Fraternizing With The Enemy

When It Begins

                                                                                       PART I 

THERE IS NO SUCH THING as hate in her dictionary. It is a word that merely crosses her mind. It's a feeling that rarely nails its claws around her heart, filling it with negative emotions and thoughts. As it does to other people. But from time to time, she gives in and allows the hate to get to her. And most of the time, her brother is the cause of it. You'd think that since he's a boy, there's no need for him to go into her room. To go through her stuff, searching for whatever thing he needs — but what could she possibly have that he'd need? Sometimes he comes to take her phone charger, or her headphones because he always breaks his, or even her shampoo. And so many other random things. There's no reasonable justification for him to do that.

Aside from that, they get along pretty well. Fights between them don't happen as often as someone would expect since they are siblings. And besides, she has a lot of patience, and again, it is always tested by her brother, Elijah. They don't have anything in common except for the fact that they both like swimming. Although they find a way to spend some brother-and-sister quality time together. It can go from just chatting in the living room about whatever thing that comes to their heads, to going out to the movies and such. Also, they aren't the type to say that they hate each other.

They don't say they love each other often, but if it has to be admitted, then they say it.

Even if he looks older, Elijah and Pet are twins. Fraternal twins. They were born with the same light brown hair, which she dyed to a darker brown shade when she turned 16, and they have blue eyes. Aside from that, they don't look alike much. While Pet is kind of withdrawn and aloof, Elijah is affable and is very cheerful in a hail-fellow-well-met sort of way. But of course, like any other sibling, he needs to nag his sister.

That's why once she puts the bottle of shampoo back in its place, she rushes out of his bathroom and to her room, tiptoeing and locking the door. A triumph smile makes its way on her lips. It'll take minutes before he comes knocking at her door furiously.

Oreo, Pet's Boston terrier, raises his little head, looking at her with those big brown eyes and she pats his head. Then plumps down on the bed, her fingers paging through the book she was reading, searching for the last page she read earlier. Oreo tries to get on the bed, and she reaches out for him and carries him, putting him next to her. Her mom would kill her for doing that, but she isn't home, so.

Though, about fifteen minutes later, her reading has to be stopped because of the hollow echo of knuckles rapping on the door. They are soft, not loud at all. Her mind tells her it must be her mom or dad. Swiftly, Pet gets up to open the door. Promptly taking a step back when their eyes meet. Elijah is standing at her door, only a towel around his waist with wet hair, which looks sticky because of the honey and eggs; bottle in hand, eyes like daggers.

"What's wrong with you?" Says Elijah, notoriously irritated, jaw clenched.

"I've told you not to take my shampoo or any of my belongings." Her arms fold in front of her chest.

"But I put it back in your bathroom!" He whines, only making this even funnier for his sister.

"Yes, empty, Elijah. Why would I want an empty bottle of shampoo?" Since this isn't the first time, he does something like that, Pet's revenge is not over. She just hasn't figured what to do next.

His eyes narrow. "My hair stinks, Pet. I can't go to the game like this."

Like I care. She wants to say but instead responds: "take dad's shampoo, then."

"I don't like how it smells," he complains, causing Pet to roll her eyes. Shaking her head, she closes the door right on his face.

"This is not over," Elijah yells from the other side of the door. "This is war." Her brother can be a little too dramatic sometimes.

"Whatever sprinkles your donut, Elijah," she teases, going back to bed with Oreo.

Elijah plays on the school football team. And tonight, they have a game. Of course, Pet took that to her advantage. Hoping this would give him a lesson for taking her shampoo last week — probably it won't. What it's most likely to happen is that he'll do something in revenge. She'll have to sleep with one eye open tonight.

After reading a few more pages, she puts the book on the nightstand and gets up. As his sister, it's sort of her duty to go watch him play every game. Well, it isn't. But it feels like it is for her. She combs her hair, ties it up in a ponytail, laces her shoes, and opens the door, heading downstairs with Oreo walking in front of her. The dog can climb off the bed but can't climb on, which Pet finds amusing, frankly.

Her dad is just walking out of the kitchen, a cup of coffee in his hand when he sees her, cheeky grin on his lips. "How did it go?" Asks her dad.

"Perfect," she giggles. "He'll probably take mom's."

Nicholas, her father, shakes his head. He is aware of Elijah's habits of taking Pearl's stuff and that's why he told his daughter to do the little shampoo revenge. "Perhaps roses scent will give him luck tonight."

They both laugh and Pet shrugs. "All we can do is hope." Nicholas plants a kiss on her forehead, grinning.

"By the way, your mom has a shift tonight. She'll come home kind of late." Pet's mom, Ava, is a doctor, so they have gotten used to her being at work many times.

Some days she comes home early, other days she comes home really late. Her father is different. He's an architect, with a specific schedule, coming home at 06:00 pm from Monday to Friday. Though, sometimes he brings the work with him. They both work hard, making sure their children have everything they need.

Nicholas goes back to his studio, just as Elijah comes downstairs, approaching Pet in the living room. They say their goodbyes to their dad and Oreo, and leave the house, heading toward Elijah's car. The ride to school is quite short, so they get there quickly. Pet can see Elijah rubbing his hands against the fabric of his jeans. He is nervous, and he has all the reasons to be. The team hasn't been doing well lately. They haven't won one single game since the year started. Pet supposes that the one responsible for that it's the captain of the team, Heath O'Neal. The biggest narcissist of the city of Salem. If not, the entire state of Oregon. With his brown, perfectly, sleek hair, green eyes, and good looks. Most of the girls in the school find him attractive. And of course, he's aware of it. But Pet thinks it's just sad because he's got no brains.

She takes a seat where there's a good view of the game. From her seat, she can see the cheerleaders, chanting some pathetic words, to cheer the team. She has nothing against them; some of them are nice and polite. But their job as cheerleaders isn't paying off. The crowd doesn't even try to chant with them or tries to show some emotion. As mentioned earlier, lately, the team hasn't been at its best.

The game starts. Her eyes catch sight of the number six on Elijah's uniform. In all the years she has spent watching games with her dad and brother, the whole logic of this sport isn't something remotely interesting to her. Her attention span becomes so short; Pet can jump to five different topics in less than a minute in her head. Just trying to keep her mind busy while they cheer and shout at the TV. And at the school games, usually, she concentrates on cheering Elijah, even if he can't hear her. But just as with the cheerleaders, it doesn't work. The team loses again, disappointment clear on Elijah's expression even if they are afar and it's night, she can see it. And again, the coach has a little tantrum. As in every game.

They all go to the dressing rooms as Pet makes her way down to the field. Standing close to her is Imogen, captain of the cheerleaders, with her long, dark, curly hair, blemishless olive skin, and a fitted silhouette. For many: the definition of perfection, and obviously, she's dating the team captain. But contrary to what some may say, she's polite and likable. Her only issue: her on-and-off boyfriend. The girl goes nuts when it comes to Heath and she has the right to do so. Let's say between all the attributes and good qualities of Heath, loyalty is not one of them. To that Pet says: dump his unfaithful ass. They're not friends though, so her lips stay sealed.

Next to Imogen, it's her so-called best friend, Mallory, with her perfectly tanned skin because of so many trips to Los Angeles, or so she says. Her blonde hair, and her, rumor has it, plastic nose. Yes, some say she had plastic surgery. She claims she's good with makeup, but everyone knows no one can be that good. Her nose used to be notoriously big, but it didn't look bad or anything. Personally, Pet thinks she looked good with it. A perfect nose doesn't say if you're beautiful or not. But that's the way she thinks, Mallory doesn't think the same way. She's as shallow and featherbrained as one can be. Only worried about looks instead of personality.

It's impossible not to eavesdrop on their conversation since Imogen is throwing a little tantrum. "He ignored me," yelps Imogen. "I know they lost but that doesn't mean he has to treat me that way!"

"You know how boys are," the best friend presses her hand on her shoulder, comforting her.

Imogen folds her arms in front of her chest when her eyes meet Pet's, who instantly looks away. And before anything could happen, the team is coming toward them. Pet spots Elijah and approaches him. His eyes are not on her but on Imogen. He's had a crush on her since forever, but she's been too busy with Heath.

His gaze is finally directed to Pet. Then, his arm wraps around her shoulders and they start walking. She doesn't ask him how he's feeling because she knows the answer. The team lost again and the girl he likes is still with another guy. Elijah can be a goofball and annoying most of the time, but she knows he's pretty sensitive deep down. And she knows he likes her. She wouldn't call it love, but Pet is not him to know what he exactly feels for her. And being completely honest, sometimes it looks as if she likes him too but then Heath shows up, and the spell breaks.

They get home and Elijah opens the door with his key. Pet sees her mom sitting in the living room, her head tilted down and a cushion between her arms. With the sound of the door being closed, she wakes up with a start, blinking a few times. She sees her children and gets up, approaching them

"How was the game?" Asks Ava. Elijah shakes his head and that's all it takes for her to get it. And so, she hugs him, comforting him. "I'm sorry, sweetie."

"It's all right," mumbles Elijah. "I'll go to sleep." He goes upstairs, leaving Ava and Pet in the living room.

And she gazes at Pet. "It was that bad?" Pet doesn't know what's more alarming: the tired tone in her mother's voice or the circles under her eyes.

"Not really. But they lost anyway. So, who cares about the score?" She shrugs and her mom sighs.

"You should go to sleep, too," Ava suggests, rubbing her daughter's shoulder gently.

Pet nods. "No offense, but you should do that, too. You look like you need to sleep for a month."

She chuckles at that. "I know."

They say goodnight and then Pet heads to her room, finding a very adorable Oreo, snuggled up on his little bed on the corner. He raises his ears when she opens the door and the light from the hall hits him right on the face. She closes it immediately, guiding herself in the room with the light that comes from outside. Her mother doesn't like it when Oreo sleeps inside the house, that's why she got him a little house in the backyard, but most of the time he slips away into Pet's room. She changes her clothes into pajamas and crawls into bed, tucking herself under the blankets. She whispers goodnight to Oreo, even though he might not understand but she does it anyway.

When Pet wakes up to the sound of her alarm, her hand is hanging at the side of the bed and Oreo is licking her finger— that's one of the few things that annoy her from him. She gets up, smiling at him as he shakes his tail from side to side.

"You hungry?" She opens the door, and he bursts out of the room, running down the stairs like the little maniac he is. Seriously, sometimes the sanity of that dog can be questionable. But the family loves him anyway. The dog is Pearl's, but her father always helps her take care of him. He feeds Oreo in the morning and she takes care of him for the rest of the day. Pet's mom might seem a bit reluctant to Oreo but deep down she's fond of him. Elijah is just too much of a sloth to help. Though, he plays with Oreo — something that doesn't require much effort.

After her bath, she puts on a baseball long sleeve top, skinny jeans in baby blue, along with black, lace-up ankle boots. She combs her hair neatly, puts her phone, and earphones inside her backpack, then takes one last glance at herself in the mirror and goes downstairs. They're all sitting in the kitchen. Her dad drinking his coffee and Elijah, eating oatmeal, both sitting on the table while her mother's cleaning whatever was spilled on the countertop.

"Good morning," she says, and they all greet back.

"Your oatmeal is in the microwave," says her mom. She opens the microwave, takes the plate with oatmeal out, and sits next to her dad, and they exchange a small smile.

"Put that phone away, Elijah," Ava scolds her son. If there is one thing Ava hates, it's people eating while using their phones.

"I'm doing something important, mom," he replies, not taking his gaze off the device's screen.

She turns slightly, putting her hand on her waist, raising an eyebrow. "What is it?"

"Nothing..." Without retorts, he puts his phone down on the table and keeps on eating.

Once they finish their breakfast, Elijah stands up and beckons for Pet to do so. They say their goodbyes to their parents, and head out of the house to Elijah's car. On the way, Pet sees Mr. and Mrs. Landers, their neighbors, and the sweetest couple she has ever gotten the chance to meet. They're the kind of relationship one would wish to have one day, undoubtedly. Beth and Abraham have lived next to them since forever. An old, nice couple that only shows great qualities and makes you think love can last and be unconditional.

She's had the chance to spend time with them since sometimes Beth asks Pet to come over and help her with her garden or just invites Pet for lunch or to try her delicious caramel slices. The woman makes amazing pantries, of all kinds. That's actually why they own a bakery: The Cupcake Nation. Which is also where Pet works. It's not exactly a job, though. It's only on Saturdays and Sundays when Beth lets her go there and help with anything she needs. Most of the time, she offers to pay Pet some money but the girl refuses. The only reason why she works there on the weekends is that she can't stand to stay at home doing anything.

"Good morning, Beth. Good morning, Abe." Smiling, she waves her hand.

"Good morning, kids," they greet back with smiles. But the sadness behind those smiles is still visible. They lost a daughter about eight or nine months ago— Crystal was her name.

Beth used to tell Pet things about her all the time, and you could tell the love they both had for their daughter — the only one for the matter — was impossible to measure. Crystal was married and had a son about Pet's age. The three of them were in a car accident but the son survived. Pearl never met her or her family though, since they lived in England and Beth and Abe were the ones to always go visit. She does not know what it is like to lose someone you love but just the thought of losing one of her parents or her brother, terrifies her, so that gives Pet a small idea.

Even if she doesn't know their grandson, every time she thinks of his situation it makes her sad. Beth told Pet, once, he's living with an uncle, but it's heartrending anyway. We're all going to die one day, of course. Her parents will die someday, that is if she doesn't die first. But that boy — Asher lost both of his parents at once. It must be a hard thing for him to go through.

They arrive at school and get out of Elijah's car, quickly biding each other goodbye. Elijah is probably going to go to his friends before the bell rings, whilst Pet goes directly to her classroom, which is empty. But she prefers to stay there, where she can block the noise from those loud teenagers and read a book or simply listen to music without being bothered.

Some people would be taking this time to finish an incomplete assignment that'd be due for that day. But Pet is very responsible when it comes to her duties, chores, and homework. She doesn't like procrastinating and that's the reason why every time she has homework, she does it that same day.

Pet plugs her earphones in, scrolling down her playlist, and chooses one of the songs to which she knows the lyrics so well; she could even sing it in her sleep. The song starts and she opens the Pinterest app. Pictures of food, landscapes, and animals appear on her screen, as she keeps scrolling down with her thumb.

"Because I knew the first day that I met you, I was never going to let you, let you slip away." She sings slowly, enjoying the music of her favorite band, Kodaline while tapping her fingers on her thigh.

The bell rings and that's her cue to put her phone and earphones back in her backpack and take her notebook and book out. Her classmates start entering the classroom, none of them notice her presence but she doesn't mind.

Pet Blanchard has never been good at socializing. Social activities and interacting with people have never been part of her comfort zone. It all started when puberty arrived. You see, when you're a kid it's easier to make friends because children don't care about the way you look, or your clothes, or your social status. They only look for someone to play with.

After puberty, when boys stop seeing girls as a big ew, and girls begin to care more about their looks, things change, it becomes harder to make friends. Such types of situations only make Pet feel quite anxious. Sometimes she wishes she were like her brother, so chatty and likable. Though there's one person she can consider a friend and that is Mack Sulkin. Mack and Pet always sit next to each other and every time there is group work or something of the matter, they do it together. You could say they are friends, but they don't seem to notice so.

The only real best friend she ever had was Lana Walker. Her childhood friend, who moved to Japan with her mother seven years ago. Pet and Lana kept in touch for almost a year, but then the friendship slowly died. Either because they were busy with different things or Lana had found new friends.

Pet gives a small smile to the sweet-faced guy, Mack, when he enters the classroom and waves at her, smiling softly. He takes a seat next to her and takes his books out of his backpack.

Mr. Dellia, her literature teacher, enters the classroom and everyone goes silent. With his usual classic sports jacket, a vest, and a shirt under it, along with dress pants and his oxford shoes.

As always, he talks most of the class, introducing the topic and explaining it to the students. Some participate and interact with the teacher, others daydream, and others try their best to not be caught as they speak in murmurs about some gossip. The door is opened, and the infamous Heath O'Neal walks in, oblivious to Mr. Dellia's stare. Perfectly styled hair, and a face worth swooning for. To most of the girls in school, anyway.

"This is the earliest you have ever been to my class, Mr. O'Neal. Only twenty minutes late. Congratulations." The note of sarcasm on Mr. Dellia's voice's almost tangible.

"I do try, Mr. Dellia. Glad you notice," Heath chuckles, and takes a seat behind Pet. She doesn't dislike him but having him sit behind her during class isn't something she wants. Pet doesn't need to look at him to know he must be showing the signature O'Neal smirk. One that must be plastered permanently to his face; Heath is always smirking, that's when he's not in the game, there he usually has a badass kind of look. Even when he sucks at being a captain.

The problem with Heath is that he doesn't know how to share the ball, he always wants to be the one to make the goals. And Coach O'Neal does nothing about it. Nobody dares to say anything, but Pet knows the reason why. Everybody knows the reason why.

The class keeps going, leaving Mr. Dellia and Heath's small exchange of sarcasm behind. Pet takes notes of what the teacher says, listening carefully. When she feels someone tap her shoulder, it's not Mack and she has to take a deep breath before turning around to look at Heath.

"Can you lend me a pencil? I left mine at home," Heath asks. Pet scrutinizes him, only asking herself how it is possible that he doesn't bring a pencil to school. She nods once, searches for her extra pencil in her backpack, and hands it to Heath. "Thank you, Blanchard."

In all the years of high school, Heath has never taken the time to memorize Pet's name. He always calls her Blanchard, either he never learned the name, or he likes to annoy her. Pet is sure Heath notices how it irks her when he calls her by her surname.

"You're welcome," she turns around. The only reason Heath knows Pet is because of Elijah. Since she also goes to see her brother's practices. Well, also because she doesn't have anyone else to take her home, so she's obliged to wait for him.

"Well, guys," Mr. Dellia starts. "I'm going to give you a fun assignment. In pairs of two, you're going to act out a screenplay I'll be giving you today," he said. Pearl and Mack share a look, which means they have decided to pair up. Their plan soon crashed by Dellia's next words. "This time I'm going to be the one making the teams."

Some whines come from the students, including Pet but Mr. Dellia pays no attention to them and starts uttering the names of the students as they're being paired up. Pet can't help but feel a little down when she hears Mack's name along with the name of Claire Murphy.

Mack even gives her a look and twists his mouth a little. Pet shrugs it off and looks back at the teacher. "Pearl Marie Blanchard and Heath O'Neal."