Just One More

“I dunno,” I sighed, stretching slightly, trying to make myself comfortable. “It was just so wrong in every way, you know what I mean? We shouldn’t have to re-do the lab, twice is enough,” I said emphatically.

“Of course not,” agreed Blake, squeezing my hand. “We’ll do another assignment or just take a zero, it doesn’t matter,” he shrugged.

I frowned. Taking a zero wasn’t exactly ideal – after all, I hadn’t received a college acceptance letter yet. But Blake and Bryan had a curiously relaxed attitude towards school. On the one hand, they seemed to know everything already, had already covered all the books in our literature class, and were frighteningly well-read when it came to American history. On the other, grades themselves seemed to matter little despite the boys’ obvious intelligence and aptitude.

I’d quizzed them about their plans after college, and they’d answered in a straightforward manner.

“We’re going to apply to the Police Academy,” said Bryan, smiling. “And the Academy doesn’t require a 4.0 GPA. They just require an IQ test, a personality assessment, and some fitness minimums. Trust me, Blake and I have it under control.”

“But have you signed up for the exams yet?” I asked worriedly. “I mean, maybe there’s a cut-off deadline. Plus, graduation’s only a few months away, have you stopped by the local precinct to talk to some officers, get their perspective on what it’s like to walk a beat?”

Bryan had been about to answer when Blake interrupted.

“You know, I think that’s a great idea,” he said smoothly. And was I imagining things or had he just shot his brother a warning glance? “We’ll drop by the precinct after school tomorrow and see if we can chat with some of the boys in blue, see if someone’s off duty and willing to give us the low-down on the lifestyle.”

And I’d smiled happily because I wanted what was best for them. I’d never expected to marry rich, and was perfectly content with two handsome men dressed in police uniforms.

But my mom had other ideas. Mary had laughed when I mentioned I was dating a guy who wanted to be a cop.

“Honey, you can’t be serious,” she said. “Now that I’m engaged to Harold Manning and Tina’s married Jake Manning, you have so many opportunities before you! The Mannings can provide you with an entrée into the most elite crowds, you can meet bankers, lawyers, young tech entrepreneurs. Don’t you want that? Don’t you want to be taken care of?” she’d asked.

I was confused. “But Mom, you didn’t marry rich and things worked out okay,” I said.

Okay, obviously that wasn’t exactly true at the moment given that my sister Jenna had disowned us. But stuff happens and I was still holding out hope that Jenna would come back, be my big sister again.

But my mom just shook her head in exasperation.

“Honey, it’s not easy to raise a family and you know how I struggled as a single mom with four children,” she admonished. “I mean, this isn’t serious, is it? You’re both still in high school and this young man … it’s just puppy love,” she concluded emphatically.

That’s the thing. That’s not how I felt about Blake and Bryan, it wasn’t puppy love at all. I’ve been “in love” with a few boys before and my relationship with the twins went far beyond that. It was deeper, stronger, and we relied on and trusted each other, making dinner together, paying bills, acting like adults. I wasn’t sure where they got their money, but I wasn’t worried. The twins were going to make an honest living regardless.

But I figured this wasn’t the time to dive deeper into the conversation, much less confess that I was sleeping with twins.

“Listen Ma,” I sighed. “I haven’t been at home for a few months and it’s because I’ve been staying with Blake and his brother,” I said simply. “It’s just easier, you know?”

“Of course I know you’ve been staying with those boys,” she’d replied. “But it was just temporary until we got this Jenna thing sorted out, there was so much scandal. You can come home now,” she said with a queenly air.

“Ma, I’m not coming home,” I sighed. “Graduation’s just around the corner and then I head off to college. Not that I’m not grateful to the Mannings,” I said hastily. “Please tell Harold and Jake that I really appreciate their contributions to my college education fund.”

In fact, Jake had made it clear that he’d pay full freight for my tuition, relieving me of any burdensome student loan debt. But my plans were changing and if the twins were at the Academy here in San Francisco … suddenly, City College just a block away sounded more and more attractive.

“Honey, just don’t decide anything now,” my mom pleaded. “You’re young, you don’t know yourself.”