to wear. God she was so pretty and she'd died her hair black and it hung down her face like curtains like she was trying to hide behind it. She wore black jeans that hung off her arse with a punk belt. Perlease! And her shoes, she wore these black and white converse things with fucking holes everywhere and she also needed a tip with the make up. Why on earth did she wear so much black eyeliner? Jeez. They were more like twins than her and me. What on earth would become of her?
**
"Happy birthday Maddy," said Jed as Maddy opened her front door.
"Jed, come in, you're early," she said. "You generally don't surface before 4pm," she laughed.
"What are you saying Maddy, that I'm a lazy bastard" he said.
"Actually yeah, you're a lazy bastard and you know it" she said.
"Nice dressing gown," said Jed. "Isn't that the one you had when you were 12? Look at the sleeves halfway up your arms. If I'd have known I'd have bought you a dressing gown for your birthday."
"Oh fuck off Jed, go and put the coffee on," laughed Maddy, I'm going to get showered and dressed.
Jed went off to the kitchen, he knew where everything was and had done for the past well... he couldn't even remember how many years he had lived next door, forever really.
This was Mia and Maddy's childhood home that had been left to them when their father had passed away a couple of years ago when the girls were 19, probably the last time that Maddy and Mia had met up. They led such different lives. Jed actually remembered years back when they were both inseparable, but he also remembered when it changed when they were 5. It was there 5th birthday and they were dressed the same, pretty little white dresses, they were both so cute and he had liked them both. They were quite cheeky and identical with their light brown hair and big green eyes. Hardly anyone but their father could tell them apart back then oh and their Aunt Jane. She was an old bitch she was. Yeah he could remember the day that it all started, this war between the two of them, well not a war really, just two girls fighting for their own individuality.
It all happened after everyone had left the party. The TV was on and they were arguing over two different channels. Maddy had wanted to watch some scary movie that was on and Mia had wanted to watch some show with lots of dancers. They fought over it, literally had a cat fight, there were scratches and tears until their father and aunt Jane had to drag them apart, put them in separate rooms to sleep and that's how it went on, they never slept in the same room again. Maddy dressed more like a Tom boy from that day on and Mia loved all the pretty stuff, dolls and pink dresses. Jed could relate to Maddy more obviously being a boy and they used to climb trees together and pretend make instruments and drums, they enjoyed the same music. They loved drawing and would sit together for hours at a table drawing these weird and wonderful pictures. They shared the same taste in movies, and even food. They should have been twins themselves.
"That coffee ready?" said Maddy entering the Kitchen.
"Yep. Happy birthday, and here's your gift," said Jed handing over a box decorated with lots of different coloured ribbons.
"Jed I really wasn't expecting anything, we don't usually exchange gifts," she said but the excitement showed on her face.
"Yeah I know but it is your 21st after all and I thought seeing as it's a special day...well I'd get you something."
Maddy tugged at a ribbon and the lid popped open. Inside were loads of art stuff, new pens and paints, different sizes of paper and brushes, quite expensive ones. There was also a CD-shaped box wrapped up inside.
"Oh my god Jed, this is wonderful and this... it's not, is it? It only came out this morning." She checked her watch, 9.15 "how on earth did you manage to get to HMV, buy this, wrap it up and get back here?"
"Well.. you know... I want to get it onto iTunes too and get it onto my iPod so hurry up and open it will you" said Jed.
Maddy unwrapped the CD and yep...there it was Green Day's new album 'American Idiot' with its shiny black case and the red hand grenade with the white hand. She broke the seal and unwrapped it then opened it up and sniffed at it.
"Oh my god why the hell do you have to sniff at CDs," said Jed.
"I don't know, it's just something I do. I sniff books too. I love that bookshop smell and that smell of..."
"Oh shut up Maddy," said Jed, "get it on the CD player and we can have coffee and... cake" he said getting out a huge birthday cake from a bag. It was only a supermarket bought one but Maddy wouldn't mind at all.
"Oh what the fuck, it's a Barbie cake," said Maddy. "You're kidding right?" she said opening the box and cutting a piece off the cake. "I'm so hungry, I didn't eat dinner last night, I was busy on the computer as usual."
"You must stop burning the candle at both ends," said Jed. "I know this web design business of yours is really taking off but... I think you need someone to help you, you can't do it all yourself."
"Here have some," said Maddy talking and spitting cake crumbs at the same time and cutting a slice of cake for Jed.
"God you're disgusting," said Jed but laughing at his old friend at the same time. "Hey who does this Barbie cake remind you of?" he said.
"Oh don't remind me," she said. "Mia."
"Have you heard from her today?" he said.
"Fuck no! This is an ungodly hour for her. I know I stay up late some nights but if she's dancing then she's up until the early hours. She thinks lunch is breakfast time. No if I hear from her at all it won't be until late afternoon" said Maddy.
"Give it here" said Jed
"What?" said Maddy
"The fucking Green Day CD," said Jed. "I've got to listen to it. It's ages since they had something out and I'm sick of playing International Super hits all the time, much as I love them I'm desperate to hear their new stuff" said Jed walking to the CD that Maddy always kept in the kitchen and he opened it up slipped in the disc and pressed play.
"Wow. That first song was fucking awesome," said Maddy opening up the CD case again and taking out the little booklet that accompanied it. "Hey do you think that this writing in here is Billie Joes?" she said. Jed took the booklet from her. "Who knows? Could be" said Jed. "Or it may be Mikey baby's," he said mocking her.
"Shut up and give me that back," said Maddy holding out her hand.
"You always go silly when his name is mentioned," said Jed.
"No I don't," said Maddy but she did as when she thought of him her mind went haywire. He was always in her mind. She'd never had this type of crush like feeling in her life over anyone else, just Mike Dirnt from Green Day.
"You do, don't deny it. You've had that thing for him since you were...oh I don't know, when Dookie came out and we had to play it secretly so that your dad didn't hear some of the words. You had that poster hidden under your bed but we knew it would be safe there because under your bed was disgusting. Nobody dare go near."
"Piss off. I still have that poster."
"No way."
"I do and you know I do so don't mention it anymore," said Maddy fingering the CD booklet.
"Hey I liked that one, play that one again," said Maddy
Jed went over to the CD player and looked for the track that Maddy liked.
"What's it called?" he said.
Maddy checked the cover. "Its called Boulevard of Broken Dreams" she said settling back in the chair with her coffee and grabbing another piece of cake.
I walk a lonely road
The only road that I have ever known
Don't know where it goes...
"Fuck that guitar at the end was awesome," said Jed. "I'd love to play like them."
"Hhmmm," said Maddy chomping her cake.
"Jeez you never stop eating, I wish I'd never brought that cake now," said Jed coming over to get himself another piece
"Aww you've eaten Barbie's handbag," said Jed sticking his bottom lip out. "I wanted that," he said.
"Oh well.. I'll let you have her stiletto then," she said picking off the stiletto shoe off the cake and passing it over to him.
"You know I'm sure Mia had a pair of shoes just like this," she said and they started laughing.
***
"Happy birthday Mia," said Judy. "Come on, wake up I have this huge chocolate cake for you out here."
"God what time is it?" said Mia.
"Its almost midday, come on sleepy head, I've even brought you a gift this year," she said glancing over at her friend who was disappearing under the pillow. Her long hair was all over the place.
There was a muffled sound from under the pillow.
Judy walked over and grabbed the pillow off her
"I didn't hear that you 21 year old. What did you say?"
"I feel old," said Mia.
"Oh don't be stupid," said Judy
"I don't want to get old and to have grey hair and wrinkles," said Mia.
"Oh god woman it'll be years before you get wrinkles, jeez I bet you'll be on the botox by then."
"Piss off; you know how I feel about shit like that. Make the most of what you've got, that's what I say," said Mia, sitting herself up.
"I hope that's a coffee with a couple of spoons of sugar in, I'm going to need something strong and sweet to wake me up," she said.
"Hey how much do you remember about last night?" said Judy.
"Everything, why?" said Mia
"Do you remember those American guys that you were talking to at the bar?"
Mia frowned whilst remembering. "There were three of them, they said they were in some rock band. I didn't believe them though, you know what guys are like, and they're always making stuff up to impress. I don't get impressed easily and they didn't impress me one bit, anyway I think they were wearing make up. That's not really my scene."
"You're kidding, one of them certainly impressed you, and it was the one without the make up. I can't remember his name now, Mick or Mike. Mike I think it was. Weird second name but I can't remember it. I think you had a little soft spot for him."
"Yeah he wasn't too bad but the other two they were pissed and shouting and one of them pretended he had this weird name. Cool or Dude or something. Can't remember his first name but yeah that mike guy was quite nice. His eyes were really blue. I thought at first it was the lights but actually they were his real colour. Did we chat for ages?" said Mia looking confused. "I think it's all coming back to me now."
"Mia, you chatted with him for most of the night. You chatted for at least two hours."
"Really. My god I knew we chatted and he seemed really interested in my dancing. He was quite sweet actually."
Just then Mia's phone started ringing. "Fuck, where is it?" she said diving under the quilt cover. She finally located it but the ringing had stopped.
She checked the missed calls. There was a name...
...Mike Dirnt. Vague memories of Mike taking her phone and putting his number in came flooding back to her...
You know, I hated my twin sister. No not hated her really, I loved her, I suppose she was my sister after all. My twin sister Maddy and I were nothing alike; we were like the negative of a photograph. Tomorrow it was our 21st birthday but we wouldn't be celebrating it together and we hadn't celebrated our birthdays together since we were about 12. I remembered that party so well, what a disaster. My parents had tried to do everything right for us. I feel a little guilty now thinking about it but we had such different tastes. I wanted a pink ballerina cake and Maddy; well Maddy wanted some fucking black iced cake with these brown spiders all over it. She was weird then and she was probably still weird now. I tried to work it out, the last time I had seen her was two years ago.
Maddy
I can't believe that we are going to be 21 tomorrow. I don't feel like I am going to be 21. What should a 21 year old be feeling anyway? I wonder how Mia will be celebrating her birthday? Probably going to some nightclub in a mini skirt with high heels and her blonde hair bleached as blonde as she could get it. She'll probably wear glitter as usual and there's bound to be something pink going on. She always had to wear pink. Gross. She was pink and fluffy and well...blonde.
Mia
I was going to a nightclub to celebrate my birthday but it was going to be the night before the big day as Judy was going away for a while. It would be just Judy and I, just the two of us, inseparable since infant school. She was so like me, she was more like my twin sister, we shared everything, well nearly everything we hadn't shared a boyfriend.. yet!
Maddy
Jed was coming round tomorrow to celebrate my birthday. Jed had been our neighbour since we were about two. We were very similar and did so much together, well we didn't actually go to many places, just hung out together, watched movies and stuff. He was the only one who really understood me. I bet Mia will be spending her birthday with that fucking bimbo Judy . God I couldn't stand her she was such an airhead all the two of them went on about were guys, clothes, shoes, make up and dancing. Fucking dancing. Every time I saw dancers on the TV I thought of Mia. May be she was one of them. After all she was a very successful dancer and had been in shows and on TV a couple of times. Good luck to her, I had two left feet.
Mia
I bet Maddy will be spending her birthday with that loser Jed. Fucking hell she needs to get a life what on earth does she see in that geek from next door? They were like a couple of weirdoes. Black was all they seemed to wear. God she was so pretty and she'd died her hair black and it hung down her face like curtains like she was trying to hide behind it. She wore black jeans that hung off her arse with a punk belt. Perlease! And her shoes, she wore these black and white converse things with fucking holes everywhere and she also needed a tip with the make up. Why on earth did she wear so much black eyeliner? Jeez. They were more like twins than her and me. What on earth would become of her?
**
"Happy birthday Maddy," said Jed as Maddy opened her front door.
"Jed, come in, you're early," she said. "You generally don't surface before 4pm," she laughed.
"What are you saying Maddy, that I'm a lazy bastard" he said.
"Actually yeah, you're a lazy bastard and you know it" she said.
"Nice dressing gown," said Jed. "Isn't that the one you had when you were 12? Look at the sleeves halfway up your arms. If I'd have known I'd have bought you a dressing gown for your birthday."
"Oh fuck off Jed, go and put the coffee on," laughed Maddy, I'm going to get showered and dressed.
Jed went off to the kitchen, he knew where everything was and had done for the past well... he couldn't even remember how many years he had lived next door, forever really.
This was Mia and Maddy's childhood home that had been left to them when their father had passed away a couple of years ago when the girls were 19, probably the last time that Maddy and Mia had met up. They led such different lives. Jed actually remembered years back when they were both inseparable, but he also remembered when it changed when they were 5. It was there 5th birthday and they were dressed the same, pretty little white dresses, they were both so cute and he had liked them both. They were quite cheeky and identical with their light brown hair and big green eyes. Hardly anyone but their father could tell them apart back then oh and their Aunt Jane. She was an old bitch she was. Yeah he could remember the day that it all started, this war between the two of them, well not a war really, just two girls fighting for their own individuality.
It all happened after everyone had left the party. The TV was on and they were arguing over two different channels. Maddy had wanted to watch some scary movie that was on and Mia had wanted to watch some show with lots of dancers. They fought over it, literally had a cat fight, there were scratches and tears until their father and aunt Jane had to drag them apart, put them in separate rooms to sleep and that's how it went on, they never slept in the same room again. Maddy dressed more like a Tom boy from that day on and Mia loved all the pretty stuff, dolls and pink dresses. Jed could relate to Maddy more obviously being a boy and they used to climb trees together and pretend make instruments and drums, they enjoyed the same music. They loved drawing and would sit together for hours at a table drawing these weird and wonderful pictures. They shared the same taste in movies, and even food. They should have been twins themselves.
"That coffee ready?" said Maddy entering the Kitchen.
"Yep. Happy birthday, and here's your gift," said Jed handing over a box decorated with lots of different coloured ribbons.
"Jed I really wasn't expecting anything, we don't usually exchange gifts," she said but the excitement showed on her face.
"Yeah I know but it is your 21st after all and I thought seeing as it's a special day...well I'd get you something."
Maddy tugged at a ribbon and the lid popped open. Inside were loads of art stuff, new pens and paints, different sizes of paper and brushes, quite expensive ones. There was also a CD-shaped box wrapped up inside.
"Oh my god Jed, this is wonderful and this... it's not, is it? It only came out this morning." She checked her watch, 9.15 "how on earth did you manage to get to HMV, buy this, wrap it up and get back here?"
"Well.. you know... I want to get it onto iTunes too and get it onto my iPod so hurry up and open it will you" said Jed.
Maddy unwrapped the CD and yep...there it was Green Day's new album 'American Idiot' with its shiny black case and the red hand grenade with the white hand. She broke the seal and unwrapped it then opened it up and sniffed at it.
"Oh my god why the hell do you have to sniff at CDs," said Jed.
"I don't know, it's just something I do. I sniff books too. I love that bookshop smell and that smell of..."
"Oh shut up Maddy," said Jed, "get it on the CD player and we can have coffee and... cake" he said getting out a huge birthday cake from a bag. It was only a supermarket bought one but Maddy wouldn't mind at all.
"Oh what the fuck, it's a Barbie cake," said Maddy. "You're kidding right?" she said opening the box and cutting a piece off the cake. "I'm so hungry, I didn't eat dinner last night, I was busy on the computer as usual."
"You must stop burning the candle at both ends," said Jed. "I know this web design business of yours is really taking off but... I think you need someone to help you, you can't do it all yourself."
"Here have some," said Maddy talking and spitting cake crumbs at the same time and cutting a slice of cake for Jed.
"God you're disgusting," said Jed but laughing at his old friend at the same time. "Hey who does this Barbie cake remind you of?" he said.
"Oh don't remind me," she said. "Mia."
"Have you heard from her today?" he said.
"Fuck no! This is an ungodly hour for her. I know I stay up late some nights but if she's dancing then she's up until the early hours. She thinks lunch is breakfast time. No if I hear from her at all it won't be until late afternoon" said Maddy.
"Give it here" said Jed
"What?" said Maddy
"The fucking Green Day CD," said Jed. "I've got to listen to it. It's ages since they had something out and I'm sick of playing International Super hits all the time, much as I love them I'm desperate to hear their new stuff" said Jed walking to the CD that Maddy always kept in the kitchen and he opened it up slipped in the disc and pressed play.
"Wow. That first song was fucking awesome," said Maddy opening up the CD case again and taking out the little booklet that accompanied it. "Hey do you think that this writing in here is Billie Joes?" she said. Jed took the booklet from her. "Who knows? Could be" said Jed. "Or it may be Mikey baby's," he said mocking her.
"Shut up and give me that back," said Maddy holding out her hand.
"You always go silly when his name is mentioned," said Jed.
"No I don't," said Maddy but she did as when she thought of him her mind went haywire. He was always in her mind. She'd never had this type of crush like feeling in her life over anyone else, just Mike Dirnt from Green Day.
"You do, don't deny it. You've had that thing for him since you were...oh I don't know, when Dookie came out and we had to play it secretly so that your dad didn't hear some of the words. You had that poster hidden under your bed but we knew it would be safe there because under your bed was disgusting. Nobody dare go near."
"Piss off. I still have that poster."
"No way."
"I do and you know I do so don't mention it anymore," said Maddy fingering the CD booklet.
"Hey I liked that one, play that one again," said Maddy
Jed went over to the CD player and looked for the track that Maddy liked.
"What's it called?" he said.
Maddy checked the cover. "Its called Boulevard of Broken Dreams" she said settling back in the chair with her coffee and grabbing another piece of cake.
I walk a lonely road
The only road that I have ever known
Don't know where it goes...
"Fuck that guitar at the end was awesome," said Jed. "I'd love to play like them."
"Hhmmm," said Maddy chomping her cake.
"Jeez you never stop eating, I wish I'd never brought that cake now," said Jed coming over to get himself another piece
"Aww you've eaten Barbie's handbag," said Jed sticking his bottom lip out. "I wanted that," he said.
"Oh well.. I'll let you have her stiletto then," she said picking off the stiletto shoe off the cake and passing it over to him.
"You know I'm sure Mia had a pair of shoes just like this," she said and they started laughing.
***
"Happy birthday Mia," said Judy. "Come on, wake up I have this huge chocolate cake for you out here."
"God what time is it?" said Mia.
"Its almost midday, come on sleepy head, I've even brought you a gift this year," she said glancing over at her friend who was disappearing under the pillow. Her long hair was all over the place.
There was a muffled sound from under the pillow.
Judy walked over and grabbed the pillow off her
"I didn't hear that you 21 year old. What did you say?"
"I feel old," said Mia.
"Oh don't be stupid," said Judy
"I don't want to get old and to have grey hair and wrinkles," said Mia.
"Oh god woman it'll be years before you get wrinkles, jeez I bet you'll be on the botox by then."
"Piss off; you know how I feel about shit like that. Make the most of what you've got, that's what I say," said Mia, sitting herself up.
"I hope that's a coffee with a couple of spoons of sugar in, I'm going to need something strong and sweet to wake me up," she said.
"Hey how much do you remember about last night?" said Judy.
"Everything, why?" said Mia
"Do you remember those American guys that you were talking to at the bar?"
Mia frowned whilst remembering. "There were three of them, they said they were in some rock band. I didn't believe them though, you know what guys are like, and they're always making stuff up to impress. I don't get impressed easily and they didn't impress me one bit, anyway I think they were wearing make up. That's not really my scene."
"You're kidding, one of them certainly impressed you, and it was the one without the make up. I can't remember his name now, Mick or Mike. Mike I think it was. Weird second name but I can't remember it. I think you had a little soft spot for him."
"Yeah he wasn't too bad but the other two they were pissed and shouting and one of them pretended he had this weird name. Cool or Dude or something. Can't remember his first name but yeah that mike guy was quite nice. His eyes were really blue. I thought at first it was the lights but actually they were his real colour. Did we chat for ages?" said Mia looking confused. "I think it's all coming back to me now."
"Mia, you chatted with him for most of the night. You chatted for at least two hours."
"Really. My god I knew we chatted and he seemed really interested in my dancing. He was quite sweet actually."
Just then Mia's phone started ringing. "Fuck, where is it?" she said diving under the quilt cover. She finally located it but the ringing had stopped.
She checked the missed calls. There was a name...
...Mike Dirnt. Vague memories of Mike taking her phone and putting his number in came flooding back to her...