School wasn’t as bad as Matty expected.
That was the problem.
At first, it had been hell. Everyone constantly mistaking him for Tim, calling him the wrong name, assuming they were the same person. And Tim—that little shit—always went along with it, grinning, joking, acting like it was hilarious.
Matty, meanwhile, hated it.
Hated that teachers lumped them together.
Hated that if Tim got called on, he had to answer too.
Hated that when one of them got picked for something, the other automatically got dragged in.
And he especially hated how natural it was for Tim.
Tim just rolled with it. Smiled, laughed, made jokes.
And Matty—who should have been fighting it, who should have been angry—kept finding himself going along with it too.
They were seen as a pair. A perfect set.
And the worst part?
People loved them.
They were popular. The "cool twins." The funny ones. The energetic ones. The ones everyone wanted on their team, in their group, at their table.
And Matty… well, he was supposed to hate it.
Instead, he was getting used to it.
More than that—he was starting to like it.
He liked that he always had people around him.
Liked that he actually understood the conversations now, talking about YouTubers and video games and memes like it was second nature.
Liked running around at recess, playing tag, tackling Tim into the dirt, shoving him when he was being annoying like a real brother.
He still got pissed when Tim pulled his usual bullshit, pretending to be him or dragging him into something he didn’t agree to. But now, instead of really getting mad, it always ended in a scuffle—a shove, a chase, a laugh.
Because that’s what brothers did.
And maybe—maybe—Matty was finally starting to get it.
Even when Tim somehow talked him into trying out for the swim team—even when Matty swore he wouldn’t do it, even when he rolled his eyes and complained—he still ended up in the pool, swimming lap after lap, pushing himself harder just to keep up with Tim.
And somehow, they both made the team.
And somehow, he wasn’t even mad about it.
But it wasn’t just school.
It was her, too.
Lizzy. Mom.
Matty had thought she’d calmed down after the move. But no. If anything, she was getting worse.
She had joined the school council, started volunteering, gotten herself involved in everything. Everywhere Matty and Tim went, she was there. Helping at events. Organizing activities. Always smiling, always watching.
And her social media? It was blowing up.
"Single mom raising twin boys! 💕"
"Adventures with my sons! #MomLife #Blessed"
"Swim meet today! So proud of my boys! 🏊♂️🏊♂️"
Every day after school, it was something new. Rock climbing, airsoft, the zoo, bowling, camping, scouts, boxing, running, woodlen, beach day, shopping, skate park, cinam, stage show, drama class and much much more. And always with new photos. New updates.
And the worst part?
People loved it.
They loved her.
They loved them.
The perfect single mom with her perfect twin boys, always smiling, always active, always doing something fun.
And Matty—who had sworn to himself that he wasn’t going to fall into this, that he wasn’t going to play along—kept finding himself smiling for the camera.
Because after a while, it just got easier.
Easier to follow Tim’s lead.
Easier to enjoy the activities.
Easier to let go.
And that was the real problem.
He was changing.
Every day, he was slipping further from the man he used to be.
He still knew things. He was still the smartest kid in school, still had years of knowledge locked in his head. But it didn’t matter. Because none of it applied to his life anymore.
No one cared that he used to have a career.
No one cared that he used to be married.
No one cared that he wasn’t supposed to be here.
And maybe… maybe he was starting to forget why he cared.
Because even though a part of him still resisted, even though he told himself that this wasn’t really him…
There were moments—small, fleeting moments—where he felt happy.
Laughing with Tim.
Joking with his friends.
Winning a swim race.
Lying in bed at night, watching dumb YouTube videos, enjoying them.
And that was what scared him the most.
Because he didn’t know what to think anymore.
Did he hate this?
Did he like this?
Was he Matty now? Or was Martin still somewhere in there, buried under everything?
He didn’t know.
And with every passing day…
He wasn’t sure he wanted to find out.