Quarters
Chapter One: Intro
1/4
Yeah, my sister was always like that. Born first, the first baby they saw on the ultra-sound, doctors say they didn't even notice me at first, and we're twins. The delivery was quick, or so they say. One of the strongest babies that was ready to start living. I, on the other hand, took a little more coaxing before I was ready to be born. Because of it, my parents make jokes about me being stubborn, lazy, sometimes even a pain in the- well, I won't say it. They always called Jessica perfect though; right on time, quick and painless, which of course makes her generous and considerate.
2/4
Jess was everything I wasn't, exactly what you would expect from your twin. She was bold, confident, an amazing athlete, and always had so many friends. I was shy, soft-spoken, low self-esteem; no where near an athlete, and people had a tendency to avoid me as much as possible. Boys flocked to her like bees to honey; a moth to a flame, all the like, while the only boys that ever approached me were the ones hoping to get closer to Jess through me. My parents always said she was beautiful right from birth. They lacked to mention anything about me, but honestly, I'd rather not know how ugly they thought I was.
3/4
I remember once, in the 3rd grade, I overheard a bunch of her friends asking her why she even bothered to call me her sister. They said I was pathetic, a disgrace, and how undeserving I was to even bear the same last time. They may not have said it in these exact words, but they had a worse meaning, maybe an equal meaning, more or less. I remember looking her in the eyes from a different cafeteria table, all the way across the small lunch room as they said that. She looked sad, and immediately broke eye contact. But, before you all go crazy, I just want you all to know that Jess has beaten me at everything, including being a better person. When her friends said those things about me, she stood up, defended me the way only the best 3rd grader could, and walked to my lonely lunch table to eat with me. So, as much as I would have loved for her to agree with them and become that dreaded popular girl everyone hates in school so that I could hold some type of candle to her, she was down to earth, she protected me, and she wouldn't even let me have that. She left me with nothing, not even a reason to dislike her.
4/4
Everyone knew Jess. How could anyone not know Jess? Jess is so beautiful, so kind, and so generous; she even talks to that pathetic excuse for a sister, what was her name again? Jess will know; Jess knows everything too. She is our class president after all, she is our cheer captain after all, she is our star quarter back for the girl's football team after all. No one is stronger than Jess. No one is faster than Jess. No one is smarter than Jess. No one could ever be as amazing as Jess. There was only one thing I could do better than Jess:
Breathe.
That's right. Jess had asthma. She had a breathing condition in which the lungs do not fully expand, nor does the throat, and it makes it very difficult to breathe. That is, yet another reason why she is such a great role model. She can do all these amazing, athletic things and prove that even with an incurable illness the mind prevails over the body. So, if you were just starting to dislike my wonderful sister, you might as well forget it; she's got your sympathy vote too.
My name is Jayce. I blend into the background a lot and a lot of people don't even notice I exist. I can go days without ever talking, and I've gone entire school years where people have never heard my voice. I'm a short, dark haired girl that's as flat as cardboard. I've even heard some people make jokes that if I stepped on a crack I'd slip right through. My hair was always unruly and so difficult to keep neat. I generally gravitate towards dark, gothic clothing that for the longest time I couldn't figure out why people stayed away from me. My eyesight was terrible, so I wore thick glasses that my parents bought at a garage sale.
I sucked at being athletic. I couldn't run. I couldn't jog. I couldn't tackle. I couldn't throw. I couldn't hit. I couldn't swim. I couldn't dive, cheer, kick, and anything else you could think of.
Honestly, I've never liked people. Whether I was spending time with them, walking through a crowded grocery store, or even if they attempted to hug me, it was way out of my comfort zone. My idea of affection always seemed a bit aggressive. An aggressive shove to show I'm there for you, a jab to the gut to show you're a great friend, maybe even a yank to the hair to show I care, I don't know. Anything else, like hugging, kissing, holding hands with a best friend, I found it unbearable, disturbing, and down right uncomfortable. That of course would explain why I had such few friends and even fewer boyfriends. Oh well.
But that was all in the past, right? This year, freshman year, Jess and I are going to different high schools. It has a lot to do with the divorce of our parents. My mom kept Jess and stayed in the United States. My dad kept me and soon after the divorce, we were flying to Japan. A new beginning, a new me, and this year, I think I'll be called Jay instead of Jayce. Jay Sorrentino.
