Chapter 24: My Other Half... Sort of Part 2

Author's Note: Sorry that it took me longer than usual, guys! I've been very busy, and I still am at the moment (there are things I should be doing right now, but I'm not :p) but I felt like I should update! I can't believe I have over 300 reviews already. Thank you, every person who has ever read and reviewed this story. In the last chapter's reviews, some of you told me how you felt for Sam, how you felt bad for her, or even that you cried a little. Not that I'm glad that you guys cried, haha, but that means so much to me that my story touches you guys so much. It makes me feel like I'm doing a good job! Anyway, Merry late Christmas, Happy New Year, happy Chanukah (I'm not sure if I said that while it was going on), happy whatever you celebrate, and review!

P.S. I was at first going to make this whole Melanie thing one chapter, but that would be really long. So, I was going to make it 2 parts, but it's even longer than I expected, so it's going to be a three-part thing! :D

"Hey," I heard a voice identical to mine say. I quickly looked up, as I was sitting on Freddie's bed looking down before, to see Melanie standing in the doorway to Freddie's room. She walked in and sat next to me. She sat up completely straight with no trouble, her hands uneasily moving around on her lap. She wiped one last tear off of her face, as she was crying before because she just ended her relationship with her mother. "Sorry about that little episode. I guess it was sort of a... shock. My life is changed, Sam. Forever."

I laughed bitterly. "Yeah. Your life is changed. But Melanie, you're gonna go back to your fancy boarding school soon, where everything's gonna be the same and great. You'll have the same dorm advisors and teachers who care about you so much, and smart roommates and friends. Not being with the Puckett family won't make a difference. Me, on the other hand, I'm stuck awkwardly being here with the Bensons."

"I know... I'm sorry, Sam." Melanie slowly turned to me. Her serious look crept up into a smile. "But I'm surprised you're complaining. Freddie just gets cuter and cuter!"

I sneered. "Are you blind?" I said in complete seriousness, not thinking at all about if I agreed with her or not.

"No, you are," she giggled. I rolled my eyes. I looked into her eyes and her smile got bigger. "Actually, maybe Freddie is," she said.

"Freddie is what?" I asked.

"Blind. I mean, how does he not see the way you look at him?" Melanie said as if it was obvious.

I really hope my face didn't turn bright red at that moment, because that would totally blow my cover. Whatever my cover was. I mean, I was still figuring out how I felt about Freddie. Melanie was right for once, though. Freddie was kind of cu- ew, shut up Sam! "What are you talking about?" I asked.

Melanie sighed. "Never mind. I guess if you say you really don't like him, then you don't. Nobody knows better than you."

"Thank you," I said. Oh God, Freddie's cousin that I barely know suspects this, then Carly, and now Melanie? Is it that obvious that I might like Freddie? I mean... Carly is my best friend, and Melanie is my twin, but...

A thought came into my head. I swallowed hard. What if Freddie knew? Freddie's smart, and he lives with me so he knows me well. He's seen me in almost all of my emotions. Happy, sad, ecstatic, distraught, furious, confused, scared... and in love?

I shivered at the thought, and made a note to myself in my head to step up my game of making fun of him. Unless that makes it more obvious. I let out a small groan over the confusion running through my mind, forgetting that Melanie was in the room with me.

"Is everything okay?" she asked, concerned.

I swallowed and nodded.

Melanie looked confused for a moment, but that was a short look. She stood up and fixed her skirt, wiping invisible dust off of it. "Well," she said, finding a mirror in the room and putting on some glossy lip gloss, "if you don't like Freddie, that means I'm gonna get my flirt on!" She rubbed her lips together before making a smacking sound with him. She practiced her flirtatious smile at herself in the mirror.

I rolled my eyes. "Have fun," I said, trying to act like I didn't care with all of my strength and will power.

Melanie walked out of the room, and I sneakily crawled out after her to watch her flirt with Freddie. I hid myself behind a counter.

"Hey Freddie," Melanie said flirtatiously, smiling at Freddie after she arrived in front of him in the kitchen.

"Hey, is Sam okay?" Freddie asked.

Melanie seemed frustrated because he immediately brought me up, which made me smirk. "Yeah, she's fine."

Freddie smiled, relieved, but then he started to look confused as Melanie started to twirl her blonde hair flirtatiously.

Melanie touched his shoulder lightly. "I was just wondering... maybe we could pick up right where we left off?"

I rolled my eyes, holding in an annoyed groan.

"Where was that?" Freddie asked in an almost flirty way, which killed me inside.

"Right about here," Melanie said, bringing her lips closer and closer to his. She did it ever-so-slowly, in a way that convinced me that my life was going in slow motion.

I shook my head. I felt hot, angry tears in my eyes, which confused me even more. I ran into Freddie's room. I couldn't, and didn't, watch the moment of the actual kiss. I couldn't bare seeing their lips touch, so I didn't. Melanie doesn't know Freddie. Not like I do.

I stared into space, sitting on Freddie's bed again. Freddie was not only the first guy I kissed, but he's also the only guy I've ever kissed. He's kissed Melanie, Carly, and probably a bucket load of other girls. But that one kiss with Freddie was my one and only kissed. I haven't kissed anyone in over two years, since I was fourteen. Freddie just goes around and kisses everyone.

After a minute or two of hearing Melanie and Frederly mumbling to each other, and me being too lazy to try and listen, Melanie came back into Freddie's room. "Hi," she said softly, sitting on his bed next to me.

"'Sup," I said flatly.

"Not much... um... are you okay?"

"Why wouldn't I be?" I said, avoiding looking into her eyes.

Melanie looked into my eyes for a few seconds, even though I wasn't looking back at her. I saw her in the corner of my eye. "Oh... you saw Freddie and me, didn't you?" she asked.

"No."

"Sam."

"Okay, so I saw you guys flirting. So?" I said.

"Sam. You're my twin sister. We don't talk that much, but I know you better than you think."

I eyed Melanie angrily. "No. You know nothing about me. We look identical, but you and I both know that we're nothing alike."

Melanie became a little bit feisty now, in a way that surprised me and reminded me that she was, in fact, my sister. "You're right," she said. "We are nothing alike. Our personalities are different. You're a tomboy and I'm girly. You're tough and I'm weak. But that's not what I'm talking about. We're the same inside, Sam."

I looked at her, and I let out a smile. I guess, since we were twins, something about us had to be alike. Inside? Not our brains that told us what to do... but our hearts? I guess it was possible.

"I know you deep inside," Melanie continued, and she seemed to brace herself for her next statement. "I know how you look and act and talk... when you're jealous."

My smile instantly disappeared. "Jealous?" I yelled, hoping that Freddie didn't hear me from wherever he was. I quieted myself down, speaking in almost a whisper now. "Of what?"

"Of Freddie and me. He and I went on a date, and we flirted, and you're jealous." She sounded almost happy about the idea of me being jealous. I was surprised at her. I looked into her eyes, and I saw a look of pity on her face.

"Look, Melanie. I might be kind of mad, but I'm not jealous," I said, not even liking to say the word.

"What are you mad about?" she asked, the look of pity still on her face.

"I'm mad 'cause..." I looked at her and sighed, deciding that I wouldn't lie. I said in an angry voice, venting to my sister for what seemed like the first time ever: "I'm mad 'cause he likes you! I mean, you guys like each other so much... And like he barely knows you! This is only the second time that you guys met and you're already like in love! He always falls for your type... girly, sweet, giggly and weak."

Melanie paused for a few moments, and then said softly and gently, "Sam?"

"What?" I almost shouted, rage still in me.

She spoke gently, the annoying look of pity turning into a look of sorrow. "You just completely described jealousy. I mean, you didn't say 'I'm jealous', but you didn't have to. You're mad because Freddie always likes girls like Carly and me and girls similar to us. You're mad because you want him to like you, because you love him more than you realize. You might know deep down, but the inner Sam won't let you accept it. But you are, Sam. You're jealous."