Chapter 2
MARCH 13TH, 2007.
Barty’s first day back in school since he’d met Evan went like any other. He didn’t see Evan, which irritated him just a little; didn’t see him in the corridors, before classes began, nothing like that. Barty had, however, remembered how at his house, Evan had told him he studied art, English literature, and biology. Barty had thought it was odd, biology as a subject after those two other subjects; but Evan had explained how he’d wanted to understand diseases and how they effected him - and he did the class with Pandora, who also studied art (despite being in a separate class to her brother), and chemistry. She wanted to go into either entomology or chemistry, he’d found out, Evan wanted to be an illustrator.
With that knowledge, Barty knew that there were only three classrooms Evan could be in, and taking quite the relaxed walk around, spotted that signature bright blonde, almost white hair inside an art classroom. The art classrooms were much bigger than the other ones, Barty had noticed, with art decorating the walls and teachers that definitely looked like art teachers. Mentally, he called this one Ms Divorcee, because she definitely looked like she was going through it. Pens in her hair, paintbrushes, but then again, Barty didn’t think she dressed much different from Pandora. That was funny.
As a bell rung, and Barty’s observation of the classroom was concluded, he stood with his back leaned against the wall, arms crossed, waiting patiently for Evan to exit so he could speak to him. Some might call it desperate, Barty calls it tactical.
“Well, well, long time no see.”
Barty did take Evan by surprise, just a little bit, showcased by the small jump he gave, ripping his headphones from his ears.
“Fucking hell, Barty. Why are you here?”
“Uhh, I go here?” Barty laughed, but Evan rolled his eyes, which only led him to get louder, shaking his head. “Come on, do you have a free period?”
“It’s lunch.”
“Then let’s go get lunch.”
“I have to go meet Pandora outside.”
“Alright then, lead the way, Rosie.”
With a roll of his eyes, Evan began to walk, his usual backpack on, and his art folder in his hand. A big, A3 one he seemed irritated by every time it hit his leg as he walked, or every time he had to adjust his grip on it. Without thinking, Barty took it from Evan’s right hand, putting it in his own right so he couldn’t take it back. “Where’s she waiting?” Evan watched, furrowed his eyebrows, only to soften just a little bit and shrug.
“We sit under the big tree on the football field.” Evan informs him, and Barty nods. “But she’ll be waiting just outside, she always does. Usually has someone to talk to.” That Dork girl maybe, Barty thinks, then starts to remember what she looked like. No clue, he didn’t see her clearly enough.
“Sounds good,” Barty gave Evan a side glance, seeing him faced straight forward for a moment, before taking a small, momentary glance that led him to meet Barty’s eyes. Evan flushed, but rolled his eyes and started walking faster in a desperate attempt to hide how obvious he was being.
Pandora was waiting, though with nobody else around her, her fingers furiously moving on a little sideways phone, a flip phone, of course customised to her own style with little pink and white jewels in the shape of a love heart on the back. Again, very Pandora. It took a moment of still silence for her to see both boys, jumping just a little before breaking out into a bright smile and wrapping her arms tightly around Evan’s shoulders. “I got an A on my art piece, an A, Evan! That’s like, that’s so good!” she laughed, with nothing but pure happiness in her heart, pulling back from Evan, smiling with her, and instead turning to jumping up and down, bouncing on the balls of her heels and clapping.
“Well done,” Evan told her, his smile soft and unbelievably sweet. “You worked hard on it.”
“Oh, you were a wonderful muse, Evan, I’m so glad you helped with it. They’re putting it up in my classroom, and, and- oh, oh gosh, I’m so happy, Evan, I’m so happy!” Both twins were beaming, just as happy as each other, feeding off of the radiance each one gave off. Barty had never seen Evan smile so wide.
Barty did let them indulge each other, watching with his arms folded, but a small smile tugged at his face. “You mused for her?” His eyebrow raised, and his smile turned to a grin, Evan’s face becoming wiped and his smile disappearing almost immediately.
“Yeah, I did. Problem?” He turned to Barty with his arms folded, seemingly having had a nerve struck.
“No, no, no problem.” Barty let out a laugh, which only seemed to piss Evan off more, giving a scoff as once again, he rolled his eyes, beginning to storm off to their spot. “What? What did I say!? It was a question!” Barty called, following after Pandora, who was only a few steps behind her brother.
“Drop it, Barty.” Evan informed him, shaking his head and taking his jacket off to put it down on the grass, situating himself on top of it and letting Pandora sit just next to him. Barty sat across from them, just on the grass, not bothered if it was a little damp or something. He crossed his legs, dumped his bag next to him, Evan’s art folder nearer him, and used his own backpack as an armrest.
“Dropping it, dropping it, Jesus.” Barty groaned, stretched, listened to his joints pop, and then tilted his head up to Evan and Pandora, who were once again doing that thing where they communicate with just their eyes; which Barty was starting to find a little bit creepy. “Why haven’t I seen you in forever?”
“You don’t come to school, maybe?” Evan grumbled, shifting to lean his back against his sister’s side, who combed her fingers through his hair, quietly telling him he needed to brush it, Evan nodding in response and reaching for his bag.
Barty found that irritating, because it was true, and he hated that it was his fault. “Yeah, but, I requested your MySpace and you-”
“-Didn’t let you follow it.” Evan finished, nodding very matter-of-factly. “Yeah, I know. I didn’t want you to find it in the first place. I made my account restricted just for you.”
“Ah, well, I am a sluther. And the internet is my oyster.” Barty threw his arms up in the air as a big gesture out to the world. Pandora found it funny, Evan not so much. Not at all, actually; which only made Barty more determined. “I’m gonna find some kind of social media you have, Rosie. I’m making it my mission.”
“Mhm, yeah, go ahead.” Evan agreed, monotone, just nodding and not looking away from the mirror Pandora was holding in front of him, pushing a brush through his hair. Barty just groaned at him, throwing his hands up in a faux surrender.
“Just give me something to work with, Rosie.” He laughed, shaking his head, only to receive a shrug in response.
“There’s nothing to work towards, Crouch.”
“Says who?” Pandora chimed, humming, glancing at Evan in the reflection of his mirror. “Friendship always has more closeness to work towards.”
Evan gave a little laugh, before meeting her gaze and seemingly realising she was serious. He frowned, just a little, and the two once again communicated with their eyes, which only creeped Barty out that little bit more. “That’s fucking weird, you know” He commented, blurting it out without really thinking about it (when did he ever really think about anything he said), only to be met with confused looks from both twins. “That thing you do, with the eyes, it’s fucked.”
There was silence, like something hanging in the air, and without even looking at each other, the Rosier twins burst out laughing in synchronised hilarity. It took them some time to calm down, Barty watching with furrowed eyebrows at the very premise of being laughed at.
“We know.” That made both of them start laughing again, having said it together, the same inflection on the word ‘know’ too. Barty bit back a grimace, staring at them like he was watching the twins from The Shining appear in his hallway at night.
“It’s just a twin kinda thing.” Pandora explained, waving her hand about dismissively, before using it to gently pat at her eyes. “Gosh, if you’ve made my makeup run with me laughing so much-” She laughed, again, Evan rubbing his eyes with the back of his sleeve.
“Do it all the time, just can kind of tell what we’re trying to say.”
“And the creepy saying it at the same time thing?”
“That just happens sometimes.”
Barty gave a humming noise, slowly nodding his head, before shaking it. “No, no, can’t get used to it - that’s fucking weird.” He laughed, shoulders moving with the force of it, and setting Pandora and Evan off again, until all three were laughing so deeply none of them could stop; even on their ways back to their classes, they couldn’t stop themselves. Every time they stopped, Barty asked another stupid question, and they’d just start cracking up again.
“So you can’t read each other’s minds?”
“Wait so.. Twin-telepathy isn’t real?”
“Were you born at the same time?”
“Why don’t you have matching names?”
“If I had twins, I’d call them something like… salt and pepper.”
“Or maybe left and right.”
“Is one of you left handed, and the other right handed?”
“Don’t twins usually like, try eat each other in the womb?”
“How come you’re not both girls or both guys?”
“What does frat- frit- frat.. fraternal mean?”
“Did your parents used to put you in matching clothes?”
It just kept going, and kept going, and they were laughing, and laughing, and laughing. And Barty felt happy - he almost felt the three of them get closer, break some sort of boundary that actually made them friends. Real friends. Not the friends his father expected him to make - surface friends that just used formalities and smiled at each other in public but never, ever stopped to talk.
Barty felt a little bit of himself grow inside of his chest that day.