Lily and I are seventeen now.
Still twins. Still geniuses.
Still ruling the school.
They still call us the "Angel and Devil Twins"—her with golden hair, a smile that melts hearts, and legs that boys trip over; me with black hair, a permanent smirk, and a thousand-yard stare that shuts nonsense down before it starts.
We didn't allow bullies in our school. But that didn't stop people from hating us.
Jealous girls. Rejected boys. Petty drama. Usual stuff.
Lily kept attracting suitors like flies to a glowing halo. It's honestly impressive. There's a whole ecosystem orbiting her:
The nerdy, sweet boy The flirt with daddy issues The jock with secret poetry in his locker The motorcycle bad boy with good grades And others I don't care enough to track
Me? I'm just here to make sure none of them touch her unless she says so.
This time around, I've learned my lesson: let people have their stories. She's smart. She can fight. And thanks to our mother, we have access to the ultimate weapon: a giant crystal jar of glow-in-the-dark condoms in our shared walk-in closet.
Yes. Really.
"Don't tell your fathers," Mom had said, tossing one at me.
"But you're seventeen now. Don't get pregnant. Don't catch STDs. The color-changing ones are for STI detection."
Lily blushed red. I just nodded.
I love my mother.
Enter the New Boy
I was lying in the sun on the grass at school, playing dead (my favorite recess activity), when a shadow fell over me.
"Hello, Jack. My sister's in her theatre club—she's not with me today."
The shadow didn't move.
"I'm not Jack," the voice said. "I'm his cousin. Jacob. It's my first day, and I'm kinda lost. Do you know where the director's office is?"
I sat up and blinked at him.
Jack—the jock suitor—did have a cousin visiting soon. They looked similar: dirty blond hair, good bone structure. But Jacob had soft grey eyes and a pale, haunted look that screamed goth angel sent from fanfiction.net .
"Ah," I said. "Got it. You look like Jack if he was a ghost."
"Thanks... I think."
I stood and stretched, brushing grass off my skirt.
"Nice to meet you. I'm Selene."
We walked to the office.
The secretary spotted me and gasped,
"Selene?! What happened? Did you fight again? Am I calling your parents?!"
Jacob raised an eyebrow.
"Relax," I said. "I'm doing a good deed."
Jacob cleared his throat.
"Sorry, I forgot your name—"
"No need to remember it," I cut in. "I'm going. Byyyeeeee."
I left him standing there, looking vaguely amused.
Back in Class
Jacob was introduced to our class a few minutes later.
The girls instantly started whispering.
I popped a candy in my mouth and went back to my math.
Honestly, this world is full of hot boys with main-character energy. It's exhausting.
Meanwhile, I stayed on brand:
Top of the class Chocolate addict Emotionally unavailable
Our teacher eventually sighed,
"Can someone other than Selene answer a question today?"
The class laughed.
Lily and I are in separate classes now.
Mom read a study about twins developing dependency and overidentification, so we're in different electives and extracurriculars.
We still see each other all the time. We text. We FaceTime between periods. We know each other's schedules by heart.
At lunch, I was gaming on my phone when Jacob appeared again.
"Hey. Thanks again for earlier."
"No problem," I mumbled, still playing.
"Is there a chess club here?"
"Yeah. First floor bulletin board. Or check the school site."
He hesitated.
"Any clubs you recommend?"
I sat up fast.
"I started the Crime & Horror Club. We have movie nights, discuss podcasts, creepy unsolved cases, vampire lore—"
He looked startled by my sudden enthusiasm.
"That... sounds pretty cool. Thanks."
He walked away.
Damn. Thought I had a new recruit.
Crime & Horror Club, Meeting #18
I walked into the club room that afternoon.
My people were already there:
Elizabeth: literary goth and passionate about murder ballads Maria: paranormal obsessed and a Blade stan Lucas: horror movie nerd who only joined because he's in love with Maria
As we were setting up for our vampire-themed session, the door opened again.
"Hello," said Jacob. "This is the Crime & Horror Club, right? I'd like to join."
Lucas cheered,
"Finally! Another guy!"
I rolled my eyes.
"Welcome. I'm the club president."
Elizabeth whispered to Maria,
"He's so cute..."
I handed Jacob a club booklet and said,
"Today we're discussing vampires in fiction, pop culture, and folklore. Everyone's prepared a presentation."
Vampire Showdown
My turn came. I stepped forward, turned on the projector, and displayed a slide titled:
"Elizabeth Báthory: The Blood Countess."
"She's widely believed to have inspired the female vampire archetype. Claimed to have killed hundreds of girls. Possibly bathed in blood. Definitely a murder legend."
Jacob watched me with wide eyes.
Yeah. That's the appropriate reaction.
We all discussed our favorite vampires. I turned to him:
"What about you, new guy?"
He paused.
"Eric Brooks. Also known as Blade."
The club exploded with approval.
We ended the meeting watching What We Do in the Shadows (2014). There was laughter. Popcorn. Chocolate shaped like skeletons.
It was kind of perfect.
As we left, the three other members walked together (they live in the same neighborhood).
I waited for my driver.
Jacob was still there too.
"That was fun. Also, the chocolate skeletons were a nice touch."
"Thanks. Let me know if you have any allergies. I bring snacks every week."
He nodded. Then, as I started to walk away—
"Can I get your number?"
I raised an eyebrow.
"For the group chat," he clarified quickly.
I nodded, gave it to him, and turned to head to the car.
Lily was already inside, grinning.
"I saw that. You gave your number to a cute boy. Ooooooh..."
"He's Jack's cousin," I said, deadpan.
"He just joined the horror club."
"Mmm-hmm," she said, twirling a strand of golden hair.
"You're blushing."
"I'm not like you. I don't collect fans."
But I smiled.
A little.
Just a little.