Chapter 1:Are you twins?!

We werenʼt even in the store for ten minutes before someone asked us THE

question. It is the question we get asked a hundred times a day, everywhere we go.

Iʼve heard it so many times, I even hear it in my dreams. Well, more like nightmares.

“Oh my gosh! Are you twins?” asked the old lady in the store.

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It is such a stupid question. Our

mom said she used to think of equally stupid answers. Like no, they are actually

clones. Or, no, they are triplets. We just canʼt remember where we put the other one.

Of course we are twins. We are exactly the same height, with the same

eyes, nose, hair, everything. Basically, looking at my sister is sometimes like

looking in the mirror. Sure, it is definitely cool to have a twin sister. But, do people

really have to ask us that stupid question all the time?

“Her? No, Iʼve never met that girl before,” answered my sister, Molly. She is a

jokester. “Oh, Molly! Stop! Yes, we are twins,”

I corrected her as we continued to walk into the store to search for school supplies.

Summer vacation was quickly coming to an end and our first day of middle

school was only a week away. Boy, did we

2

have a fun summer. Molly played on her

summer softball team and got to travel all the way to Florida for a tournament. I stayed

busy at home, playing on my soccer team and going to the pool with my friends.

That is the cool thing about me and Molly. Of course, we look a lot alike and like

to do a lot of the same things. But, sometimes we like to do totally different

things. I hate softball. Hate, hate, hate! My dad made me play for one summer. After an

entire summer, I ended up striking out 40 times. And I was only up to bat 40 times.

This means I was terrible. I promised Molly I would go to cheer her on, but I donʼt think I

will ever pick up a bat again! Instead of playing softball, my

friends at school convinced me to join their soccer team. And surprisingly, I am actually

good at it! In my first game, I scored two goals. Go me! I guess I am better with my

feet than my hands.

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The only bad thing about playing

different sports is that Molly and I spend a lot of time away from each other. But...

sometimes, that isnʼt so much of a bad thing! Donʼt get me wrong, I love my sister

and we have a lot of fun hanging out with each other. But, sometimes, even twins get

sick of each other. So, playing on different teams helps us to get a break! Our mom

calls it a lifesaver because now we donʼt fight as much!

Since we play on different teams, we have a lot of different friends. This rocks

because that means I have double the friends... except for her friend Brittany. I

canʼt stand Brittany! As we started our way to the school

supply section, our Mom slowed down behind us.

“Hey girls, Iʼm going to grab some ink for the printer. Iʼll meet you over by the

folders in a few minutes.”

4

So, Molly and I headed over to find

us some folders.

5

Chapter 2:The Worst Idea Ever

School this year is going to be so

much different. We are going to middle school. MIDDLE SCHOOL!! This means no

more going to school with the baby kindergardeners and first graders. This

means getting a LOCKER! And this also means that we are going to be the youngest

grade in the school. In our middle school, there are 6th graders, 7th graders and 8th

graders. Not gonna lie, it is kinda scary to

6

be in school with 14 year olds! Our neighbor

is 14 years old and he is like a foot taller than us! And Molly and I are kind of small.

My mom says this is because we were preemies. If you are a twin, you might know

what a preemie is. Thatʼs because a lot of twins are preemies. Preemies means that

you were born before you were supposed to be and that you were really small. I was

small when I was born. But, Molly... well, Molly was really small! She was only two

pounds. Two pounds is as heavy as a pineapple, but a lot skinnier. Molly was so

small that she had to stay in the hospital for two months. That is like a whole summer.

My mom said it was the worst time ever. But anyways, no one can tell what a preemie is

once you get bigger. We look the same size as everyone else in our grade. We are just a

little bit on the smaller side.

7

It just makes me a little nervous to

be the youngest in the school. I wondered if Molly felt the same way.

“Hey Mol, do you think it is going to be a little weird to be the youngest in our

school?” I asked her. “Why? Just because we are younger

doesnʼt mean we canʼt rule that school! I am going to sign up for every sport, and I am

going to run for class president, and I am going to join the ski club in the winter. Oh, I

heard there is a school play at the end of the year so I am definitely trying out for that

and...” “Okay, okay, geez Molly!” Molly

always wanted to do everything! And just because we are twins, doesnʼt mean I want

to too. In fact, I donʼt. I like to do after school activities but sometimes I hate being too

busy. I like to read books at home or help my mom cook dinner. But Molly, she is

always doing something. My dad said that

8

she was always this way. As soon as she

learned to crawl, she never stopped. My mom calls her the wild child.

“What are you girls talking about?” Mom asked as she met us in the folder

aisle. “Maddy is scared of the older kids

and is afraid of going to middle school,” Molly blurted out.

“No, Iʼm not afraid! It is just going to be different, thatʼs all. At least I will have you

there with me, Molly,” I said. “Actually girls, this year is going to

be a lot different. Your school called me this morning...” Mom seemed a little nervous for

what she was about to say, “The middle school thinks it would be best for you guys

to be in separate classes this year. So, you will not share any of the same teachers or

classes this year.” “What?!”

“WHAT?!”

9

Oh my gosh. This could be the worst

news I ever heard! Going into middle school was making me nervous enough. But now I

had to do it completely on my own? Molly and I had shared the same classes for our

entire lives. We always had the same teachers, same lunch time and our desks

were always right next to each other. On the first day of school, I was never nervous

because I automatically had a friend in my class no matter what.

I started to imagine what the first day of school would be like this year. I would

have to find my locker all by myself, go to my classroom all by myself, sit all by

myself... “Maddy, are you okay?” asked my

mom. Was I okay?! No, I was not okay.

“Can you call the school back and tell them no? This is the worst idea I ever

10

heard! How come no one asked us what we

wanted?” I asked. “Well, girls, it is not really up to us.

Your principal thinks you guys will learn much better on your own. He thinks we

should try it for one year and see how it goes. Next year, we can decide if you want

to go back together or stay in different classes. I know you girls are used to be in

school together. But, this could be a really fun experience for you,” said my mom.

“Why would it be fun?” asked Molly. I could tell she was getting as nervous as I

was. “Well, this year both of you will have

a chance to be totally independent,” Mom started.

“And what does that mean?” I wondered.

“Well, being twins is definitely special. You always have each other. But,

now that you guys are older, you donʼt

11

always need each other. You girls are going

to do great meeting new people all on your own,” explained Mom.

“But, I donʼt really want to be all on my own,” said Molly.

“Think about your sports. You play softball, Molly. And Maddy, you play soccer.

You guys are on different teams and go to practices and games without each other.

But at the end of the day, you always come home to each other. Now, school is going to

be the same way. You will have different classes and different classmates, but you

will still ride the bus together, and eat lunch together and you can even share a locker

together,” our Mom said. “I know it sounds a little scary, but you girls are going to be just

fine. Plus, you will each make new friends that you can introduce each other to.”

I wasnʼt so sure if it was really going to be a good thing. Just then, a teenager

came into the aisle to look at folders.

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“Wow, are you guys twins?” he

asked. Ugh. The question. Again.

“You know what?” asked Molly. “Maybe if we are different classes people

will stop calling us the twins all the time.” That was the biggest thing that Molly

and I hated. I hated that more the softball. Most of the time, people couldnʼt tell us

apart. They didnʼt know who was Molly and who was Maddy, so they always just called

us the twins. It bugs us so much that we just want to yell out WE HAVE NAMES! But, our

mom always told us that was rude. Molly had a point. Maybe people

would actually get to know us separately and stop thinking of us as the same person.

If someone was talking about Mollyʼs softball game they would always say the

twins softball game. Or if someone was talking about my goal in soccer, they would

always say the twins scored a goal. It got so

13

annoying. We are two separate people and

sometimes people forget that. Maybe being separated in school

might have some good things about it... but I wasnʼt too sure. Sometimes I didnʼt mind

when people talked about us together. I love my sister. Being on different sports teams is

one thing, but being in different classes all day long seemed like so much worse.

14

Chapter 3:Lockets

“Girls! Get ready for bed! You need

to get a good nights sleep, you have school tomorrow!” shouted my dad.

Ever since our mom told us about being in different classes, Molly and I hated

the idea. When we got home from the store that day, Molly and I sat in our room and

talked about it for a long time. We were both really nervous. We had never been away

15

from each other for so long. Honestly, I

didnʼt know if I could survive. As we got ready for bed, I could see

Molly getting very quiet. Molly is almost never quiet, so I knew something was

bothering her. “What is it, Molly?” I asked.

“You know,” she said. “Yeah, I know.”

I was glad to know Molly was as nervous about school as me. But, I was sad

there was nothing I could say to make us feel better. I tried to think of something. Just

then, Mom and Dad knocked on our door. “Girls ready for bed?” asked Dad.

“Yes,” said Molly. “but weʼre not ready for school tomorrow.”

“I think I have something that might help,” said Mom as she gave us each a

small, blue box. “Open it up!” said Dad.

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As we opened the box we each saw

a shiny silver necklace. It was in the shape of a heart.

“Thanks, Mom and Dad!” said Molly, as she put it around her neck.

“This isnʼt just any necklace,” started our dad.

“Itʼs called a locket. See, the heart opens up and inside is a picture of both of

you. When you are in school tomorrow and miss your sister, just rub the necklace and

you will know that your sister is missing you, too,” explained Mom.

“I love it!” said Molly. I loved it, too. But, the thing about

Molly and me is we didnʼt need to have the necklace to know we missed each other.

Even if Molly is away from me, I usually know how she is feeling. Sometimes when

Molly feels sick, I start to feel sick, too. Without even looking at her, I know if she is

17

happy or sad. Our mom says it is a twin

thing. “I know you girls are nervous for

tomorrow. But you guys are going to love middle school! You are going to make so

many new friends. The morning will go by super fast and before you know it you will

be eating lunch together. Soon enough, the day will be over and you will ride the bus

home together. Your teachers only wanted to do this because they know you guys can

handle it. You girls will do just fine being more independent,” encouraged Dad.

There was that independent word again. As much as I enjoy doing some

activities different from Molly, I wasnʼt so sure I really wanted to be independent. At

this moment, I felt bad ever complaining about being called the twins or complaining

about getting asked THE question. Right now, I wanted to be with my twin every

18

minute of the day. But tomorrow, we donʼt

have that choice. Molly and I put on our necklaces and

crawled into bed. “I love you,” said Molly.

“I love you, too” I said back.

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Chapter 4:Here we go!

RRIINNNGGGG! It was 7:00 in the morning when our

alarm clock went off. Oh, no, I thought. I was not ready for this first day of stupid

middle school. “Here we go,” said Molly as she got

out of bed. “What are you wearing?” I asked

her. “I think I am going to wear my new

purple shirt, my jean shorts and purple flip

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flops,” Molly said, as she stared into the

closet. “Molly! I wanted to wear a purple

shirt!” I yelled. This day was already starting off bad.

Molly and I used to dress matching all the time. But, ever since we got to 4th

grade, we stopped matching. Usually, I liked to dress more girly than Molly. I love

anything pink and sparkly. But, hates sparkles. Plus, when we wore matching

outfits, we got THE question even more than normal. When we dress the same,

people have even more of a hard time telling us apart. So, they either mix up our

names or call us the twins. We hate that. So, usually we dress differently so people

can tell us apart. “Well, maybe it wonʼt be a big deal if

we both wear purple since we wonʼt be around each other all day,” Molly suggested.

21

“Oh gosh, please donʼt remind me,” I

said, already feeling sad. “Maddy, donʼt be sad. We are going

to get through it just fine. It might not be that bad,” said Molly, trying to be cheerful.

Yeah right, I thought, as we both got dressed. Molly in her purple shirt and jean

shorts, and I in a purple tank top and a skirt. “Breakfast is ready!” Mom yelled up

to us. We brushed our hair and went downstairs.

I think Mom knew we were nervous because she made us an extra special

breakfast. She had all of our favorite stuff- pancakes, hash browns, toast with

strawberry jelly. “We are already running late, so eat

fast,” Mom said. Molly and I scarfed down our food

and drank our orange juice. I followed Molly as she headed to the door to put on her

shoes.

22

“Are you wearing your necklace?” I

asked her. “Of course. You will be right here in

my heart all day!” said Molly. Mom grabbed our backpacks and

headed to the car. Here we go...

Usually, we ride the bus to school. But, Mom offered to drive us today. I think

she knew how nervous we were. In the car, it was very quiet. As we got closer and

closer, I got even more scared. I wished my Mom would just turn around. I was normally

excited on the first day of school. But, not this first day. Not without my twin.

As we pulled up to the school, the sun was shining brightly. All the school

buses were lined up, with kids piling out. As Molly jumped out of the car, I heard the

voice of our friend Adam.

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“Hi Maddy.. or Molly... or whoever

you are!” he said, as he waited for us to get out. “Where is your locker?”

“Iʼm Molly. And itʼs in the B Hall,” Molly answered.

“Cool, mine too! Letʼs go!” waved Adam, as he started running to the door.

“Bye, Mom,” I said, not very excitingly.

“Girls, have fun! I will pick you up right here after school!” she replied.

“Alright Maddy, here we go,” said Molly.

“Wonderful,” I replied.

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Chapter 5:Not So Bad After All

Molly and I found our locker and put

our bags inside. We took out our schedules. “What is your first class?” I asked

Mol. “Spanish,” she read from her

schedule. “I have Science,” I said, just as I felt

a million butterflies flying through my stomach. “I feel sick.”

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“Hey! Itʼs the twins!” we heard down

the hallway as a group of our friends came to see us.

“What class do you guys have?” asked our friend Lauren.

“I have Spanish, Maddy has Science,” said Molly.

“What?! You guys donʼt have the same classes?” asked our friend Sam,

surprised. “Not this year,” I responded slowly.

“Well, hey I have Science, too! Letʼs go!” said Sam.

“I have Spanish! Want to sit by each other, Molly?” asked Becky.

As sick as I felt, it was a little nicer knowing I had a friend in my class. It made

it a little easier to be away from Molly. “Alright, well, I guess Iʼll see you

later Mol,” I said. I could feel tears about to build up in my eyes. Molly could see them,

too. Then, I saw her grab her locket and

26

smile at me. She wouldnʼt be far, I

remembered. And then I followed Sam as she skipped down the hall.

I turned around to see Molly walking in the other direction. Itʼs only for an hour,

and then we are meeting back at the locker, I thought to myself. Why was I freaking out

so bad? Molly and I did separate things all the time. But, this just seemed so much

different.

My first class seemed to fly by and before I knew it I arrived at my locker, where

Molly was waiting. “How was it?” she asked.

“Actually, it wasnʼt so bad. Nick Adams and Jon Murray were in my class.

They were goofing off as normal. And there was a new girl, named Courtney. She

seemed really nice.” I told my sister. “How was yours?”

27

“It was fun! We got to pick out

spanish names. My name is Margarita! I didnʼt know anyone else in the class. But

there were 7th graders and 8th graders in there too!” said Molly.

After all my worrying, it seemed as if Molly and I were both fine being in different

classes. After every class, we saw each other in the hallways or at the locker. We

ate lunch together with all of our friends. I guess middle school wasnʼt so bad after all!

As the day ended, I walked to the locker. Molly wasnʼt there. Hmm.. maybe

she is waiting outside, I thought, as I slammed the locker shut and headed

outside. There was Molly, waiting outside the

doors. Of course, she was surrounded by a bunch of friends with a huge smile on her

face. “Maddy! Over here!” she screamed.

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“Oh my gosh, you guys look like

twins!” said a girl I had never met before. “We are!” answered Molly. “Maddy,

this is my new friend Julie. Julie, this is Maddy.”

“Hi,” I said. “Wow, that is so cool! I wish I had a

twin!” said Julie. Julie was right. It is cool having a

twin. Even though we only saw each other for a few minutes the entire day, it didnʼt

matter. Because at the end of the day, we always have each other! That was the best

thing about having a twin. Twins never turn their backs on each other... right?

29

Chapter 6:Not so bad after all

As the week went on, Molly and I got

pretty used to our new class schedule and had met a lot of new people. Middle school

was turning out to be pretty fun! One good thing about being in different classes?

People actually called me by my name! And I never got asked THE question! Of course I

missed my sister. I loved being with Molly. She knows everything about me. But

sometimes, it was kind of nice being my

30

own person and not getting confused for

her. Things were starting to go really

good. We each made some new friends in our classes. On Tuesday, we each had a

friend over and all four of us hung out. Now, we all eat lunch together every day.

Being separated also seemed to be helping my grades. When Molly and I were

in the same classes, we would always help each other with our homework to get it done

faster. Sometimes, we would just copy answers from each other. But now, we have

totally different homework. So we actually have to do it all! Itʼs a lot more work now but

itʼs okay! I think that homework is easier now because I pay more attention in class.

Thatʼs because Molly isnʼt sitting next me. Before, we would always chit chat and

sometimes we didnʼt pay attention. Without Molly to goof off with, I donʼt get in trouble

as much. And whenever I start to think

31

about her, I just touch my locket to my

fingers. I know she does the same thing.

32

Chapter 7The Pops

Just as I thought everything was going well, I found out I was wrong. The first

week of school went great. Molly and I were doing fine without each other and we made

lots of new friends. Then the trouble began. I liked all of Mollyʼs friends and she

liked all of mine. We all got along great. Most of the girls at school were really nice.

Except for one group of girls. They called themselves the Pops. It stood for popular.

33

They were all really pretty and were all on

the cheerleading team. Molly and I didnʼt talk to any of them because they werenʼt

very nice to anyone who wasnʼt in their group.

It was the second week of school. Our mom had given us lunch money today

because on Mondayʼs they have pizza. Molly and I both love pizza. Usually, we

waited for each other outside the lunchroom and went to buy our lunch together, with our

friends. I got to the lunchroom a little early, so I waited in the hallway for Molly to come.

The hallway was soon filled with kids running to the lunchroom. Not before long,

the hallway began to clear out, as everyone had already entered the lunchroom and

were sitting down to eat their lunch. Whereʼs Molly, I wondered. I waited

a few more minutes. By then, the halls were empty and everyone had already begun

eating. Thatʼs weird, I thought. I walked into

34

the lunchroom and decided I would just sit

at our table until Molly came in. Maybe she was talking with her teacher or something, I

thought. I noticed all of our friends were at our table already. I sat down to join them.

“Have you guys seen Molly?” I asked.

Everyone was pretty quiet. Then our friend Sam pointed to a different table. I

looked over and saw Molly sitting down, eating her pizza. As I looked to see who she

was sitting with, I realized she was sitting with the Pops.

“What is she doing over there?” I asked my friends.

“I donʼt know. Molly hasnʼt talked to us all day. She totally ignored me in class

and has been with them all day,” said Sam. Molly and I always waited for each

other and we always ate lunch together. I decided to go see what was going on.

35

I got a little nervous as I got up to

walk over to the Popsʼ table. As I approached them, I saw one of their

leaders, Kim, look up at me. She leaned over to Molly and whispered something in

her ear. They both laughed. “Hey, Mol,” I said, as I walked up to

her. “Um, hi,” she said, without even

looking up at me. “I was waiting for you outside the

lunchroom today. What happened?” I asked. “Iʼm going to eat lunch here today,”

she said. “I think you should go over by your

other friends,” said Kim with her normal nasty attitude, while all the other Pops

laughed. Why was Molly being so rude? And

why was she hanging out with these mean girls? I could feel my face turning red, as I

36

turned around and walked back to our

normal table. “What did she say?” asked Julie.

“I donʼt know. I guess she wants to eat lunch with them,” I said.

Everyone knew I was upset. No one said anything the rest of the lunch time.

When the bell rang and everyone jumped out of their seats and hit the hall, I just

watched as Molly skipped away with her new group of friends.

Molly didnʼt wait for me on the bus either. When I got on the bus at the end of

the day, she was already on it sitting with Kim. I saw Molly laugh along as Kim was

making fun of some girls shoes. I couldnʼt believe it. Molly was never mean to anyone.

Why would she want to be friends with girls like that? They were so mean.

I sat by myself in the front of the bus and didnʼt talk to anyone. I felt so lonely. My

best friend, my twin sister, was all of a

37

sudden too cool for me. Middle school was

just great.

38

Chapter 8:

“Hey girls! How was your day?” asked Mom, as she greeted us at the door.

“Fine,” I said, as I continued to walk right to my room.

“Molly, how was your day?” asked Mom.

“Oh, it was good! Hey, can I go over to my friend Kimʼs house this weekend?”

she asked.

39

“Probably,” replied Mom, “You have

practice on Sunday but you could probably go on Saturday if your homework is done.”

“Oh, Iʼm not playing softball anymore,” said Molly.

“What? What do you mean? You love softball,” our Mom responded,

shocked. “Yeah, softball is for losers. I am

going to try out for the cheerleading team,” said Molly.

“Losers?” asked Mom, “All your friends are on the softball team. That isnʼt a

very nice thing to say.” “They arenʼt my friends anymore.

They are all losers. They have no friends and I am not hanging out with them

anymore,” said Molly as she walked towards the kitchen.

Mom looked at me, and I could tell she was wondering what was going on with

Molly. Molly never called people losers and

40

she loved playing softball. Obviously, the

Pops were rubbing off on her. Molly and I ignored each other most

of the day. As we got ready for bed, she was on the phone with Kim, chatting and

laughing. When she hung up, she went straight to bed and didnʼt even say good

night. The next few days were pretty much the same. The only time I saw Molly was at

lunch, where she sat across the room with the other girls. Even though I still had my

friends around me, I felt totally alone. After what felt like the longest week

ever, school finally let out on Friday. As everyone was excitedly running to their bus

to get home for the weekend, I didnʼt feel any excitement. I was not looking forward to

this weekend. I felt like Molly wasnʼt even my sister anymore. I sat alone on the bus,

like I did the entire week. As soon as we got home, Molly was on the phone again. I

flipped through the channels on the

41

television but couldnʼt find anything to

watch. During dinner, Mom and Dad knew something was different.

“Okay, what is going on here?” asked Dad.

“Nothing,” answered Molly. “Yeah, nothing,” I repeated.

“Okay, letʼs try again. What is going on here?” my dad asked once more.

“I donʼt know,” I said, “Why donʼt you ask the Pops?” I gave Molly a look.

“Who are the Pops?” asked Mom. “Maddy, shut up,” Molly snapped at

me. “Molly! What has gotten into you

today?” asked Mom. This was not the Molly I knew. She

was becoming so mean. All thanks to those mean girls at school. The Pops. Gosh, I

hated them! I didnʼt want to be a tattletale but I just couldnʼt stand it anymore.

42

“Molly made some new friends at

school this week. They call themselves the Pops, because they think they are the

popular girls. They are mean and they make fun of everyone. Molly didnʼt talk to me or

any of our friends all week. She wouldnʼt eat lunch with us or sit next to me on the bus.

That is what is going on,” I explained. I felt like I was going to cry.

“Is this true, Mol?” asked Dad. “Well, yeah. So what, I made new

friends. Maddy is just jealous because she isnʼt as popular as I am now,” Molly said.

That is when I felt a tear drip down my face. I couldnʼt believe my sister was

being so mean. “Okay, why donʼt you girls go get

ready for bed. Your father and I will meet you up there. We need to have a

discussion,” warned our mother.

43

Chapter 9:

“Great, Maddy, look what you did.

Couldnʼt you just mind your own business?” snarled Molly.

“You know what Molly, donʼt even talk to me,” I snapped back.

“Good, I donʼt want to talk to you. You are jealous, thatʼs all you are,” she said.

“What would I be jealous of? Those stupid, mean girls?! I donʼt thinks so. I would

NEVER want to be friends with those LOSERS!”

44

“Losers?!” screamed Molly, “They

are not losers. You wish you could be friends with them! But you canʼt, because

you arenʼt as cool as I am!” Molly yelled back!

“I hate you!” I screamed. “Good, I hate you, too!” Molly

screamed back as she ripped off her necklace and threw it across the room.

Just then, our parents came in. “Okay I have heard enough!”

shouted Dad, as he broke up our argument. This was the first time in our life that Molly

and I had ever said those words to each other. It was the worst fight we had ever

been in. “First of all, I have never heard you

say such horrible things to each other in my life,” said Dad. He was very serious. “You

guys are sisters. Not just sisters, but twin sisters. No matter what friends you have in

school, you should always be there for each

45

other. I will not tolerate this kind of behavior

from either one of you.” “You know,” started Mom, “I

remember when you guys were born. Neither of you liked to be touched. In fact, if

I tried to hold your hand, you would pull your tiny little hand away and not let me. Molly,

there was only one personʼs hand you would hold while you were in the hospital.

Do you know whoʼs it was?” “No,” said Mol, quietly.

“It was Maddyʼs. Maddy, when you and Molly were first born and still in the

hospital, you would sit there for hours and hold hands. You guys have had a special

bond since the minute you were born. I know sometimes you can get on each

otherʼs nerves, but it is only because you love each other. You guys have done

everything together- from your first step, to your first day of school. It really makes me

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so sad to see you behaving this way to each

other now.” As my mom talked about us as

babies, it made me think about all the fun memories I have had with my sister. We

really did do everything together, ever since we were born. I think thatʼs why it was so

hard for me to be separated from her this year in school. We were never separate.

And now, for Molly to be ditching me for these new, mean girls, it was the worst

feeling ever. I could see Mollyʼs face go from

angry to sad. I knew she was thinking about the same things I was.

“Iʼm sorry, Maddy,” she said. “I didnʼt want to be mean to you. When Kim told me

I could join their group of friends, the first thing I asked was if you could too. But when

they said no, I wasnʼt sure what to do. I thought maybe if I joined the Pops then we

could finally be different for once.”

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“Molly, why do you want to be so

different from Maddy?” asked Mom. “ Sometimes I just get so sick of

people always calling me by her name, or always calling me ʻthe twinsʼ. It gets so

annoying sometimes. I just want to be my own person.”

Mom and Dad sat down with us as they began to explain something.

“You know, there comes a time in everyoneʼs life where we really start think

about who we are and how everyone else sees us. It must be difficult to think that no

one thinks of you individually. But, we do. You girls are two totally different, but equally

special people. Just because you look alike or have the same friends, doesnʼt mean you

canʼt have your own identity.” “Thatʼs right,” added Dad, “In fact, I

think you should have your own identity. You girls play different sports and are in different

classes already. And as the years come,

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you will find more and more things that you

either have in common or that you have different. You are becoming your own,

independent people. But, no matter how independent you become, you must never

forget how you started. You started off together. You are twins and you will always

share a special bond. No matter what name people call you, you canʼt forget about that

bond. You will always be twins, as similar or different as that may be. And you will always

have each others back.” It was then that I started to think

about it. I could see why Molly joined the Pops. Although we had gotten used to it, it

was always going to be annoying when people called us the wrong names, or

stared and pointed at us in the mall.

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Chapter 10:

The thing about twins

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