Tryouts and Turn-ons

“Come on, Lay Lay! You’re gonna be late!”

My twin sister urged me to get a move on when the bell rang since tryouts to replace the cheerleading captain were immediately after school. For my Senior year extracurricular after school activity, I had a choice between replacing the cheerleading captain (trying out was a formality) and my new interest, aggressively pursuing my romantic crush. Knowing how much Kayla wanted to be around me no matter what I did, I went with my initial choice. While she would be stuck inside the theatre practicing lines in drama club, I could practice routines outside in fresh air with eye candy within view. Thinking for sure that he couldn’t miss me as a cheerleader captain, I was determined to get David Abernathy’s attention this year. For years, our across-the-street neighbor David claimed that he couldn’t tell me apart from my sister. Trust and believe he’ll recognize me from now on!

“Hey Twins!” David smiled as Kayla and I walked up to his locker. “Going out for cheerleading captain? Damn shame how Kelly broke her leg.”

Smiling exuberantly at David, I exclaimed, “I’m trying out! Kayla is…”

“Too! David, I’m trying out for cheerleading captain, too!” Kayla gushed, pissing me off with her sudden change in extracurricular activities.

“Awesome! Good luck you two!” David said before his track buddies whisked him away to practice.

Whirling around to face my sister, I snapped, “Really Kayla?! Since when do you like cheerleading?!”

“Ever since I saw who we’re cheering for! Derrick, Trevor, James, not to mention David…”

“So DON’T!! Kayla, you know I like David! Why do you keep getting in my way?!” I snapped. “You never let me have anything to myself. We don’t have to share EVERYTHING!!”

“Damn Lay Lay! Look, you’re a great dancer and practically a shoo in for captain so quit worrying ‘cause we’re about to be the hottest twin cheerleaders this school has ever seen!” Kayla cheered as she skipped down the hallway toward tryouts.

Unexpectedly, Kayla’s routine was nearly flawless. She mixed hip hop moves into the routine, causing the judges to cheer in response. Needless to say, my rhythm was so off from my sister’s betrayal that I bombed my cheerleading tryout, in front of David, much to my dismay.

Catching up to me on my way home, David walked beside me. “Hey Shorty, what happened? I’ve seen you dance so I know you’ve got moves!”

“I had something on my mind,” I replied quietly. Increasing my pace was useless as David’s 6’ 3” frame quickly caught up and matched my steps.

Stopping me to lift my chin, David asked, “Wanna tell me about it?”

“Which twin am I?” I asked, crossing my arms under my chest. As the thicker twin, most people easily could tell us apart but David always mixed me up with my sister when she and I were together. Before I revealed any of my misery, I had to know if he knew which twin he was talking to and this time he was alone with…

“Layla.”

Looking up at him, I smiled.

“You know I just be messin’ with you when I say I can’t tell y’all apart, right?” David said, pinching my cheek.

“For five years?” I giggled.

“Look, I run laps around the high school track at six every morning. Wanna come and run with me to help keep me in shape?” David suggested, putting an arm around my shoulder.

“Run? No. Sit in the bleachers and cheer you on, I’m there.”

“As my girlfriend?” David asked to my surprise.

You would’ve thought he had proposed marriage with the way I responded!

“Yes! Yes, David Abernathy, I’ll be your girlfriend!” I gushed before David kissed me again.

After taking off his letterman’s jacket and draping it across my shoulders, David took my hand and walked me to his house. After we had a brief discussion with his parents, my boyfriend walked me home. The look on Kayla’s face when I walked into the house with David’s jacket was more than enough to make up for her betrayal earlier that afternoon.

“He’s all mine now!” I thought to myself as I walked past my sister.

Later that year, I switched from cheerleading to watching track meets just to get away from my treacherous twin sister. And to stay closer to my first boyfriend.