=Chapter One=The Big Idea=

I wanted to scream when I found what I was looking for.  I shook my head and stormed out into the kitchen.  I saw my twin sister sitting on a stool reading a magazine.  As I walked over toward her she glanced up and gave me a smile.  Her smile quickly fell when she saw that I wasn’t happy.

“What’s wrong, Lo?” Kenzie asked.  I didn’t answer.  I threw the small container on the counter in front of her.  It landed on top of the open magazine.  Her eyes widened when she saw what was lying in front of her.  Kenzie looked up at me.

“What is it, Kenzie?  And you better pray to God that it’s not what I think it is.” Kenzie lowered her head.

I knew exactly what it was.  There was no second guessing.  I knew it was cocaine.  She’d done it before but she’d stopped or so we thought.  We’d all trusted her and figured that she’d stopped since she looked healthier than before.

But the more I stared at my sister the more I knew that wasn’t true either.  Her red hair was dull and her skin was pale.  Her blue eyes, which were usually exactly like mine, were now dull and hallow.  She was starting to loose weight.  It wasn’t much but it was enough that I could notice.  Since she and I were almost exactly the same shape, I had a slightly larger bust than she did but other than that we were pretty much the same.

“Lola, I can explain…” Kenzie said in almost a whisper as she looked back up at me.  I just continued to stare at her waiting for her answer.  I could see the tears welling up in her eyes.  I sighed and walked around the counter.  I sat down in the stool next to her.  I reached out and rubbed her shoulder.

“Tell me the truth, Kenzie, did you ever stop?” I asked calmly.  I knew she was on the verge of tears.  Any moment she could breakdown and loose it.  Hell, I knew at any moment I could do the same.

Almost that the very moment I asked her the question she burst into tears.  I pulled her into my arms and let her cry on my shoulder.  We sat there in silence for a while.  I didn’t know what to say.  I just figured it was probably the best thing not to say anything.  Just to let her get all of the tension and fear out.

“God, Lola, I’m so scared,” Kenzie whimpered into my shoulder.  I smoothed her hair and hushed her.

“We’re going to get through this, all right, Kenz.  I promise,” I whispered as I rubbed her back.  She continued to cry for several more minutes.  She soon stopped and sat up.  Kenzie wiped the tears off her face and looked at me.  She gave me a small smile and I returned the gesture. “It’s going to be all right.  I promise.” She nodded slightly and looked at the ground. “You have to tell Mom and Dad, you know.”

“Yeah I know,” she whispered.

=

“No, Ken, I’m not doing it.  There is no way,” I practically screamed as I drove toward our parents’ house.  We were driving there so Kenzie could tell our parents’ that she was still doing cocaine.

“Please, Lola.  It will only be for a short period of time.  Not really long.” I shook my head. There was no way in hell that I was going to do it.  Kenzie wanted me to pose as her while she was in rehab.  She knew our parents were going to send her.  Kenzie didn’t want the media getting wind of her drug abuse so she wanted me to pretend to be her.

Me, Lola Stevens, the shy one.  The one that would rather be in the background than be in the center.  I’d rather blend into the shadows than stand in the center of the room and get all of the attention.  She knew that but yet she was asking me to pretend to be her.  It was a crazy idea and she knew it.

“No, McKenzie, I’m not pretending to be you.  You know I want nothing to do with the spotlight.  I can’t stand the business you’re in.  That’s why I went into med school,” I explained.  Kenzie looked over at me and began begging.  I shook my head. “No, so drop it.”

After a few moments we arrived at our parents’ house.  I pulled into the driveway and parked the car.  I turned off the engine and took off my seatbelt.  I climbed out of the car and started toward the front door.  I glanced over my shoulder to see if Kenzie was coming and she was, slowly.  I reached the door and waited for her.  After a few moments she made it up to the door.  I shook my head and opened up the door and gestured for her to go inside.  She stepped into the house and called for our parents.

I took a deep breath.  This was going to be a big deal.  Of course, it should be but it was going to be even worse because our mother lost her brother to cocaine.  We never met our Uncle John; he died several years before we were even thought about.  I knew my mother would be crying when she heard the news.  I knew Kenzie would be too.  I just hoped that I wouldn’t breakdown with them.

“What’s wrong, girls?” Mom asked.  I looked over at Kenzie, who was biting her lower lip and playing with her hair.  I walked over toward the couch and sat down.

“Mom, Kenzie has something she needs to tell you,” I said as I looked at my mother.  She glanced at me then back at my sister.  I could see that she was nervous.  She rested her hands on Kenzie’s shoulders.

“Mom, Dad…I…I need your help,” she whispered as she looked down at the ground as our father walked into the room.

“What is it, dear?” Dad asked as he walked over and sat next to me.  I held my breath as Kenzie started to tell our parents what was going on.

“I…I’m still…doing cocaine…an-and I need help to stop,” Kenzie whispered.  I watched the tears form in my mother’s eyes and start to run down her cheeks.

“What?  Kenzie, how could you do this?  You…you said you stopped.  We trusted you.  How could you let this happen?”

My mother looked like she wanted to strangle Kenzie and I think she would have if it wasn’t for my father getting up and going over to her.  She wrapped her arms around him and cried on his chest.  Kenzie continued to look down at the ground.  I finally let out the breath that I’d been holding.

“What are we going to do about this?” Dad asked as he looked at Kenzie.  She looked up at him and bit her lower lip.

“I…I have an idea,” Kenzie said softly.  I looked over at her and glared.  I knew she was going to bring up her big idea but there was no way that I was going to do it.

“No, Kenzie, I’m not doing it.  I told you that,” I practically yelled as I stood up.  All three of them turned and looked at me.

“What is she talking about, Kenzie?” Mom asked as she looked at me then at Kenzie.  Kenzie sighed.

“Well…since Lola and I are identical twins…I was thinking that she could…pose as me while I’m in rehab.  I mean I don’t want to media to get a hold of this.  They’ll have a field day with it,” Kenzie explained. 

I shook my head and folded my arms over my chest.  I couldn’t believe that she was actually telling them her outlandish plan.  She knew they were never going to go for it.  It would be lying and they were totally against that.  So you can believe my shock when I hear my mother say that she thinks that it might actually work.

“That might work, we might be able to pull it off,” she said.  I almost fell to the ground when I heard her say that.

“You’re kidding me right?  Mom, you can’t be serious.  This is the stupidest idea she’s ever come up with.”

“Now Lola, don’t be so rude.” I rolled my eyes.

“Why should I get tangled up in the rope that she’s got around her neck?  She’s the one that’s tightening the noose and I want nothing to do with it.”

“Lola, Kenzie has done many things for you over the years,” our mother said.  I looked at her with a ‘yeah right’ look on my face.

“I’m sorry but I refuse to lower myself to her level.  I refuse to do it,” I said as I walked out of the room.  I wasn’t going to take anymore of this.  There was no way I was going to pose as my sister and dance around in skimpy ass outfits and watch men and some women stare at me.  I have enough problems just getting up to give a speech in class.  How was I supposed to act like Kenzie and wear what she wears?  There was no way that I was going to do this.  I have enough trouble wearing a bathing suit.  How does she expect me to act when I have to wear stuff skimpier than a bathing suit?