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ONE
MEADOW
“I know what you’re thinking,” my twin, Briar, says from across the table that’s so full there’s not an inch of open space left to put anything down on it. Eight small plates of happy hour appetizers leave room for nothing else. Not to mention, Briar has three drinks, which is the most Briar thing ever.
She can never settle on anything when it comes time to make a choice. I, however, always know what I want or where I’m going. She’s chaos, and I’m precision. We might be identical on the outside, but inside we’re often polar opposites, and that has always balanced us out.
“That these bar stools hurt your ass?” We’re sitting at one of the high top tables near the bar of the restaurant because it’s busy and the place is starting to fill up. It is a Friday, and even though I suggested ordering in, Briar wanted to go out and celebrate. I knew from experience it wasn’t a battle I was going to win.
“That and we should have ordered two of the crab cake apps,” she says as she picks up one of the three small crab cakes and pops it into her mouth. “They’re tiny.”
“We can order more.” I grab one quickly before she eats them all.
“And we will. We’re celebrating.” She lifts her martini glass, and I do the same before we clink them together and take a sip. “God, that’s tart.” Briar cringes, and her face scrunches before putting the drink down and trying another one she ordered. “Pretty cool, right? It’s like we belong here.” She waves her hand toward the bar that’s getting busier by the second.
Everyone is dressed in suits with the exception of Briar. She’s wearing a bright purple sweater with an adorably grumpy cat on it that says I do what I want.
“I suppose we do.” I smirk because this has been my goal. Not happy hour but landing this job and without the help of our parents. I’m flying under the radar at the moment with my new job at Gondal Assist.
My first week as a forensic accountant is now under my belt. I was nervous my first day, but the second I was given my first task, it melted away. It hadn’t returned until this afternoon when my boss told me about the project I would be working on first thing Monday morning. He made it clear that this was a big new client that was testing the waters with Gondal Assist.
Part of me wanted to suggest maybe having someone more seasoned, but I held my tongue and listened. It’s always been hard for me to back down from a challenge when it comes to anything put in front of me.
My new boss, Cassie, said she would send more details over the weekend and let me know the other person that would be joining me on the project. I hope it’s not Craig because this is a chance to prove myself. I’ve only been with Gondal Assist for a week, and I know that Craig is a handful. Sure, he’s competent enough, but it’s his other quirks that are bothersome.
I hit the ground running my last semester of college since my life has been all school for the last four years, including summer school. I’m fortunate that my parents helped so I didn’t have to get a job and all my focus could be on completing a bachelor’s with a double major in accounting and finance.
The ink on my degree wasn’t even dry before I was filling out applications. As I was studying for my last round of finals, I was putting out feelers because I needed to see if I could get any bites.
As much as I hate it, there’s always this lingering insecurity that I’m not good enough and that I won’t be picked. In school that hadn’t been a worry because Briar would pick me, but now those days are slowly coming to an end. Briar can’t stand at my side in everything, and our lives are about to split.
She can’t show up at my job and demand everyone think I’m the best even if she’d love to. I’d have to tackle her ass if I could catch her, but she can be scrappy. Dad never should have let her take those kickboxing classes. While she would spar with Dad, I’d sit up against the wall at the gym and read. They did it almost every day when we got home from high school, and they still kept it up while we were in college. It was the first real thing she committed to.
Briar finally stuck to non-profit management as a major after trying out four others first. Out of high school, she leaned toward being a veterinarian, but I knew that would not pan out. I kept my mouth shut because it’s usually better to let Briar realize things on her own.
As bold and fierce as my twin can be, there's a sweetness that runs deep. If she wants to work with animals, I think it’s best for her to do it with a bit of distance and where she can do some good. In fact, this is one of those times that flashing the last name of our family comes in handy. She can raise all kinds of money because of who they are but also because Briar could charm anyone if she wanted to.
Still, with how far I’ve come, there’s something missing that I can’t put my finger on. There’s doubt I hold inside, and it creeps out in all parts of my life, but I don’t know what it is.
Lie.
I know where it comes from, and I’m not sure I can change that. I suppose that’s one of the problems when you map your life out with such precision and someone rips what you wanted from you. So I focus on what I can control and make it so that it’s hard to think about much else because I cram every hour of my day with things to be done. This way I can’t think about the missing piece of my puzzle.
Okay, maybe it’s not missing, but it wasn’t willing to go into the place I wanted it to.
Right now, I’m focusing on other things. I’ve been considering going back for my master’s in accounting at night because it’s not exactly as though I have a nightlife. Part of me wonders if I should wait, with how crypto money is now flooding into the market. There isn’t enough to teach on it yet because it’s so hard to trace. I’d know because I, on a few occasions, might have gone poking in places I shouldn't have, but I blame Briar and her rebellion rubbing off.
At this moment, I should be thinking about my new job and maybe in a year reevaluate going back to school. Once I realize this, I pick up my phone and mark it in my calendar.
“Stop making weird notes and eat the last crab cake,” Briar says, so I put my phone on the edge of the table and grab the last one.
My parents told me to slow down after graduation and take the summer off. How could I have taken a breath when I was about to graduate? I was in the process of moving off campus and finding a new place to live, and to do that, I had to know where I’d be working. City traffic can be crazy. These things were important to be aware of before I signed some year-long lease and found out I have an hour commute.
In true Briar fashion, she backed me up and started making up reasons why we needed to get a move on it quickly. Even though our parents knew she was making shit up for my defense. It didn’t matter if Briar thought my parents were right; she’d tell me that later when we were alone.
When facing anything, we’re always on each other's side no matter how ridiculous the other is being. I often get the short end on that one because Briar can do some really ridiculous shit. Sometimes I can talk her out of things, but other times Briar is going to do whatever catches her attention, and I’m just along for the ride.
I consider finding a new place to live a big deal, while my twin could care less. Briar is down with whatever, but giving her options is when things get out of control.
