CHAPTER 4

              "Oh my God,that's crazy!You should have told me about it sooner Carly.Maybe we could have done something about it," Carl said."How come I didn't have a clue?"

                 "That's because you can't read between the lines and we are always arguing. Never having a single civil conversation even for two minutes," Carly replied ignorantly. "And honestly I thought you knew and just chose to ignore it."

             "Or maybe it's because you are a damn good actress. Maybe you should loosen that and I could give it a try and spend more time with you," he suggested. Carly looked at him surprised by his offer."I mean we are about to go to college and we will drift apart. I basically don't know a thing about your life.Well,I believed I did but now,that's not true. "

           "Yeah,so much has changed over time."

          "I know. And it just doesn't make sense that we are siblings, twins but yet we are like strangers.How did we lose each other? We used to be so close."

           "Makes it seem like grandpa used to hold us together. The moment we lost him so did we lose each other."

            "Maybe we could work it up for ourselves, you know,try to gather the broken pieces?I know I want to,what do you think?"

Carly thought for a while then nodded,"Yeah.We should do that."

            "How about we start today after classes? We could have coffee or burger or just walk along the beach and talk ,catch up," Carl said enthusiastically.

           "It's a date," she replied smiling.

           "What?" Carl asked a look of  shock registering on his face.

            "Oh my God,you seriously don't think that I meant that..." Carl shrugged. "Eew,gross!Dude,you need to be around people more to learn some terms," Carly said with a laugh.

            "I  just thought it was a couple-ish thing to say.For a minute I thought you were going cuckoo or deprived of a love life," Carl teased.

           "And what makes you think that I don't have a love life?" she replied even though his whole statement reflected the truth.

        "Oh, we definitely need to catch up from where we left.If you sneaky pants can be romantic, I want to know."

          "Shut up.I have a soul unlike you," she teased back and Carl laughed along with her as he drove around the corner towards the school gate.

  Carly sat smiling on the passenger seat.There it was,first attempt at a civil conversation with her brother. ‘Well,that went well.Maybe it won't be a bad day after all.’she thought to herself. That was one conversation in a long time that didn't involve them arguing and lashing at each other and blaming one another for things that had absolutely nothing to do with them.The best in a long time and it felt good.She took a trip down her memory lane remembering their friendship,how they always did everything together, whenever she was vulnerable he would jump right in to lift her spirits and ever protecting her from bullies.Until that fateful day,a year before they joined highschool when their grandfather died and they drifted apart. That was a blow they had to deal with each on their own. Taking refuge in building new friendships and completely different interests.They lost their best selves and worst still,lost each other.

             "Earth to Carly," Carl said snapping his fingers in front of her eyes."Hey,where were you just now? "

      Carly sat up,snapping out of her string of memories, "Just took a trip down the memory lane, about our past."

    Carl raised his eyebrows, "And you thought a  a safety belt might come in handy?"

            "Being funny,aren't you?" she asked smiling at her brother while unbuckling her seat belt."At least there is a little bit sense of humour left in you."

           "It comes in handy in the most opportune moments," he replied grinning.

           Carly shook her head slowly," And obnoxious as I remember. Not everything has changed I guess."

         "Let's find out more after classes?"

               "Right.See you later big bro," she said as they parted in the school hallway.