PERCY.
After watching Gemini disappear into the building, a strange sense of satisfaction settled over me. He had a look of determination on his face that hadn't been there the night before. I had a feeling he was going to ace that test. With a final, silent nod to myself, I turned and made my way back to the main administration building. The university, after all, was my family's legacy, and it came with a few perks. One of them being a private office on campus, a quiet space in Penelope and I shared.
The moment I opened the door to the familiar, well-lit room, I saw her: a small figure already curled up on the comfortable couch, surrounded by pillows. I honestly don't get how she's able to relax all curled up like that.
"Finally!" Penelope exclaimed, pushing herself upright. My twin sister, the complete opposite of me in every way. Where I was quiet and what people often call reserved, she was a storm of energy. Where I preferred solitude, she was the life of the party. Our mother once compared us to cats and dogs.
"Where did you disappear to last night?" she asked, her voice a mix of exasperation and genuine concern. "We missed you at Daphne's after-party. You know, the after party for her twenty-second birthday? You were supposed to be my date and keep all the creepy guys away from me, big brother. I had to fend them off all on my own, you know." She said it with a dramatic sigh, and I couldn't help but crack a smile.
"I'm sorry you had to go through that, sis. I was at Gemini's dorm." I replied, grabbing a bottle of water from the mini-fridge.
Penelope's eyes widened. "Gemini's dorm? I thought you two weren't supposed to hang out last night?"
Hanging out? I guess that's one way of explaining what I'm doing with him. I took a long drink of water as my sister stares at me.
"He's having modern design test this morning. I helped him study for it."
"I thought you went for a quick drive, to clear your head or stayed at a hotel, but you were at his dorm helping him study all night?" she asked, disbelief lacing her voice. "Percy, you ditched Daphne's birthday party—our childhood friend—to help Gemini study for midterms? And you stayed with him all night?"
I didn't answer, just took another sip of my water. She stared at me for a long moment, then a slow grin spread across her face.
"And someone said he doesn't like the kid." she mumbled making me scoff. "Hold, on! You're doing this because he's helping you sleep better, aren't you? Oh, that makes so much sense." she stated, her tone shifting from playfulness to something a little more serious.
I sighed, shaking my head. "Just not that. He's a good kid, Pen. He was stressed out and I helped. It's not a big deal."
"It's a huge deal, Percy! Before him, you never did anything like this for anyone except me. Speaking of...do you know what happened to me last night?" she said, getting up and beginning to pace in front of me.
"First, our cousin Mark tried to hook me up with this guy he brought along with him. Can you believe it? Me, hook up with a complete stranger? And then Liam, you remember Liam right? He's umm...dad's business associate's son, or something." She explained and I nodded. "Yeah, he spilled a whole tray of appetizers on me because he couldn't keep his hands to himself. I was covered in guacamole! And you know how long it takes to get that out of a silk dress...you owe me a new dress by the way!" She rattled off a whole list of grievances, and I just sat back and listened with a smile on my face.
She was a whirlwind, alright! But she's my whirlwind, my better half. I'd left her behind last night, so I had no choice but to listen as she recounted some people's attempts to get her to find them jobs at a prestigious fashion company. The stories tumbled out: a fight some girls had over Cole and a new crush, a guy with a motorcycle she'd seen on her way. I listened and nodded, offering quiet inputs, a familiar rhythm settling between us.
After about ten minutes later, she finally stopped, out of breath. "So, is he sleeping over at ours tonight?" she asked, a hopeful look in her eyes.
"Who?" I replied, feigning ignorance.
She rolled her eyes. "Gemini. Seriously, brother!"
"I might stay at his again tonight," I said, a little smile playing on my lips. "we have a lot of studying to do, one study session won't cut it."
She let out a frustrated groan. "Percy! You can't keep him for yourself! I want to see him too."
I just chuckled and stood up, stretching my stiff muscles. "I'll think about it. Now, if you'll excuse me, I need to take a nap. All that studying really took it out of me."
Penelope huffed and grabbed a pillow, throwing it at me. "Fine, I'll let you rest. But don't think you're getting out of this conversation that easily, I want to see him too."