Chapter 7: Overtly Complex

The idea of a sleepover wasn’t anything new to me. I’d had them before when I was younger, never at my parent’s home ... I would never do that to anyone, but I’d had friends everywhere I’d lived. Most of them were girls though. Burner, short for Bernard was one of my few male friends when I was younger. I wasn’t sure I’d had a sleepover at a male friend’s house in the interim between then and now.

The twins lived in the Heights. It was a tiny little Podunk hamlet, not that different than Valleyview and just a few miles up the road from it. It extended from the river on one head, to a tiny street with a row of houses and then more traditional square blocks of houses after you began to climb the hill. There was an interesting cliff and a pack of forested trees near the edge of the blocks followed by a dirt road to another few scattered houses.

The twins’ home was next to Alexandra’s. They’d been friends many years prior, before social standings and differing interest split them into their respective castes. Scott and Daniel were fairly quick to accept Alex after I’d made it clear we were a packaged deal. Scott’s bitchy girlfriend was less accepting of either of us. Despite my encounter her on the steps she seemed to want to keep the group from coalescing.

Alex on the other hand was all over her instantly. Despite warning me against being in the same zip code she was once that barrier of politeness was breached, she was all in at making sure the two would be friends. That led to introductions to the other cheerleaders; Melissa, Stacy, Jill, and Angie. When Beth was included in the group she told stories of their exploits, but I was still in the ‘I can recognize them by their hair color’ stage of getting to know them.

The twin’s home was a simple two-story home. It had been three bedrooms, but one had been turned into a gym. Upon arrival I was greeted by their mother, Susan.

Susan’s hair was chestnut in color with a hint of natural curl, cut just above her neck. Her eyeglasses hung on a chain around her neck, the lenses reflectively showing off the crevice formed by her breasts. Does she realize she’s putting on a show?

My other had decided to announce, “Beware the fox, she things you’re a chicken.”

I thought back at it. “So, Daniel’s an alligator and his mother is a fox ... at least the second one is true.”

The twins led me from activity to activity. Basketball in the street out front, then video games in their room, the Scott trying to play guitar along with the heavy metal blaring from his speakers 20 decibels to loud to enjoy.

I wasn’t fully used to having male friends, so I went along with the ride for the most part. If they threw a jab at me, I one upped them as best I could. Eventually there was food in the form of pinto beans and cornbread. I found I liked the latter, but thought it needed something sweet like a jam. After that we were rounded into the twins’ room.

The room was split with two twin beds on either wall and matching desks. A tv, console, and stereo on a shelve next to two mismatched sets of drawers. There was a mat that was mine for the night and I settled in.