With her face buried in her hands, Sammy raced into the forest. The echoes of her twin sister laughing filled the air. The younger twin had once again been humiliated by her older sister. Sammy didn't want to embarrass herself more by crying in front of the others, so she decided to go off on her own before anyone could notice. Not that anyone really did notice her.
At least, that's how Sammy felt.
Sammy knew Amy was the favored twin. Mainly because Amy wouldn't allow others near Sammy, let alone get to know her. If there was any chance of Sammy making a friend, Amy would swoop in and ruin it for her. It was hard for Sammy to process why exactly people preferred Amy over herself. After all, they looked very much the same. The only difference was the beauty mark on Amy's cheek. Yet, in terms of personality, they were vastly different. Sammy was more open and friendly, while Amy was selfish and demanding. Why would people flock to her sister instead of herself?
The good twin took a seat on a nearby log. There, she bawled into her pale hands. She didn't care how loud she was. No one would hear her anyway, and even if they did, they wouldn't care. They would if it was Amy, though.
"Why does she take pleasure in ruining my life?!" Sammy asked herself through her tears. "What did I ever do to deserve this?!" With that in mind, Sammy continued to sob her heart out, unbeknownst to the fact that someone did in fact hear her cries.
Peering through a set of bushes, Rodney stepped out. He had heard the cries of a woman, and he simply couldn't ignore them. His eyes lit up at the sight of the sobbing girl on the log. Not because it was Sammy, but rather because she resembled someone else he was crushing on. "Amy?"
Sammy sniffled, lifting her head. Her eyes were already reddened, and tears stained her cheeks. "No, Rodney. It's...Samey." She sighed, pointing behind her. "Amy's back in the tree house if you wanna see her."
"Oh..." Rodney turned to leave. Yet, the country boy found it difficult to ignore Samey's weeping. Looking at Samey over his shoulder, Rodney asked, "Hey, uh, are you okay?"
"N-No," she hiccuped. "But I wouldn't want to waste your time with my sob story. I'm sure you'd rather listen to the things Amy has to say about me."
"Well, you may not be Amy, but I don't like to see any little lady upset," Rodney said as he sat beside her. "I'm all ears."
"Y-You really wanna listen?" Sammy asked, her eyes glistening through her tears.
Rodney simply nodded, scooting closer.
Sammy heaved a sigh, staring down at the ground. She had not been open to many people about her struggle with Amy. Mainly since Amy usually found out, and would punish her for trying to make her look bad. But, right now, she needed someone to talk to.
"Alright. Well, as you know, Amy and I are twins. She's older than me by seventeen freaking minutes, but she acts as if she's, like, ten years older. She treats me like I'm dirt just because she's stuck being my twin. She calls me a weakling, pushes me around, tries to take my things, and she's turned my own friends against me. I can't even get a boyfriend because if she knew I liked someone, she would get in the way just to see me miserable. I-I don't know what I did to her. I just want us to get along."
Sammy hiccuped, her lip quivering. "I-I hate the way she treats me. I-I hate being under her shadow."
It took a few moments for Rodney to speak, since he was slowly taking in what Samey had just told him. "Wow," he muttered, rubbing the back of his neck. "I didn't know Amy was so mean to you. I thought she was the sweetest girl in the world."
"Of course you didn't know. No one would think of Amy being so cruel. Everyone immediately goes by what Amy says about me. She'll tell people I'm weird, and then no one wants to talk to me." Nervously, Sammy began twisting a piece of her hair. "I thought auditioning for this show would get me away from her, but of course, she had to come along so she could embarrass me. I just wish I could be myself...without consequences."
"I can't believe this whole time, Amy wasn't the angel I thought she was. I truly thought she was special. Well, it looks like I'll have to break up with her when I head back." Rodney sighed, then turned to Samey. "I'm sorry she's treating you this way, Samey. I'm also sorry...I...I-I didn't notice sooner. Heh, y'know, your pretty eyes are...um...your eyes are...pretty eyes...
"M-My eyes are pretty?" Sammy sniffled, wiping at said eyes. "But, they're full of tears."
"Yeah, but, they kinda have a sparkle to them. Wow, you...pretty...uh...really...you're pretty really...I mean..."
"U-Um, thank you," Sammy replied with a shy smile, her cheeks rosy. "N-No guy's ever told me I'm pretty before. Well, except my dad."
"You're a heck of a lot prettier than Amy," Rodney said, moving closer to her. "You don't have a giant mole on your face." He poked her cheek for emphasis.
"Pfft..." Sammy suddenly burst into laughter, letting out a snort.
"Hey!" Rodney laughed along with her. "You sound like a pig!"
In the middle of her laughter, Sammy paused. She hung her head in shame, looking away from him. "Oh..."
"Hey, wait, you got the wrong idea!" Rodney chuckled. "I like pigs! I...like your laugh." His freckled cheeks glowed red. "It's cute."
"Thank you," she replied quietly, sending another shy smile his way.
"Well, I'm glad to see you're better now," he replied. "You're a lot prettier when you're smiling."
"T-Thanks for listening, Rodney," Sammy said as she leaned over, hugging his torso. "It really means a lot to me."
Rodney grinned as he took Samey into his arms, setting her in his lap. As he held her close, Samey's blush darkened as she felt the warmth of his body. With a content sigh, she rested a hand and her head against his chest. "Amy has no idea what she's missing out on," she mumbled.
"She can find out for herself. Besides..." The country boy smiled lovingly down at her. "I'm the one who didn't realize just what I was missing out on until now."
"Really?" Sammy asked breathlessly.
"Really," Rodney repeated back. "All my life, I've been looking for the one, and now, I really feel like I found her."
"Y-You do?"
"I do," he answered, poking her nose. "I want you to be my one, true love."
With a sheepish chuckle, Sammy scooted off of Rodney's lap. She cleared her throat. "U-Uh, that's nice of you, Rodney, but that's taking things way too fast." Before Rodney could reply, Sammy smiled as she gently patted his chest. "I'll tell you what, though. How about we get to know each other more? If things work out, we can see if we're really meant to be, uh, lovers. Deal?"
Rodney's expression became more sheepish. He shrugged his shoulders and nodded. "Uh, okay, Samey. I'd like that."
"Sammy."
"Huh?"
"Please...call me Sammy."
"Oh, uh, okay." Rodney smiled. "Sammy."
A sweet smile graced Sammy's face. For the first time in a very long time, she felt loved and accepted by someone other than her parents. "Thanks again for listening. You really do seem like a sweet guy. So sweet that I...really don't want anything to get between us."
Sammy rose from her spot, clasping her hands. "I better head back before Amy notices that I'm missing. I wouldn't want her to see us together and, y'know, screw things up." Before she could leave, she planted a gentle peck onto Rodney's freckled cheek. "I'll see ya around, okay?"
As he watched Sammy leave, Rodney let out a dreamy sigh, smiling goofily. "She's definitely the one," he said to himself, resting a hand upon the cheek that now sported a red lipstick mark. "I'm never washing this cheek again."