Not bothering with a response, he shoves me inside and closes the door behind us.

The small space is cramped enough as it is, but with two of us in here, it’s almost suffocating.

I go to flick on the light, but he stops me.

“No.”

“I don’t have time for your stupid games, Cole. Let me out.”

“This isn’t a game.”

“Then what is it?”

“Me being real.” My breath hitches when he places my hand over his wildly beating heart. “But I should warn you…it’s dark inside.”

Chapter 16

Cole

Past…

“Mom,” I say for what must be the hundredth time in the last five minutes.

Ignoring me and the paper I’m trying to show her, she continues furiously cleaning the house.

She must be feeling better today.

Last week she was in bed for four days while our dad was away on a work trip. Jace had to feed us and do the laundry.

He claimed she was sick, but she didn’t sound sick.

She sounded sad.

As usual, my older brother was trying to protect us from the truth.

Something was wrong with our mom, but it wasn’t something you could see.

Just like a secret superpower, it was invisible.

Only instead of making her strong and powerful…it made her weak and fragile.

I’m pretty sure it also made her hate me.

It never made her hate Liam though.

“Mom.” Feeling frustrated, I shove the paper into her hand. “Can I do this? Please?”

Finally, she looks at it.

I’ve never been good at anything. Unlike my siblings, I don’t get good grades and I have a hard time staying interested in stuff for very long.

But the day Jace threw me a football and I caught it—it was like something inside me clicked into place.

I was meant to do this. It was in my blood. My soul.

And when I saw the poster at my school for peewee football, I knew it was fate.

She has to say yes.

“No.” She screws up her pretty face. “Football is dangerous, and I don’t have time to take you to practice.”

I wanted to argue that if she spent less time lying in bed, she would, but I already had it covered.

“You don’t have to. Jace said he would take me.”

There. She couldn’t say no.

“It’s dangerous.”

“I’ll be safe. I’ll wear all the equipment and everything. Promise.”

I can tell she wants to cave. She just needs a little push.

I give her my best puppy eyes. “Please, Mom. I really want to play.”

“Play what?”

Liam. Leave it up to him to swoop in just when I was making some progress.

He and Bianca usually sleep in whenever they get the chance, so I figured morning would be the perfect time to approach her.

Guess I was wrong.

“None of your business,” I snarl before turning my attention back to Mom. “Please.”

“I don’t know.” She looks at Liam. “Do you want to play football with your brother?”

My stomach fills with lead. This can’t be happening. My future with football shouldn’t rest on his shoulders.

“No—” Liam starts to say at the same time I yell, “Come on, Mom. We’re not five. We don’t always have to do the same things.” I glare at my brother. “Besides, everyone knows Liam sucks at sports.”

Just the other day, Ben Phillips whacked him in the face with a dodgeball and made Liam cry in front of everyone.

Not that I was surprised. The wuss was always crying about something or someone.

Namely me.

“That’s not true,” Liam whines, his lower lip trembling.

Case in point.

“How many times do I have to tell you to stop making fun of your brother?” my mother scolds as he runs into her open arms.

“Yeah, Colton,” Liam sniffles, nuzzling his head against her chest.

He’s the only one who ever calls me by my real name, and I hate it.

Which is exactly why he continues doing it.

“Shut up, you big baby.”

Twin or not, I can’t stand him.

Every day I wake up wanting to bash his face in for existing.

For being everything I’m not.

Ever since the womb, he’s been stealing my thunder.

According to our mom, our parents didn’t even know we were twins until a few weeks before we were born.

Apparently, Liam had been blocking me during the ultrasound visits.

No surprise there.

It wasn’t until my mom insisted something was wrong, due to her gaining so much weight and being so tired she could barely stand, that they finally found me.

Behind Liam.

Too bad I didn’t eat him.

If I had, I wouldn’t have been subjected to the Liam show from the moment I took my first breath.

Approximately two minutes and twelve seconds after he did. Go freaking figure.

Like always—he took center stage.

Liam was the one my mother wanted.

The twin she knew about.

The one she was excited to have.

And she’s not the only one. Everyone in our family acts like he’s some kind of saint who poops rainbows and sunshine.

But he’s not.

I see the real Liam for everything he is…or rather, everything he isn’t.

“Cole.”

I knew that tone. It was a warning my mom was reaching the end of her fuse. I had to act quickly.

“Please, Mom. I’ll do anything.”

She runs her fingers through Liam’s hair. “How did you do on your math test last week?”

Panic lodges in my throat and my palms grow sweaty. I flunked.

But she doesn’t have to know that yet. I can spill the beans after she signs me up.

“I don’t know,” I say, giving Liam a death glare. “Mrs. Myer hasn’t graded them yet.”

Her lips twist. She’s contemplating.

I meet Liam’s eyes. I loathe him, but there’s no denying this weird twin connection we have.

He better keep his mouth shut.

I didn’t have to tell him how much I loved football for him to know it’s true.

I need this. I telepathically communicated, hoping he’ll understand.

I was dying inside. Little by little with every passing day.

However, with a ball in my hand…life wasn’t so bad.

It was the one and only time I was free to be myself.

The one and only thing Liam couldn’t take away from me.

“Yes, she did,” Liam tattles and it takes everything in me not to throttle him.

My mom places her hands on her hips. “Why did you lie to me, Cole?”

Another lie is prepared to roll off my tongue, but it’s too late.

“Because he failed,” Liam tells her.

I swear I see a hint of a smirk on his stupid face.

“It was a really hard test,” I exclaim.

She huffs. “Did you study?”

No. “Yes.”

“Liar,” Liam whispers under his breath.

She looks down at him. “What did you get on the test?”

“One-hundred.” He beams. “Plus, five bonus points for getting the extra credit question right.”