Split Image

There she goes again. Talking to her large group of friends, all the kids from the Drama Club. Theater kids. But she doesn’t fail to fit in with the other crowds.

The druggies? Sure, she’ll help them with their homework, she’ll even defend them when they’re bullied. The jocks? Sure, she’s crushing on one of the most popular football players in the entire school. Nerds? She’s taking most of their classes. Outsiders? She includes them when she can, inviting them to join her for lunch or sit next to her in class.

Academically? She’s super smart. Advanced Placement classes, Honors, on the Honor Roll. Lots of community service, helping the elders, community garden, Humane Society. Always lending a helping hand, giving her a tan over summer from her time spent outside.

She’s even got a pretty name. It matches her, her hair and eyes. She reminds me of Poison Ivy, the DC character, with her red hair and green eyes. Ivy. Ivy Wilson, the splitting image of me, older by three minutes and perfect by far.

She’s the only one people seem to notice, she’s always wished happy birthday, sometimes messages are relayed, but it’s not the same. She’s tagged in posts on social media, she’s invited to parties, she’s celebrated.

I pushed the slop the school calls potatoes around, looking up at her again as she starts laughing at a joke one of her friends cracked. Friend? Or follower?

I had a friend, had being the key word. Ivy stole everything from me once we hit middle school. She started to bloom. She focused on her studies and not boys, she grew up, leaving me alone to occupy myself.

Our mutual friend, Kaelynn, had gone with her. They were “too grown up” to hang out with me, because twelve year old me still wanted to play with Barbies.

I let them go, but I never forgot how I was shunned. Countless times I had entered Ivy’s room, knocking and asking if I could come study with them. Science really wasn’t that hard, but I figured it’d be a way to spend time together.

She and Kaelynn had looked at each other, a look passing between them, mutual disdain. “No, sorry, we’re almost done. We’re just reviewing the vocabulary right now.”

“Oh,” I had looked away, not wanting them to see it hurt me. I had gone back to my room, taking out my own science notes and studying.

She probably forgot, she forgets all of her flaws. She thinks she’s too perfect to make mistakes. She doesn’t apologize. She probably never will.

I get up to dump my tray, passing her table and hearing her exclaim, “We should definitely go out this weekend! We could go to Sephora. I could use some retail therapy with the exams coming up to end the school year!”

“Ivy, those are in a few months.”

“Sh, don’t ruin my excuse.” Ivy smiles, nudging her friend and smiling at me as I pass by again. “Oh, hey, Eliana, we were just talking about going out. Shopping. Wanna come? I’ll pay.”

“No thanks,” I pulled my hood up, wishing I could disappear. “I don’t need people to buy things for me. I’m not poor. I have a job, too, you know.”

“Yeah, I do. I just thought I’d be nice and invite you, and why should I ask you to come if I’ll make you buy your stuff?”

“Are you paying for theirs?”

“Well, no.”

“Exactly. I’m good. If I want something I’ll order online. Doordash or Amazon or Instacart. Whatever.”

Ivy looked hurt, for once. Maybe she sees how I feel when she treats me like this all the time.

“Okay, jeez, no need to be mean.”

“I apologize if I seemed mean, have fun though.” I return to my table, sitting back down and opening my notebook. I would have to have these notes done by next period, and I was only halfway through with them.

I knew Ivy kept glancing at me, probably confused on why I rejected her. She wasn’t used to being rejected so I hope she likes the bitter taste of it.

When the bell rings, I rush to the classroom. I spend the four minutes between classes finishing the notes, putting my head down as the bell rings again.

The teacher walks in, tapping my desk with a ruler. I sit up, glaring at the whiteboard, and Mr. Jackson smiles at us. “Good afternoon, class.”

Ivy sat next to me, upright in her seat. No eye bags, her hair wasn’t a mess like mine was, her outfit only barely broke the dress code. They were becoming more lenient, so she could get away with her crop top.

Her books were out, along with a pen and notebook. She had her chin propped up, watching Mr. Jackson begin the lesson. Geology was stupid, who cares enough to identify rocks?

We went over our assigned notes, and Mr. Jackson asked if we had any questions. Nobody said anything, and he nodded. “Good, now I have a permission slip. I’d like you guys to have it signed by your parents. Tomorrow would be excellent, but I’ll collect them on Friday. We will be going to a museum that studies the formation of rocks, and you can bring a friend, provided they will be willing to do the paperwork with you.”

Ivy smiles at me. “This is awesome. We’ve never been allowed to take someone outside of this class!”

Like I had someone to take. Unless… unless Noah wanted to go. He was probably in some important class, now, though, but it couldn’t hurt to ask. Could it?

I looked at my permission slip, there was a part for someone- hopefully Noah- to get permission, too. I smile, tucking the paper into my back pocket instead of my folder. I’d catch him after school, at football practice.

I smiled to myself the rest of the class period. I just hoped I could get to him before Ivy. I’m sure she would play dirty. The bell rang. I had one more class before I could catch Noah.

I zoned out, not caring anyway. Ivy would just hound me later and give me the notes and help with my homework, so why put in the effort?

The final bell rang, and I grabbed my bag, pushing my hood back and fixing my hair as I went down to the locker room. Noah was laughing, pulling his practice uniform out of his bag as he joked with the other boys.

One of them spots me, raising an eyebrow. “What do you want Ivy? Nice hoodie, I didn’t know you had one. Did you get dress-coded?”

“No. I’m Eliana.” I glare at the boy. “I’m here to speak to Noah. If he doesn’t mind?”

He smiles. “Sure, what’s up?”

“In private?”

“Sure.” He follows me to the hallway, and the sound of voices dies down as the others enter the locker room to change. Noah smiles down at me, and I feel heat creep into my face.

“Um, what class are you in seventh period?”

“Seventh? Nothing. Study hall. It’s boring as fuck in there.”

“I bet,” I smile. “I’m in Geology,”

“Are we here to discuss classes? If so, we could do this another time. I got practice.”

“I know!” I almost shouted. “Sorry, I was asking because we’re going on a field trip in Geology. I’m allowed to take a friend, and thought maybe you’d want to go?”

“We’re not friends.”

“A plus one. I figured, I don’t know, maybe we could hang out?”

“So you’re asking me on a date?”

“Not specifically. Just if you want to do some research instead of sitting in study hall.”

“And you are?”

“Eliana.” I sigh, he wants to go with Ivy. “I get it. I don’t know why I even thought to ask you. You thought I was Ivy, I’m sorry, never mind.” I turned to leave and he caught my arm.

“No, I figured you weren’t Ivy.”

“Was it the hair? Or the lack of makeup?”

“No.”

“Shocker.” I fold my arms. “You want to come?”

He looks at the ground. “What are we doing?”

“Going to study the formation of rocks. I need a permission slip signed and everything.”

He eyes the paper in my hand. “Eliana,”

“Don’t drag this out. You don’t want to go, that’s fine, pretend this never happened. I won’t ruin your reputation, I’ll leave you alone.”

“No, I do want to go. What do I have to do?”

“Get this paper signed.” I hand it to him, he reads it, smirks, and pulls out a pen.

“Please, does anyone have their parents sign things in high school?”

I raise an eyebrow as he forges a signature, his dad’s, and hands the paper back to me. “I’ll be practicing, now if you want to watch?”

I smile, grinning at the paper. “I’d love to stay, but my dad’s probably expecting me.”

“Traffic.” Noah smiles, brushing past me into the locker room. I grin stupidly as I head outside, getting in my car and driving home.

Ivy was collecting her things, keys, wallet, phone in hand on the phone with her friends. She smiles. “Sure you don’t want to go?”

“Positive.” I respond, sitting at the table and staring at Noah’s fake signature. Beautiful. We would go together. Bus buddies, something I hadn’t had in a while.

When dad comes into the room, he smiles. “Hey, there, kiddo, how was school?”

“Good.”

“I’m heading out!” Ivy calls. “Be back later, love you guys!”

“Love you, too!” Dad calls, sitting next to me. “What’s the smile for?”

“Uh, can you sign this?”

He reads it, signing it and catching the other signature. “What’s this for?”

“Oh, just my bus buddy.”

“Who?”

“No one important.”

“Eliana.”

“I mean it. We’re just peers. Nothing special-”

“So the last name Walker means nothing to you?”

I blush.

“Eliana,”

“What? I can’t live like an average high school girl? I can’t have a crush?”

“Was this assigned?”

“Why does it matter? If it were Ivy you would be excited.”

“Eliana, that’s not true. You guys aren’t ready for that kind of thing.”

“We’re seventeen!” I shout, standing up. “I might as well get out there. How many people do I talk to, dad? How many?”

“I don’t know.”

“You do. You’re just unsatisfied with the answer. I don’t talk to anyone, Ivy has groups, armies of friends. I have no one. Let me be happy, please. If you cared, you wouldn’t be lecturing me about boys.”

“You’re just-”

“Just what? Not ready? Not mature? Not what?”

“You’re just growing up fast. That’s all. Eliana, when your mom died, I was scared. She would know how to comfort you when a boy broke your heart, and I’m sorry that I can’t do it the way she would’ve.”

Tears come to my eyes- frustration tears, but also sympathy tears. “Dad, you’re doing great for what it’s worth. I get it, it’s hard to believe time flew by so fast since mom’s death. But that was almost thirteen years ago. We grew up, all of us did, time didn’t stop, and it never will.

“You need to be okay with us growing up, you won’t have us around forever. I know it sounds evil, but you’re going to have to let us go. We’re gonna leave someday.”

“I know.” He nodded, and tears were in his eyes, too. “I’m sorry. I don’t blame you, but is he nice to you?”

“I don’t know, we’re not dating.” I sigh. “I wish we were, but I don’t know. He’s nice when I talk to him, and he agreed to go with me to this thing.”

Dad nods. “Maybe we should let you out more, huh?”

I nod, smiling. “Maybe.”

“Sorry, kiddo. How about we get some pizza and call it a night?”

I smile again, sitting back on the couch. “Pepperoni with banana peppers?”

“Always.” He goes to the kitchen, using the old landline to call the pizza shop. Delivery, our order, wings yes please, buffalo and barbecue. Sounds good thank you.

Then coming to tell me it’ll be here in about thirty minutes. My job is to scroll through TV, to find something good to watch. Something a bit nerdy, because dad and I are both into learning. We’re into supernatural and inexplicable things, so I find a good show to settle down with while he waits for the pizza.

The doorbell rings, dad gets the pizza, giving the driver six dollars and bringing the food to me. “Time to dig in!”

He sits down on the couch, having brought over some Pepsi while I opened the pizza box and the wings. We settled in, digging into the food.

Later I do my homework, shower, and get ready for bed. Ivy came home late, as always, but got away with a few wings and a slice of pizza.

At home she eats like a hog, nothing like how she eats at school.