It looked like there were a million and one diamond stars in the night sky, and the longer I watched the sky, the more I felt like I was looking into heaven.
“They’re beautiful, are they?” he asked, moving to sit next to me.
I nodded, not talking him.
He sighed. “Helen, don’t you think we’re too old for the silent treatment?”
I still didn’t reply. In fact, to distract myself, I started to count the stars, knowing it wasn’t possible, but it would at least help to distract me. And he kept quiet. I knew he was waiting for me to get annoyed at him being near me while being quiet, too, but I wasn’t giving in this time.
I’m not sure how many minutes went by, but by his forth tongue click, I knew he’d had enough.
“Helen!”
“What!” I sat up, turning to glare at his stupid handsome face. “What do you want, Wyatt? Go! Do whatever you want! Move to Boston for all I care, leave me alone here, whatever!”
“I’m not leaving you alone, you can come, too!” he hollered back at me, and frustrated, I smacked his chest. “Ouch!”
“You want me to pick up everything I’m doing here to just hang out with you in Boston?” He really didn’t care about anyone but himself.
“You want me to stay in Chicago just so I can hang out with you!”
“You’re from Chicago! I’m not asking you to pick anything. I’m saying stay where you belong.”
He cracked his head to the side and clenched his fist. “Why is this where I belong? Why can’t I decide where I belong on my own without everyone else trying to force me!”
“Because this is home. This is where your family is.” Why didn’t he get it? This was where our memories were. Where we were surrounded by everything we could possibly need. “Why are you so dead set on leaving?” On leaving me?
He hung his head, brushing his hands through his hair.
“I want to know who I am beyond this family, Helen. I want to find myself by myself. Why is that such a bad thing? Why is everyone trying to fault me for finding my own path instead of walking the one they laid out for me? Isn’t this what we’re supposed to do?”
“Okay, then go,” I muttered.
“I don’t want to go and then not talk to you because you’re upset with me.”
Everything always had to be on his terms. “Fine, go, I won’t be mad. I’ll call when I have time and fill you in.”
He didn’t say anything, so I looked toward him. He was giving me a face.
“What?”
“When you have time?” he repeated in disgust. “What am I, an ex-boyfriend you’re trying to get rid of?”
If only!
“What more do you want from me!? Jeez, you’re so bloody needy,” I muttered.
He laughed, bumping his shoulders into mine. “Just want to make sure my best friend isn’t bailing on me.”
“Says the best friend who is bailing.”
“How did we become best friends anyway?” he questioned and pulled out a Twix bar, opened the wrapper, and gave me one Twix stick before taking the other.
“You were jealous of me.”
“Say what?” he questioned, trying not laugh.
Taking a bite of the Twix, I nodded, chewing and swallowing before continuing. “You hated how close me and Dona were getting. You felt like I was taking your twin away, and so you kept making me play with you instead…since Dona wanted more girlfriends. But then we had more fun doing things Dona didn’t want to do. Dona then got jealous and made me spend more time with her. And back and forth and back and forth, like that.”
“I don’t remember that,” he said seriously, taking a bite. The look on my face must have been hilarious because he couldn’t stop laughing.
“Shut up!”
“Sorry. You just looked like you wanted to rip my head off.” He snickered and then took a deep breath. “Dona and I must have been hard on you.”
“You were the more difficult twin,” I admitted, taking another bite.
“What, why?”
“Way too complicated for me to even begin to explain.” Actually, it wasn’t. I liked him. So being around him all the time took much more effort than it did with Dona.
“Well, anyway, just promise you’ll at least visit this difficult twin as much as you can? I don’t like being separated from you,” he said, and then a grin spread across his face. “I feel like Dona will make you forget all about me just to spite me.”
“Why do I feel like there’s a competition between you both for me even though I’ve done nothing?” I questioned, looking him over.
“Helen, you’ve done a lot for us. For me at least. I might not always say it. But I’m thankful. I couldn’t imagine not having you in my life, which is why you must come for a visit. You can leave your cooking at home, though.” He laughed at his only little joke. I punched his shoulder, and he laughed harder, reaching out and grabbing on me. “Don’t you forget about me or I swear I’ll…”
“You’ll what?” I snapped, trying to push him away.
He paused and said, “Or I’ll die of a broken, lonely heart.”
I stared at him, and he stared at me. Then we both broke out laughing. Finally, when we both calmed down, I held out my hand, and we shook.
“You better not forget about me, either, or I’ll die of the same thing.”
“Deal.” He took my hand, shaking as if he were trying to yank my arm off.
HELEN – NOW
“Wake up,” I whispered, lying next him even though I was too tired to move. I couldn’t even look at him anymore. He wasn’t there, and yet all I could do was keep speaking. “Or I’ll die of a broken, lonely heart…I’m not joking. Wake up, please. My parents are going to be so sad if I die, too. I don’t want to die, Wyatt, but you can’t leave me here…why are you always leaving me?”
“Helen?”
I looked
