Chapter 4

The sound of Duko's voice caused a tightness to develop in my throat, and I was aware of my own voice getting hoarser as a result. It was rather deep, and the rim of it had a jagged edge about it. As Lowell's ice-blue eyes travelled over me, the corners of his thick lips turned up in a grin. Lowell's smile was infectious. "So you're the one Lovel was gushing about all along?"

"She's the one who wandered off without paying attention to where she was going." Duko smiled devilishly at his brother and winked at him. They were having a conversation with me directly while also having a conversation with each other about me. As I sat there, seeming to be the extremely attractive and clever young lady that I am, I did not speak a word and tried very hard not to gaze at them.

It was absolutely unmistakable that the two of them were well aware of the allure that they had for one another. That in no way implies that they were required to conduct themselves in an unsavory manner. My sudden and unanticipated attachment to the twins was beginning to put me in an awkward position.

"I'm sorry, I hadn't noticed." When Lowell growled at me, I had to fight the urge to throw my head back in response.

You would think that at this time, I would have become used to Kane verbally abusing me when he is intoxicated, since he does it so often when he is drunk. Whatever the reason may be, the things that were stated by the twins made me uncomfortable, and it was much harder for me to ignore what they said than it was to ignore what Kane had to say.

"Oh, look, it's Lowell." Duko gave the sneer. "The rag doll appears to be attempting to ignore us." My heart did a slight jump when it heard what he called me, but it quickly settled down. I was unable to decipher whether or not it was supposed to be a compliment or an insult from the context. The manner in which the two of them looked at me at the same moment elicited a mixture of conflicting emotions inside me: fear and attraction.

"Honey, ignoring us will only make things more difficult for you in the long run." When Lowell stared into my eyes, the fire from his dark iris penetrated my whole body and was felt wherever he had touched me. The names that they began to call me gave me a pounding heart and continued to cause me anxiety. I had never played the game that they were now taking part in, so I was completely clueless about what was going on. To the point that it became intimidating, yet at the same time, the fact that they were calling me these names gave the impression that they loved me. I was so disheartened with myself that I really felt they would appreciate me despite my poor performance. Why would two identical twins who are godlike be interested in me out of all the people in the world?

I continued to ignore the twins, and Lowell was absolutely accurate in his analysis of the situation. It was without a doubt in a more deplorable condition.

They proceeded to make comments that were grating on my nerves the whole time we were having the class. I wasn't sure whether they were expecting a response from me or some kind of explosion, but even if they wanted it, I wasn't going to give it to them no matter what.

They made it so that I had no choice but to take care of all of the tasks by myself, including the project that was expected to take one week to complete.

It wasn't clear to me which of my courses would prove to be the most challenging. Whether it was the class that I took with the twins or the next class, the one that I took with Lovel and her friends, whatever came first, I took both of them.

The next class I went to was one in which Lovel, Duko, Daciana, and the rest of Duko's friends were enrolled.

During the whole of the event, I had the good fortune to be seated next to Daciana; nevertheless, Duko was unable to stop making fun of me and distracting me the entire time.

It took me just a moment to realise that Lovel loathed me with all of his being, and I had no reason to suppose that her feelings towards me would change any time soon. Because Duko was paying more attention to me, she grew more irritated as time went on. I was confused as to why she was showing such concern for the brother or sister of her boyfriend or girlfriend.

I don't really understand how I managed it, but I made it through the rest of the school day without getting into any more trouble. There were only five very long lessons planned for each day, and unfortunately for me, I had both sets of identical twins in two of those classes.

The day ended with me attending my final period of physical education. Gym class was already something I didn't really like, but the fact that I had to attend it with both of the twins made it that much more insufferable. The fact that I was constantly aware of the twins' intense focus on me made it more difficult for me to coordinate my movements. It was quite kind of them to let me wait outside while they selected alternate clothing for me to wear. The idea that I would finally start attending the gym on Monday generated a lot of tightness in my abdominal region. I can't wait to get started!

It took me a whole week before I was able to come to a complete understanding of it. Kane was just as awful as he normally is, but I did everything in my power to avoid any confrontations or grabby conduct on his end. Despite this, he continued to be awful.

The twins continued to bother me, and they were effective in both provoking anger in me and leaving me bewildered as a result of their behaviour. The amount of cruelty shown by Lovel and her friends progressed from simple glares and snickers to full-fledged statements as the level of aggression escalated. Our friendship has been enhanced as a direct consequence of the fact that I work at the same restaurant as Daciana, which is a charming Italian place situated in the centre of the city.

Even better, I had made the acquaintance of a new person in one of my courses. Her name was Farkas, and she was a slender young lady who had sandy blonde hair and stunning blue eyes.

My first full weekend in Georgia began this past Friday, and although I intend to put in some serious hours at the office, I am determined to make the most of my time here. After I had used up all of my funds for the week on things like food and school supplies, I came to the realisation that I had a substantial amount of financial ground to make up.

I wasn't sure whether things were getting better or if they were simply starting to quiet down, so I couldn't tell you which it was. "And you're sure you don't mind?" I inquired. I heaved a sigh as I stared at Daciana with eyes that were filled with embarrassment.

When asked about it, Daciana scoffed and rolled her eyes while responding, saying, "Of course not." Considering that we work on the same days regardless, the only thing that would vary is the time that I arrive by a half an hour. Then Daciana offered a shrug before continuing.

When Daciana found out that I planned to walk thirty minutes each way to and from work, she insisted on giving me a ride to and from work on a daily basis. Because I wasn't used to having others want to help me, the gesture made me feel awful because I wasn't used to having it happen. I was not used to having other people desire to assist me in any way.

"Let me at least give you money every week to put towards petrol," the woman said. I couldn't help but grimace as I struggled to move freely in the restrictive uniform that was mandated for us to wear.

However, now that it's Sunday and it's time for me to start my first day of work, I spent the weekend completing the project that Duko and Lowell refused to work on.

Despite the fact that business was slow during the early half of the day, it seemed that the locals of this town left substantial tips. It didn't seem like I did too terribly, considering that the only person whose belongings I managed to spill on was myself rather than anybody else.

I am thankful that the uniforms consisted of a pair of black trousers that were tailored to fit snugly as well as a black t-shirt that had the restaurant's trademark emblazoned on it. The black shirt I was wearing concealed any blemishes that could have been produced by my carelessness. My thick brown hair cascaded down my back in undulating waves all the way to the ground.

Following a pause of about a quarter of an hour, Daciana and I re-entered the establishment where we were eating. The end of our holiday vacation had just arrived.

I peeked my head out of the kitchen doors and surveyed the rest of the establishment before retreating back behind the doors. It was a few minutes before 5 o'clock in the evening, and there seemed to be a significant increase in the number of people arriving via the front door. I had a shift that was going to end in two hours, and I was counting down the minutes until it was done so that I could go to bed as soon as I finished my job.

It was nearly enough to make my heart stop beating as Lowell and Duko strolled through the doors, with Lovel and another attractive female following closely after. When I saw them with two different ladies, a strange and excruciating pain went throughout my body, but I tried to push those thoughts and sensations to the back of my mind. My inconsistent and conflicting feelings have no business being involved in this scenario at all. I put out a particularly loud grunt as they approached the hostess, and in response, she sat them in the same location that I was in.

Both Lowell and Duko had a look that was much more alluring when they were away from school. In appropriate garb for the event, Lowell wore a pair of dark pants, a black pullover with the sleeves drawn up to their elbows and some black boots. Duko wore an item of clothing that was virtually the same as what I was wearing; the only difference was that he layered a leather jacket on top of it. After I became aware that I had been looking at them, I chastised myself for engaging in such behaviour. 

It was the last thing I needed for them to win, because I went all starry-eyed and played into their game. It was the last thing I needed.

As I watched Lowell's eyes move over the room, I couldn't help but feel confused. Finally, he came to a complete stop when he noticed my head sticking out from behind the kitchen doors. I was standing in the middle of the cooking area. The moment he saw that I was gazing at him, he flashed a devilish smile that lit up his otherwise dashing face.

"What's the matter?" When Daciana glanced through the door, she couldn't help but make a face as she did so.

I sighed a sigh and responded, "Lowell and Duko, of course." I have no clue what you did to be on their radar, but I want you to know that I feel sorry for you regardless of the reason. Daciana laughed in an apologetic manner while shaking her head.

I grimaced as I stared at my hands before saying, "I didn't do anything." Due to the fact that I once made the silly mistake of bumping into them, they have been responsible for turning my life into a living nightmare ever since.

"I'd tell you to go talk to the principal, but it seems like they have everyone wrapped around their fingers." Daciana's expression was one of disgust as she gazed at me.

I let out a long sigh, and then I made the decision to stop being so pessimistic. They were asking for a reaction, but I did not intend to provide one to them at this time. Participating in any of their games was not something that interested me in the least. 

All that was required of me was to remain there until February of the following year, when I would turn eighteen and be legally able to leave this tranquil little village.

"Would you like me to wait on them?" Daciana questioned, "Do you want me to?" in response to the statement.

I laughed it off and replied, "Nah, they'll never let me live it down." I gave a dismissive toss of my head. I let out one more sigh, and then I burst out laughing aloud as Daciana offered me two thumbs up and a smile as a kind of support.