VIOLET'S POV

December 27th, 1959. 4:30 PM. Denver Hospital

Huh. I need to paint my nails. They're really bad. I never let them get this chipped! Well, I suppose getting into a plane crash does that to you.

I prop my feet up on Buddy's hospital bed. I don't see why they haven't given up and just given Buddy and I a room together. I'm always in his room anyway.

The door to Buddy's hospital room swings open and in trots Juliet, Russ, and Mr. and Mrs. Holley.

My eyes go wide. "Holy shit!"

"Holy shit is right! Are y'all okay?" Ella asks as she rushes to Buddy's bed. She places a hand on his forehead. "Oh, Buddy! You scared the life outta me!"

Buddy laughs half heartedly. "Sorry, I was a bit busy hopin' my leg wasn't gonna get amputated, I forgot t'call."

"It's fine now, honey. You're safe now. Momma's here."

Ella's motherly instincts kicked in hard, I see. None of her kids have ever been hurt so badly. Plus Buddy's her youngest, of course she's going to go into Mama Bear mode.

"Vi!" Juliet finally squeals as she rushes over. "Are you okay?"

"As okay as I can be, I suppose,"

Juliet awkwardly wraps her arms around me. She's still standing and I'm still sitting. "You can't die! Who else would I have to look just like in the world?"

"You know most people don't have someone who looks just like them, right?"

"Whatever, Vi. I'm just glad you're okay. You too, Buddy. We all know Vi'd die without you."

"Especially now that she's-" he mumbles, but cuts himself off.

I shoot him a subtle glare. I'll tell Juliet I'm pregnant when I'm ready for her to know.

Juliet looks suspicious but shrugs it off. "We brought you your presents!"

Russ, now wearing a Santa cap, grabs a a couple of wrapped boxes from the hallway. "Merry Christmas!"

I smile and shake my head. "You didn't have to-"

"Hush, Vi, we were going to give tou them in Lubbock but you didn't quite make it there, did you?" Juliet says, pulling up a chair next to me.

"Sorry we didn't make it, we were too busy narrowly avoiding death." I reply.

"We brought some things for y'all, too!" Ella exclaims. "We brought Buddy an extra pair of glasses incase y'all didn't pack 'em for the tour. I see you did, but it never hurts to have spares!"

"Thanks, ma. I'm sorry we don't got anything for y'all, we were gonna grab some last minute stuff once we got down there," Buddy says, frowning.

"Don't even worry about it!" Ella says. "I'm just glad y'all are okay."

Russ sets down the couple of boxes and pulls up a chair as well. "It was quite the hassle getting your parents to take the twins,"

Juliet nods. "You have no clue. We begged them."

"You guys didn't have to come," I reply glancing at Buddy. I can't quite gauge his feelings right now. I hate it when I can't tell what he's feeling. I hate it.

Juliet ignores my statement. "I wish Russ' parents lived closer."

"You and me both, baby," Russ sighs.

"Where do your folks live?" L.O asks. First words he's said since he arrived

"Oh, back in Indiana. I only moved down to Lubbock for school, but then I dropped out and just didn't go back home."

Juliet hands me a small box. "Here, let's open these and get them out of the way." She hands Buddy one too.

We tear open the packaging and I see that mine is a cute little nail kit. Clippers, cuticle pushers, a couple of polishes, a file, and a top coat. Of course she knew I needed to do my nails. She always knows.

Buddy's consists of four separate ties, all with pretty little designs on them. One is a dark purple color with 'BH' embroidered in it.

Juliet hands me the other box, which is very small. It looks like a ring box or something. She hands Buddy another box as well.

I open it and it is a jewelry box of some sort. I open it and there lies an adorable necklace with two hoops attached to each other. Under it, it says 'Twingenuity
Noun
1. The universe's magical way of giving two for the price of one.
2. The exponential power of two, whose incredible force can never be stopped.
3. Unparalleled synergy between two literal best friends forever.
4. The most incredible, unstoppable love on the planet.'

I smile widely and look to her. She pulls a matching necklace out of her shirt. "I thought that even if we've been growing apart, and that even though we're so far away, we're always going to be connected, and this is a symbol of that connection."

"I suppose we have to be connected through necklaces. Having the same DNA doesn't quite qualify us," I tease.

She scowls at me then starts giggling. "Not just the same, but identical DNA!"

I giggle along with her. "Only ones in the world!"

"Hey, did you talk to Vincent?" She suddenly asks.

I shake my head. "I haven't for a while. Why?"

"I don't know. Something's off with him, I can feel it in my heart."

"Me too," I say. "It's been bugging me for a while but I just don't have time to get ahold of him. Did he go to Lubbock for Christmas?"

"No, he stayed in California. Celebrated with Linda's family. I think he proposed,"

"Oh! He did?"

"I imagine so. She definitely would have said yes if he did."

I purse my lips. I love Vincent more than anything, he's my brother, but he's done a couple of things that I haven't been mature enough to forgive him for yet.

August 5th, 1955. 11:03pm. The Winter Backyard

"Yeah, so he started kissing my neck," Adalyn giggles. "God, I love it when he kisses my neck. It gets me going like nothing else,"

I laugh and pour some more spiked punch into my cup. "Me too, girl. One of my favorite things in the world,"

She slings an arm around my shoulders. "Vi, I love you so much, you're the best friend I could ask for. The fact that your parents are loaded certainly helps," she jokes. "And that your backyard is a prime 'End of Summer' party location. I can't believe everyone's leaving for college already!"

"I'm not leaving," I say, wrapping my arm around her waist. "I'm staying right here,"

"Yeah but you're working in the hospital already! I still have another year of school!"

"I'm not even a real nurse, Ada. I'm a CNA, and not even a registered one at that. The only reason I even got in was because my dad vouched for me."

"Yeah, I suppose. I'm gonna be a real nurse,"

"And a great one at that," I smile.

I take another sip of my drink and look around the yard. A bunch of my former classmates are here, all saying their farewells and having one last blast together before shipping off all over the country for college.

Luckily for me, Buddy is staying here in Lubbock. He's gotten a recording contract and is about to drag me and the boys off to Nashville to have their first recording session. While he's gaining traction for his music, he's simply working with his brother.

Vincent is getting ready to head to Stanford in California to study engineering. He would've been much closer to home and would've saved a lot of money if he would just stay here and go to Texas Tech, but he insisted on getting as far away as possible. I can't blame him. I want nothing more than to get away, but I'm staying here, with Buddy, until we can get really married and move.

Juliet met a man named Russ a couple of months ago. He's working in construction and she's been staying at his apartment more than at our house lately. She's already practically a housewife, and they're not engaged or married yet. They've just been steady since June. Not that I can complain that she's never home, I've practically lived with Buddy and his folks since I got out of the psych ward. Half because Dr. Maddison recommended I removed myself from things that make me sad (i.e my parents) and put myself with things that make me happy (i.e Buddy), and half because Buddy wouldn't let me be alone for two months after I was released. Hell, for the first couple weeks, he sat in the bathroom with me while I showered.

Adalyn's staying local and finishing her nursing degree at Texas Tech, Bob got some sort of labor job, and Cara's going to Texas Tech to be an elementary school teacher. Atleast my close friends are staying near me.

My eyes land on Vincent, downing two shots, and then furiously stumbling across the yard.

He makes it to Buddy and stands straight up. "Buddy-"

Buddy turns around and smiles at him. "Hey!"

"Buddy, I love you!" Vincent blurts, turning bright red.

"I love you too, man!" Buddy smiles, putting his arms out for a hug. "You're great!"

Vincent suddenly grabs Buddy's face and pulls him into him, kissing his lips hard.

I blink and shake my head, trying to see if I saw that correctly.

Yep. I sure did.

Buddy's eyes are wide and Vincent keeps going.

I shove Adalyn off of me and drop my cup on the ground, turning and running inside the back door and up to my room.

I hear Buddy yell and start to follow me up.

I lock my room door and plop on my bed, tears slowly falling.

Buddy tries to open the door, and starts knocking. "Vi! Baby! Let me in, please, I love you-"

"Go away!" I reply, hastily wiping my tears.

"Vi, please, I didn't want that!"

"You sure didn't pull away!"

"Because I was too shocked! I'm sorry!"

"Leave me alone!"

I hear him slide down the door and sit down outside. "Please..."

"Just let me think! Just let me figure this out, okay!" I yell. Am I over reacting? Why the hell is Vincent kissing my boyfriend? Why the hell isn't my boyfriend pulling away?

"Vi...I love you... I didn't want it...I was too shocked..."

"Go away!"

"I'm gonna stay here until you come out, baby. I'm so sorry,"

"Leave!"

"No, I'm staying here and we'll talk when you're ready, okay?"

It's amazing how fast you sober up when your heart breaks.

"Doll, I swear, I didn't comprehend what was happenin', I was too shocked, I love you,"

I don't respond. I just lay face down in my pillow, muffling my sobs.

Buddy stays quiet outside. The only reason I know he's still there is because I can see his shadow below the crack of the door.

I don't know how much time has passed. I just know that the sun is ever so slowly coming up.

"Vi, please..." Buddy finally says. "I need you..."

I don't respond. I continue staring blankly at my ceiling. Am I being over dramatic? I have to be. He didn't want it. Or did he?

What if he did? What if he's been using me to get to Vincent all this time?

I don't care if Vincent likes men. I don't fucking care. I do care if he likes MY man. I care if he likes the man I intend on spending my life with.

I've never thought about my life without Buddy in it. I never thought I'd make it past 18, but now that I have, Buddy's always been part of my future.

But what if he isn't? What if I'm stuck nursing for the rest of my life while my brother runs off with the love of my life?

What if all those songs he wrote...what if they were about Vincent?

What if he never loved me?

I've done everything for him. Everything I could. I saved up for months to get him that amp he wanted. I supported him in everything. I gave up my relationship with my parents for him. I got married him at age seventeen. I even went to a fucking psych ward for him.

And what if it was all for nothing?