Julie

Ugh! Where the hell is my damn sneaker? I moved over to Taylor’s side of the room which was a complete mess.

“Taylor? Did you see my sneaker?” I asked.

Nothing, not even a groan. Yeah, I’m not surprised. Lord knows what time she got in last night… hell, she could’ve just gotten in, and there was no waking her. She sleeps like the dead. I dropped down to my hands and knees and peeked under her bed. I was greeted by old pizza. Freaking disgusting.

I went to her closet and riffled through the shoes strewn around everywhere, and then… “Finally,” I muttered as I took my sneaker out and slipped it on. She really needed to stay out of my damn stuff.

I checked the time… twenty minutes before I needed to leave so I made my way to the kitchen. My mother was just coming in as I threw on some bacon.

“What are you doing?” she asked as she went to the fridge and grabbed a beer.

“Fixing breakfast before I go to school,” I explained.

She scoffed as she took a sip. “I don’t get why you’re wasting time and money going to school. You need to have a job and start helping here… not running up debt going to that school when you’re just gonna end up waitressing like me.”

I rolled my eyes, I really wasn’t in the mood for her shit this morning. She hated I was in school and preferred that I just picked up some work somewhere, she wouldn’t have cared if I was stripping as long as I had some money to give her. “Did you say this to Taylor too? You tell her to stop running around in the streets and with all those guys and get a job?” I asked.

Taylor was the wild one out of the two of us. I stuck to the books and trying to get away from both my mother and sister while she did everything. She crossed the line to whore when we were 15, and she didn’t finish high school, now at 21 all she does is party, do drugs, and drink. She was my mothers favorite, her golden child if you could believe it. Fucked up shit when that’s what your mother aspires for you to be, isn’t it?

“No, because you know what? She does what she gotta do, and she helps around here. She brings home groceries and gives me cash.” My mother argued. She hated it when I bought up Taylor and the things she does.

“And how the hell does she do that without a job?” I asked. “Money doesn’t grow on trees you know.” I pointed out.

My mother rolled her eyes annoyed.  “That ain’t our business. She’s a grown woman she’s doing what an adult does… survive.” She sneered at me. “You, on the other hand, need to take a lesson from her ya know. Get your shit right.” She looked me up and down inspecting my clothes. “And maybe even try to look decent.”

“I’m going to school mom, not a fashion show. My jeans and sneakers will do just fine to sit in a classroom and learn something.”

My mom sighed. “I don’t know where I went wrong with you.”

And I don’t know where the hell your mom went wrong with you. I thought snidely and chuckled.

“What’s so funny?” she asked.

I shrugged. “I just remembered something is all.” I looked over at her. “Do you have a shift tonight?” I asked.

She shook her head. “They hired some young bimbo and gave her some of my hours. I might need to look for something else… or find me a new man.”

Yea, if you haven’t already picked up on it… Taylor is definitely her mother's daughter. “Yea, you should get right on that,” I said sarcastically.

Her eyes narrowed. “Do you always have to be a smart ass?” she shook her head. “That mouth of yours is gonna get you in trouble one day, I’ll tell you that. I’m your momma, and I don’t beat my kids, but you’d been someone else I might’ve just popped you for that. Trust me, I ain’t the only one that thinks that way.”

Yadda, yadda, yadda. She preaches this crap to me all the time. I can’t help it that my mouth works faster than my brain and shit just tumbles out of my mouth. It’s a nasty habit I can admit to that, but it’s who I am. What I think? Suck it up and deal with it already. Twenty-one fucking years of this shit, you would think she of all people would be used to it by now. Then again… Taylor isn’t. That’s why we still fight at this age… amongst other things.

I fixed myself – and my mother – breakfast sandwiches and scarfed my own down before practically running out the door grabbing my Psych book on the way out. I didn’t have a car and had to make the 20-minute walk to school. I would say I should just take the bus but come on, you just heard the same thing I did. Would you ask my mother for bus fare?

I do agree with her, I need a job. I hated being super broke all the time. I mean, sometimes I don’t have a dime. That shit sucks when it’s warm as fuck out like it is today and you gotta walk 20 minutes and will most likely get thirsty and can’t even buy a bottle of water, ain’t that some shit? I’m going to get right on that today after school as a matter of fact.

I really wanted to get the hell out of my house. I’m 21 years old and still sharing a fucking bedroom with my sister. My mom and her wanting me to find a man. Ha, that’s the perfect way to introduce myself to a guy. ‘Hey there hot stuff, want to go back to my place? We’ll have to be quiet though because my sister might be asleep on the other side of the room’. Yea, no. I laughed, that’s probably the speech that Taylor gives to men. Maybe not the second part… I’ve woken up to things that made me want to bleach my eyes afterward on more occasions than I care to admit. Well, that says something about the men she’s into I guess.

Traffic was ridiculous this morning so there wasn’t any jaywalking for me today. Then, it was just my usual luck that I had to wait for almost every light. I couldn’t be late to my psychology class again… professor Harris will positively crucify me. Plus, I couldn’t wait to turn my paper in. I wanted to see that stupid ass smug look of his fall from his face when he reads my paper. I was sure that this was damn near perfect if I do say so myself. I was up all goddamn night putting the finishing touches on it. Harris was a straight up hard ass that probably really needed to be laid. He was way too stuck up if you asked me. No one liked him, but like myself, we all had to subject ourselves to his class for a semester at some point if we wanted our psych degree. I’ve always thought of his class a form of cruel and unusual punishment… but then again, I think of a lot of things that way. Sometimes, life just really sucked donkey balls.

I looked down at my cheap $10 watch and sighed. I had five minutes left and three blocks to clear. If there was a god out there, he sure as hell didn’t know my address because he doesn’t ever seem to be looking out for me. Hello, big man upstairs… I’m knocking, can you answer the door already? I opened up my ears and nope. As usual, I didn’t hear anything. Not even the sound of the door unlocking or the peephole moving. Fuck, I’m screwed.

I grinned as the ginormous school building came into view and I picked up my pace. Maybe… just maybe I’d beat the odds and make it on time. I sighed knowing that eventually, I’m going to have to live up to the commitment I gave myself. I would have to start skipping breakfast. I tried everything else, but nothing works. Doesn’t matter if I try to prepare the night before, go to sleep earlier, wake up earlier… Taylor or my mother in one way or another always manages to screw that up. How you ask? I’m so happy you did! Well, let’s see…

There was the time that I went two weeks taking clothes out the night before and every day, no shit… I mean every damn day… Taylor got to it. She either wore it out, moved it, tossed it… I still to this day can’t find one of those outfits believe it or not. Then there was the time I decided to get up earlier. Mom had a new man at the time, and they decided screwing in the bathroom after her shift for hours on end was a great idea. That was when she was getting off an hour earlier mind you. Yea, another one of those things that has tainted me in all the wrong ways. How I’m even still sane these days is a total mind fuck.

Oh, sweet school there you are. I stood at the corner my foot tapping the pavement eagerly waiting for the light to change to stop traffic. Yes! I crossed the street, and just as I almost made it, a van on the far-right lane thought it was a good idea to go on red. Is this bastard color blind… and people blind? Hell, he’s going to hit me! I leaped to the sidewalk to avoid becoming roadkill and caught my foot on the sidewalk. Shit, I was going down. My instincts kicked in and my arms went out to help stop my face from eating dirt, but that was all it helped.

“Oomph.” I gradually pushed myself up and pain radiated from my knee. I looked down and slowly moved my leg to get a glimpse. My jeans tore on the pavement and blood was beginning to seep through. Fucking hell, this shit hurt, and my jeans were ruined. I let out a long breath and looked up just realizing that I dropped my psych book. My heart began beating erratically in fear. I know what you’re thinking… pick up the damn textbook and keep it moving. I wish that were the case. I tucked my notes, and the paper I poured my sweat and blood into inside the book and papers were flying with the wind. I scrambled around on my hands and knees – scraped and all – to save my papers.

When I figured I got them all, I tucked them back into the book and went to stand. Before I did, I noticed a pair of black dress shoes in front of me damn near touching my textbook. I looked up slowly and was greeted by this beast of a man with shades on looking down at me. Oh yeah, totally normal… there’s nothing creepy about that at all mister. I began to stand up, and he muttered, “Taylor.”

Go figure. I stood and took a second look at my leg. At least I could use this as an excuse for being late. Harris couldn’t refute it, I had the bloody evidence to prove it. I looked up and remembered the creeper in front of me and sighed. “No… I’m actually not. Why don’t you just give her a call?” I started to walk off and decided to throw a dog a bone. “In like twelve hours or so.” When I began to walk off, he grabbed my arm. Seriously? Could my day get any worse? Well, with this tight as fuck grip he got on me I just will have further evidence to defend my lateness… although, he was probably going to lose a finger. I don’t know what the shit Taylor is into if she likes that rough shit but I sure as fuck ain’t with that program. I tried pulling my arm free, but it was no use. At my bit of resistance, his grip tightened even further, and fear gripped me. “Hey, what the hell are you doing? Let go of me.”

He didn’t relent and instead leaned in close and said in a tone only I could hear, “get in the car.”

Was this stupid son of a bitch on drugs? Get in the car? That had lifetime movie special written all over it, fuck no sir. I gotta give it to him though, his voice meant business, and it gave me the shakes. I wasn’t a punk ass, but I damn sure wasn’t stupid either. This man meant business, and he had no qualms letting me know that. But still… “No,” I said shaking my head. “I’m not Taylor.” And I sure as fuck ain’t into whatever kinky BDSM bullshit you guys apparently got going on. You pull out a whip on my ass then I’m going to have to whip your ass… got it?

He tugged on my arm pulling me in close. I opened my mouth to argue when I felt pressure on my stomach. I looked down to see a gun, and I felt all the blood drain from my body right into a pothole. “Get in the car.” He repeated.

I took a deep breath. I wasn’t stupid, and I damn sure wasn’t going to get myself shot. Fucking Taylor and her bullshit. I nodded and let him guide me into the car as if nothing was wrong. A fucking gun! You have got to be shitting me. I climbed in and just as he pulled off I watched a single paper fly away. My first thought was fuck I hope that wasn’t a part of my paper. The second, I’m going to be so late for school. What the fuck is it now with my sister?

It’s ironic. All my life, I grew up defending Taylor. She was always the wild child, out of fucking control if you ask me. Then every time she got her ass into some shit someone else had to come bail her out. That shit was never fair to me. I was the quiet one who always kept to themselves their whole life, but I always had to take care of her and her bullshit. I had to console her when guy after guy broke her heart. She slept with them because they were in love and then she never heard from them afterward. Those times were especially great on me when I had to sleep instead to prepare for tests. Then there were the girls…

His girlfriend, his woman, hell his wife. I had to save her ass. I can’t count on my hands the number of times one of them came knocking on our door. Her and my mother would do their normal. Try to hide or avoid the situation and then I’m the one that gets caught out there. Especially since we’re twins. That shit is embarrassing being out with my friends and having someone throw a drink in my face because I was screwing her man who I never even saw before. With my background, I needed to learn how to defend myself at an early age. There was no way in fuck I was gonna be getting my ass beat on the regular for shit I not only didn’t have control over but didn’t condone. When I figured the type of girl my sister was and how easily people still got us confused I put an end to that. My backbone hardened overnight. I didn’t let it take over me, but it was something that I had to fall back on as needed, like now. But this is the first time I ever had a gun pulled out on me and fuck me I was totally going to kill Taylor for this.

I watched the streets pass by through the window and sighed. This has got to be the worst day of my life. Finally, he pulled into a parking lot, and I frowned when I realized where we were. Ladder 42, it was one of the most popular clubs around these days. I’ve heard people talking about it plenty of times… Taylor loved this place. Why the hell were we here? It was 8:45 in the morning, I don’t go out to party, but I at least know that no club is open at this time.

Th passenger door swung open. “Get out.”

He grabbed my arm and practically dragged me around the building to a side door. It was unlocked, and he let himself in. I was totally creeped out. We were in a club at the wee hours of the morning. The lights weren’t on, and the place was deserted. The only sounds I could hear was coming from us as we navigated through the building.

Eventually, he led me to what looked like an office door and knocked on it. A muffled sounding “yea” came through the door, and he let us in.

A man was sitting in a chair behind a desk. The room was larger than what I would’ve expected for a club office, but then again what did I know. The man dragged me over to the desk. “Sit.” He ordered. All of these one and two-word sentences were fucking annoying.

Sit? “Ahh, I’d rather not. I’m good standing since this shouldn’t take long.” I told him.

The bastard shoved me towards the chair, and while my body missed it, my feet didn’t. For the second time today, I was about to eat dust because of this bastard. I was able to catch myself and stop my fall by gripping the edge of the desk. The man behind it finally looked up but I wasn’t paying him any mind. Oh no, my attention was focused on my kidnapper who was really starting to piss me off.

I righted myself. “Did somebody piss in your oatmeal this morning or am I just giving you a hard-on?” I asked.

“You little bitch.” He snapped and reached out for my ponytail. I ducked and ran around the chair out of arms reach. He gave short chase after me going around and around the chair only growing more frustrated.

“This is why you brought me here? To play ring around the Rosie? I have more important stuff I could be doing.” I told him annoyed.

He growled, and a throat cleared. Both of our eyes snapped up to the man who was sitting behind the desk watching us with an utterly baffled look. “Are you children done?” he asked.

The kidnapper grunted. “She started it. I went to get her like you asked.”

The man lifted an eyebrow. “And now you’re chasing her around a goddamn chair like an overgrown fool, Alex. Go stand somewhere and entertain yourself.”

I couldn’t stop the chuckle that escaped when Alex did as he was told with no fuss. “Something funny?” the man asked.

I shrugged and plopped down in the chair. “If I knew that’s what it took to get rid of him, I would’ve done that already.”

He looked at me amused. “I don’t think it would’ve quite worked the same way for you.”

I shrugged. “Your friend, not mine.”

“Do you know why you’re here Taylor?” he asked.

I groaned. “Jesus, I almost forgot about that.” I leaned forward. “Look, just like I told your friend over there, I’m not Taylor.”