Double Down

Arabella

You knew this was coming, Rae. You agreed to do it, damn it. It's time.

I look up and out through my tinted windows and count them, six. I can do this. I have done this before, my whole life really so this is nothing. Cake walk. It's like riding a bike, right? Or learning how to swim. You can't really forget it, it's muscle memory, it's engraved, it's-

Snap out of it.

Shoulders back, chin up. The mantra my family's publicist shoved down our throats ever since my brother and I had uttered our first words plays on a loop as I grab my gym bag and get out of the safety of my car coming face to lens with the cameras.

The blinding flashes go off and I keep my face impassive as I start walking towards the stadium. I do my best to block out the onslaught of questions and fail. Miserably.

"Is it true that you dropped Christ St. James after the incident?"

"Where did you disappear to for the past year?"

"Do you deny the allegation circulating?"

"Why come back now?"

"Have you given up your title?"

"What do you have to say about the statement made by Carver Carmichael?"

Keep your features impassive. Don't give them a reaction no matter how tempting.

And it was tempting. More than it should be considering what happened the last time I gave the world a piece of my mind.

As much as I would love to run as fast as I can inside and get away from them, I force myself to keep my pace even. Never show weakness.

I go around the back of the football stadium and use my new student ID to slip past the gates and in through the doors reserved for athletes, coaches and staff. I have no doubt there will be more press at the game, after all we're putting on a show just for them.

But for now...I walk into the cheerleaders locker room with the distant echo of the crowd's full house in my ears. Looking around, a wave of nostalgia hits me. While I've never been in this locker room before, I spent my whole life in ones similar to it.

Once I'm sure no one is around, I release the breath I've been holding. The weight of what I'm about to do settling in before I shake myself out of it and reach for my phone. My thumb hovers over Archer's text thread with over hundreds of unopened messages, the latest one sent half an hour ago but I force myself to ignore it. I click instead on a different thread and send out one word.

Arabella: Ready.

Less than a minute later, my phone dings.

William Davenport: No mistakes, Arabella. Don't shame our family further.

Fuck you very much, Grandfather.

I quickly pull my natural white blonde hair into a high ponytail, tying a red bow around it.

I'm late. California University's- Cal U for short- first game of the season had already started so I strip out of my clothes and put on the mixed red and black uniform that says "Titans" in bold white letters on the front and a special embroidered "Captain" on the back. I tighten my white trainers then sigh as I take a good look in the mirror.

I missed this.

The woman looking back at me in the mirror has my sharp features. She has my heart shaped face, my hight cheekbones, my pouty full lips. It's the eyes that make me feel like an imposter, though. My emerald green eyes are vacant, none of the liveliness that used to be there a year ago. Back when this was my life, filled with competitions, games, practices, parties...

I shake my head and take a deep breath. No use revisiting the past. Steeling my spine, i leave the safety of the locker room and head to the small entrance beneath the bleachers usually reserved for NFL recruiters who want to watch and assess the football players without being bothered or pestered. It's empty tonight.

I stand partially hidden behind the open door and watch the players huddled together while the head coach, a burly man with a beer belly, screams instructions at them gesturing to the small white board in his hand.

I search the jerseys looking for my familiar number 1 and instead lock gaze with a pair of black- brown? -oh who am I kidding he's too far to tell- eyes I recognize from watching Cal U's games on Tv. Gage Godwin was Big in real life even by football standards. At least 6'4 and muscled with jet black hair and tanned skin. My type to a T, you know, if he wasn't looking at me like he was contemplating how much force he'd need to snap my neck.

What's his problem?

Our stare off is broken as the second quarter starts and the starting line-up take their places on the green field. I recognize every last player, even some of the opposing team from the massive dossier of information I studied, courtesy of Grandfather.

I finally find number 1 and I watch my brother play like a beast on the field all throughout the second quarter which he ends with a touchdown. It's unusual for a Sophomore Quarterback to start in games but Archer is just that good. He takes his helmet off, his white blonde hair, an identical shade to mine flopping as he jogs to the sidelines grinning. His teammates all pat him on the back but he barely acknowledges it. Like he does every game, he turns searching the stands, his face shutting down.

I look away not wanting to see how much I fucked him up by leaving.

                                    §§§

Halftime is announced, each team jogs to their respective sidelines and I clear my head jumping in place a few times to get my blood pumped.

The players' confusion along with the crowd's is evident when the music doesn't start and the cheerleaders don't get into their formations for the usual Halftime show. The announcer starts getting the crowd hyped as planned:

"We have a special surprise for you! As you all know, we have one half of the sports world favorite twins, our starting Quarterback 'Archer Davenport' " the crowd cheers before the emcee continues "we couldn't help but bring you the other half! I present to you our new Titans Cheer Team Captain and number 1 World's Cheer Champion, Arabella Davenport."

I internally cringe at the introduction refusing to look over to the sidelines and see my brother's reaction. You're a coward, the tiny constant voice in my head nags at me, ambushing him like this. Keeping him in the dark.

The voice isn't wrong.

Music blares and i block out the crowd's roars as i run gaining momentum before i breakout in a sequence of coordinated tumbles. I land on my feet, in the middle of the field, officially stepping back into my life.

I don't look around, don't take it all in as I rile up the crowd, my mind flashing with hazy flashbacks. The last time I was on a field cheering, how it ended.

Shouting. Fighting. The crunching of bones. That haunting scream.

I fled my life and disappeared, that night.

The cheer team joins me when i kick off the start of our halftime routine, one we had only practiced once mind you, going through the motions but not focusing on anything, my mind unable to center itself.

People will ask questions, of course. None will be answered.

Carver won't talk, I'll make sure of it. He drew me out with his media stunt but he forgot who he's dealing with.

The bitch is back in town.

He bent me last year, now I'll break him.

The music dies down, the routine over. We had somehow pulled it off without looking awkward and uncoordinated... much. I stand there panting, regaining my wits and take it all in. The lights, the crowd, the players, the cheerleaders, even the damn buzzers.

A shadow looms over me and I look up my gaze clashing with eyes identical to mine.

One year.

Since the incident.

Since i last saw him, looked in his eyes.

Since i dragged Archer through hell and left him there.

On the outside, him and I look really similar. We're fraternal twins obviously, but share the same features. His masculine a contrast to my feminine.

Where as my eyes are vacant, his are livid. We don't show it though as we hug, because that's what's expected of us.

The fallout will happen later. It always does.

After that, time passes by slowly and after what feels like hours the game comes to an end with the Titans winning. Amidst the celebrations chaos I see Archer separate from his team and storm through the door that leads inside the building. I quickly follow him darting between people, my small size actually coming in handy for once. The sooner we have it out the better.

I'm almost at the door when someone grabs hold of me from behind and pulls me into a darkened patch near the bleachers like I weigh nothing. What in the actual... I whirl around and look up fully ready to give whoever it is a piece of my mind but can only manage to look like an idiot as my mouth opens then snaps shut when I see who it is.

It's pretty dark but i can make out most of Gage's features as he honest to god growls while glaring down at me "I think you've done enough for one night."