"Yuuki! Hurry up!" called my brother from downstairs. "If we don't leave soon, we're going to be late!"
I rolled my eyes in irritation. He did this every morning. Since my family had moved to America from Japan, he had been paranoid about the earlier classes. Especially because, without a uniform, we both took longer to get dressed in the morning. Choosing to ignore him, I continued to lazily get ready. Pulling off my night shirt, I scanned the three outfits laid out on my bed. Furthest to the left lied what I like to call my "rocker girl" outfit. It was composed of black skinny jeans, with holes scattered all across its surface. For a top, there was a tank top base, covered by a striped over shirt that was a deep red and black. It was worn at an angle, so that one shoulder would be exposed, minus the strap from the tank top. As far as accessories, my nails red polish would excellently compliment the shirt, and the chain to wear on the pants was one of the last touches. Finished with my black combat boots and make-up to match the style, the "rocker girl" look was definitely a favorite.
But then again, so were the others. The next outfit, lying in the middle, was, as my mother had commonly referred to it before she passed away, my "angel" outfit. Starting out this outfit, I had my pink, sleeveless, ruffle top, which was paired with my floral mini skirt. For shoes, I had my floral patterned flats. To finish it off, I had my heart necklace, my beret, and my make-up to match, of course. Every time I wore that outfit, I ended up getting confessed, which, truthfully, isn't that bad of a feeling.
My gaze fell on the last outfit. This outfit is what my brother called the "boyfriend" outfit. Apparently, the look made it seem like I was wearing my boyfriend's clothes, even though I was still single. Nevertheless, it was definitely one of m favorites. Overall, it was fairly simple, with the top just being a long sleeved shirt. The shirt's collar and sleeves were green, while everything else was white, save the star logo in the center and the circle surrounding it, which were yellow. The sleeves were a little long, so that when I wore it, they extended to just above my fingertips. Accompanying said shirt was a pair of blue jeans, which were actually meant for guys. With that I had my red and blue baseball cap and my green high-top sneakers with a matching star logo. If I did bother to put make-up with this look, it was very, very light.
The only common piece within all three outfits was my earring that I always wore in my left ear that matches my brothers. It was a wide, silver earring that had the design of the Gemini constellation on it, representing the fact that we were twins. Every star in the constellation was represented by diamonds.
Looking at all three outfits, I heaved a sigh. They were all so perfect. How was I supposed to choose? Very well, I thought to myself. Process of elimination. I didn't have a boyfriend, not that I wanted one, so I suppose the boyfriend look is out. That left Angel vs. Rocker Girl. A very hard choice to make. In the end, it all came down to my dislike of pink, which caused me to pick the "rocker girl" outfit, which also had the benefit of me not having to do much with my hair. I just ran a brush through my jet black locks, which, lucky for me, were stubbornly straight, even on the most humid of days. With my bangs angled perfectly, I finished lacing up my boots, and, opening the door, smacked face first into my little brother.
Though, little brother was a bit of an overstatement. In reality, we were twins, identical twins, but I was born 1 minute and 13 seconds before him. We originally were a family of four, but both of our parents died when we were 6. We had been living on our own ever since. It was either that or be separated. And our family only wanted us to inherit our fortune. So, when I said our family had moved to America, it was really my brother and I running away from our lunatic family. Needless to say, after 9 years of relying only on each other, we both were thought to have sibling complexes.
This was not helped by the fact that, amazingly, we always managed to dress similarly. Today he was wearing black, torn up skinny jeans, similar to my own, and his tight fitting, black and red shirt that was also very much like my own. Not to mention our matching combat boots. And of course, the fact that we were identical twins didn't help either. When we saw each other, we just groaned. "Today, too?" I whined. "They are all gonna go nuts at school again today…"
I saw realization flicker across my brother's face and I flinched at the intensity of the look he had on his face. "Oh beloved sister," he began, his voice a taught whisper. "Do you have any idea what time it is?!" he snapped.
"U-um… 7:00?" I smiled, a mix of hope and caution.
Wrong move.
"You wish it was 7:00! It is currently 7:48 and we have 12 minutes to get to our school, which is 10 minutes away. That only gives us 2 minutes time to go to our lockers and then to our class! We're going to be late! And my perfect attendance record is all I have left!" he yelled. His voice raising another decibel, he added, "And you have already been late 6 times this month! 6! Do you know what will happen if –"
Placing a hand over his mouth, I smiled confidently at him. "Oh ye of little faith. Trust in your big sis! We'll be on time. I know a shortcut."
Prying my hand of his face, my brother, Kaoru, looked at me skeptically. "You. Know a shortcut. Really. You." Putting my hand over my heart, I gasped in mock hurt. Then I rolled my eyes, grabbed his hand, and led him down the stairs and out the door, determined to prove myself. After cutting through a children's park, crawling through a bushy hedge, and jumping over a stream, I collapsed on the ground, gasping for air, Kaoru landing beside me. "How much – farther – is it –?" he asked through the ragged sounds of his breathing.
All of a sudden, I begin to laugh. "Ha! Haha! Ahaha! Haha. Ha. Well, you see…" My voice drifted off and I looked down at the ground. Thinking about what would happen if I answered truthfully, I changed the subject. Standing up, I took a big breath of air. "It's a beautiful day, ne, Kaoru?" I said as I whirled around to face him. My next words died in my throat as I saw the look on his face. Talking as quietly as I could, I whispered, "We're lost."
Unfortunately for me, Kaoru had really good hearing. "We're what?! What the hell, Yuuki! How could you get us lost? I thought you knew a shortcut!" By now, he was on his feet, looming over me.
I stared down at the ground, tears welling up in my eyes. "I'm sorry."
"And another thing–" Kaoru's voice died off when he saw my tears. Sighing, he pulled me into a hug. "I'm sorry, too. I shouldn't have yelled like that. So come on, don't cry. You know I can't handle it when you cry." I looked up at him and smiled, wiping the tears from my eyes. He smiled back at me and squeezed me so tightly in the hug that I squealed before he let me go. Then, after clearing his throat, he looked around. "First off," he said, "We should figure out where we are."
I smiled, back to my cheery self. Kaoru was right. Now wasn't the time to be upset. I got us into this mess, so I should fix it. I looked around and my jaw fell open in shock. What the hell have I done? Was the only thought running through my head.