felt bad because he’s my twin, but we sounded so much better with this new guy, and Marcus knew it, too. We had an argument the night before the band left on tour, with him telling me I had no right to replace him. It was stupid because he hadn’t wanted to go anyway.
“Anyway, I took my finals while I was on the road and didn’t make it back for graduation. My mom was really upset about that, and Marcus got on me all over again, telling me how selfish I was that I hurt our mother.” I blew out a breath. “The tour was going well, so Casey asked us to stay longer. That was the beginning of my friendship with her, and I was having the time of my life.”
“So you obviously didn’t go into the military.”
“Uh, no. And you can’t imagine how pissed he was.”
“I probably can, but I’m sorry if this is difficult to talk about.”
“A little, but likely not nearly as difficult as the things you’ve told me.”
12
Ariel
I felt bad for pressing Tyler to tell me the story because the deeper into it he got, the sadder he looked. He was staring off into space now, obviously a million miles away as he recounted what happened with his twin.
“We’d talked about joining the Marines since freshman year of high school but hadn’t signed anything. We were supposed to go into the recruiting office after graduation, and once we signed on the dotted line, they would tell us when to report to basic training and all that. But I was on tour making money and having a blast. I’d forgotten all about the military, and Marcus came out to a show in Massachusetts. He asked me flat out if I was still going to enlist with him and when I said no, we fought. Like throwing punches, bloody noses, the whole thing. It had never happened before, and when we’d worn ourselves out, he just got up, wiped his nose with his T-shirt, and left. We didn’t talk for two years after that.”
“I’m so sorry.” I crawled across the couch and wrapped my arms around his neck, resting my head on my chest. “That must’ve been really hard.”
“Yeah. Up until then, we’d been inseparable. And of course, I got all the guilt from my mom, telling me I’d broken up our family.”
“And you never made up?”
He sighed. “We talked a couple of years later. I was between bands, not long before I got into Pretty Harts, and I’d gone to see my parents because Mom had surgery. Neither of us apologized or anything, but we hung out in the reception area of the hospital waiting to hear news about Mom. Since then, we’ve kept in touch, but it’s never been the same. And now he’s living in Europe.”
“Is it weird that he’s part of Casey’s security team?” I asked.
“Kinda. I mean, he knew I’d been in a band with her, so when the opportunity came up, he told them he was my brother. She called and asked me all kinds of questions, but there wasn’t anything bad to say about him. Marcus is a good guy—a great guy—and I told them that. I’m glad she has someone like him helping look out for her family.”
“Do you miss him?” I asked softly.
“I do,” he admitted. “I just don’t know how to fix things. I’d love to see him, sit down, and really clear the air, but it’s hard to find both the time and the right words. And it’s not like he’s ever reached out, either. I mean, we were teenagers, and I got the opportunity of a lifetime. It was his choice not to come on tour, and at the end of the day, I wanted music more than I wanted to be a Marine. It seems like he can’t forgive me for that, and I don’t think it’s fair.”
“I agree, but he’s your brother. Your twin. Maybe you should try.”
“Yeah, I know. It’s one of those things you know you need to do, but you’re afraid because there’s a chance it might make things worse.”
“Like me when it comes to fighting the conservatorship.”
“Yeah. Exactly like that.”
Kindred spirits.
He wrapped his arms around me, and neither of us spoke for a while.
We wound up talking for the next few hours, hanging out on the couch until about one in the morning before going upstairs to his room. I’d been a little nervous this morning when I’d packed