Chapter 2 EPISODE 2

The whole day, I avoided the twins. The idea that I might have just messed up my chances would not leave my mind. I could not however get my mind away from the thought of the twins. The fact that they were identical made it all wierd. It was a mystery I wanted to solve.In my mind I had it that there were two Tracy's. We had just bonded and talked with the real Tracy but I felt like unsatisfied. Knowing one of the identical twins felt incomplete until I knew the other oner. It was like they were two halves of a whole.

I mean I could not even differentiate between them yet I needed to know both of them. Tracy behaved as if nothing had happened between us. Even when I found her with my sister, she was composed. She did not even behave like we had bonded.

Deep in my heart, I wanted my sister to hook me up with Nora since they were friends too. I kept peeping through my door to see if I could get a glimpse of her. At around noon, my sister left with one of the twins to buy vegetables for lunch. I didn't not know which of the twins had been left behind so I decided to go out and find out. As I opened the door, a text popped on my phone and I almost ignored it thinking it was a notification that my internet bundles had been depleted. However, as fate would have it, I flipped my phone and read the notification.

"Hello, I wanted to apologize for bumping into you this morning and spilling your water in. I didn't mean to touch your "yam" either. Nora."

My heart skipped a beat. No doubt my sister had given her my number. She was a genius. I thought about what to reply. It should have been something witty but not too naughty or too plain so I typed.

"Apologies accepted. Sorry for ruining your haido. My "yam" accepts your apology too."

To that, she replied with one of those smiley face emoji. A good sign. That meant that she liked my response. We chatted for a little bit before she excused herself to finish her house chores. I had her under my spell now. My mystery was taking shape now. Soon, I would solve it.

That evening, I decided to go out and explore the area and meet my boys' squad. We used to meet in a local pub to play pool and some FIFA. My boys were happy to see me after such a long time. Ethan for example bought me a mug of a local potent beer for old time's sake. Did I tell you the story about Ethan by the way? No? Okay let me tell you.

So, during my last visit, I had noticed that Ethan ,my best friend, had been making advances to my sister. This was all wrong and against our bro code. Under no circumstance should any of my boys make any advances to my sister. That was the rule and they knew it. I was very overprotective of her. However, Ethan must have thought that he was too big and strong that he could do anything. He did it right in front of my eyes and tried to brag about it to the boys. I guess she liked him back but I was having none of it. One day, I ambushed him in a secluded corner of the market and confronted him about it.

"Dude, what the hell do you think you are doing trying to seduce my sister?"

"So it is okay for you to poach any girl you like but we cannot do it? I guess I'm just her type, after all, isn't she a girl like all the others?" he sneered.

"That's my sister we are talking about. I won't have you talking about her like that."

"What the hell are you going to do? Beat me? I am gonna smash her if I so wish."

I had heard enough. I dived at him like a bulldog and speared him to the ground. He attempted a feeble headlock on me but I was determined to settle the issue once and for all. I pinned him to the ground and sat on his stomach and began raining blows on his face. By the time our friends pulled me off him, he was missing two front teeth. He apologized thereafter and we became friends again. My sister never found out. The rest of my squad kept their distance from my sister since that day.

Anyway, after the beer we talked about typical boys stuff and bragged about how many girls we had smashed. The beer got the better of me and I found myself blurting.

"Remember, Tracy? Hic... I... smashed her last night... Hic... And I am gonna smash her twin sister too."

The whole room went quiet. You could have heard an ant whisper in the silence.

"What the fuck did you just say?" It was Alex. He was huge. While I was away he had started working out and had even established his own local gym. He advanced on me, his huge arms swinging limply on his sides. I was doomed!

The sight of Alex towering above me sobered me up immediately. I scuttled backwards until the counter stopped me. There was no more room. I curled up into a pathetic ball and started sweet talking to him. Still, he inched closer with every step.

"Calm down bro, I was just kidding." I tried to calm him.

Alex did not even listen to me. My good friends, do you know that slap at the back of your head that sends you staggering forward? We call it an escort slap back at home. Well, I got it on top of a thousand kicks and Superman punches. Good thing I was fast. My legs saved me. I shot out of the pub so fast that I knocked down two revelers standing at the door. They too stood up and fled in different directions thinking that the devil had come to collect his people. I did not stop running until I was a safe distance from our gate. Still, I kept a watchful eye in case Alex had decided to follow me.

I learned later that Alex was trying to seduce Tracy and he had warned the boys against going close to her. Nobody had warned me that she was marked territory. I started thinking at the back of my head how we needed to kick Alex out of our boys' club. We could not have a Dwayne Johnson who fights like Jet Li in our squad. I swear the guy knows karate and kung fu. At least he didn't break my teeth. I freaking loved them.

Anyway, that night I sneaked past the gate keeping to the darkness and avoiding light. I locked my room from outside and climbed through the window and slept. Anyone who came would think that I was not in. I didn't want to risk being seen like this. I mean, Alex's fingers had left red marks on my cheeks and my eyes were swollen. I didn't have the moods for either Tracy or Nora that night. Nora texted but I ignored it. Was she worth being beaten for like this? I was still afraid that Alex would tell Tracy about the beating he had given me. My only hope was that my face would be okay by morning.