"Call you me fair, that fair again unsaid-" Hazel pounded on the bathroom door, pulling me from my character and ultimately ruining my focus. I scowled at my reflection in the mirror. It was the closest to scowling at my sister.
"Are you almost done, damn it! We have like 10 minutes to get to school." My scowl deepened as I fluffed my dark curls, which now fell nicely at my shoulders. Now Hazel was just going to have to wait as I regained my composure. "Kimberly won't be happy if we're late. Do you want to pull a Mariah, especially on a day like today?" My scowl turned to a frown as a sigh escaped my lips. I hated to admit my twin was right, but she did have a point. Today was no day to be late. Not with the exchange students arriving.
"Fine, fine, don't lose your cool." I could hear my sister nearly scream as she stomped down the stairs and out the door. Too late. I shot one last glance over my shoulder and at my reflection in the mirror. A star stared back. "You're beautiful, you're strong, and nothing is gonna get in your way," I reminded myself before I sauntered out of the bathroom and down the stairs.
Hazel sat in the driver's seat of her bright red convertible, nearly shaking with anger. "I honestly don't know why I stay around to lug your ass to school every day," Hazel growled as she turned the key in the ignition. She cursed under her breath as the sound of gears grinding against each other filled the air. She quickly pulled back, letting the car settle into a soft hum. "Get in."
I slid into the passenger seat and turned my attention to anywhere but Hazel. It was bad enough we shared the same face, I hated having to share the same space as her for more than absolutely necessary. I just wanted to get to practice and be done with her, at least for a little while.
I pushed myself forward, willing my hands to wrap around my foot as I stretched. My hair was now piled on top of my head so it wouldn't distract me. I couldn't afford any distractions, not today.
Kimberly had told all of us how 'Les Belles Filles' was expecting a group of young men from Japan. They were the children of big investors of Lefleur Academy, an elite private school that my sister and I attended. We had to essentially court these young men while they were here. 'To keep their parents happy and investing' as Kimberly put it. They were the reason 'Les Belles Filles' even existed.
I wanted nothing more than to impress these boys, maybe one of their parents was a famous agent and could get me a career. I had to keep my eye on the prize.
"Congratulations Mariah, you made it right on time, we should be expecting the exchange students any moment." I glanced up and watched as Mariah rushed breathless onto the stage. Late as usual. I rolled my eyes and continued stretching, I wasn't going to waste my time on reflecting on Mariah's skewed sense of time. I needed to focus.
"Get off the stage." I scowled as I glared over my shoulder at Hazel. "Mariah needs to run through a dance, and you're in the way." Hazel twirled a screwdriver in her hand irritably and her glare hardened. "Don't be selfish." I huffed, stood up and made my way off the opposite side of the stage. I watched as Mariah danced fluidly across the stage. No matter how much I hated to admit it, I envied Mariah's grace when it came to dancing. It was flawless, and definitely a field of expertise that I lacked in. I knew it would hurt me one day if I didn't get better.
In the middle of Mariah's routine, the door squeaked open and I turned to glare at whoever had come through the door. It was a closed rehearsal after all, but before I could speak, I froze. Seven attractive young men made their way into the wings, whispering quickly in fluent Japanese. My heart stopped as I peered through the curtains at Kimberly.
The vice president gave me a wary look, but immediately sparked with poise when I pulled back the curtain to reveal the young men. Perhaps Kimberly would give me more consideration for the lead this year if I played my cards right and continued saving the day like that. I took a step back as Kimberly hurriedly made her way to the stage. Mariah didn't seem to notice the commotion and continued her routine and I watched. Across the stage, I could see Hazel watching too and my gaze hardened. She could never be good enough to work the stage, not like me. She said so herself.
Kimberly coughed irritably as the music died away and Mariah turned to look at us. She looked shocked, I wouldn't blame her. She hated dancing for crowds. "Welcome to Lefleur Academy," Kimberly began politely. I knew it was all a show, everything about Kimberly was. She was neither rich, nor extraordinarily talented, but she had a knack for order and leading, that's why she made such a good vice president. I turned my attention away from her and to the young men. They were attractive, but what caught my eye was the identical faces. Twins.
My interest sparked as I looked between their linked arms and slightly cocked heads. It was rather interesting seeing a pair of identical faces that weren't Hazel's and my own. Almost refreshing. "Kenzie, Hazel." I perked up and turned my attention immediately to Kimberly. "You two will be escorting the Hitachiin twins, Hikaru and Kaoru." I grimaced. It figured. Kimberly would give Hazel and I the twins. She was probably doing it because she liked to see people suffer. I swear that girl would smile at the screams of children.
The red headed boys walked up to me and offered me their hands politely. "Hello, my name is Kaoru, and this is my brother Hikaru," one of them introduced. I gave them a dazzling smile and shook his hand politely.
"I'm McKenzie Hudson. It's a pleasure to make your acquaintance."
"Don't be fooled by that facade, she's really not this pleasant once you get to know her. Take my word for it." Hazel pushed through our handshake and replaced my hand with hers. "I'm Hazel. The less self centered and down to earth twin." I cast Hazel a seething glare, but quickly replaced it with a smile.
"Oh don't listen to my sister. She's just joking." I gave Hazel a sharp nudge to the ribs and laughed politely. "Which one would you like to go with?" The boys furrowed their brows at me.
"What do you mean?" the second one, Hikaru, asked curiously.
"Which one of you wants to go with which one of us?" I explained.
"But I thought you were escorting us together?" Kaoru asked. The brothers gave each other questioning glances before looking back at me expectantly. "That's what we thought. Why wouldn't you?"
"That is never going to happen," Hazel cut in as she pushed past me and pulled Hikaru by the arm. "You can come with me. I'll be your escort for the rest of your trip." Hikaru peered with uncertainty over his shoulder as Hazel pulled him towards the wings of the stage. I scoffed and turned back to Kaoru.
"I suppose that means you're with me. Perfect."
