Twice The Trouble

5 Months Later: Part One

Stacy

"Whose genius idea was this again?"

"Yours." Sophia gave me a lopsided grin.

"Nu-uh." I raised an eyebrow at her.

"Was so."

"Was not."

"Let's make this easier and say it was yours."

"Now you're only making it more difficult."

"How does that work? I'm already blaming you."

"Exactly." I smiled wickedly. "You're at fault, too."

Sophia wagged a finger in front of my face. "Am not."

"Oh no?" I poked her cheek. "Who said, and I quote, 'On our nineteenth birthday, we should have a Disney-themed celebration'? Three guesses, Sop. You, you.. or you?"

"You're the one who bought the tickets to Beauty and the Beast! Now look what happened!"

"So this is what I get for treating you to the movies." I feigned hurt. "I'm so wounded."

"Can we call in sick? Let's call in sick," offered Sophia, reaching for her phone.

"No, you don't! The guests are waiting downstairs as we speak! No bottling up now!"

Besides, I don't understand why she suddenly got cold feet. We look so fantastic this afternoon.

Yes. Today is our 19th birthday. It's been officially one year since the 'mess' happened.

I wore my golden hair up in a high bun, a sky blue headband, a sky blue, sequined ballgown with cap sleeves, a sweetheart neckline, and of course, the signature glass slippers.

With my blonde hair and sky blue eyes, the Disney princess I resembled the most was Cinderella.

And who else would be the spitting image of Sophia? Belle from Beauty and the Beast.

My twin sister wore her long, wavy brown hair in a semi up-do, a yellow, off-shoulder ballgown with a cinched waist and cloud-like skirt flowing to her feet, which were encased in dark yellow two-inch heels.

The both of us faithfully wore our silver half-heart pendants.

For this year, we elected a simple but creative celebration. All guests, and we mean ALL guests, are required to attend the party as Disney characters. To save everyone from utter humiliation, my twin and I agreed for the venue to be none other than--The De Los Reyes Mansion.

To say I was surprised would be the understatement of the century.

A few weeks before our birthday,Sophia just told me that we were given permission to use the De Los Reyes Mansion for our celebration. Permission granted by 44-year-old billionaire Brent De Los Reyes, the CEO known for being ruthless and terrifying, firing incompetent employees as he pleased, stacking up his vast fortune by the hour.

"That's an exaggeration," my sister had chided me.

*Knock Knock*

Sophia and I chorused: "Come in."

The white door creaked open,and our 22-year-old cousin, Ate Jolene, poked her head in. She wore her brown hair in a long braid, a red cowgirl hat, a long-sleeved western shirt and pants, and boots. She was dressed as Jessie from Toy Story 2.

Ate Jolene smiled at us from the doorway. "Y'all ready?" she chuckled at her horrible accent.

My sister and I traded meaningful looks. I turned to face our cousin. "We're ready."

In our defense, we were celebrating life--Sophia had survived the heart transplant. And as for me,three months after the incident,I gradually recovered from my Haphephobia (fear of touching people). And God, it was hilarious when I chose Bryce as my guinea pig.

Three months ago, around late March, I felt like I could get over my fear, and so I decided to practice on someone, and who else but Bryce De Los Reyes? Mind you, I frequently sneaked up behind him in Orion University, earning girlish yelps and lethal glares every time I spooked him with my antics.

I just can't believe we've turned nineteen years old today.

"Time really flies, huh?" Sophia commented, slicing through my bubble of thoughts.

A little smirk drew on my rosy lips as I shifted to her. "I am so NOT old."

Sophia mirrored my smirk. "In 11 years, we'll be 30.In 10 years, 40. And in another 10---"

"I get it," I cut her off and we both laughed.

My brunette sister went behind me and started pushing me towards the door. "Well, let's go. At least this time we don't have to make a mega fancy grand entrance. It's not our debut anymore."

Yet again, my twin proved herself right. Our appearance felt more casual, though our guests applauded just like on our 18th birthday last year as we descended the vintage staircase.

Hand in hand, Sophia and I gracefully walked down the red-carpeted stairs.

Before us, the entire first floor of the mansion was adorned in translucent, colorful balloons.The white marble walls and thick marble pillars were lined with vertical string light vines.

It looked simple yet elegant.

Against the walls, underneath the string lights, were long, white clothed tables decorated with delicious, drool-worthy junk food, pastries, and desserts.

I shut my eyes for one second, cherishing the cold air of the mansion. The entire place was ventilated with a cool, comfortable atmosphere.

There are over two hundred people scattered on the first floor, all of them in captivating and innovative costumes, bringing me back to my fun-filled childhood of Disney and Pixar films.

"It looks like Disneyland!" Sophia exclaimed, to which everyone laughed.

When Sophia and I reached the bottom of the stairs, our friends and family swarmed towards us and greeted us Happy Birthday, showering us with praise for our wonderful costumes.

"Ace." My twin smacked my arm.

"Ouch." I rubbed the part she swatted, my sky blue eyes squinting at her.

"Quit stealing glances at our gift-table," she scolded me. "It's rude."

I arched a brow at the brunette in a yellow gown. "I was NOT looking at the gift-table."

"Oh really?" she gave a dubious grin.

"Really," I retorted as we combed our way through the sea of people. "I was admiring the decor."

Sophia simply shrugged. The music playing,thank goodness, was modern. It would've been overkill had the soundtrack been nothing but kid songs. 'Look What You Made Me Do' by Taylor Swift blasted through multiple amps perched in various corners of the room.

I noticed her brown eyes were surreptitiously raking the vicinity.

"Looking for someone?" I quipped, nudging her arm using my elbow.

A deep pink blush stained both her cheeks. She didn't answer, nor did she deny it.

I smiled from ear to ear when I saw two guys in costumes climbing down the staircase.

This was their mansion, after all.

Everyone turned and couldn't help stare at the De Los Reyes brothers. They stood tall, handsome, and carried with themselves a refreshing cloud of confidence, as always.

I grabbed Sophia by her bare shoulders, then spun her around to see the late arrivals.

Leaning closely beside my twin's head, I whispered into her ear: "Your prince has come."