JUST PEACHY

jessie could be a very dramatic person when he wanted to . ( hell , sometimes even when he didn't want to be . ) either way , the clear change in mood was a little surprising to the male . truth , he didn't really actually know laken . he didn't know 𝐀𝐍𝐘𝐓𝐇𝐈𝐍𝐆 about the blonde or how he reacted to things . the two of them not really having much interactions in the time they'd known the other to exist . to jessie , laken was 𝐍𝐎𝐓𝐇𝐈𝐍𝐆 but star's twin brother . he had no other thoughts or concerns for the guy . that could've sounded a bit harsh or 𝐂𝐎𝐋𝐃 but he was sure laken himself would agree that they both didn't give the other too much thought . that they didn't really feel much concern for the other . ⏤ of course , that being said . jessie did like getting reactions out of people . stated time and time again , it didn't really matter to him the type of reaction he got . he just wanted it . he wanted something . there was this rush that ran through him whenever he did it . feeling as though his words had some kind of 𝐈𝐌𝐏𝐀𝐂𝐓 , the he was important enough , that he mattered . . . was that the truth ? it could've been or it very easily wasn't the case at all . something jessie also came to the realization of . the feeling , it faded even quicker than the initial feeling . it was 𝐅𝐋𝐄𝐄𝐓𝐈𝐍𝐆 but he still ate it up every single time . ❛ wow , i really hit a nerve , didn't i ? ❜ raising an eyebrow at the other , there was a bit of confusion on the males face . the only times he really became interested in getting to know someone . wanting a deeper look . . . it always having something to do with his 𝐎𝐖𝐍 selfish intentions . his own curiosity . wanting to know how and why people ticked the way they did so he'd have some sort of advantage . ( credit to his every growing , undying and almost suffocating worthy trust issues . ) and probably a million other issues he had . a need for an upper hand in situations that didn't even require it . ❛ are you about to cry ? ❜ less of a concern and more of curiosity . pulling out some juice from the refrigerator . juice that he had bought and put in there in the first place . jessie poured himself a glass , seemingly very 𝐔𝐍𝐀𝐅𝐅𝐄𝐂𝐓𝐄𝐃 by the others reactions or words . ❛ guess i'm just playing my role . assuming your sister told you about our little nuptials . a quickie divorce or i guess annulment and it never happened but who would i be if before i left completely , i let her live in all this . ❜ jessie motioned around , star's disorganized home . ❛ really though , you have some deep seeded trauma with shrek or something ? it's okay , this is a safe place . ❜ the words more than likely untrue .

there  was  one  grave  difference  between  the  two  twins  despite  their  shared  traumas  ,  an  existence  being  forced  to  perform  as  one  and  the  same  ;  star  moved  on  and  laken  never  could  .  the  wounds  left  behind  by  the  betrayal  his  mother  had  committed  too  deep  ,  internalised  rage  at  his  biological  family  for  the  rejection  and  abandonment  .  he  might  have  been  raised  by  his  other  dad  for  twelve  years  but  for  some  reason  it  still  seared  that  the  one  who  he  shared  dna  with  didn't  want  to  know  him  ,  not  even  meet  him  .  he  had  lost  his  dad  twice  .  once  when  he  died  and  once  when  he  realised  he  had  never  been  his  dad  at  all  ,  each  good  memory  and  all  that  love  simply  tainted  and  twisted  around  in  his  head  feeling  like  another  part  of  his  mothers  manipulation  .  could  you  love  someone  and  hate  them  at  the  same  time  ?  he  knew  that  in  a  sense  it  was  childish  and  that  all  those  memories  and  feelings  still  mattered  ,  the  underlying  happiness  that  ran  through  those  early  years  always  sneaked  smiles  by  the  fletcher  husband  ,  quality  time  spent  talking  or  watching  movies  with  sneaked  sweets  behind  the  backs  of  all  seeing  wife  .  laken  was  easy  to  break  ,  the  delicate  balance  of  his  repression  seeming  to  be  targeted  and  touched  on  in  the  most  unsuspecting  moments  but  right  then  ,  he  isn't  going  to  cry  .  he  leans  back  and  his  fingers  grip  tightly  onto  the  counter  as  he  watches  the  brown  haired  man  begin  pouring  the  juice  ,  the  lilting  sound  as  it  splashes  seeming  to  consume  him  until  suddenly  he  lets  out  a  semi  laugh  and  shakes  his  head  ,  swallowing  .  "  your  role  ?  you  don't  know  anything  about  her  .  you  don't  know  anything  about  either  of  us  but  you're  standing  in  this  kitchen  playing  some  bullshit  character  just  like  everyone  else  in  our  lives  ,  "  the  projection  far  too  real  ,  he  had  branded  jessie  long  ago  as  nothing  but  trouble  and  although  most  of  the  time  he  seemed  to  remain  on  the  outskirts  of  his  sisters  bad  decisions  ,  this  was  pushing  his  buttons  (  which  wasn't  hard  )  .  he's  still  shaking  his  head  ,  "  the  best  thing  you  can  do  for  my  sister  is  just  leave  her  alone  and  not  be  the  next  loser  she  gets  to  crash  and  burn  with  .  don't  you  see  all  the  things  that  have  happened  ?  "  not  one  to  be  protective  ,  usually  the  other  way  around  where  he  leaves  star  to  disappear  into  infamy  with  whomever  or  whatever  she  has  her  eyes  set  on  but  jessie's  prompting  had  made  him  flip  a  switch  the  way  he  always  did  when  pushed  too  far  ,  behaviour  becoming  strange  under  pressure  .  "  you  know  what  happens  when  you're  not  wanted  as  a  child  …  when  you  don't  get  to  live  your  life  …  shrek  is  really  the  least  of  your  worries  because  you  turn  into  a  fucked  up  person  who  makes  all  the  wrong  choices  …  and  there's  no  one  there  to  pick  up  the  pieces  ,  "  he's  warning  ,  judgement  against  star  rife  with  misconception  but  this  was  the  way  he  always  saw  it  .  he  saw  himself  as  someone  who  stuck  to  what  he  knew  ,  he  was  so  careful  that  he  held  himself  back  constantly  while  star  was  frighteningly  herself  .  it  scared  him  to  wonder  what  her  and  jessie  might  do  ,  memories  of  maddox  in  that  news  article  forever  scorched  into  his  mind  .

he  couldn't  help  but  laugh  ,  the  sound  bright  and  powerful  as  it  floats  out  into  the  air  .  his  joy  was  often  contagious  ,  not  just  a  passing  bout  of  laughter  but  a  deeper  feeling  that  could  envelop  those  around  him  .  "  don't  talk  to  me  about  star  .  this  is  why  i  waited  until  24  to  lose  my  virginity  and  that  ended  terrible  …  "  not  really  going  into  details  about  how  he  had  ended  up  in  an  awful  triangle  the  previous  year  .  it  was  all  in  the  past  now  although  still  somewhat  haunting  alongside  over  awkward  entanglements  he  was  still  trying  to  make  sense  of  in  his  overcrowded  brain  .  "  i  think  i'm  good  …  too  scared  …  i  might  find  out  things  about  me  that  i  didn't  even  know  and  that  will  only  make  my  brain  explode  ,  "  he  claims  although  realistically  ,  he  knows  there  isn't  much  out  there  which  he  hasn't  read  about  him  or  awfully  ,  his  sister  .  "  on  the  side  ?  don't  you  have  enough  to  deal  with  …  that  big  name  of  yours  haunting  you  forever  ?  "  he's  just  joking  but  he  does  wonder  how  it  feels  to  be  from  such  a  huge  famous  family  .  laken  only  had  one  sibling  and  a  couple  of  halves  and  that  was  more  than  enough  family  to  send  his  head  spinning  …  especially  with  his  supposed  momager  sniffing  around  .

@lakenfletcher

from  where  he  was  sitting  ,  he  noticed  the  presence  of  the  brunette  before  she  actually  spoke  .  he  would  recognise  his  close  friend  almost  anywhere  ,  eyes  bright  at  the  sight  …  always  happy  to  be  surrounded  by  people  he  cared  about  .  a  daydreamer  ,  a  lot  of  the  time  he  didn't  think  too  far  into  things  ,  "  or  it  could  be  like  a  big  treasure  hunt  .  maybe  we're  meant  to  tag  team  and  go  hunting  for  a  huge  prize  that  we  can  take  home  ,  "  he  suggests  ,  dismounting  from  his  original  position  although  in  all  honesty  ,  he  was  pretty  clueless  as  to  what  was  going  on  .  murder  just  didn't  seem  likely  .

felicity should have known better than to think she could go completely incognito tonight, naivety getting the best of her. as she nursed what had to be her third drink of the night at the hole in the wall bar she came across, a man approached her that knew exactly who she was and while she wasn't one to turn down free drinks, she certainly didn't want to hear the guy blabbering. "right." she said with a smile, chiming in to whatever god awful story he was telling as she practically glued the martini glass to her lips, chugging from the glass as she scrunched up her nose for a moment before pulling away and clearing her throat, brow raising when she noticed a familiar face, mouthing a simple 'help' towards them.

laken  and  felicity  went  way  back  ,  their  history  spanning  from  child  stardom  until  present  and  for  that  reason  ,  he  always  saw  her  as  someone  worth  his  time  .  while  he  was  often  fleeting  with  his  friendships  ,  in  and  out  and  all  around  …  he  was  good  at  heart  .  seeing  her  there  all  by  herself  and  gesturing  ,  he  quickly  launched  his  way  over  ,  no  hesitation  as  he  leaned  in  and  grabbed  her  planting  a  wet  and  slobbery  kiss  on  her  cheek  .  laken  wasn't  drunk  ,  hardly  a  drinker  in  comparison  to  most  ,  sobriety  important  to  him  and  the  out  of  control  feeling  that  alcohol  gave  not  one  that  suited  .  "  it's  good  to  see  you  .  feels  like  forever  .  hope  i'm  not  interrupting  but  i  just  feel  like  i  have  to  steal  you  away  .  you  know  …  this  evening  is  magnetic  and  we're  being  pulled  together  ,  "  he  blathered  on  .

a  social  butterfly  to  her  core  .  for  the  last  two  hours  ,  you  could  not  say  bristol  had  stayed  in  the  same  place  or  with  the  same  group  for  more  than  twenty  minutes  at  a  time  .  emerging  from  the  pool  ,  bright  eyed  and  ready  to  make  another  round  through  the  party  she  pulled  her  sweater  over  her  ,  no  regard  for  the  fact  she  was  still  soaked  in  chlorine  .  eyes  scanning  the  area  when  she  catches  a  familiar  figure  not  too  far  off  .  skipping  over  ,  her  arm  intertwines  with  his  ,  bright  smile  to  match  the  look  in  her  hazel  hues  .  "  have  you  been  hiding  from  me  or  something  ,  mr.  fletcher  ?  "  she  asks  with  a  play  on  a  pout  surfacing  .  bristol  having  always  gravitated  toward  laken  ,  for  as  long  as  she  could  seemingly  remember  .  a  friend  before  and  after  the  little  blip  of  a  relationship  that  transpired  between  the  two  .  almost  seemingly  a  fever  dream  to  the  singer  .  ( @lakenfletcher  )

a  flash  in  the  pan  was  an  accurate  description  of  most  of  his  relationships  but  he  would  always  hold  a  specific  fondness  for  bristol  .  catching  her  bright  gaze  ,  hair  dripping  with  chlorinated  water  ,  "  avoiding  you  ?  i  would  never  .  i'd  never  live  it  down  ,  "  a  fair  amount  of  calm  in  comparison  to  normal  ,  recent  weeks  seeming  to  be  a  lull  in  his  normal  bouncy  lifestyle  as  he  figured  out  his  next  move  .  standing  thee  in  his  red  swim  shorts  ,  it  wasn't  a  time  for  thoughts  deep  enough  to  make  his  head  whir  so  instead  his  face  simply  lit  up  with  a  boyish  grin  …  "  plus  i  can't  get  too  close  to  anyone  near  the  water  else  i  might  suddenly  get  the  crazy  urge  to  fling  them  in  …  and  then  i'll  get  told  off  .  "

"then he was like i am so bored of my girl and i was like shock right, he's just told me that he hasn't prosed after five years, then he has the nerve to kiss me." a hand falls to her chest as she dramatically takes another lick of the lollipop she has been nursing through this whole story. "i tell him, i ain't no home wrecker, i go home with the hot heir to something owen, next thing you know mr commitment is calling me as i wake up in bed with another guy and asking if i want to go to breakfast." another sigh was offered, her gaze now serious, for just a second before a mega watt smile appareared. "so i kick owen out, go to breakfast and mr i'd leave me girl for you spent the morning pampering me....anyway, what did you say you did this weekend again?"

laken  ,  often  fazed  by  life  itself  but  never  by  specific  people  and  their  lifestyles  ,  just  nodded  and  grinned  at  the  words  leaving  the  others  lips  .  the  dark  haired  woman  was  speaking  and  it  wasn't  too  far  off  random  things  his  sister  would  say  .  "  ahoy  ,  me  matey  …  sounds  like  a  good  time  is  afoot  ,  "  he  spoke  enthusiastically  .  tone  shifting  with  a  shrug  of  the  shoulders  when  she  asked  about  his  weekend  .  he  hadn't  been  up  to  anything  in  particular  ,  "  nothing  much  ,  just  watching  tv  …  snacking  …  the  norm  ,  "  he  really  had  been  doing  the  norm  ,  a  break  between  projects  as  he  figured  out  what  the  next  offer  to  accept  was  .  it  would  be  the  first  time  in  a  while  he  and  his  sister  were  working  completely  apart  .

“You should do it just to announce your status as the biggest beehive member that ever lived.”

it  didn't  take  a  genius  to  realise  why  they  wanted  lake  fletcher  to  be  their  guest  judge  …  at  one  point  someone  who  was  well  known  in  the  world  of  dancing  before  his  sudden  disappearance  and  early  retirement  .  he  just  laughs  in  response  ,  the  comments  made  about  him  rebounding  off  the  surface  layer  of  his  bubbly  persona  ,  golden  retriever  energy  being  about  right  .  "  yeah  …  maybe  some  twelve  year  olds  will  write  me  fan  mail  to  put  on  my  fridge  ,  "  energy  rippling  with  each  word  as  he  swings  his  arms  flippantly  around  before  rubbing  his  hands  together  ,  "  hmmm  .  good  master  plan  …  wait  for  the  live  audience  and  then  make  sure  all  my  truest  and  most  important  feelings  are  known  …  share  them  with  the  world  in  the  most  unforgettable  way  ,  "  as  if  he  would  ever  share  any  real  feelings  with  the  world  …  he  was  barely  able  to  comprehend  most  of  them  .

" i’ve been in the beehive, ” they correct with a pointed look, grabbing the bottle of mexican coca-cola as they take another sip. a balanced diet. “ just because i haven’t done one of her tik tok dances yet, doesn’t make me less of a fan. ” the idea of the two of them propping up a phone, attempting to follow the newest dance craze, was funny. though it’d mainly be val attempting and laken annoying getting it on the first try. “ you’d be great at it, ” they said, pausing as they listened to him talk about his mom. val never understood it - the whole momager thing that many of the people in the industry dealt with. their mom had no idea what they were doing - if anything, they reminded them they always had a job back at the school if they wanted. “ i’m sure she’d enjoy it. but would you ? ”

"  you've  been  in  the  beehive  and  didn't  tell  me  ?  this  is  outrageous  .  i'm  going  to  have  to  do  my  own  fan  group  ,  i'm  gonna  call  them  the  beybs  and  they're  going  to  be  an  even  bigger  deal  than  the  beehive  ,  "  lake  ,  in  his  classic  way  ,  rambles  on  about  nothing  in  particular  ,  making  jokes  and  being  dramatic  as  he  slides  off  his  cap  in  pretend  despair  .  the  comments  about  how  he  really  felt  about  his  mom  seemed  to  go  over  his  head  (  he  was  good  at  being  avoidant  ,  never  wanting  to  be  serious  until  he  exploded  )  .  "  i  enjoy  anything  that  causes  her  a  little  torment  .  nothing  life  threatening  ,  just  some  fun  surprises  ,  "  he  jokes  ,  fingertips  ruffling  through  his  own  hair  as  his  gaze  directs  back  to  the  other  with  an  easy  grin  ,  not  faked  ,  "  who  wants  to  talk  about  that  wicked  witch  ,  anyways  ?  we  have  parties  to  go  to  and  drama  to  run  away  from  .  "

amusement was evident on her features, the same way it always was when she was in laken's presence. he was a breath of FRESH air, even if she didn't always know what he was talking about. "well are you sure they were asking you to judge and not asking you to dance?" celebrity guest was a bit vague though she supposed the conversation would have been going differently if he was nervous about dancing. though she couldn't help but laugh, "you'll do just fine. you're funny and animated. they just want a fresh perspective. just talk to the cameras like you talk to the trees."

laken  had  grown  up  with  some  of  the  kennedys  ,  his  mother  making  sure  that  they  had  as  much  of  an  in  as  possible  everywhere  they  went  .  he  was  easy  to  get  along  with  ,  a  figure  that  was  harmless  ,  bubbly  and  all  over  the  place  .  "  funny  and  animated  ?  you're  complimenting  me  too  much  now  ,  "  he's  joking  ,  moving  forwards  on  a  lull  when  a  grin  spreads  across  his  face  .  "  they  weren't  asking  me  to  dance  .  everyone  knows  i  don't  dance  ,  "  a  tribute  to  the  high  school  musical  era  that  needed  to  be  appreciated  although  the  reasons  for  his  sudden  end  in  the  dancing  world  remain  unknown  (  for  now  )  .  "  yeah  …  i  think  i  can  nail  it  .  i'll  practice  on  you  while  i'm  warming  up  .  what  could  go  wrong  ?  i  mean  …  you're  like  a  step  up  from  a  tree  .  "

❛ hmm , ❜ jessie raised his eyebrows at the other , jumping off the counter . he turned back around to place some items he felt went nicely in the cabinet in front of him before turning back around to look at laken . ❛ i don't know ? looks to me like you're more shrek than even you'd like to 𝐀𝐃𝐌𝐈𝐓 . ❜ jessie definitely knew what he was doing . he knew that for whatever reason , this shrek thing was driving laken crazy and that was exactly why he kept pestering him about it . it seemed to be in the males nature , wanting to be the cause of different reactions out of people . it didn't really matter if the reactions were good or bad . . . it was all entertaining to jessie . something to keep things interesting in his day as well as giving him the 𝐀𝐓𝐓𝐄𝐍𝐓𝐈𝐎𝐍 he desired ninety - nine percent of the time . besides , it made it even more endearing because this particular human being happened to share a certain someone with him . ❛ by your own rules and insight into shrek , he can't dance . your words , right ? correct me if i'm wrong . but it looks a lot to me like you can't dance either . a true dancer wouldn't be able to resist the urge of beyoncé . they'd have to bust a move . meaning , you're shrek . ❜ jessie said , speaking like he was all knowing in everything he was spewing . ❛ hey , don't get me wrong . i like shrek , he's an icon , a 𝐁𝐄𝐋𝐎𝐕𝐄𝐃 character . ❜ walking over to laken , jessie reached over and patted his shoulder . ❛ i only want the best for my little brother . ❜ the male joked , not explaining why he had just called laken his little brother . ❛ you want some juice ? you need some juice , it'll make you feel better . ❜ jessie spoke in an almost patronizing way .

laken  fletcher  was  known  for  his  charmingly  placated  nature  ,  a  free  spirit  that  would  open  his  mouth  and  belt  his  lungs  out  …  there  was  no  real  fear  when  it  came  to  his  boyish  charm  .  it  was  only  when  pushed  or  challenged  ,  in  times  of  conflict  that  took  more  than  a  dazzling  smile  that  he  seemed  to  fall  completely  apart  .  laken  found  it  near  impossible  to  deal  with  any  emotional  turmoil  ,  a  life  of  avoiding  any  difficult  emotions  by  simply  disappearing  …  he  can't  dance  ,  your  words  ,  right  ?  not  something  that  should  stir  some  big  reaction  from  a  grown  adult  but  his  emotional  capacity  was  always  low  and  somehow  in  the  comfort  of  his  own  twin  sisters  home  ,  he  felt  more  under  fire  than  ever  ,  unable  to  use  his  normal  cloudy  escapism  .  eyes  burning  bright  blue  with  an  unspoken  and  unreachable  emotion  ,  the  glaze  is  clear  from  a  mile  away  and  so  is  the  slight  tension  in  his  jaw  as  blonde  eyebrows  furrow  and  lightly  freckled  features  become  distorted  with  annoyance  .  it  wasn't  his  signature  look  .  "  stop  saying  that  i'm  like  shrek  !  it's  so  dumb  ,  "  he's  confused  by  the  offer  of  juice  ,  watching  the  other  referring  to  him  as  little  brother  sending  a  shiver  down  his  spine  .  he  already  had  one  sister  who  was  always  doing  the  wrong  things  and  other  siblings  not  to  be  spoken  of  .  the  last  thing  he  needed  was  jessie  in  his  life  and  it  was  enough  to  almost  make  him  want  to  blow  his  top  ,  throw  a  tantrum  and  storm  out  of  that  place  but  finding  some  semblance  of  calm  ,  "  i  don't  want  juice  .  i  want  you  to  shut  your  mouth  and  stop  talking  shit  about  things  you  know  nothing  about  while  you  pretend  to  be  some  weird  house  husband  in  my  sisters  house  ,  "  not  a  hard  limit  on  where  laken  would  go  with  his  words  but  he  wasn't  saying  anything  that  was  untrue  .  he  didn't  know  what  went  on  with  jessie  and  star  ,  he  didn't  want  to  know  …  he  didn't  want  to  be  tied  to  most  of  the  men  involved  with  her  for  now  ,  never  mind  life  .  the  comparisons  might  have  been  funny  but  he  was  sensitive  ,  the  residual  memories  of  his  father  lightly  touched  with  a  ten  inch  pole  at  the  mention  of  the  infamous  movies  .  shrekcore  might  have  been  something  to  laugh  about  but  like  sunburn  ,  lake's  grief  never  really  healed  because  he  kept  walking  right  back  into  the  uv  rays  and  pretending  it  wasn't  happening  .

“They shrieked and shrieked for their mother, but their mother was already there. Their mother was the monster.” ― Holly Black, The Coldest Girl in Coldtown

organizing star's kitchen , while laken was going on about dancing with the stars . jessie was half listening as he picked the perfect places to put star's belongings . why was he doing it ? no good reason . . . but if he had to be in that home any longer and it was in the amount of 𝐃𝐈𝐒𝐀𝐑𝐑𝐀𝐘 it was in . . . ( he'd spontaneously combust . ) jessie's attention was caught as the idea popped in his head . setting the pans down , he turned around to look at laken . an almost 𝐄𝐗𝐂𝐈𝐓𝐄𝐃 look flashed over his features . ❛ you know what you can do ? ❜ jessie began , hands moving behind him as he placed them on the counter behind him and lifted himself up on it . legs dangling off the side . ❛ dance ! ❜ jessie being jessie , he wasn't joking in the slightest as he pulled out his phone and turned on the first beyoncé song that popped up on spotify . ❛ let's fucking see those moves , shrek boy ! ❜ jessie spoke , his words coming out hype as beyoncé's ( cuff it ) played in the background .

commonly  a  very  easy  going  guy  ,  laken  hadn't  even  started  out  by  asking  why  jessie  was  in  his  sisters  kitchen  .  despite  their  differences  ,  half  the  time  laken  just  didn't  want  to  ask  jessie  anything  because  he  probably  didn't  want  to  know  the  answer  .  he  was  rarely  a  cause  for  drama  himself  (  except  that  one  time  )  .  he  was  almost  on  the  verge  of  a  laugh  as  jessie  began  but  that  was  soon  swiftly  destroyed  by  the  dreaded  nickname  that  was  given  to  him  once  again  .  his  sisters  encouragement  that  shrek  was  '  shreksy  '  these  days  and  girls  wanted  to  fuck  him  doing  nothing  for  his  fragile  ego  .  it  was  surprising  that  someone  like  laken  who  was  so  unconcerned  about  things  and  carefree  on  the  surface  would  be  so  upset  over  something  so  trivial  and  yet  …  "  dude  ,  why  do  you  keep  calling  me  shrek  ?  i  don't  even  look  like  shrek  .  shrek  can't  even  dance  .  he's  a  big  ugly  green  ogre  and  i'm  not  !  i'm  a  normal  looking  blonde  haired  man  .  it  doesn't  even  make  sense  .  "

“ i’d be like me forgetting chords, ” val argued, sitting up fully on the couch. even though lake new he wouldn’t just forget, they weren’t above some words of affirmation. “ it’s muscle memory, baby. ” they wanted to argue that hoping on the beehive train now was so many years late, but settled with a small smile. " hell, i’ll even do my best at a beyonce routine if you wanted. ” let it be noted how good of a friend val is - considering they have two left feet when it comes to anything choreographed. they’re much better behind a guitar or on a club dance floor. “  so do you think you’ll do it? ” they asked, grabbing a handful of cheetos out of the bag on the table. not ready to let him avoid the question. “ guest judge? ” 

he  takes  this  as  an  answer  because  it  is  one  ,  a  small  laugh  leaving  his  lips  as  he  raises  his  eyebrows  .  the  cheetos  crunch  away  ,  cheeto  fingers  incorporated  into  their  lives  now  .  "  you  dancing  to  bey  ?  joining  the  beehive  ?  "  it  sounded  like  a  great  idea  to  him  ,  the  idea  of  them  breaking  down  that  dance  routine  something  that  would  bring  him  no  end  of  joy  and  so  he  would  be  encouraging  it  .  not  questioning  further  the  reason  for  him  being  requested  as  a  guest  judge  for  that  moment  .  "  i  don't  know  …  like  …  maybe  ,  "  a  pause  ,  he  laughs  again  ,  "  it  would  be  kind  of  funny  and  i  could  surprise  my  mom  .  that'd  get  her  going  …  she'd  be  calling  all  her  friends  ,  "  the  twins  mother  someone  that  you  did  not  want  to  mess  with  ,  always  pressing  her  kids  for  fame  …  laken  would  like  to  surprise  her  like  that  .

lounging on their couch, a bowl long forgotten next to them, val let out a laugh as their gaze was torn from the ceiling. “ wait, wait - ” it took them a moment to catch up to his ramblings, trying to follow him from dancing to yelling at trees. “ of course they asked you. ” he was acting as if it came out of no where, as if they asked val to guest judge. “ years of dancing would make you a pretty good judge, right ? ” leaning up on their elbows, they fully turned their body to their friend, momentarily brought back to a different point. “ do they actually dance to beyonce? i don’t think i’ve ever actually seen the show. ” 

dimensionally  ,  a  lot  of  things  made  sense  but  for  whatever  reason  ,  laken  seemed  to  struggle  to  understand  why  he  was  wanted  (  talk  about  daddy  issues  )  .  he  leaned  forwards  ,  a  semi  serious  expression  as  he  raises  his  shoulders  ,  "  i  guess  but  i  haven't  danced  in  a  while  .  what  if  i  forgot  how  to  move  my  feet  ?  "  something  that  would  never  happen  and  they  both  knew  it  ,  lake  taking  random  opportunities  to  dance  or  do  his  little  tricks  .  sometimes  he  just  said  things  for  no  apparent  reason  ,  pretending  that  he  was  concerned  when  his  head  was  full  of  air  and  ground  breaking  concerns  about  unrelated  matters  .  "  i  don't  know  but  if  i'm  a  judge  then  someone  better  be  dancing  to  beyonce  .  i'm  part  of  the  beehive  now  .  bey  is  my  queen  and  she  needs  to  be  worshipped  on  stage  .  "

in  a  dishevelled  state  (  no  different  from  normal  )  ,  she  let  out  a  groan  from  the  sofa  as  she  listened  to  her  brother  talk  about  god  knows  what  .  her  head  was  pounding  and  she  was  only  able  to  make  sense  of  every  other  word  ,  some  kind  of  rambling  about  dancing  and  beyonce  that  she  really  didn't  care  about  .  she  might  have  been  more  interested  if  she  was  less  hungover  but  everyone  knew  that  all  star  and  laken  did  was  argue  (  forget  twin  telepathy  ,  these  two  couldn't  have  been  less  intuitive  about  one  another  )  .  sitting  upright  or  at  least  close  ,  "  lake  …  can't  you  see  i'm  dying  over  here  .  did  you  come  here  just  to  torment  me  with  the  sound  of  your  voice  ?  "  groaning  ,  "  how  am  i  meant  to  live  like  this  ?  "

today  laken  was  absolutely  convinced  that  his  sister  would  not  get  under  his  skin  ,  in  a  brilliant  ,  buzzing  mood  ,  some  might  say  ,  on  top  of  the  world  …  nothing  could  bring  him  down  …  even  beyonce  not  being  acknowledged  right  there  .  "  i  don't  know  but  it  seems  like  you're  going  to  get  through  it  by  complaining  ,  "  he  says  ,  fingers  on  glass  which  he  brings  to  her  in  servitude  to  hydrate  her  and  stop  her  from  being  on  deaths  door  .  laken  loved  star  although  she  pushed  all  his  buttons  …  mainly  because  he  was  always  trying  and  failing  to  tell  her  what  to  do  as  if  he  had  any  clue  what  was  going  on  in  his  life  .  his  sister  was  the  only  family  member  he  felt  he  had  left  and  when  he  releases  the  water  ,  he  sits  down  beside  her  ,  "  aren't  you  going  to  bounce  back  from  this  and  hang  out  with  me  ?  i'm  bored  …  i  need  someone  to  drink  slushies  with  …  i  wanted  to  play  a  prank  at  the  mcdonalds  drive  thru  .  "