Branna stalked out of the room, shooing our three other sons away from the doorway where they were eavesdropping. They needed showers because they stuck to the high heavens, apart from Alfie because he didn’t go to his game, he spent the day in Alec’s house instead. Once Branna gave them their marching orders, they filed up the stairs, and my wife followed to run a bath for Israel who didn’t like taking showers on his own yet.
I stared down at my twins, and said, “Do either of you enjoying hurting your mother?”
“Don’t be stupid,” Jules scowled. “Ye’ know we don’t.”
“So what exactly did you think fighting in front of her was going to result in?”
“We didn’t know she was home,” Nixon answered. “We thought she was out, and by the time we realised she was home, we were already fightin’.”
“About that,” I said. “What made you guys beat the crap out of one another?”
“Because he,” Jules spat, “is not me brother.”
Nixon didn’t answer. Instead, he looked down at the table.
“He’s not your brother?” I repeated. “There’s another reason you’re identical twins then?”
Neither of my boys were amused.
“I don’t care if we’re twins, and that we look the exact same, he’s nothin’ to me. Nothin’.”
Nixon flinched, and I’d be lying if I said my heart didn’t break a little.
“Care to expand on why you’re saying such hurtful things?”
“Ask him,” Jules answered, his tone clipped. “He’s the one who mucked everythin’ up.”
I looked at Nixon and waited.
He glared at his twin, and said, “It was an accident.”
“Bollocks,” Jules snapped. “How d’ye accidentally kiss me girlfriend, Nix?”
“Whoa.” I blinked. “You kissed his girlfriend, Nixon? Wait, you have a girlfriend, Jules?”
“Not anymore because she’s a cheatin’ bitch!”
“It was an accident,” Nixon repeated. “It wasn’t Avery’s fault.”
“Explain,” I said.
“Our game finished about twenty minutes before the others, so that’s why we walked home instead of waitin’ around with you and the others,” Nixon began. “I was waitin’ outside the clubhouse for Jules when his girlfriend, Avery, came runnin’ up to me. She jumped on me and kissed me before I knew what was happenin’. I lost all train of thought for literally three or four seconds and kissed ‘er back until I realised just who she was and what the hell was happenin’. I put ‘er down and told ‘er I wasn’t Jules, and ‘er face dropped. She thought I was ‘im, I could tell by the look on ‘er face. She has trouble tellin’ us apart still. She begged me not to tell Jules because it was an accident, but we don’t keep secrets from each other, so I told ‘im when we got home. He punched me in the face, so I hit ‘im back and then ye’ got home and stopped it.”
Jules stared at his brother, and said, “Why the hell didn’t ye’ start by sayin’ she thought ye’ were me?”
“I was startin’ from the start of what happened, but ye’ hit me before I could get to the part that is was a misunderstandin’.”
Jules shook his head. “Nixon, ye’ made it sound like both of ye’ mutually kissed.”
“Because ye’ swung at me before I could finish me sentence and say it was all an accident,” Nixon argued. “Ye’ always overreact.”
“So ye’ didn’t wanna kiss Avery?” Jules pressed.
“No, I didn’t wanna bloody kiss ‘er,” Nixon quipped. “She’s your girlfriend. I’ve no interest in ‘er like that, and even if I did, I’d never act on it because you are with ‘er. Ye’ say I’m not your brother, but I would never mess around with a girl you’re with. Never. I’m mad that ye’ would even hit me over a girl. Ye’ didn’t even give me a chance to explain it, Jules.”
Nixon, who was rightfully upset, got up and walked out of the kitchen, leaving his brother to stare after him. After a minute of silence, Jules looked at me, and said, “I messed up.”
“Yeah,” I said. “But you can fix it, go and apologise to him.”
“I said he was nothin’ to me, Da.” He swallowed. “Nixon loves that we’re twins, he always has. He loves me more than anyone, even Georgie ... well, maybe he loves me the same amount as ‘er. She’s everyone’s favourite.”
My lips twitched. “He knows you spoke out of anger.”
“Yeah,” Jules agreed, “but I shouldn’t have said he wasn’t me brother. He’s right, no one girl should ever come between us. I should have listened to ‘im from the jump. I know Nix would never want to hurt me, but I just got so mad when I thought of ‘im kissin’ Avery, and I lost it.”
“Speaking of Avery,” I said. “Who said you could have a girlfriend?”
Jules widened his eyes. “I’m not allowed to have a girlfriend ... seriously?”
“You’re fourteen.”
“So?” he pressed. “It’s not like we do anythin’ sexual. I mean, she only let me kiss ‘er for the first time the other day, and I’ve been with ‘er for four months.”