One Halfed: Chapter One
The class was loud, the children playing and talking with one another in the classroom. They were unaware of what was about to happen, and unaware of the huge change that will come in along with the new week. The children were going to be getting a surprise. A big surprise; named Jamie and Reese.
"Okay class, please quiet down."
Murmurs were heard around the class as the students listened to the teacher. Soft warning were whispered to still talking friends, the sounds of dread that escaped from the peers mouths as the conversations stopped until the teacher stopped talking.
"Since this is a new class period so I expect you all to be on your best behavior. You understand?"
"But you said that last time," said a child named Theo. His hands were wrapped around his desk in an almost death grip. Fearing the worst, since the last time the teacher said that, something happened since Theo had been messing with a substitutes head.
"Be quiet, Theo." The teacher said with a smile as her class started laughing at their classmate's reaction to the teacher's word choice.
"Anyways, we have some new students this time around. I would like you take time to introduce yourselves and make them feel welcome."
The class was shocked at what teacher had just told them.
"A new student?"
"Is she kidding?"
"Quiet class, now this is Jamie and Reese. They will be you classmates for the rest of the year." The look on her children's faces as they introduced themselves to the boys in front of the class made her smile. The boys were both wearing the required uniform but they had name tags on. So that the class could tell them apart she presumed. The name tags weren't needed to tell the boys apart, even though they were twins, Reese had a huge bandage on his face and along his neck.
**SadExcuseForALine**
"So how was it?"
"Hm?" Cindy looked up from grading papers to look at the man in front of her.
"The new kids. Those twins." The man said to her. "You've been talking about it all week so how did it go?"
Cindy blushed and looked away from the man, Jonathan-her husband-, before answering with: "Oh, they are just adorable. Jamie fit right in on his first day. He got along with absolutely everyone. It is really cute how they act like they've known him forever. Jamie is pretty social.
But Reese, on the other hand… he just sat and watched his brother. He watched him have fun outside with the other students. I asked him why he was sitting all alone instead of going outside to play with his brother and his new friends. And do you know what he said?"
"What did he say Cindy?"
"He said 'Because I'm not Jamie.'"
**SadExcuseForALine**
"Reese, are you alright?" Jamie asked as he walked into his shared room with his brother. Reese was sitting in there doing his homework. He knew better than to do that but what he had to say was important.
"Huh?"
"I asked if you're okay. Oh and I brought your drink."
Reese was sitting at his desk, attempting to do his homework, as his brother handed him his drink.
"Yeah, I'm fine."
The boys sat in an awkward silence and the only sound was of Reese's pencil writing on paper. Jamie sat fidgeting with his hands.
"Sorry. Umm, about dinner…. I-I didn't mean to do that. I'm sorry."
Jamie kept fidgeting with his hands as Reese downed his drink. As he clanked the glass down he simply said, "I'm fine. It's nothing big. I don't care about that. So… DO YOUR stupid HOMEWORK!" and threw his pencil at his brother. As Jamie picked the pencil out of his hair he frowned at his twin.
"Fine." Jamie began to pout and fidget with his hands.
"And stop making that face. It's annoying." Reese grabbed the pencil from Jamie and continued writing. Jamie was still hung up at his twin throwing his pencil at him.
"F-fine." The pout still on his face but laughter was playing in his eyes.
Reese looked up from his homework and stared at his brother. The sad face still on his face as he continually stared. Reese finally got fed up.
"STOP THAT! HOW DARE YOU MAKE THAT FACE AT ME!" Reese yelled at Jamie as he threw a pillow from the bed next to him.
"Ha ha ha. Alright, I got it. I got it." Jamie replied laughing.
Reese wasn't looking amused as his twin stuck out his hand to touch the, now, uncovered mark on his brother's neck.
"Does it still hurt?"
"It's only a scratch, Jamie. You overreact too much." The twin in question answered while pushing his brother's hand away. Jamie looked away, satisfied with his brother's answer.
"Okay, but if anything bothers you, you let me know okay?"
"Jamie…"
"Yes?"
"You're bothering me. Let me do my homework."
"Okay." Jamie replied as he got off the chair and started to walk away.
**SadExcuseForALine**
This is my brother Reese. He looks exactly like me but this will probably be hard to believe but…
We found him on the streets on a rainy day.
**SadExcuseForALine**
The rain was falling; people were walking by the alley way and not bothering to pay attention to the little boy sitting there. Until a boy playing around in the rain spotted the dismal boy sitting on his own. His mother called to him and he took her hand but still watched the sad boy. His mother stopped and looked at where her son was looking and noticed the boy herself. The woman's breathe hitched and upon hearing that the boy in the alleyway looked up.
And the boy and his mother stared at the boy who looked as though he had been through a personal sized war zone. The woman looked at her son then at the boy and then back to her son. The boys looked identical, they had the same hair, the face, and more importantly: their eye was the same.
Jamie was born with to different eye colors. The doctor said that his genetics made that possible and that not many people in the world, if only ten people, had that condition. So it came as a surprise to see a look alike of her son.
"Hello?" Jamie was talking to the boy now. "What's your name?"
The boy looked around as if he couldn't believe someone was speaking to him. The boy's voice was hoarse and the mother and son could barely hear the boy's response.
"M-My name is Reese. And-d I'm cold."
**SadExcuseForALine**
"Jamie."
"Hmm…"
"Jamie."
"Hmm…"
"Wake up. We do not have all day you lazy bum. So hurry up, we're going to be late to school." Reese kicked his brother, who had somehow ended up on the floor again, as he walked by.
"No, we're not. But okay I'm getting up." Jamie yawned and stretched as he woke up. He stared as his brother got into the closet to get his clothes for the day. "Hey, you alright?"
"Why wouldn't I be? Have you been getting into mom's cabinet again?"
"No I haven't and well, I dunno… the vomiting in the middle of the night?" Reese stopped as he picked up Jamie's blanket off the floor.
"Oh, you heard that? How did you find out? I dun wanna throw up no more."
As Jamie crawled under his bed to retrieve his own clothes he mumbled something about being stepped on. Reese stopped and stared at the boy crawling and struggling to get his uniform from underneath his bed.
"Oh… I am very sorry."
Jamie looked up and stared at Reese. "You don't look very sorry."
"Seafood just doesn't like me. I thought we had went over that but I guess why didn't."
"We did… and I'm still sorry about dinner." Jamie crawled back into the jungle under his bed to wrestle his clothes out.
Reese laughed a dry laugh. "It's fine. Now anyways, hurry up. I'll be outside when you're done."
"Okay."
"Mom! I'm off." Jamie called to his mother and threw a sandwich in Reese's general direction.
"Here have breakfast."
Reese opened the bag and asked if Jamie was going to eat anything.
"Nah. Breakfast is for losers."
"Yeah, Yeah. This better not be tuna." Reese said when his brother's words sunk in. "Wait, your calling me a loser? But in all seriousness, you really should eat breakfast. It's not healthy to skip breakfast."
Reese and Jamie passed the fence that blocked the street from the front of the apartment building. Footsteps could be heard all around them, cars honking, and people talking. One of the many 'perks' of living in a city as big as this one.
"You know that's not what I meant. And I'm not that hungry. Besides, it'll do you better than it does me."
"Yeah… but if she finds out about this…"
People pushed past them, as they walked to the cross walk. Two hands appeared behind the boys who had stopped at.
"BOO!" and the two hands slammed on the two boys shoulders. Both boys froze up in shock as the light turned for them to walk.
"Hey, gu-" Theo said as he pulled them back to him. That was Theo's first mistake with the twins. They missed their light and Reese hit the button again with shaking hands as Jamie threw Theo to the ground and kicked him. Jamie knew that his brother can't take surprises. Especially from pervs trying to hit on him and his brother.
"W-wait, I didn't-"
"Any Last Words?"
"Jamie."
Jamie spun around to see his brother. "What?" The words came out of his mouth were laced with malice.
"Doesn't he look familiar to you?"
The boy had gotten up and grabbed his bag which he had dropped when he was tackled to the ground. "What is WRONG with you people? Issues, man"
A look of realization fell upon Theo's bruised face and he said, "Ooooohhh, I know. You guys are just Girls. That's sad. Espeeciallyyy Reese. He's a girl. He couldn't take a joke." Reese stepped of the curb as the light changed for a second time.
"Au contraire, it's not as sad as whoever decided to name their kid Theodore." Reese had gotten to the other side of the street as soon as Theo said "I hate your brother."
"Haha… He's not always like that." Reese stuffed his face with the sandwich his brother had thrown him earlier.
Theo looked down at Jamie's hands and saw both of the boys' bags in his hands.
"Hey, man. Why are you carrying both of the bags? Shouldn't Reese carry one of them?" Theo asked with a confused look on his face.
Jamie answered with a look of complete calm on his face but inside he was panicking. "Well. I just wanted to carry both."
"You're crazy, man."
"Run, doggy…"
A scene flashed in front of Reese's eyes. A broken piece of glass and it was covered in blood. Then the carved letters St in blood.
"Run."
"Reese!"
Reese stopped his day dream and waited for his brother and his friend. Theo and Jamie caught up with ease and Theo was the only one who said anything about Reese walking to fast. "You walk too fast. Just slow down dude." Theo noticed the scarf bundled around Reese's neck and questioned that also. "And why are you so bundled up?"
Reese looked at Theo with his two different colored eyes and Theo shrunk back in fear of the shorter boy. But Reese turned around and answered "It'll be cold."
"No, it won't."
"Yes, it will."
"No, it won't."
"Do not doubt me, Theodore. It will do cold."
"Liar." Theo rolled his eyes at the bundled boy in question.
**SadExcuseForALine**
"Why is it… so FREAKIN COLD?" Theo asked Jamie in Gym. The boys had dressed out in their gym clothes and Theo and the rest of the class were shivering. Theo sneezed and complained some more to the others.
"Told you it'd be cold." Reese said with a blank look on his face, his scarf still wrapped around his neck. Theo looked pissed at the shorter boy and shouted, "Y-YOU JINXER! This is your fault!" Jamie was caught in the middle and looked embarrassed for the two boys standing on either side of him.
"And you're not even dressed out! You're a totally a bad guy." Theo continued with his rant. Jamie was trying to calm down his new friend when the gym teacher finally came.
"Reese. I hope you have a reason for a suit cut?" The coach asked for yet another time.
"Not really… I forgot my clothes."
"That is exactly what you told me yesterday. And the day before that. You've been at this school for a week and even your brother has begun to dress out. Maybe you aren't taking this as serious as you should be. Or is it… that you are hiding something?"
Hiding something? …funny… wonder what gave that away.
"No, sir. I am not hiding anything," said an impassive Reese.
"Alright…but remember, this is the last time I'm letting you slide. And I'll give you until next week to fix this." Coach began to walk off but turned around. "I'll have to call your parents." The coach turned around again and to the whole class said, "As for everyone else, give me four laps around the track!"
Groans came from around the class, "Aw-man" "Why do you hate us?" "Ha ha ha".
You know… I never understood the concept of running.
Jamie and Theodore were racing one another on the last lap. They ran straight past him and were almost to the end.
It's like walking in place… You are constantly moving, yet you end up only where you started. It's a journey without a destination.
So what's the point… of trying so hard to end up nowhere?
Jamie was waving his arms around at the finish line with a fallen Theodore at his legs. "Hey Reese! Look at me!"
So why is it that they are so hurried even if there is nothing to gain?
Reese gave a slight smile towards a Jamie who was dragging a tired Theodore to the bleachers where Reese was sitting.
…What a bunch of idiots.
"Whyooo!" Jamie stretched his arms as he made it in front of Reese. He dropped his arms to his knees and stood there trying to catch his breath.
"Hey" huff "Reese" huff "Didja" huff "See" huff "Me" huff "Beat Theo!" Jamie panted as Reese climbed down from the green bleachers. Tripping on the last step as Theo came up to a still out of steam Jamie. Not caring that he almost hit his head against the wooden seats, "Are you alright?"
"Yeah… I just feel gross."
"You shouldn't have overdone it." He replied as his brother and Theo bent down to sit.
"Do you need to be carried?"
Jamie looked up with a smile and a look of admiration on his face, "You'd do that for me. I am so touched." Reese frowned and rolled his eyes, "No. Theodore will do it for you. I'm outta here."
Theo looked up and practically yelled at Reese. Still yelling when Coach came up to the two boys he and Jamie had to run another lap.