- 4.
It took Brittany over three months to get out
of the hospital.
Money talks, that’s for sure.
Mom and Dad pulled every string they could
find to get her skin grafts.
Her scars were still a sight for sore eyes, but
she looked a heck of a lot better than she did
a month earlier.
The second Brittany got to our new house,
she made a beeline for the walk–in closet.
She stared at herself in the mirror, crying her
eyes out.
I was chilling on the couch, eating chips, and
offered her some friendly advice.
“Hey, your face cost a cool million. If you ruin
it with all those tears, we’re not going to be
so generous with a replacement, okay?”
Brittany glared at me like I’d just poisoned her
water.
Her voice was all rough and scratchy. “You
did this on purpose, didn’t you? You’re
jealous that Mom and Dad love me. You
wanted me to get burned so you could steal
<
wanted me to get burned so you could steal
my life!”
“Brittany, that’s harsh, coming from you.”
I clapped my hands, dumped the chip bag in
the trash, and grinned.
“I’ve been nothing but nice to you. When the
fire broke out, you told me to run. And I took
off without a second thought. Shouldn’t that
make you feel good?
“And what about that skin graft you got on
your thigh? I shelled out the cash for that
one. Without me, you’d still be crawling on
the floor.”
“Ashley Miller!” Brittany screamed, launching
herself at me like a wildcat.
く
Okay, neither of us were fighters.
But at least I had all my limbs. I grabbed her
by the throat, aimed for her face, and raised
my hand as high as I could.
Smack!
Her face jerked to the side, and the scars
that had barely healed split open again.
“Brittany, I’ve been thinking. I need to
apologize to you. Last time, I didn’t slap you,
but you seemed to want me to. So, here, let
me give you a few more, okay?”
Brittany covered her face, sobbing.
I stood up and glanced upstairs, making eye
contact with Ethan
He’d watched the whole thing, but he didn’t
try to stop me.
After a few months of dealing with my twin
brother, I’d finally gotten his weird vibe down.
I pretended like nothing had happened and
looked away.
I had to admit, Ethan’s attitude was strange.
The maids said he and Brittany had never
been close, like they were strangers sharing
the same roof.
And ever since he got back from overseas a
month ago, things had been getting weirder
and weirder.
୮
I couldn’t figure out what was so special
about me that would make my brother act
this way.
I shook my head and let the thought go.
“Hold on a sec.”
Ethan finally spoke.
Brittany’s eyes lit up. “Ethan, I knew you’d
help me, right? I’ve always been nice to you.”
A roll of gauze flew down from above and
landed right in my hands.
Ethan kept it short and sweet.
“Wrap your hand.”
<
I grinned and wrapped the gauze around my
hand.
Then, I turned back and slapped Brittany
twice as hard.
“You got it!”
Ethan hated her too!
