A Glimpse Of Reality

As the morning class began, Miss Jane walked in, and the room fell silent. "Hello, everyone. We have a new student joining us, and she's..." Miss Jane wasn't finished speaking when Eliana interrupted her. "I'm sorry for interrupting, Miss Jane, but I'm excited to introduce myself," Eliana said, her eyes sparkling with enthusiasm.

Miss Jane smiled and nodded. "Please, go ahead."

"Hello, everyone. I'm Eliana Jayson," Eliana said, her voice confident and clear. The class turned to look at me, and I gave them a look of confusion, as if to say, "What's the big deal?" But my eyes flickered when I saw Nathan staring at Eliana with a flirtatious glint in his eye.

"I'm very social, and I promise my stay here is going to be awesome," Eliana said, flashing a bright smile that revealed her perfect white teeth. The class applauded, except for me, whose applause was forced. Eliana became the center of attention, and it wasn't long before she was seen chatting with Kelly, a rich and pompous kid whose dad was a influential businessman.

I've never been one to bow down to Kelly, and I wasn't about to start now. But it wasn't surprising that Eliana fit right in with Kelly's crowd. At the dining hall, Karen, Nora, Christoph, Nathan, and I sat down together. I wasn't even halfway through my food when Nora spoke up. "I thought twins, especially identical ones, did things together. Why didn't you invite her to sit with us?"

"I haven't seen them talk much either," Karen added, placing her hand on mine. "Lisa, is everything alright between you two?"

I was about to respond when Nathan suddenly cut me off. "She looks so cute," he said, turning to look at Eliana with a smile. Eliana stared back at him, her eyes flirting with his. I felt a surge of disappointment and stood up, suddenly losing my appetite.

Eliana also stood up and walked over to me. "Hope you wouldn't mind me going out with Nathan tonight, would you?" she asked, her voice dripping with sarcasm. I could see the amused smiles on her face and Kelly's, and I knew she was trying to get a rise out of me. But I wasn't going to let her get the best of me.

Instead of getting angry, I took my handkerchief and cleaned the edge of my mouth. "I wouldn't mind lending him out to my long-lost twin," I said, smiling sweetly. "The way I didn't mind lending you my uniform." The hall erupted in laughter, and everyone turned to look at us.

Eliana tried to defend herself. "I was just...you know, I've ordered my own uniform, and by tomorrow, I'll be wearing my own. What a relief. I won't have to dress like a saint anymore." The hall was filled with laughter again, and I couldn't help but smile.

But instead of backing down, I smacked my lips and said, "Congratulations, sis. I'll be glad to see you dress...like the person you really are." The hall was filled with mocking laughter, and Eliana's face turned red with anger.

Just as I was about to walk away, Nathan spoke up. "Are you done yet? How mean of you! I didn't know you could be so cruel to your own family." Eliana began to sob, and Nathan sat down to comfort her. I felt a pang of anger and hurt, but I tried to keep my cool.

As I walked out of the hall with my friends, Christoph turned to me and said, "Nelissa, we're sorry. We didn't interfere because we thought it was personal." Nora added, "I'm sorry for jumping to conclusions."

I stopped walking and cleaned the edge of my eyes before turning to look at them. "I'm fine," I said, trying to sound convincing. But my voice betrayed me, and I felt tears welling up in my eyes.

Nora hugged me tightly. "It's okay not to be okay," she said. I let my tears flow freely, and my friends stood by me, offering comfort and support.

As I lay in bed that night, I couldn't help but wonder where I had gone wrong. I knew what would happen when Eliana got home, and Nathan wasn't picking up my calls. I felt a sense of unease and uncertainty, and I couldn't shake off the feeling that my life was about to change in ways I couldn't imagine.