New Twins in Town Pt. 01 Ch. 02

"Hey," Miles whispered. "It's okay. I'm here. We're gonna make sure everything is fine."

He placed one hand under her chin to get her to reestablish eye contact then brushed away the tears streaking down her cheek. Her eyes met his own and smiled before leaning forward and pressed her mouth against his.

Miles froze, too surprised to do anything but stay where he was. Her tongue slipped past his lips and briefly pressed against his before she pulled away.

"What's going on?" He continued whispering, though now everyone in their group focused solely on the two of them.

"I'm in choir," she conveyed between sniffles.

"I don't underst-"

"There's only one choir. That's how Cleo knows me. We've been in multiple classes together for years. She had all these nice things to say to me yesterday, and I just thought 'Hey, this girl is super friendly'. Like an idiot. Here is this person who has been in my life for years and I never noticed. This sweet, funny, smart, fun person who kept me cracking up last night. And for years I took her for granted."

Their lively group was now speechless.

"And that's not even the worst part," Seph continued, "Now I can't stop wondering, 'how many other people in my life do I take for granted?' 'What other wonderful people am I missing out on having in my life?' And I wouldn't if I weren't such a stupid, self-centered, bitch."

"Woah, Woah. I haven't known you long... but I don't believe you're self-centered. And you're definitely not a bitch. And... and... uh..." Miles was racing.

"Seph, did you need to meet us at school the other day?" Zoe asked, kneeling forward and placing a comforting hand on Seph's shoulder.

"Boon asked me," Persephone let go of Miles to turn and face Zoe, wrapping her up in a hug of her own.

"Yeah, but it's not like you had to come, right? There wasn't any risk if you didn't meet us? You took time out of your life to be one of the first people Miles and I met at our new school."

"Well, Kristina came too and everyone knows Kristina..." she cut herself off before saying something she might regret. She'd nearly forgotten they weren't the only people sitting around the large fire, and most had turned their attention toward the crying girl.

"Kristina wasn't all that friendly or outgoing towards me and Zo when we met," Miles picked up where his sister left off.

"I kinda got the vibe she was trying to establish dominance honestly. I don't think she had any intention of being friendly," Zoe confessed.

"But... we had to figure out who was first chair," Seph's crying had tapered slightly.

The questions are helping.

"Yeah, but we could have figured that out any time. Heck, we could be doing that right now if we hadn't done it then. Or next week when we're actually playing. But you wanted to make sure that we got a good first experience with our new school."

Chris piped up, "Dude, remember when I was struggling to learn my parts in jazz band last year, you made me stay after school so we could work on them together. Definitely not a bitch move."

"If it weren't for you, I probably wouldn't even be in band," Topher added. "And even if I was, I definitely wouldn't be a section leader."

Miles shot the boy a confused look.

"Seph knew I wanted to be in band, I didn't think I could do it. She told me I could be a section leader, then worked with me to learn the parts."

Miles nodded, That's sorta what Zo and I do when she's struggling with music.

"We both know you played a big part in me getting comfortable being myself," Pixie added. The twins could only wonder what that entailed.

"We don't need to go into it right now, but you know how much you've helped me over the past couple years," Joe chimed in.

"I guess... all those things are true, but-" Seph's crying had nearly stopped entirely.

"There's no point in focusing on a mistake," Cleo said, surprising them all. "But it sounds like you're going to be more aware of the impact you have on the lives of others. I don't think anyone could ask for more."

Seph wiped her eyes dry, looked over at Cleo, and mouthed a "thank you."

The group around the campfire seemed to relax as Seph regained her composure.

"And I know this isn't a big thing, but it's been bugging me since you said it," Joe contributed. "There are two choirs, jazz choir is at the same time as jazz band."

Seph scowled at Joe and was met with a tongue sticking out at her, causing her to laugh.

She looked at the faces of all her friends, both new and old, smiled, and cried again. "I have the best friends."

Pixie stood and walked between Seph and the fire.

Seph looked at Miles, uncertain of what to expect.

Without warning, Pixie tackled Seph off the log she'd been seated in.

"No making us worry about you like that," Pixie squealed.

If Seph was hurt, she was doing too good a job laughing for anyone to notice. "Okay, okay. Gosh."

"I love you, Boss," Pixie said as she brushed her cheek against Seph's own.

"I love you too, Goof."

Miles chuckled silently and looked over at his sister in time to catch her whisper to Cleo.

"Y'know, she kinda reminds me of you."

"Impossible," Cleo countered. "She's fully clothed."

"Ex-" Miles stumbled on his words. "Excuse me?"

"Shoosh," Zoe waved off Miles. "Otherwise I'll have to tell all those girls about your pre-dawn routine."

"Why do you hate me?" Miles chuckled.

"Hate you?" Zoe returned. "I'm sparing you a story that includes nudity and your sister."

"Nooo, now you've said it... that image-" Miles turned to the brass players. "See, she hates me."

"That was pretty messed up," Topher laughed.

"Hey, Toph," Seph, still pinned under Pixie, called.

"Yeah? Oh..." he looked back at the fire.

"Got you too, huh?" Miles asked.

"Siblings are the worst," Topher grumbled, then looked at Seph and lovingly added, "Hate you."



"Hate you too," she giggled back.

"Well, you're not my sibling," Pixie said to Cleo and Zoe. "If you tell me, maybe we can reenact it here and everyone wins."

"No offense, Pix," Seph said. "Not saying I'll never want naked hugs. But I'm not really feeling up to it at the moment."

"Rain check?"

"We'll see."

"Uh... once Pixie's had her fill-" Joe asked.

"Which will be never," Pixie stated.

"Right, but I'd like to hug Seph too," Joe continued. "Fully clothed!"

Pixie climbed off, "Should probably let everyone else get a piece of you."

Miles turned and extended a hand to help the girls back to their feet.

"Thanks," Seph offered but refused to meet his gaze. Instead, she walked to the other section leaders. "Hugs?"

"Why do I think we're all gonna get up at once and end with someone falling into the fire?" Joe asked.

"That's a definite possibility," Chris agreed.

"Now that the idea is out there," Topher shrugged. "I can't see myself not causing it to happen."

"Here," Seph stepped away from the fire and opened herself up to receive a train of hugs from her friends.

The twins looked at each other, uncertain if their budding roles in Seph's life merited a hug in this scenario.

She just kissed me. I can't get squeamish over a hug.

Miles stood and waited for Seph to receive her hugs. Before he had a chance to embrace her, she put up a hand.

"I've embarrassed myself enough for one night," she gave a half smile and nodded, her eyes avoiding his own. "And now I'm feeling a bit emotionally drained. Mind if I call it early?"

Damn. He shook his head while the others supported her decision.

"Thanks, guys. You all knew exactly what I needed."

Miles watched as she turned and walked away.

"Miles?" Zoe called from her still-seated position.

"I think... I'm going to call it as well."

He didn't hear whether the others objected as he jogged lightly to catch up with Seph.

"It alright if I walk you back to your cabin?"

She stopped walking and faced him.

"I don't know what came over me back there. I'm sorry. That was messed up. I don't want to lead you on or anything. I have a boyfriend."

"Yeah, I saw him drop you off before we left."

Seph smiled out of embarrassment and thought back to the moment itself.

"Saw that, did ya?" Her cheeks were red but Miles couldn't determine if it was her blushing or from crying earlier.

They turned and walked toward her cabin.

"I was a bit surprised." Miles admitted, then before his brain could stop his mouth, "Maybe a tad jealous."

"You... you know how you look, right?" She tentatively asked.

"I've... known a girl or two to take interest in me," he clumsily stated. He had no intention of bragging but didn't know how else to answer her question.

"Well, I'm not impervious to your looks and your charm, so, I had a bit of a crush and should have done a better job hiding it," the words were exiting her mouth before receiving clearance from her brain. "And I think I kissed you to get it out of my system. I know it's not fair to you. I swear, I won't let it happen again... at least not while I have a boyfriend."

"I'd appreciate that," it was Miles's turn to blush.

They came to the door of her cabin.

Again, Miles stepped forward to hug her good night, and again she stopped him.

"I'm not sure if that's a good idea," she nervously giggled and tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ear, "A girl can only exercise so much self-restraint."

He took his step back and stood. She bit her lip and finally permitted herself to meet his gaze.

"Damn," she whispered, her cheeks reddened.

"Everything okay?" He asked with the same hushed tone.

"I'm... not sure if this is much better," she took long, deliberate breaths, but didn't allow herself to look away save for an errant glance to his lips.

"Uh-huh," he agreed, finding himself enraptured by the sound of her haggard breathing.

A girl opened the door to exit the cabin and walked past them as if they weren't there. The disturbance broke the spell that had the two trumpet players transfixed.

"Good night Miles," Seph chirped as she ducked into the cabin and shut the door behind her.

"Goodnight, Seph," he let out with a huff.

He ambled to his cabin, wondering if he'd done anything wrong.

One thing is for sure. His tongue dabbed at his lip. The flavor of her chapstick lingered. Seph is not the girl from the lake.

Wednesday, August 16, 3:57 AM, Belews Lake Cabin

The hours crawled by. Miles restlessly waited. Though the taste of Seph had faded from his lips, the questions in his head multiplied.

Is there something there? What if she breaks up with her boyfriend? Do I want to be the reason they break up? What if he's popular? Won't people resent me for messing that up?

He sighed, unhappy with where his thoughts landed.

If there is a possibility of things happening with Seph... shouldn't I not go to the lake? He frowned. That doesn't make sense. I didn't go to the lake because I expected to run into someone. I went to swim. Like I do every morning. Besides, if I don't go, I'll always wonder who was swimming with me.

He raised his watch and it illuminated, displaying the time. He'd wrestled with the decision all night. Now that the hour was upon him, there was no other option.

As with the previous night, he quickly made his way through the woods. There were fewer clouds, making it easier to scan the shore and the dock. Whereas the previous night he rushed to get undressed and in the water, tonight he was more interested in uncovering the identity of his mystery woman than he was in diving in the lake.

His eyes surveyed the water for any trace of her. There were no ripples indicating the presenece of anyone else.

A glance at his watch showed he'd already been waiting for ten minutes.

She's not here. Maybe she'll show up, maybe she won't. It'll be just as easy for her to see me swimming as it is standing on the dock. And she'll be expecting me in the water.

He stripped and dove in.

He made up a few of the laps he'd intended to do the previous night, but he kept out hope that he'd soon be joined by his unknown swimming partner.

That's something they don't tell you. He glanced to the shore as he reached the apex of his lap. The feeling of not being watched when you're hoping for it is notably worse than the feeling of being watched when no one is there.

He continued his circuit. Always mindful of the dock. The shore. The absence of anyone on them. His mind played tricks. Shadows turned to people. With every lap, a new person appeared. Each of the girls he'd met since coming to town. It did more to get his heart racing than skimming across the lake.

The pulsing from the device on his wrist alerted him it was time to head back.

Still holding out that there was a chance she could show up at any second, his walk back to camp took exponentially longer than his journey out.

Even as he stood under the shower, he imagined she'd appear, and they'd familiarize themselves with each other's bodies with the assistance of soap and a washcloth.

As he climbed back into his sleeping bag, a thought crossed his mind that he somehow hadn't fathomed before.

What if she never comes back to the lake?