Veronica's POV

Shanice comes into our dormitory still as devastated as before. I can't believe her parents know everything... it happened so fast.

"Are you okay? Irène told me what happened," I ask trying to be as empathetic and placatory as I can be. I can't even imagine how hard it is for her.

Her parents giving up on her because she is bisexual?

Shanice sits on the bed near Nicole and she starts bawling.

"No, I'm not. I don't know what to do," she sobs as Nicole tries to give her an awkward but comforting hug.

"Give your parents time. They will understand one day," she suggests.

"Oh, no." Shanice shakes her head in dejection. "They will never understand. My parents are extremely religious and brainwashed. They will never love me again."

Nothing we can say will help her. She knows her parents better than us and she truly believes they will never accept her. It's heartbreaking.

She wipes away her tears.

"Veronica... I have to tell you something." The worry in her voice scares me. I dread what I'm about to hear.

"I lied about not talking to Derek. I talked to him every week the past three months."

Why am I not surprised? It's not the first time Shanice lies to me. It's Derek's fault, she just executes.

"So... is he okay?" I ask panicked, I know she wouldn't talk to me about this if everything was okay.

"I have no idea. He told me he had to come to Atlanta to visit Felix in prison-"

I interrupt her. "What?!"

"I should have told you sooner. Dominic too. He doesn't know anything."

"Oh my God, but why would he see Felix?" Nicole asks.

"Derek didn't tell me why. He promised he would pick up my call but he didn't. Today I called him twenty times again and nothing."

"We should check with the prison. They must know something," I suggest.

"I tried. They can't give out any information about visitors... but they said Felix is still in."

"Felix always finds someone else to do the dirty job for him," Nicole adds.

I pick up my phone and I try to send a few texts to Dominic but they aren't sending. Even the calls don't go in.

"Someone should talk to Dominic, he is also not answering his phone," I voice.

Maybe he knows about Derek, maybe he is even there with him doing whatever they know they are doing.

What a fool I am. It wouldn't be the first time they lie to me.

"I'll go. Stay with Shanice. She needs you," Nicole says.

"I did not say that." Shanice smiles.

"Come on, girls, you can do this," Nicole replies, and Shanice and I chuckle.

Nicole starts getting dressed and just as I'm about to lay on my bed, Shanice stands up.

"Can we go to my dorm? I don't like it here."

"What's wrong with this one?" I ask.

"It reminds me of Irène and Irène reminds me of my mom."

"Okay," I mutter as I grab my phone and keys.

"Lock the door when you leave, Nicole," I warn.

"Also call us as soon as possible when you find out something," Shanice tells Nicole.

She nods and we leave the room.

We would invite Irène but she can't come on campus. She was banned. I know this makes Shanice feel worse.

She should just go to her house, I won't help her much. We don't have anything in common and I don't know what to tell her.

We soon reach her dorm and her roommate is looking me up and down, annoyed and confused. Shanice probably talked shit about me back when she tried to fight me.

I pretty much got over that but sometimes it's still weird between us.

We spend the next hour staring at our phones. We don't say much except for talking about Dominic who is still not receiving my messages. When she calls Derek, they go through till the end but he doesn't answer.

Nicole bursts into the dormitory. I thought she would call us. She looks exhausted as it's already very late.

"I wasted my time for nothing... Dominic was perfectly okay, he couldn't reply because he was playing video games with Brandon. He was in fact shocked that Derek was talking to Shanice but not with him. I told him that's not the point and he wasn't worried at all about Derek, he knows that's normal of him," Nicole explains frantically without any break to breathe.

"It's not normal of him at all. He always told me everything. It's normal to Veronica only," she says amused.

"Haha, thanks. Makes me feel better," I joke.

Feels good to know Shanice is the only one always getting information and attention from Derek. I understand they are best friends but I wish he told me everything too.

Well, he is trying to stay away from me, of course he won't...

"This didn't solve anything. Derek is still not answering and I'm crumbling with worry," Shanice whines. "Everything is really shit lately."

She is right. Everything is overwhelming and nothing is going right for once in our lives.

We decided to make this into a girl night since we don't have any lessons tomorrow. This will help us relax for a bit.

I take out the popcorn and I hand some to Nicole as we watch an early 00s movie on Shanice's laptop.

"How's it going with your mysterious lover?" Shanice asks. "At least one of us needs some chill days."

"Things are going well with Cyprian actually, we are kind of dating. He came with me to Dominic's house," Nicole replies.

"Oh, you should have asked him to come up here," Shanice suggests but I'm not sure she would actually want him here, ruining our girl night.

"He said he was busy but he didn't say with what."

"Maybe a girl, huh," Shanice's roommate adds, stirring up the pot.

"Shut up. They are cute together," Shanice says annoyed.

The girl was probably joking and felt out of place since she barely knows us but Shanice seems to not like her very much.

My phone is dying and I left my charger in my room.

"I'll go to my room for five minutes, I'll be back," I say as I put the popcorn on Nicole's lap and stand up.

I get to my dorm's door and I put in the key but I realize it wasn't even locked and I locked it...

What the fuck?

I open it again. Nicole must have forgotten to lock it.

The entire floor is scattered, I can't open the door as there is something in front of it.

I push harder and I almost collapse when I see Cyprian near my bed, panicked that I caught him. My bed is completely ruined and pictures and my personal stuff are all exposed. My blanket is on the floor.

I want to say something but I'm frozen. Completely utterly shocked. What the hell is happening here and why is he looking through my stuff?!

Before I can escape he closes the door and he pins me against it. I try to scream but he covers my mouth.

"Please, be quiet. It's not what it seems like," he says strenuously. "I swear I'm not going to do anything. I have to tell you something."

I widen my eyes in terror and annoyed his hand is still on my mouth, I try to push him away but he doesn't move.

"Promise not to scream," he says and I nod, knowing damn well I'll be screaming until my throat rips apart.

He slowly lifts off his hand and I try to scream again but he stops me.

"Let me explain, you have no idea what is happening..." he whispers as he slowly locks the door and puts some distance between us.

"I didn't want to scare you. I've been looking for you for years and I can't believe I found you."

What the fuck is he talking about? This dude is crazy.

I'm sweating profusely, petrified of the unknown. Nicole has no idea what she's gotten herself into.

I try to kick him in the groin but he dodges it and locks my knee with his leg.

"I'll tell you everything if you don't scream. I'll be out of here and forever gone if you want to, but I beg you, Ame- Veronica, listen to me for one second."

I nod. I want to scream again because I know I won't get another chance... but he also can't hurt me here, right? We are on campus. How did he even enter our dorm?

Did Nicole forget the door unlocked or did he force it?!

He frees my mouth and I decide to listen to whatever sick and twisted thing he has to say.

"You've been f- following me," I stutter, terrified of him.

All those times when I felt like someone was behind me, following me, I never felt safe. It was him... for whatever repulsive reason.

"Yes..."

Ah. Adding onto the list of people who ruin my peace and safety. What's one more when I had Felix and his friends terrorizing me for months?

"You don't even like Nicole... you are here for me, you sick twisted pervert."

"God, no. I'm not going to do anything. God." He seems revolted by my accusation. "Listen. I'm here because you need to know the truth."

"Tell me the fucking truth then," I raise my voice.

"I didn't mean to hurt Nicole... I really didn't. I came here for you but I never expected to like her as much as I do."

He lets go of me and he walks back to the bed and he picks up my pictures. One of the pictures from when I was a toddler.

"I wasn't sure it was you at first... but when Dominic told me that you were adopted. It all made sense. I spent the last two days trying to find more information on you but I knew I had to come into your dorm..."

"What the actual fuck are you saying?" I say without even worrying he will kill me anymore.

"Don't you see the familiarity? Look at me," he says and I look at him, trying to understand. He has light and vivid blue eyes just like me, the same skin tone, almost the same kind of nose and eyes shape. His hair is the same shade as mine...

"I'm your twin brother. I'm sure of it. My adoptive mother told me I have a twin sister before her Alzheimer's decline." He shows me my picture right when I was adopted. "This picture proves to me everything I need to know. We were separated. Our polish parents abandoned us and we didn't get adopted by the same family."

Cyprian then takes something out of his pocket and I take a step back expecting a knife.

He shows me a picture of two babies. "This is us. Come on, we are fraternal twins. It's obvious."

No... no, it cannot be. This isn't happening to me. This is something you see in movies and it feels cute and heartwarming that separated siblings are reuniting. But this doesn't feel like that at all. It feels wrong and daunting.

"No... it just cannot be true. It doesn't make sense. My parents would have told me."

Then I remember that box... I never opened it, I still don't remember where I put it but it must be at my mom's house.

Maybe that was the truth she hid from me, my parents knew everything... no, no way. This dude is crazy. He could have talked to me about it, not pull out this weird, illegal shit, scaring me and playing with Nicole's feelings all just to get near me.

I unlock the door as I shake my head. "I don't believe you. Not even a little bit."

He looks like me, he looks familiar but there is just no way this is true...

He turns the pic around. "Amelia and Cyprian Zielińska, July 18, 2002."

"That's not my name. Just leave. Please. Leave this town, stay away from us."

I open the door and I run away as rapidly as I can. I should warn Nicole too but I can't even think straight. I need to process what the hell just happened.

I run outside in the cold. It's midnight already. I didn't even bring a jacket and it's freezing, but I rush to the parking lot to find my car.

I look back and I don't see Cyprian outside. I can't stand the fact that he is still in my dorm near Nicole. When she will see the mess she will go insane.

It will hurt her so much.

I have to call her... but I need to confirm whether this story is true. I don't want it to be true. My parents lying about this would ruin me, and I don't want a psycho twin.

I already have enough problems on my own.

I reverse out of the parking lot and I don't even care how fast I'll be going. I put on my seatbelt and just drive.

My destination is my home, one hour away, but I can considerably shorten that by risking a ticket or my life.

I won't text my mom. I will go home and confront her directly, hoping she doesn't know anything and she will just think I'm crazy.

I will look for that damn stupid box. I need to know what's inside anyway. My mom said it's all the times they lied to me.

I could have forgiven them any lie, but not this. I seriously hope that dude is a psychopath rather than my actual twin.

Amelia Zielińska? That sounds weird. That can't be my name. It's just not possible that I'm from Poland. My parents would have at least told me that.