Take Two by Julia DeVillers Read Free Book Online Page A

lesson,” my father said. “And working as a team.”
    â€œWe are!” I said. “Identical twins together! Team Emma and Payton! Pemma! Emton! Go, twins!”
    Everyone was looking at me. I was getting carried away, wasn’t I? I shut up and sat back down.
    â€œGo, Geckos,” Emma whispered to me. We cracked up.

Emma
    Six
    AT THE LOCKERS
    Last class of the day. Formal academics was done, and now I could use my time more wisely with some choice reading of the classics and more advanced math practice on my own.
    I walked down the hall and saw Payton with her head in her locker. I walked up behind her and positioned myself at the perfect angle for my reflection to be in her fuzzy pink locker mirror.
    â€œAhhhh!” Payton screamed. She whipped her head around. “Emma! You know you freak me out when you do that. It’s like I see two me’s.”
    â€œI know,” I said. “I’m working on my freaking-out-other-people skills. I am determined to never be in the situation I found myself in at mathletes yesterday.”
    â€œCould you please practice your freaking out on people who deserve it?” Payton asked me. “Now that you actuallybrush your hair, your reflection and mine are too much alike.”
    â€œWe do look more alike than ever,” I mused. “I have to say I was great as you getting your picture taken. Seriously, you should have seen the look on Sydney’s face when she saw me—I mean, you —walk in perfectly dry and composed.”
    â€œKeep it down.” Payton looked around. Although the hall was pretty empty, you could never be too careful.
    â€œThen, when the photographer went to take my headshot and I suggested tilting my head at a twenty-three degree angle instead of a thirty-degree so the light would reflect off my shiny hair—” I continued. “It was brilliant.”
    â€œYou said what ?” Payton pulled her head out of her locker. “Yeesh, Emma. Couldn’t you just smile?”
    â€œWell,” I huffed. “Talk about ungrateful. You’ll thank me when your headshot comes back highlighted perfectly.”
    Payton sighed and pulled out some lip gloss, but then looked at it in disgust.
    â€œOh, why bother,” she groaned. “I’m just going to Drama where I’ll be stuck in the basement anyway. I’ll probably get some more muddy water dumped on my head.”
    â€œBesides, that color is last season,” I informed her. “Now that we’re heading toward winter, a darker rose is in.”
    Payton looked at me.
    What? Just because I wasn’t with Sydney clones didn’t mean I shouldn’t keep up with the fashion magazines. For sociological-research purposes, that is.
    â€œDrama Club is so depressing,” Payton said. “I had tolisten to everyone all happy practicing their lines for the tryouts.”
    â€œWhen are tryouts?” I asked her. “Maybe you’ll be done with your school service by then.”
    â€œThey’re today,” Payton said sadly. “Today.”
    â€œOh,” I said. “Well, perhaps I could pretend to be you once again. One Payton could be cleaning the basement. And the other Payton could be auditioning.”
    â€œYeah, except Mrs. Burkle knows I’m supposed to be in the basement and not auditioning,” I said. “Duh.”
    â€œI know,” I said. “Too bad there wasn’t a parallel universe. Then you could be performing your school service and trying out at the same time.”
    â€œYou’re in your EinsteinEmma zone,” Payton said. “Which means I have no idea what you’re talking about.”
    â€œOn the other hand,” I continued, “I wish there were no Emmas in my parallel universe this afternoon. Then I could be skipping my after-school entirely.”
    I had my first real tutoring session with the boys today after school.
    Payton