Play it Straight

PHOENIX’S POV

“You’ve been in that same position all summer. I am sick and tired of you looking like a fetus.”

Before I could open my mouth to shoo him away, I felt a sharp pain course through my back as a basketball landed smack on it.

“Jackson!” I yelled and shot up from my bed like a rocket. I was glaring daggers at him, but he was grinning like a Cheshire Cat.

“Come play with me.” He pointed at the ball on my bed and signaled to me to bring it over to him.

“Jackson, I am not in the mood to play ball. Please get out of my room.”

My voice was low and without its usual perkiness to it. Jakson cocked his head to the side and entered my room. He sat on my bed and peered at me through the hood I had drawn up to cover my face.

“I don’t like seeing you like this.” His voice was sad and melancholic and I could see the worry in his cerulean blue eyes. This was the first time we were this close to each other since the beginning of the summer holiday.

“I don’t feel like being any other way.” My response annoyed him just as much as it annoyed me. The truth was, I didn’t want to be depressed forever. I actually did want to go back outside and have fun and play basketball with him while showing off my amazing tan that I should have had by now. I wanted to be the carefree, ice cream licking, Taylor-Swift’s-22-screeching-with-the-rooftop-down teenage girl that I was before the end of the school year last semester, but I couldn’t.

“Summer’s almost over, Phoenix. You gotta get out of bed at some point.”

“Has dad asked about me yet?” He shook his head. “Well, in that case I believe I can lie in bed all I want.” The covers were drawn over my body and I snuggled in despite the heat. It didn’t take up to five seconds before he yanked them off.

“Whatever you want.” His statement killed the protest that was bubbling from my throat. I stared at him blankly, confused by what he meant by that.

“What?”

“I’ll give you whatever you want if you play a game with me.” I groaned and rolled my eyes. My brother was relentless.

Everyday since we got back for the holidays, he has been trying to get me to do something other than live in my own filth and starve myself almost to non-existence with the promise of getting me whatever I wanted. Well, unfortunately, what I wanted was everyone’s memories to be erased but he could not do that and I know that because we shared the same abilities – basketball skills, carb-loading, motorcycle racing – and memory wiping was not one of them.

“You do not possess the ability to grant me a wish, Jackson. Now go away.”

“Do you doubt the abilities of twin magic, my dearest?” I gave him a flat look.

“Twin magic?” I asked.

“Centuries ago, the first ever twins were born under a double eclipse while their mom was eating two scoops of ice cream and sneezing at the same time. Legend says the universe got confused and accidentally copied a soul twice. Boom!” I was actually startled and shrieked when he made that sound. “Twin magic was born.”

“Jackson…”

“The magic was simple; if one twin was in serious trouble – like getting dumped or losing a shoe before prom – the other can make a wish on their behalf and it would come to pass. You’re in serious trouble right now, Phee, and I can help you. All you have to do is play ball with me.”

I wanted to say no. First of all, his backstory about twin magic was ridiculous and secondly, I could still feel the ache from when he threw the basketball at me. But he had been trying all summer long, giving excuses to my dad and Maddison as to why I couldn’t be with them downstairs like a proper family. The summer was almost over and once it was, I wouldn’t see him again until Thanksgiving. I was going to regret it the most if I didn’t hang out with him now.

Rolling my eyes and groaning at the pouty face he was making, I completely threw back the covers and flipped my legs over my mattress. “Fine,” I said and got down from my bed. “You better keep your promise to get me whatever I want, okay?”

He nodded happily and picked up the ball, bouncing all the way to our private basketball court beside the pool deck.

I hadn’t been anywhere passed the living room since I got back. The sun was really nice on the parts of my skin that wasn’t covered the breeze blew gently against the oversized hoodie I had on that I had stolen from Jackson. I had missed the better part of summer, holed up inside my room, afraid to come out, just because of…

“Here’s what I want,” I stated as I shook the thoughts of last semester’s incident out of my head. He passed me the ball and I bounced it. “I want to be happy again. I want to be able to go out without feeling violated or like I’m being watched. I want to take a shower, not just wash my face and armpits with a cleanser.”

“Ugh.” He contorted his face in disgust. “No wonder your room smelled funky when I walked in.”

“Can you do all that for me?” I asked, ignoring his statement.

“Phee, it is important for you to know that I am the only one who can do all that for you at this point in our lives.” His smile was smug and I found myself smiling at his brazenness too.

“You have to win for me to be able to grant your wish though.” His voice was louder than usual as he was now a distance from me. The sun shone down on his dirty blonde hair, making it look golden. I realized I actually missed looking at him all this while I was up in my room, fading away.

“Oh, that’s easy.”

The game started. He tried to pass one in right away but I didn’t let him. Not coming out for almost three months was starting to show on me immediately, but I didn’t let that stop me.

“You okay, Phee?” Jackson asked noticing my pace.

“Focus on the ball that’s about to be snatched from you,” I said and quickly swiped it. His attention was back on the game, the look of a concerned brother he had on earlier vanishing like a flash of light.

The sun was hanging low by the time the game came up to 2-2. The hoodie I was wearing at the start of the game was long discarded and I was left with my sports bra. I was sweating, my arms were aching and I wanted to pass out from being so dehydrated, but the game wasn’t over yet and Jackson had no intentions of letting it go.

“One more point,” he said, equally breathing hard while he spun the ball on his finger like it was nothing. “Come on, Phoenix. I know you want your wish as badly as I want to grant it.”

“You know,” I huffed at him. “If you are so willing to help me, why do I need to play and even beat you in the first place? Can’t we bypass all this torture and get right to the wish-granting part?”

“Now where’s the fun in that?” he smirked and it irked me.

We clashed again at half-court. I tried all my moves on him, even slicing low like a serpent trying to sneak past him, but he read me like a book he was familiar with! He blocked the drive, spun and pulled off a behind-the-back dribble so cocky it felt like a personal insult. I used to do that while playing with him!

“Show-off,” I muttered.

My feet were killing me. I had on my fluffy bunny slippers instead of sneakers like Jackson and it was hard to keep them on when I wanted to move so fast. When I finally had the ball, I threw it and hit a wild fadeaway that banked in. Jackson responded with a slick crossover that made me trip on my own pride. I hated how good he was.

“You gotta do better than this, sis,” he sang saucily. We were still tied, 3-3 and the game was almost over. I didn’t even care about the stupid wish anymore – I just wanted to beat him and wipe that smug look off his face.

I let him come at me hard – dribble, fake, jab step. But just when he thought he had a clear lane, I pivoted, stuck out a hand, and snatched the ball clean. One blink later, I was in the air, throwing the last shot in.

Swish.

Game.

The euphoria I felt in that moment made me forget about how depressed I was supposed to be. It’s been so long I was on the court and even longer since I beat a goated player. I felt my pride coming back to me with full force, almost like it never even left!

Jackson dropped down to the ground. His breathing was labored, but the smile on his face made me know that he was more than okay with losing to me for the millionth time.

“You owe me a wish, Jackson,” I said, panting. I needed water. Lots and lots of water. My throat was so dry it itched to even speak. “How are you going to make my life better again?”

His smile was teasing and I grew suspicious. This boy always came up with the craziest ideas and I had a feeling this time wasn’t going to be any different. From the way he looked at me alone, I knew he was up to no good.

“Let’s spend senior year together.”

I frowned at him, utterly confused at his words.

“You were expelled from Elmbourne two years ago, remember? We don’t go to the same school anymore.”

He nodded and got up. He looked like he was also in desperate need of hydration.

“I know. That’s why we’ll spend it together at my school.”

My frown got deeper and there was this deep dread that settled in the pit of my stomach. Sweat got in his right eye, and he closed it while looking at me with the other eye.

“But you go to an all-boys’ academy.”

His smile grew so wide, he looked like a creepy doll from a horror movie. My heart started beating fast for some reason. My twin brother moved closer to me, placed his hand on my shoulder and said, “Now, that’s sinfully brilliant, isn’t it?”