"Alright, Addy, ready? We're gonna make a run for it," Doug says, pulling his hood over his head before opening his door. He quickly opens the back door and scoops his daughter into his arms, tugging her own raincoat hood lower on her head. He runs through the parking lot, splashing through puddles left by the rain that had been falling almost constantly since the previous afternoon. Once inside, Doug flips off his hood, grabs a cart, sets Addison in the seat, and starts around the grocery store.
"Daddy? Can I get a hot chocolate?" Addison asks, pushing her own hood off, and staring at the Starbucks stand across from them.
"Yeah," Doug answers, adding an assortment of fruit to their cart. "After we're done, I'll get us all one." As they continue on through the deli and meat department, Addison entertains her dad with songs she had learned in preschool, watching as he adds to their cart.
"Hi, can I help you?" The woman at the bakery counter asks when they approach.
"Yeah, I'm here to pick up an order for 'Ross'," Doug says.
"Hold on one minute, I'll go grab it for you," the girl says, disappearing around a corner, returning a moment later with another staff member, each of them holding a large cake. The two round the counter and set the cakes on a table for Doug to inspect. "Everything look alright?" the first girl asks.
The cake closest to him was covered in red and white icing and emblazoned with the characters and logo from his daughter favorite movie; the smiling teenagers surrounded the words 'Happy Birthday, Wildcat!' written in neat red icing. The other was more colorful; browns, blues, greens, even a bright yellow sun, created a mountain range made of sugar across the cake. The border and part representing the ground were covered in chocolate candy rocks and up in the sky, written in white icing was simply 'Happy Eighth Birthday, Kate!'. It was exactly what the girls had wanted.
"Yeah, they look great," Doug says, gently setting the cakes into the remaining space of the cart, while Addison takes the free cookie the second clerk had offered her.
The two make quick work of the rest of the store, grabbing last minute things for the twins' parties and Thanksgiving dinner in a few days. While waiting in the long line to checkout, Doug hands his daughter a penny and sends her off the ride the mechanical horse, making sure she stays in the corner of his eye as the line moves. He makes small talk with the clerk as he scans their groceries, telling him about Tess and Kate parties and the icy environment he was heading home to.
"Get used to it, man. It's gonna be like that all the time soon," the clerk says, handing over the receipt.
"Thanks for that," Doug laughs, sarcastically, collecting his daughter and walking away. And as promised, they stop at Starbucks and get everyone a warm drink.
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Back at home, Doug and Addy enter the kitchen to find only two of the three girls they had left behind sitting there. Carol was smearing icing over the pan of cinnamon rolls that had just come out of the oven, and Kate was sitting at the island, munching on a banana with a book open in front of her.
"Still fighting?" He asks his wife quietly.
"Yeah," Carol nods. "Not a single word between the two of them. Here, Kate," she says sliding a plate over to her daughter who starts eating happily. "Here, she's in our room. Take this to her. Ask again if she's sure," Carol says, handing him a similar looking plate.
"Will do," he says, turning out of the room. "Addy, go get some cinnamon rolls before your sisters eat them all," he tells his youngest as he passes her watching cartoons. He heads further down the hallway where the sounds from Addy's show meld with those of the one Tess was watching in their bedroom. She's lying on their bed, still in pajamas, arms crossed over her chest, an angry pout over her face.
"Hey, Bear," Doug starts. "Mom made your favorite, I figured you'd want some before Kate and Addy ate them all," he says holding up the plate.
"Thanks," she mumbles, sitting up and taking the plate from him.
"We're leaving in about forty minutes. You sure you don't want to come?" Doug tries; one last ditch effort to get his eight-year-old to go to her twin's birthday party.
Her solo birthday party.
The first year that Tess and Kate have ever had separate parties.
"I said I didn't want to go! Her party's gonna be dumb anyway," Tess growls, shoving her breakfast back into her dad's hands before quickly flipping away from him in an obvious attempt to not let him see her cry. To see how hurt she was.
"Okay, if you're sure. I'll just leave this here," he sets the plate on the nightstand and lays a hand on his daughter's shoulder. "Love you, Tess." And a moment later he's heading back down the hall to the other three girls.
"So? Is she coming?" Carol asks the second he's in the kitchen.
"No. She's not coming. She's stubborn that one."
"Well, I didn't want her to come, anyway!" Kate, who had been listening in on their conversation, shouts, shoving away from the breakfast bar and rushing off to her room.
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"Thanks, again, Tasha," Carol smiles, hand on the doorknob.
"Don't worry about it! Tess and I will have tons of fun, won't we?" their babysitter says over her shoulder to the girl, who had come out of her parent's room only to continue pouting in the corner of the couch.
Not totally convinced, Carol spares a 'good luck' look to the high school senior. "Bye, Tess! Be good okay?" With no response, she closes the door and joins her husband and daughters in the car.
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"Alright! Alright! Is everyone ready to climb today?" The college student in charge of their group calls out to the eleven boys and girls before him. They had all been geared up and taught the basic commands of rock climbing, and were excitedly sitting on the wooden bench before the high wall, waiting to be told they could start.
"Yeah!" they all shout.
"Great! Okay, my name is Asher and that is Ross, Summer and Janae," he introduces the three others, a brunette boy with green eyes and a navy beanie on his head, a blonde girl with grey eyes and pink streaks in her hair, and a girl with french braided auburn hair, freckles and hazel eyes. "We are gonna help you guys climb. I'm gonna be doing the easier route, Summer is on the medium level, and Janae is doing the hardest. And while you're waiting to climb, you can go do some bouldering with Ross. The only rule with that is you need to stay below that yellow line," Asher says. "Okay? Alright, t of you can line up be one of us, the rest go with Ross to start bouldering.
The kids scatter to their desired spot, and Kate, being the birthday kid, gets first got on the easy level. Asher hooks up her harness and does a quick sit test to make sure it's secure.
"Ready?" He asks with a smile.
"Yup," Kate nods.
"Okay," the boy prompts.
"On belay?" Kate asks.
"Belay on."
"Climbing?"
"Climb on."
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"Alright. You wanna tell me why you're so upset at your sister? Or are we just gonna mope around all day?" Tasha asks, plopping down on the couch next to her sitting charge.
"Kate doesn't want me around anymore. She has all her cool friends and her rock climbing party," Tess says. "And she doesn't want to come to my party." She falls into Tasha's side, sobbing. The teenager tugs the girl close, rubbing her back and whispering soothing words until her tears have stopped.
"You know, my brother and I fight all the time. And some days I don't even want to look him." As a twin herself, Tasha knew exactly what Tess and Kate were going through. "But even with all of that, we still loved each other. He makes me laugh like no one else. And I can trust him with anything and I know for sure he won't tell anyone unless I say he can." Tess is looking up at her now, tears drying on her face. "Is that how you feel about Kate?"
"Yeah," Tess nods. "Kate is my best friend. She knows me. She protects me when Liam and Isaac bully me at recess. And she shares her snack when I forget mine and We laugh a lot."
"See? Even though you're hurt and mad at her right now, you know it's not how you truly feel."
"Yeah. So you think I should go to her party?"
"Yeah, I think you should have," Tasha nods. Tess mulls over their conversation for a few moments before standing.
"I'm gonna go get dressed," she says, moving for her room.
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"Come on, Kate! You can do it!" The bigger kids were crowded around the rock wall, watching as Kate took her turn climbing the hardest route, while Addison and some of the younger siblings played on the bouldering course.
"Whoo! Go, Katie!" Her best friend Hannah cheers.
Kate climbs, higher and higher, getting a few tips from Janae.
"Okay, now there's a hold by your right ankle. See it? Push up hard! Yes!" Janae coaches, pulling more slack in the rope. "One more step and you're there!"
Kate grabs the next rock and pushes up.
"Come on, Kate! Just one more step!" A very familiar voice calls out, causing Kate to pause suddenly. She keeps going after a few seconds, knowing the voice would want her to finish when she's so close. Another hold, and finally the metal pole at the top. She's elated! She didn't think she could do it; none of the other kids could. She hits the bell at the top and cheers, looking down at how high up she is, and how small her friends look down below. "Loading the rope!" Kate calls.
"Load on!" Janae replies, and Kate sits in her harness, kicking off the wall as Janae lets her down. As her feet hit the mat on the ground, she is almost knocked off them as the blur of brown hair crashes into her.
"You did it, Katie! You did it!" Tess shouts, pulling back to look at her twin.
"You came!" Kate says, hugging Tess again. "I wanted you to be here the whole time with me. I missed you. But when you said you didn't want to com-"
"I know, me too," Tess finishes, knowing what her sister was going to say.
"I'm sorry," they say at the same time. The sisters hug as Kate is released from the rope, quickly leading her sister to get her own harness and start climbing with their remaining time.
"How did you-?" Carol starts, aghast, turning to Tasha.
"I can't explain it," Tasha starts. "It's a Twin Thing."
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Later that night, back at home, Tess and Kate curl up under the same blanket in the nest made out of pillows and couch cushions in their basement. They are surrounded by nine of their best friends, bowls of candy and popcorn among them, with cups of soda set on the coffee table pushed off to the side.
The eleven girls sing along to their favorite movie, squealing at how cute the lead actor is.
"Oh, you are the music in me!"
It was more morning than night, but it had been a fun one. Full of treats and presents and giggling and playing with makeup and making up dances, and performing those dances and learning the dances from the movie, and talking and more giggling.
The twins had resolved their earlier issues and were back to being the crazy, wonderful pair they were known for.
"Oh! Oh, this is my favorite song!" Kate yells, sitting up, as the swing music with a hip-hop beat starts playing. "I'll show you that it's one and the same: baseball, dancing, same game. It's easy. Step up to the plate, start swingin'!" For someone who claimed she hated the movie, Kate really got into the song, and when it finished, collapsed into her pillow out of breath and smiling.
They made it about ten more minutes before everyone fell asleep and the movie's dialogue was the only thing that could be heard in the room.
