Twin Trouble: I Fake-Dated My Brother’s Best Friend for Revenge

When sibling rivalry goes too far, sometimes the best revenge leads to unexpected love.

Chapter One: The Juice Incident

The juice was cold in my hand—orange-mango, Sammy’s favorite—and for one beautiful moment, I savored the anticipation. Then I dumped the entire can on my twin brother’s head.

“ALEXIS!”

Orange liquid dripped down his face, soaking into the white sofa cushions that Mom had just had professionally cleaned. Sammy shot up, sputtering and furious, his video game controller clattering to the floor.

I was already running.

“GET BACK HERE!”

I grabbed the baseball bat from the hallway closet—purely for intimidation purposes, mostly—and spun around just as Sammy came charging after me. That’s when Mom walked in from the garage, arms full of grocery bags, and froze.

“Alexis Marie Thompson, what on earth are you doing to your brother?”

“Your ‘poor baby,'” I said, putting as much venom into those words as possible, “locked me in the Holloway House. The abandoned one down the street. The one everyone says is haunted. I was stuck there for three hours, Mom. THREE HOURS.”

Mom’s eyes widened, but before she could respond, Sammy limped forward with an exaggerated grimace, clutching his foot.

“Mom, my toe—I hurt it really bad earlier. It’s been killing me all afternoon. I was just trying to rest and Alexis attacked me for no reason.”

“No reason? You LOCKED ME IN A HAUNTED HOUSE!”

“I can barely walk, Mom. The pain is—”

“Oh, you’re about to be in a lot more pain than that,” I started forward, but Mom stepped between us.

“Enough! Alexis, put down that bat right now. Stop bullying your brother.”

“Bullying? He literally—”

“Your brother is injured. Go to your room. We’ll discuss this later.”

I stood there, mouth open, searching for words that wouldn’t come. Sammy smirked at me over Mom’s shoulder, his “injured” foot suddenly able to support his full weight just fine.

“Unbelievable,” I muttered, throwing the bat onto the couch and storming upstairs.

In my room, I grabbed my phone and opened my notes app, adding to the ever-growing list I’d titled “Why Having a Twin Brother Is Literal Hell.”

The list was three pages long.

Chapter Two: The Science Lab Incident

My name is Alexis Thompson, and I’ve been competing with my twin brother since the moment we were born. Actually, since before that—Sammy came out ten minutes earlier and apparently decided that made him superior in every possible way.

He’s never let me forget those ten minutes. Not once.

But it wasn’t just Sammy who treated those ten minutes like they mattered. Our parents—especially Mom—had always favored him. It wasn’t that they hated me or anything that dramatic. They loved me. I knew that. But Sammy was special. Sammy was the golden child. Sammy could do no wrong.

By the time we hit high school, Sammy had perfected the art of being insufferable. He and Nathan ruled the sophomore class—popular, athletic, the kind of boys who made teachers laugh at their jokes even when they weren’t funny.

I, meanwhile, had become invisible. Just “Sammy’s sister.” The quiet twin. The one who didn’t matter.

I told myself I didn’t care. I had my books, my straight-A grades, my carefully cultivated interests that had nothing to do with my brother. I joined the Poetry Club, the yearbook committee, and the debate team. I was building my own identity, separate from Sammy.

But he still found ways to humiliate me.

In tenth grade, during Chemistry lab, Nathan was assigned as my partner. He spent the first ten minutes of class tossing balled-up paper at other students while I set up our experiment.

“Hey Alexis,” he called out loudly. “What’s gravity again?”

I didn’t look up from the beakers. “Seriously?”

“Is it that thing where you try to get out of bed but can’t because you’re a big fat cow?”

Laughter erupted across the lab. My face burned.

“That’s hilarious,” Sammy chimed in from two tables over. “But actually, Nathan, I think that smell is coming from Alexis. Pretty sure she hasn’t showered in days.”

“At least I don’t smell like garbage,” I snapped, grabbing a textbook and flinging it at Sammy’s head.

He ducked. The book hit the cabinet behind him with a bang.

“Whoa! Attempted murder!” Sammy grabbed a handful of pens from his table and started launching them at me like missiles.

I dodged, grabbed my own ammunition, and we were suddenly in a full-scale classroom war. Pens flew. Papers scattered. Someone’s beaker shattered.

“ENOUGH!” Mrs. Peterson’s voice cut through the chaos. “Detention! Both of you! And you’re cleaning up this mess after school!”

Nathan was laughing so hard he’d fallen off his stool. I wanted to disappear.

After that, I adopted a new strategy: avoidance. If I couldn’t beat Sammy at his own game, I’d simply refuse to play. I buried myself in studying, in extracurriculars, in anything that kept me far away from my brother and his stupid friends.

It worked. My grades climbed even higher. Teachers started to know my name for reasons that had nothing to do with Sammy. I became the smartest student in our class.

I started to build something that was just mine.

Chapter Three: Tony

Everything changed the spring of tenth grade.

Our school sent a team to the National Debate Competition in Washington, D.C. I’d been selected as one of the representatives—the youngest on the team. It was my first real achievement that Sammy couldn’t touch, couldn’t ruin.

That’s where I met Tony Castellano.

He was a junior at a neighboring school: captain of his debate team, star of the tennis program, and objectively the most attractive person I’d ever seen in real life. Dark wavy hair, sharp jawline, the kind of confidence that made everyone in the room turn when he spoke.

And for some inexplicable reason, he noticed me.

Our teams were paired for a practice round, and we dominated. Tony’s arguments were razor-sharp, and somehow, we fell into this perfect rhythm where we could anticipate each other’s points, build on each other’s logic. It was exhilarating.

After we won our division, Tony invited me to watch him practice at a nearby tennis court.

“You were incredible in there,” he said, serving the ball with perfect form. “That rebuttal in the final round? Chef’s kiss.”

I felt myself blushing. “You weren’t so bad yourself.”

We talked for hours after his practice ended. About debate, about school, about our families. I didn’t mention Sammy. For once, I was just Alexis. Not a twin. Not anyone’s sister. Just… me.

We were walking back to the hotel when Tony suddenly pulled me aside, his arm shooting out to shield me.

“Whoa—watch out!”

A tennis ball rolled past, missing my head by inches.

“That was coming right at you,” Tony said, his hand still on my shoulder. “We don’t want that pretty head of yours getting hurt.”

“My head’s pretty?” The words came out before I could stop them.

Tony grinned. “Very pretty. Great shape. Excellent… head… structure?”

I laughed, feeling simultaneously mortified and thrilled. “Um. Thank you? For saving my pretty head. Not for the weird compliment about my skull. But also thanks for that too, I guess.”

“Can I buy you a coffee or something? To celebrate not getting a concussion?”

“How about dinner instead?”

The words surprised both of us. Tony’s grin widened.

“Even better.”

We spent the rest of the competition weekend together. By the time I flew back home, I had Tony’s number saved in my phone and a fluttery feeling in my chest that I’d only ever read about in books.

Two weeks later, Tony drove out to my town—nearly an hour each way—to take me to dinner. A month after that, he asked me to be his girlfriend outside the movie theater, with a bouquet of daisies and a nervous smile that made him look younger, more real.

I said yes.

Chapter Four: Sabotage

Dating Tony changed everything. Suddenly, people at school knew who I was. Not as Sammy’s twin. As Tony’s girlfriend. As the girl dating the hot debate champion from the neighboring school. People said hi to me in the hallways. I got invited to parties. I had a social life.

I loved it.

Sammy, predictably, hated it.

“Don’t you think you’re a little young to be wearing that dress?” he said one Friday night, blocking the doorway as I tried to leave for a party.

I looked down at my outfit—a simple black dress that hit just above my knees. “Don’t you think you’re a little out of line asking me that question? We’re the same age, genius. If you’re old enough to go to parties, so am I.”

“Fine. Do what you want. Just don’t make a fool of yourself over that clown.”

“Tony’s not a clown.”

“He’s a player, Alexis. Everyone knows it. He’s always got his arm around a different girl.”

“He’s friendly. There’s nothing wrong with that.”

“I literally saw him feeding french fries to that cheerleader last week.”

“She has carpal tunnel! Her wrists hurt! He was being nice!”

“You’re so naive it’s embarrassing.”

“And you’re a jerk,” I shot back. “Why is it so hard for you to believe that someone might actually like me? That I might actually be happy?”

Sammy opened his mouth, then closed it. Something flickered across his face—something I couldn’t read. Then his expression hardened again.

“Whatever. Don’t come crying to me when he breaks your heart.”

He stepped aside, and I left without another word.

After that conversation, Sammy made it his personal mission to torment Tony.

It started small. Bumping into him in the hallways. “Accidentally” spilling drinks near him at lunch. But it escalated quickly.

One afternoon in the cafeteria, Tony and I were sitting together, sharing fries and talking about the upcoming spring formal, when Sammy appeared out of nowhere.

“Oops,” he said, dumping an entire plate of spaghetti onto Tony’s lap. “Hand slipped.”

Tony jumped up, marinara sauce dripping down his khakis. “What the hell, Sammy?”

“It was an accident, bro. Relax.”

“You did that on purpose!”

“Prove it.”

Another time, in History class, Tony was about to sit down when Sammy yanked his chair away at the last second. Tony crashed to the floor, and the entire class erupted in laughter.

“Oh man, sorry,” Sammy said, sliding into the stolen seat. “This one just looked more comfortable. Hope you’re okay down there.”

Tony’s face went red. He started to stand, fists clenched, but Nathan appeared and put a hand on his shoulder.

“Not worth it, man. He’s trying to get you in trouble.”

Tony glared at Sammy but backed down. For a few weeks after that, Sammy left him alone, and I thought maybe—finally—my brother had gotten bored of his little vendetta.

I should have known better.

Chapter Five: Operation Payback

The photos were convincing—I’d give Sammy that. He’d stolen some of my clothes, put on a wig, and with our identical features, the resemblance was uncanny. In the next photo, “I” was holding Nathan’s hand. In another, we were embracing outside what looked like Nathan’s house.

“What is this?” Tony’s voice was ice. “What the hell is this, Alexis?”

“That’s not—that’s not me! I’ve never—”

He swiped to another screen. A video started playing. The girl in the video—who looked exactly like me, down to the mole on my left cheek—was staring dreamily at Nathan.

“I can’t keep this secret anymore,” video-me said. “I know I’m with Tony, but… Nathan, I think I’m in love with you. I’ve been in love with you since we were kids.”

The voice was wrong—slightly deeper, a little off—but close enough that someone who didn’t know me well might be fooled.

My stomach dropped. “That’s Sammy. That’s my brother in a wig. We’re twins—we look alike. This is a trick, Tony. Please, you have to believe me—”

“A trick?” Tony stood up so fast his chair fell backward. “You’ve been cheating on me with Nathan? No wonder your psycho brother’s been harassing me. He wanted me out of the picture so you could be with his best friend!”

“I would never—”

“Save it.” He threw a fifty-dollar bill on the table. “You and your crazy brother deserve each other. Stay away from me, Alexis. We’re done.”

He was out the door before I could form another sentence.

I sat there alone, surrounded by the soft lighting and quiet conversations of couples enjoying their romantic dinners, and felt something inside me crack.

I didn’t cry until I got home.

I stormed straight to Sammy’s room and threw the door open. He was lying on his bed, scrolling through his phone, looking perfectly relaxed.

“You,” I said, my voice shaking. “You did this.”

He looked up with exaggerated innocence. “Did what?”

“The photos. The video. You dressed up as me and framed me for cheating. Tony dumped me because of you!”

Sammy’s innocent expression melted into a grin. “Oh man, he actually fell for it? That’s hilarious. I didn’t think he’d be that dumb.”

“HILARIOUS? You ruined my relationship! You humiliated me!”

“I did you a favor, Lex. Tony was a tool. You’re better off without him.”

Something in me snapped. I grabbed the can of soda on his nightstand and dumped it over his head.

“Hey!”

But I was already walking away, slamming his door so hard the walls shook.

Behind me, I could hear Sammy laughing.

By Monday, the entire school knew about my “cheating.” Tony had apparently spent the weekend telling everyone who would listen about how I’d betrayed him with Nathan. My brief moment of popularity evaporated overnight. People whispered when I walked past. Someone had photoshopped my face onto a meme about cheaters and posted it all over social media.

I was invisible again. Worse than invisible—I was infamous.

And Sammy? He went on with his life like nothing had happened. Laughing with his friends. High-fiving Nathan in the hallways. Not a care in the world.

I spent that entire week planning my revenge.

If Sammy wanted to play dirty, I could play dirty too. He’d taken away the first real relationship I’d ever had, the first time I’d felt seen as someone other than “the other twin.” He’d humiliated me, isolated me, and laughed about it.

It was time he learned what that felt like.

The plan came together piece by piece. Sammy only cared about one person: Nathan. His best friend since kindergarten, his partner in crime, his constant companion.

That’s where I would strike.

Chapter Six: The Perfect Fake Relationship

I found Nathan alone in the hallway the following Friday, slumped against his locker with a crumpled test paper in his hand. A giant red F marked the top.

“Rough day?” I asked.

He looked up, surprised. “What do you want?”

“I saw your grade. That’s your third F this semester, right? One more and you’re off the basketball team.”

“Thanks for the reminder,” he said bitterly. “Did you come here to rub it in like your brother would?”

“Actually, I came to make you an offer.”

Nathan eyed me suspiciously. “What kind of offer?”

“I want you to date me.”

He blinked. “What?”

“Fake date me,” I clarified. “You’re Sammy’s best friend. If you start spending all your time with me instead of him, he’ll hate it. He’ll finally understand what it feels like to have something he cares about taken away.”

“That’s…” Nathan shook his head. “That’s messed up, Alexis.”

“So is dressing up as your sister and destroying her relationship. Come on—you helped him with that prank. Don’t act innocent.”

He had the decency to look guilty. “Yeah, that was… look, I told him it was too far, but—”

“But you did it anyway. So help me fix this, and I’ll help you bring your grades up. I’ll tutor you. You’ll ace your next test and stay on the team. Everyone wins.”

Nathan hesitated. I could see him calculating, weighing his loyalty to Sammy against his future in basketball.

Finally, he sighed. “Fine. But I’m not doing anything too couple-y. No excessive PDA or whatever.”

“Deal.” I held out my hand. He shook it.

“When do we start?”

“Right now, boyfriend. We’ve got a lot of work to do.”

Phase One began the next day.

I waited until Sammy was in his room, gave him just enough time to get comfortable, then knocked on his door.

“What?” he called.

I pushed the door open. “Hey. Can we talk?”

Sammy looked up from his phone, suspicious. “About what?”

“About the Tony thing. I’ve been thinking about what you said, and… you were right. He wasn’t good for me. I’m over it.”

That got his attention. “Seriously?”

“Yeah. I mean, it sucked, but I’m moving on.” I paused. “Actually, I wanted to thank you—”

That’s when Nathan appeared in the doorway behind me.

We’d timed it perfectly.

Nathan walked up, slipped his arm around my waist, and kissed me.

It was supposed to be quick. A peck. Just enough to sell the shock value.

But Nathan committed to the bit. His hand came up to cup my face, and the kiss deepened for just a second before we broke apart.

I’d been prepared for Sammy’s reaction. What I hadn’t been prepared for was the flutter in my stomach. The warmth spreading through my chest.

Focus, Alexis.

“WHAT THE HELL?” Sammy shot up from his bed, staring at us like we’d just announced we were aliens. “Get off my sister!”

“Didn’t Alexis tell you?” Nathan said, his arm still around me. “We’re dating now.”

“You’re WHAT?”

“Dating,” I said sweetly. “You know, like when two people like each other and spend time together? I thought you’d be happy. You’re always saying Nathan’s such a great guy.”

“You—he—this is—” Sammy seemed to be short-circuiting. “Nate, are you insane?”

“Actually, I’m in love,” Nathan said with a perfectly straight face.

I had to bite my lip to keep from laughing.

“Come on, babe,” I said, taking Nathan’s hand. “We’re going to be late for the movie.”

We left Sammy standing there, mouth open, looking completely betrayed.

As soon as we were outside, Nathan and I burst into laughter.

“Did you see his face?” Nathan gasped.

“That was perfect. You’re a better actor than I thought.”

“Hey, I was in the school play in fifth grade. I played a tree, but still.”

Chapter Seven: Real Feelings

The fake relationship was almost too easy.

Nathan and I held hands in the hallways. We sat together at lunch. We showed up at all of Sammy and Nathan’s usual hangouts—the arcade, the basketball court, the diner they went to every Friday.

Every time Sammy tried to have “guy time” with Nathan, I was there. Movie night? I tagged along. Baseball game? I bought tickets in the seat next to Nathan. Bowling? I “coincidentally” showed up with a group of friends and insisted Nathan join our lane.

Sammy tried everything to break us up.

“You know Alexis farts in her sleep, right?” he announced loudly in the cafeteria one day.

Nathan didn’t miss a beat. “I’m sure they smell like roses.”

“She eats her boogers. And makes art on the wall with them.”

“My girlfriend’s an artist. How creative.”

“She used to have an imaginary friend named Mr. Pickle and she’d set a place for him at dinner until she was twelve.”

That one was actually true, and I felt my face heat. But Nathan just squeezed my hand.

“I love a girl with a good imagination.”

Watching Sammy’s face turn red with frustration was the most satisfying thing I’d experienced in months.

But somewhere along the way, something shifted.

It happened gradually. So gradually I didn’t notice until it was too late.

Nathan started showing up to walk me to class even when Sammy wasn’t around to see. He’d text me funny memes during the day. He remembered how I took my coffee and would bring me one before our tutoring sessions.

The tutoring sessions themselves became the highlight of my week. Nathan was smarter than his grades suggested—he just needed someone to explain things in a way that made sense to him. Watching his face light up when he finally understood a concept made something warm bloom in my chest.

One afternoon, we were in the library working on his History essay when he suddenly got quiet.

“You okay?” I asked.

He was staring at his laptop screen, but his eyes were unfocused. “My mom called this morning. She’s taking a job in Seattle. Moving next month.”

“Oh, Nathan…”

“It’s fine. She travels all the time anyway. I barely see her as it is.” But his voice was tight. “I just… I thought maybe she’d stay, you know? For me.”

Without thinking, I reached over and took his hand. “I get it. My parents are around, but they’ve never really seen me. It’s always been about Sammy. I’m just… there.”

Nathan looked at me—really looked at me. “I see you.”

The air between us felt charged. He leaned in slightly, and I found myself leaning in too, my heart hammering—

“LIBRARY’S CLOSING IN FIVE MINUTES!”

The janitor’s voice boomed across the room, and we jerked apart.

“I should… I should go,” Nathan said, not meeting my eyes.

“Yeah. Me too.”

We packed up in awkward silence, and I spent the whole drive home trying to convince myself that I hadn’t almost kissed him for real.

This was fake. This was revenge. This wasn’t supposed to mean anything.

But my racing heart suggested otherwise.

Chapter Eight: The Breakdown

The next day at school, I couldn’t wait to see Nathan. Which was ridiculous. We’d literally spent three hours together the day before. But I found myself looking for him between every class, my mood lifting every time I spotted his familiar figure in the hallway.

I was at my locker, trying to act casual and definitely not watching the main entrance for Nathan’s arrival, when someone grabbed my shoulder.

I spun around.

Tony.

“Hey, babe. Miss me?”

I stepped back. “Don’t call me that. What do you want, Tony?”

“I’ve been thinking.” He leaned against the locker next to mine with that confident smile that used to make me melt. Now it just looked practiced. Fake. “I know you cheated on me, but I’m ready to forgive you.”

“Excuse me?”

“Look, full disclosure—I wasn’t exactly faithful either.” He had the audacity to look sheepish. “There was this girl from my tennis club. And maybe another one from debate. Possibly three total. Okay, fine—six. But the point is, we both messed up. We’re even. Clean slate.”

I stared at him in disbelief. “You cheated on me six times?”

“See, you’re focusing on the wrong thing. The important part is that we can get past this. We’re meant to be, babe. We’re the same—”

“We are nothing alike,” I said coldly.

“Come on, don’t be like that.” Before I could react, Tony grabbed my face and kissed me.

I shoved him off, disgusted—but not before I saw Nathan at the end of the hallway.

He was holding a bouquet of flowers. Our eyes met for one horrible second, and then he turned and walked away, throwing the flowers in the trash can as he went.

“Nathan!” I pushed past Tony and ran after him. “Nathan, wait!”

I caught up with him in the parking lot. He was walking fast, shoulders tense.

“Nathan, please—that wasn’t what it looked like!”

He spun around. “Really? Because it looked like you were kissing your ex-boyfriend.”

“He kissed me! I pushed him off—”

“After how long? A few seconds? Long enough for me to see it.”

“I don’t have feelings for Tony!”

“Right. This whole thing with me—it was to make him jealous, wasn’t it? Get him to come crawling back. Mission accomplished, Alexis. Congratulations.”

“That’s not—I didn’t—” The words tangled in my throat.

Nathan’s expression softened into something sadder. “Look, it’s fine. This was fake anyway, right? Just a game to mess with Sammy. Thanks for helping me with my grades. I’ll take it from here.”

“Nathan—”

“I’m done being used, Alexis. Enjoy your reunion with Tony.”

He got in his car and drove away, leaving me standing alone in the parking lot with my heart in pieces.

I didn’t go back to class. I went straight home, locked myself in my room, and cried harder than I had when Tony dumped me. Harder than I’d ever cried over anything.

Because this was different. Tony had been exciting—the thrill of being seen, of being wanted by someone popular and attractive. But Nathan… Nathan knew me. He’d seen me at my worst—petty and vengeful and scheming—and he’d still looked at me like I mattered.

And I’d lost him.

I heard a knock on my door sometime around midnight.

“Go away, Mom.”

“It’s me.”

Sammy.

I almost told him to leave anyway, but something in his voice made me unlock the door.

He came in and sat on the edge of my bed, looking uncomfortable. Sammy never came into my room voluntarily.

“Are you okay?” he asked.

“No. I’m not okay. And it’s your fault. Everything is always your fault.”

“What happened?”

I laughed bitterly. “What happened is I tried to get revenge on you, and I screwed up everything even worse.”

“What do you mean?”

The whole story came spilling out—the fake dating plan, how I’d only wanted to make Sammy feel as isolated and betrayed as he’d made me feel, how I’d accidentally fallen for Nathan for real, and how I’d lost him because of my own stupid plan.

When I finished, Sammy was quiet for a long moment.

“That’s the dumbest thing I’ve ever heard,” he finally said.

“Thanks. Really helpful.”

“No, I mean—why didn’t you just tell him how you feel?”

“Because he thinks I was using him! He thinks I wanted Tony back!”

“So prove him wrong.”

“How?”

Sammy was quiet again. Then: “I read your diary.”

“You WHAT?”

“Focus, Alexis. I know you really like Nathan. And look—I’ve been a jerk to you. I know that. But you’re still my sister. And seeing you this upset…” He rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly. “Let me help. For once, let me actually help instead of making things worse.”

I wanted to stay angry. But the sincerity in Sammy’s voice was something I hadn’t heard in years.

“How?” I whispered.

“Leave that to me. Can you be ready in twenty minutes?”

Epilogue: New Beginnings

Twenty minutes later, Sammy drove us to the beach—the same beach where we’d had our tenth birthday party. Where he’d destroyed my sandcastle.

Nathan was sitting on the sand, throwing rocks into the dark water.

“What’s he doing here?” I asked.

“I texted him. Told him it was important.” Sammy parked and turned to me. “Go talk to him. And Alexis? Be honest this time. No games. No tricks. Just… tell him the truth.”

I got out of the car on shaky legs and walked across the sand. Nathan didn’t turn around, but his shoulders tensed. He knew I was there.

“Nathan—”

“If Sammy sent you to apologize on his behalf, save it. I’m not interested in being the middle man for your twin drama anymore.”

“He didn’t. I mean, he drove me here, but I’m not speaking for him. I’m speaking for me.” I sat down next to Nathan, leaving space between us. “Tony kissed me. I didn’t want him to. I pushed him off. But you’re right that I should have done it faster. I was shocked, and I hesitated, and I’m sorry you had to see that.”

“Why were you with him at all?”

“I wasn’t. He ambushed me at my locker. Nathan, I don’t have any feelings for Tony. He’s a cheater and a jerk, and I can’t believe I wasted three months on him.”

Nathan finally looked at me. “Then why the fake dating thing? If not to make him jealous?”

“To hurt Sammy. To make him feel as alone and betrayed as he made me feel when he destroyed my relationship. It was petty and stupid, and I’m sorry I dragged you into it.” I took a deep breath. “But somewhere along the way, it stopped being fake for me. And I think maybe it stopped being fake for you too?”

Nathan was quiet. Then: “When?”

“When what?”

“When did it stop being fake for you?”

I thought about it. “The day in the library. When you told me about your mom. You were being so vulnerable, and instead of using it against you or making a joke, you just… let me in. And I realized I didn’t want to be fake-dating you. I wanted it to be real.”

“I bought you flowers,” Nathan said quietly. “Real ones. I was going to ask if we could make this official. Not for Sammy. Just for us.”

My heart cracked a little more. “I’m so sorry.”

“Are you sure this isn’t just about the game? About revenge?”

Before I could answer, Sammy appeared out of nowhere.

“In case you won’t take her word for it, Nathan,” he said, pulling something out of his backpack, “maybe this will help.”

He opened my diary and started reading.

“‘Dear Diary, I know this started as a trick, but Nathan is the best thing that’s ever happened to me. He’s kind and funny and when he smiles at me, I forget how to breathe. His eyes remind me of the ocean—I could get lost in them. All I want is to be with him for real. To hold his hand and know it means something. To kiss him and—'”

“GIVE ME THAT!” I lunged for the diary, my face on fire.

Sammy grinned and kept reading. “‘Tony was just a shallow crush, but Nathan is—'”

I tackled my brother, grabbing the diary and smacking him with it. “I am going to KILL you! I didn’t write that!”

“Yeah, you definitely didn’t,” Sammy said, laughing. “I made it up. But you should’ve seen your face.”

“You’re the WORST—”

Then I stopped. Because Nathan was laughing too.

And when I turned to look at him, his expression had shifted. The hurt and doubt were gone, replaced by something warm and open and hopeful.

“You really feel that way?” he asked. “Even without the dramatic diary entry?”

I nodded, not trusting my voice.

Nathan stood up and walked over to me. “Just to be clear—this is real now? Not fake? Not to make anyone jealous or get revenge?”

“It’s real,” I whispered. “If you want it to be.”

“I definitely want it to be.”

He kissed me, and this time there was no pretending. No audience. No ulterior motive. Just the two of us, honest and real and finally on the same page.

When we broke apart, Sammy was standing a few feet away, looking pleased with himself.

“You’re welcome,” he said.

I grabbed a handful of sand and threw it at him.

But I was smiling.

“You know what the weirdest part of all this is?” Nathan said a few weeks later.

We were at the diner, sharing fries. Not because Sammy was watching—he and his girlfriend were two booths over, deliberately giving us space—but because we wanted to be there together.

“What’s that?”

“Your brother is actually not that bad when he’s not actively trying to sabotage your life.”

I glanced over at Sammy, who was making his girlfriend laugh at something on his phone. “Yeah, well. Don’t let it go to your head, but… I guess he was trying to protect me. In his own twisted, obnoxious way.”

We’d actually talked about it—Sammy and me. Really talked, for the first time in years. He’d admitted that he knew Tony was bad news, that he’d heard rumors about the cheating and the lies. Instead of just telling me, he’d tried to force me to see it by making me hate Tony.

“You deserved better,” he’d said. “I just didn’t know how to tell you without sounding like a controlling jerk.”

“So instead you acted like a controlling jerk?”

“Yeah, I see the flaw in that plan now.”

We weren’t perfect. We still fought. He still drove me crazy. But something had shifted. We were finding our way back to being not just siblings, but friends.

“Earth to Alexis,” Nathan waved a hand in front of my face. “You went somewhere else for a minute there.”

“Sorry. Just thinking.”

“About what?”

“About how if you’d told me a year ago that I’d be here—actually happy, dating my brother’s best friend, and kind of getting along with Sammy—I would’ve thought you were insane.”

Nathan grinned. “Life’s weird like that.”

“Yeah.” I leaned over and kissed his cheek. “Weird, but good.”

My phone buzzed. A text from Sammy: You two are disgustingly cute. It’s ruining my appetite. Also Mom says dinner’s at 6. Don’t be late or she’ll give me your dessert.

I showed Nathan, and he laughed.

“Should we head out?”

“In a minute.” I stole another fry from our shared basket. “I’m not done annoying my brother yet.”

“That’s my girl.”

And for the first time in a long time, I didn’t feel like just “Sammy’s twin sister.”

I felt like Alexis. Exactly who I was meant to be.