Together Again | Teen Ink

Together Again

November 19, 2010
By Skyheart BRONZE, Amery, Wisconsin
Skyheart BRONZE, Amery, Wisconsin
2 articles 0 photos 0 comments

I’ve lived in Summerton, Wisconsin all of my life, most of it with my twin sister Aubri. In fact our Great-grandfather built this town from scratch. He’s considered Summerton’s founding father. Every day as I walk into school, I can almost hear the thoughts of the people around me say, “That girl there is Alexi Harper, she is the great-granddaughter of James and Rosalie Harper. James is the founding father of this town so you better respect her or you won’t be respected.” Sure I may be the most popular girl in town and school, but that doesn’t mean I’m kind and respectful.
When I was in eighth grade, my now ex-boyfriend Avery Thompson dumped me for my identical twin Aubri Harper. To make matters worse, the two ran off to New York together; the whole trip was paid by his parents, and they provided a way of living for them. I try not to think of it or else the blood runs cold through my veins and I turn into a whole different person.
Sometimes I feel like I’m not a person, but an animal. When I look at my new boyfriend, Anthony James, I push that thought to the back of my mind. Anthony is the star football player on the team, and he has one of the best voices I’ve ever heard. I may have felt connected to Avery, but when I’m with Anthony, I feel that we are made for each other.
“Alexi. What are you doing tonight?” I looked up to see my mother staring questionably at me with her dark blue eyes.
“Well I was planning on studying for a test on Wednesday. Also, I was planning on going out for a ride and I might possibly look online for a Basenji pup. Was there anything that you wanted me to do?”
My mom nodded her head and said “As a matter of fact, there is. Aubri is coming home and I want you to drive to the mall and buy some items for her room. Also buy her some welcome home gifts. I want my lost baby girl to feel like she should stay.”
I began to protest but my mother stopped me. “Alexi! I need you to do this for me! I understand that you and Aubri had a fight before she left, but that was two years ago. You’re not in eighth grade anymore, so you better start acting like an adult. If you want a Basenji pup, I’ll buy one. If you’re worried about the test; stop. The test is in four days, so that gives you plenty of time to study for it.”
I took a deep breath to hide my anger and managed to ask,
“Purple?” my mother smiled and nodded her head.

A few minutes later, and I’m sitting in my silver Chevy Traverse. When I was about three miles from the local mall, I noticed a sign in front of a bright yellow home which read “Baseagle pups for sale! $150 each.” I decided to check them out. When I rang the doorbell, a friendly old woman with graying hair and olive gray eyes came to the door.
“Hello dear. Are you here to see the dogs?” nodding my head, I followed the old woman to a pale yellow room with dark green curtains; in the middle of the room was a wicker basket containing a Basenji and her four pups. I knelt down to the floor and gently coaxed the babies out of the basket. The first to leap out of the basket was a lively tricolor male, which looked more like a Beagle with upright ears and a curly tail. Two calmer females followed him; both had a tan body with the disposition of a Basenji with Beagle ears. A shy, tan male followed the two females; he resembled his brother.

“Can you tell me a little bit about these pups?” I questioned the friendly woman.

She smiled at me with her olive gray eyes and said, “Why of course I can! All pups have been neutered and spayed, and their shots are up to date. Basenjis don’t bark, but since these pups are mixed I cannot guarantee that. Their mother and father are both very nice dogs. These pups are priced at one hundred and fifty dollars, but because I knew James and Rosalie Harper, I’ll dock the price down to twenty-five dollars.” The next thing I knew, I was leaving that yellow house with the calm females and a batch of brownies. I guess I’m a sucker for sales.

Three minutes later I arrived at the mall, when my phone rang “Hello?”
“Hey Alexi; how’s it going?” my mother spoke on the other end of the phone.
“Well I passed by this yellow house ten minutes ago, where they were selling Baseagle pups. I ended up buying two females for Aubri. I just arrived at the mall so I’ll see you around three.”
“Okay, I’ll see you in three hours. Try not to be late. I love you!” My mother said her goodbyes and hung up the phone; I put my phone away. I turned around to check on the pups, which I had decided to name Honey and Heart, who were sleeping silently side by side. I quietly grabbed my purse, snuck out of the car, and locked the door behind me.
Chapter 2

Getting onto the plane was a very emotional thing for me to do. How will Alexi react when I come home? Does Alexi have a new boyfriend? Did I ruin her life by running off with Avery?
“Aubri. I’m sure Alexi has forgiven you by now, and she probably can’t wait to see you.”
I didn’t say anything, but instead I got into my seat.
The plane took off and a flight attendant approached our seats. “May I offer you something to eat or drink? Would you like a source of entertainment?”
I nodded my head and said “I would like a wild cherry Pepsi, peanuts, and do you have the movie Australia?”
The flight attendant nodded her head and turned to Avery, batting her eyelashes “Anything for you sir?”
“A Pepsi and a piece of key lime pie would be great.” Avery answered flirtatiously.
After the flight attendant disappeared, I turned to Avery, who was staring at the flight attendant’s butt. “Avery Lucas Thompson! Who do you think you are? Some playboy who thinks he can sleep with every girl he lays eyes on! I now understand how Alexi felt when we ran off!”
Avery immediately protested, “Baby…I’m not a playboy who thinks he can sleep with every girl I lay eyes on. There’s only one girl I would ever even dream of sleeping with, and I would never pressure her to do anything that she doesn’t want to do. That girl is you Aubri. I love you.”
I looked at him for a long while, but in the end all I could say was “I love you too, Avery.”
The flight attendant returned with our orders, and Avery draped his arm around my shoulders, showing the flight attendant that he is taken. I noticed her glance before she walked up to another passenger.

The flight took about four hours, and when we touched down I felt like jumping out of my seat and racing across the airport to find my father. That would be and embarrassing thing to do though.
“Aubri; I know you feel like flying through the airport to see your dad, but the plane touched down early. Why don’t you go freshen up in the bathroom? I’ll go find us some seats.” Avery kissed me on top of the forehead, and I walked to the nearest bathroom with my purse and one of my bags.

I turned my phone on and dialed my dad’s number, “Hey dad it’s me Aubri.”
“Hello sweetie. Shouldn’t you be on the plane?” my dad’s confused voice spoke on the other end of the phone.
“About that…the plane touched down just a couple a minutes ago. When am I going to see you?”
“Well I’ll be off work in about ten minutes, and the drive to the airport is about five minutes, so I should be there at about 2:30 pm. I have to go see one of my patients now, so I’ll see you then.” My dad said goodbye and hung up. I put my phone away and grabbed my make-up bag.
Chapter 3

I finished up the last touches on Aubri’s new room, and surveyed my work. Purple curtains partially covered the one window that looked out over the pastures, every wall held pictures of previous years, the bed was covered with a purple comforter and many purple and black pillows, a black TV hid in a black stand, and beside the bed was a purple dog bed where a sleepy puppy would rest her tired eyes.
My mother walked into the room and gasped “Oh Alexi! You did wonders with this room! Aubri will love it! Speaking of Aubri, your dad just called and said he’s about fifteen minutes away from the house. So Dear, why don’t you go take a shower and get changed? I’m so glad you did this Dear. It means a lot to me.” I smiled and began to walk away but my mother stopped me “Oh by the way, I called Anthony and invited him over. He said he’ll be over in about ten minutes. Now go enjoy your shower.”
I nodded my head and said “Thanks mom. I will.”

After my shower I put on a solid white strapless knee length party dress, open toed stilettoes, a sapphire necklace given to me by Anthony as a one month anniversary present, and diamond earrings given to me by my parents on my fourteenth birthday. My solid black hair lay flat on my shoulders. Putting on a layer of pink lip gloss, I headed down the stairs. Anthony was waiting in the living room for me, and when I saw him I nearly fainted. He looked like a gentleman whenever he wore his black tuxedo.
“Alexi. You look stunning!” he gasped.
I smiled and batted my eyelashes at him “Why thank you Anthony. You don’t look too bad yourself.” The key turned in the lock and we all jumped. Anthony put his arm around my shoulder and squeezed softly. A sudden wave of emotion flowed over me. It was joy, excitement, and fear.

When I turned that corner in the living room and saw my sister standing in the foyer, I felt like crying. Apparently she did too, for she burst into tears as soon as we hugged.
“Alexi I’m so sorry. I never should have let him do that to you. Seeing you and being with you right now means everything to me.” Aubri cried.
I smiled and whispered “Oh Aubri. You have no clue what that means to me. I hope you stay this time Aubri.”
Aubri smiled and whispered back “No need to worry about me leaving Alexi. I’m here to stay.” Just hearing those words echoed through my head “I’m here to stay.”
Chapter 4

It’s been two years since my sister returned from New York. Tonight is graduation day, and a lot of things have changed since sophomore year. Aubri dumped Avery when she found him cheating on her in the janitor’s closet on junior prom night. Now she’s happily engaged to Alex Heart, the second best football player on the team. She’s not the only one who’s engaged…Anthony and I will be getting married in four months. Two months before Aubri’s wedding. My parents are thrilled, and frankly so am I. I guess I was right when I said that Anthony and I were made for each other.

“Hey Alexi; let’s go.” I turned to see my sister dressed in a graduation gown, and standing in my doorway. I guess I never imagined the day that my sister and I would graduate together. I took a deep breath, inhaling the scents of perfume and roses, and with a final glance at my room, I followed my sister to our graduation.


The author's comments:
I used to play dramatic games with my bestfriend/practical sister, and this story kind of reflects some of the ideas we came up with.

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