Jaded (Rock Star Trilogy) (11 page)

“Hello,” I say, trying to sound like I didn't just wake up. I'm pretty sure that I failed.

“
Hey, Scarlett. This is Andrew. My car should be at your house in approximately 15 minutes,” he says.

“
Ok,” I say, pushing myself up. “Can you maybe give me a clue about this good/ bad news?”

“
Let's just say that you won't believe it until you see it. See you soon.”

I end the call and get up. Last night, I didn't even wash off my makeup before bed. I was much too tired. So I throw my hair up in a messy bun, wash away all left over make up, and get dressed in a hurry. I just put on a white sundress, and designer flip flops.

As I walk down the stairs, my doorbell rings. I go to the door, and hesitate. I need a minute because I know that no matter what the news is, it's going to change my life. I've waited nine long years for this moment. And it's
finally here
. Or at least, I hope it is.

I take a deep breath and open the door. My P.I. is standing there, looking like he hasn't slept in days. His face is scruffy, he has circles under his eyes, and his blonde hair is starting to grow long.

“Come in,” I say.

Andrew follows me into the living room, and sits down on my white leather couch. He doesn't say anything, he just looks at me, almost like he's puzzled.

“So, did you find Stacy?” I ask. I pace back and forth, and fidget with my fingers.

“
I think you should sit down,” he instructs.

I don't hesitate, I sit. My legs feel like noodles. “Oh god, is it bad news?” I feel dread wash over me. I don't know if I can live with the news if she's dead.

He sighs. “I haven't found Stacy yet, Scarlett. I'm sorry.”

I feel relief for a second. No news means that she could very well be ok... But I'm also disappointed. I really wanted the news to be about Stacy. If the news isn't about her, then what is it?

“But, I found something else...” he pulls a large manila envelope out of his briefcase. “Did you know that you're adopted?”

It feels as though all of the oxygen has suddenly been sucked out of the room. “Excuse me?” I choke out. “I am not adopted.”

“You have another sister.” He opens the envelope, and hands me a photograph... It's a picture of me.

“
Um...” I look back up at him. “This is me.”

“
Look closer.”

So I do. The person in the picture looks
exactly
like me, but it's NOT me. Same long blonde hair, same blue eyes, same small body frame, and same smile... But the clothes are definitely not anything that I have ever worn. She's wearing a pair of jeans, but they're definitely not designer, and a t-shirt that is much too big for her. I also don't recognize where the picture was taken. It's definitely not anywhere I've been before.

“
She looks so much like me...” I can't look away from the picture.

“
This is Bridget Evans, and she is your twin sister.”

“
My... my... tw... twin?” I feel my body start to tremble. How could I have gone 19 years without knowing that I have a
twin
sister? “No, certainly this is a mistake. She just looks a lot like me. She can't be my sister.”

“
I assure you, it's not a mistake. Bridgett is your twin sister.” He takes the photograph from my hand. “What do you say about a trip to Columbia, South Carolina?”

I nod. I have to meet this girl. I have to know. “Let me pack, and we'll go.”

9:33 am

How could she not love you?

Since I have been traveling my whole life, I am very fast at packing. I throw everything together within five minutes, and by 9:33 am, I am boarding a private jet that Andrew arranged for us. I send Stephan a quick email.

Stephan,

There is some urgent family matters that I need to take care of. I do not know how long I will be gone. I'm sorry I can't say more right now, but I will update you as soon as I can.

Scarlett

I hit send, and then turn my phone on airplane mode. It feels weird sending him such a “formal” email considering how our relationship has grown, but I push it to the back of my mind. I lean back against the seat as the airplane takes off.

“
Do you have any questions for me?” Andrew asks.

“
Bridgett... What is she like?”

“
I got to observe her for a week. She is a lot like you, but a lot different,” he replies. “It's the little expressions she makes, the things she says, her laugh, her body language... She truly
is
your twin. But she's different. She is not quite as outgoing as you are, she always has her nose in a book, and she can't sing. Trust me, I've heard her.”

I can't help but laugh. “She sounds awesome... I guess she got all the brains.”

I try to remember the last book I read, but I can't. It has been a long time, and just the thought of picking one up hurts my head.

“
I wonder why she hasn't tried to contact me,” I say. “I mean, I've been in the spotlight for 4 years. Certainly she's seen me... Doesn't she wonder why we share the same face?”

“
That is something that I do not know. You're going to have to ask Bridgett that question.”

Then a thought hits me... What if Bridgett doesn't want anything to do with me? Or what if she doesn't
like me
when she meets me.

“
Are you sure she wants me to find her? What if she doesn't
like
me?” I ask. I've never considered myself an insecure person, but at the moment, I can't help but feel intimidated.

“
Again, that's something you have to ask her...
But
, if I was her, I would never let you go,” he smiles. “Scarlett, she's your
twin
. How could she not love you?”

“
I guess you're right,” I say, but I still worry.

2:30 pm

What do I do now?

Our plane lands around 1:30, and we drive straight to Bridgett's house from the airport. Now, I
am sitting in a car, looking at her house, and trying to get up the nerve to
get out
of the car. I reach for the door handle for the twentieth time, and take a deep breath.

Bridgett's house is a small, one story brick home. It's in the suburbs, and it has a tiny yard. The houses are literally three feet away from each other. It is completely different than what I'm used to. Even before moving to LA, we had a pretty big house in Seattle.

“You can do this,” Andrew says, as I get out of the car.

I repeat his words to myself over and over again as I walk towards the house. As I get to the front door, it opens up before I get a chance to knock. A kid who looks about four, or five is looking up at me.

“What are ya doing out here, Bridgett?” she asks.

“
Umm...” I'm not sure what to say to the child.

“
Come play tea party with me,” she says, pulling my hand. I look back at the car with a
what do I do now
expression.

I stop her once she pulls me inside the house. “I'm not Bridgett. I'm Scarlett. Is Bridgett here?”

She laughs. “You're funny.”

Just then, I hear a voice. “Natalee, who are you talking to?” The voice sounds just like me. The little girl must have noticed too, because now she's staring at me.

I see Bridgett come around the corner of the hallway, and she stops in her tracks when she sees me. I feel my heart instantly stop, and then jump into overdrive at the sight of her. We both stare at each other, but it's not awkward. It's more like amazement. I'm not sure how long we look at each other, seconds, minutes? But neither of us say a word.

Bridgett is my
identical twin
. And if we were wearing the same clothes, I could swear that I was looking in a mirror. I'm even sure that our shocked expressions match.

“
Whoa,” I hear the little girl say, breaking our trance.

Bridgett looks at the little girl, then at me. “Can I help you?” she says.

I still can't get over her voice. “I'm Scarlett Ryan,” I say. “And I think... we're... sisters... twins...”

She steps closer to me, her eyes never leaving mine. She has a determined look, and I can tell she's going to challenge me. I don't blame her. I didn't believe it, at least not until I saw her. Now, there is no doubting it. “When were you born?”

“July twenty seventh. I'm 19 years old,” I answer.

“
Scarlett Ryan...” she says my name.

I have to ask. “Do you know who I am?”

She half laughs. “
Everybody
knows who you are. You're a rock star. And we can't be sisters. It's just a coincidence. The birthday, and the face...”

“
Were you adopted?” I ask her.

“
Yes,” she answers. “My parent's couldn't have children... Or at least not until Natalee came along.”

The little girl is still staring at the both of us.

“Natalee,” Bridgett looks at the little girl, “why don't you go play in your room for a little bit.”

The little girl complains, but she does what Bridgett says.

“Let's go to my room...” she says, and I follow her.

We go down the long hallway. There are a ton of pictures of her on the walls. I look at all of them, amazed at how identical we are. She even cuts and styles her hair the same. Her room is the last room on the left.

Bridgett's room is very... girly. It's pink, which must be another thing that we have in common. But one wall is a bookshelf, and books are lined from the top to the bottom.

“
Have you read them all?” I ask, motioning to the bookshelf.

“
Yes,” she smiles. “Do you like to read?”

“
No,” I laugh. “Do you play music?”

“
Definitely not,” she says, biting her lip. “Are we really twins?”

I nod. “Yes.”

“How did you find me? Did you know about me?”

“
Actually, I had no clue you existed until about 7am this morning. I hired a private investigator to find my sister, Stacy, and instead, he found you,” I explain.

“
This is crazy right? I mean, why were we separated? Do you know who our birth parents are?” She asks the questions that I myself am longing to know.

“
I don't know, but I intend to find out.” I ask the one question I'm dying to find out. “So, if you've seen me on TV, why haven't you tried to find me?”

Bridgett looks a little sad. “I wasn't sure if we were twins, and I didn't even know how to start looking for you.”

Really, I don't care. All that matters is that I found her now.

6:00 pm

Twins?

Andrew left earlier. I told him that I would call a car service when I was ready to leave. He was going to go home and continue looking for Stacy. I also asked him to look into my adoption, and see if he could find out who our birth parents are.

Bridgett and me spend the rest of the afternoon in her bedroom, just talking. I find out that she is in college at Clemson University, and she's home for the weekend. She says she has a good life, but now she's very unsure what she wants... Which is much like me.

As we talk, I feel as though we have known each other our whole lives. She already feels like
my sister
. And now that I've found her, I don't want to ever be away from her.

I find out that she's only had
one
boyfriend her whole life, and all she ever did was kiss him. The guy she dated was a preacher's son. I can't help but gasp.

“
Scarlett Ryan's
twin sister is a
virgin
?” I shake my head. “We really are a lot different.”

She laughs. “Well, I may have gotten the brains, but you got the personality and talent. I don't know how to talk to guys. I always get tongue tied and end up making a fool out of myself.”

“We clearly need each other,” I smile, a little sadly. “I can't believe I've been without you nineteen years.”

“
Me either,” she agrees. “I wish I could go with you to Florida...”

I can't help but be excited at the idea. “Why don't you?”

She looks at me. “I can't. I have a future. College...”

“
So transfer...”

“
I can't transfer in the middle of the semester,” she protests.

“
Then take a break!”

She thinks for a minute. “You know, I am kind of overwhelmed this semester. Maybe a break wouldn't be so bad. I could start back in January.”