BEST FRIENDS

"So what are we wearing today?" Beth was staring at her image, identical blue eyes staring back.

"The red stripe shirt with jeans I guess." Jessa said in a bored voice. She started styling her hair, and when she saw her twin copying her, she sighed in disappointment.

"What?"

"Aren't we too old for this?" They were twelve.

"Old? What do you mean?" Her sister said cluelessly staring at their identical images.

"Never mind. Let's go downstairs. I'm sure breakfast is ready."

Elizabeth had to stop typing. She remembered that conversation in the twin's bathroom. The matching clothes was just the beginning. She stared sadly at the computer. It wasn't just Jessica who changed, even when Elizabeth found her stride, things and people started changing before Elizabeth's eyes. There was Amy, who changed for the worse, plus Enid in college who ditched her, and Todd, her high school sweetheart...Elizabeth shuddered. Seeing Lauren was nothing compared to her twin. She shoved the memory of Todd and Jessica naked, ugh.

"Was I really that immature?" She said out loud to herself.

"Not really." Jessica said as she walked in. She read what was on the screen. "I remember this. You begged to join the Unicorns. You hated it." Elizabeth joined in the next year, the Unicorns were more mature back then. At least for half the year. "You immature? Yeah right. I always was the immature one. I lost count of the many times you saved my ass out of the fire." She shuddered thinking of freshman year. Convicted rapist James Montgomery was one of them. Thank god Elizabeth came on time. "Besides, you outgrew us when it counted." Every time Elizabeth 'lost,' she came back stronger and smarter. Even now, Jessica felt inferior to her sister.

"Hmm." Elizabeth quickly deletes what she wrote.

"Why are you deleting that? That's your pilot!" Jessica was flattered, although weirded out that Elizabeth wanted to write and produce a television series based on their lives when they were kids.

"You know me, I'm a perfectionist." Elizabeth, her acting bug was awakened, she fell in love with the stage years ago. Although she never told Jessica how much fun she had. Ballet, writing, Elizabeth loved how much creativity was in it. She rewrote the scene in the bathroom, she wanted to add more expression.

"Well if you sell the pilot, I want a cut." Jessica joked.

"Deal. You can help me choose names."

Jessica was on the phone with her agent, trying to see if she can get out of her contract. She auditioned for "Checkered Houses," and when Mr Dennis called, Jessica and Elizabeth celebrated by throwing a small party at their parent's home.

"Well?" When Maurice's phone clicked on. When she heard the sigh, Jessica's heart dropped.

"I tried. I must have made a ton of calls. Jess, the producers said it was impossible. Your contract is iron clad, even if your sister was playing you, the producers said you yourself must fulfill the terms and conditions."

"But Elizabeth was nominated for a Emmy! If anyone knows me better than, well me, is her! NO ONE will ever know!"

"I know that! You know that! But they are being very hard ass. They said you'll be fired and sued for breaking the terms." Maurice said in a defeated tone. "I'm sorry! Until your contract is up, you are stuck."

"Dammit." Jessica slapped her forehead onto her hand. She teared up. "Thanks anyways." She clicked off the phone.

"Finished the first draft! Jess? What's wrong?" Elizabeth was holding a small stack of papers, she wanted to show her sister what she wrote.

Jessica looked up with dull eyes.

"I didn't get the part." She looked down.

"Whaddya mean you didn't get the part? Brooke, her father, they both choose you to be Diane." Elizabeth didn't go to the audition, but heard from Brooke herself that Jessica got the part, even before her audition.

"My contract won't let me off to film the movie." Jessica was trying not to cry.

"Jess. I'm sorry." Elizabeth bends over to hug her sister. "There'll be other roles."

"Not like this one. This is what I been working for my whole life." Jessica remembered giving up the original role when she was a teen. She was young, but the director and writer of the film loved Jessica's previous work on the soap she was in, and had her audition.

Jessica ended up winning the role, she impressed the producer so much, he de-aged the character to be sixteen instead of nineteen. Unfortunately, that would have meant that Jessica would have to drop out of school and work with a private tutor, which Jessica was willing to do, once she convinced her parents. But that meant she would have lost her best friend, and steady boyfriend Sam Woodruff.

He was admittedly a "bad boy." Sam and Jessica dated to everyone's chagrin. According to Lila, Elizabeth, and all their friends, Sam wasn't good enough. But when their relationship slowly became serious, everyone gave them their blessings.

Sam wasn't happy that Jessica was pulling away. Jessica had serious relationships before, but Sam was nothing that she ever felt. She never looked at anything boy, with the exception of Prince Arthur. (A childhood friend of Elizabeth, but c'mon, he was royalty. Jessica and every female in the school wanted to be his princess). Then Hollywood. That's when Jessica had to make a choice.

It was hard. The hardest decision of her professional career. But losing her friendships, her school, her boyfriend, Jessica realized nothing was worth losing what she had.

Then the Jungle Prom. That night was something Jessica never forgot. That was the night that took Sam's life. Jessica sighed. She never told her sister how guilty she felt, even now. Because of her, Sam was dead.

"I lost my role, guess it's karma for Jungle Queen." She said morosely.

"Jungle Queen?" Elizabeth was in shock. "Why are you bringing that up?" Elizabeth nearly went to prison for drinking and driving, something Jessica was responsible for. Thank god for that confession from that other driver.

"I don't know." Jessica was a grown woman, but she teared up. "Liz, I never told you how sorry I am. Because of me, Sam is dead. And I almost ruined your life. All because of a stupid crown." She sobbed.

"Oh Jess." Elizabeth teared up. She hugged Jessica while crying herself. They cried for a few minutes till they heard Jessica' voice coming from the television.

Britney was in shock seeing Victoria's new face. The acid changed her completely, making her look completely different, thanks to the talented plastic surgeons. The scene showed Britney getting comforted by her brother in law, Liam.

"God Britney is a slut." Elizabeth said in a ironic tone. Hearing that Jessica laughs. Elizabeth, realizing what she said, starts laughing. Soon, both twins were doubled over laughing on the floor.

"Can't blame her, Liam is hot!" Jessica giggles. They laugh for a few more minutes till they stop laughing.

"God, I hadn't laughed that hard since college. Winston and Denise, the school clowns of SVU." Denise, she was just as funny as Winston when she put her mind to it.

"Yeah, and now Brooke is stuck with him." Jessica laughs. She and Elizabeth stare at the ceiling. "You think they are watching over us?" Sam wasn't the only person she lost. Miles, Christian, Denise, plus countless others.

"I'm sure Olivia, Regina, Trisha and our relatives are up there. Sure they are watching over us." Elizabeth takes Jessica's hand and held it. "Don't ever leave again." She squeezes her hand.

"I promise." Life was too precious. They stare at the ceiling for a few minutes. "Liz?"

"Hmm?" Elizabeth was daydreaming about what her second episode should be. A haunted house? Their old classmate Nora Mercandy was rumored to live in a haunted house, the twin's classmates said the crazy old man who lived there was a ghost. He wasn't, he was just a retired magician. Unfortunately he got sick and had to be hospitalized. He passed away when Nora was in ninth grade, and she ended up moving back north to be with relatives.

"You think about what you'll be wearing to the Emmy's?"

"The Emmy's? I'm not sure if I'm even going." It was tempting, but sitting in a crowded audience listening to boring speeches wasn't her idea of fun.

"Why not? This is a once in a lifetime opportunity." Jessica was still jealous. "I already picked the dress. Remember the pranks we played back in sixth grade? Especially April Fool's?"

"You want to go, go ahead, be my guest." Elizabeth gets up from the floor. Once she helped up her sister, she sits on the couch and flips through the channels. "If I win, remember to thank yourself." Elizabeth was wondering where to sell her pilot to Disney? Nickelodeon? Netflix? Who would play the twins? They were supposed to be twelve, but that would meant that they had a time limit before they were forced to age.

"No! I want to come. Be your date I mean. Liz, you ever want to switch places again?" She asked in a shy tone. She saw Elizabeth's eyebrows raise.

"I doubt they would let you off." Elizabeth wasn't familiar with the LA scene, but she did know about contracts. "Brooke can't delay the movie any longer. She has another actress in mind, Stella is almost done her contract." Elizabeth didn't care about Stella, but knew she can walk off the set anytime.

"Duh." Jessica cleared her throat. "Look, I missed out years ago, this is my big chance. But, I'm stuck." She saw Elizabeth's face. "Please? I can't let this go!" Jessica was sad about losing 'Checkered Houses,' but she'll be damned another actress playing Diane, especially Stella.

"Jess, you know how I feel about acting. Besides, this is your role." Elizabeth knew how important this role was to her.

"Believe me, I know." Jessica smiles hopefully at Liz. "I most likely will miss out. But, Diane needs to be played by a Wakefield. Whattya say?" Jessica was saddened to lose this again, but she knew Elizabeth would do a good job. "Please?"

"I doubt that Brooke will be happy to come home early from her honeymoon. I still have to audition. Plus write my series." Her baby, she was still thinking of a name. Sweet Valley Kids? SVMS? Twins?

"You'll be great." Jessica gushed. "Thank you!" When Elizabeth gave a reluctant nod. "We'll be great!"

"We?"

"We're twins! I'll be there, almost." Jessica touches her short hair. "We'll wear our matching lavalieres." Both twins wore their necklaces the entire time on the Young and Beautiful, it was their way to sell the storyline.

"If you're sure. Okay. I'll channel you." Elizabeth smiles when Jessica hugs her. "On one condition."

"Anything."

"Please don't make it like Juliet again." That was a memory Elizabeth wanted to forget. The whole school. called the play, 'Romeo and 2 Juliets.'

"I couldn't anyways. I can't leave LA." Checkered Houses was being filmed in Vancouver, Canada. "Besides, I hate the cold." Jessica may have lost to her sister, but there was other roles. Like that rumor there was a movie being made about the Old West. From what Lila said, Bruce wanted to make a mini series about his ancestors. Maybe she can convince him to write about her own. Jessamyn had a crazy life. Especially after she lost her twin in a horse riding accident. "Liz?"

"Mmm?" Elizabeth's eyebrows raised seeing Victoria. No offence to the actress, but she and Britney didn't have the chemistry like her and Jessica. The new Victoria was crying seeing her new face.

"If your series gets picked up, can I direct one episode?"