Community Service Pt 1

So there I was, in front of a judge with my head hanging down. Seventeen and dumb, I thought hurling snowballs from an overpass at cars would be funny, and of course it was until I hit the Mayor’s windshield. Luckily for me it was a first offense, so they weren’t inclined to be too drastic, but community service was all but guaranteed. The judge apparently recognized me from the JV championship the year before, or maybe I just got lucky, but he assigned me to work for the local youth sports league over the summer. My younger twin sisters were signed up for softball, so it worked out for my parents, and instead of punishing me further, I just got stuck driving them to practices.

The first couple of weeks I was supposed to do menial jobs like sweeping and mopping, or organizing equipment. I was mopping up the girls locker room when my sisters burst through the door crying. I wasn’t sure if I should leave or try to comfort them. Brotherly compassion won out, and I asked what had happened.

Alex sucked up a sob, and brokenly explained. “Our team is going to be cancelled, because we don’t have a coach. Daphne’s dad was supposed to do it, but he bailed on us.” Eva kept up the tears, but Alex continued. “We have to have a coach for our team by five o’clock, or we won’t be able to participate this summer. How are we supposed to find a coach in the next hour?”

It was difficult, looking at my sixteen year old sisters crying like that. I mean, I was aware that girls cried, but Alex and Eva always seemed so mature and confident. In recent years they had gone from bratty pests that followed me around everywhere to unique and independent young women. They had blossomed, and while they still maintained that twin connection, they had forged different identities. Alex, (formerly known as Alexia,) favored t-shirts and jeans, when she wasn’t acting as an aggressive short stop on the field. She wore her hair shorter, and her body had filled out to a curvy, but fit and athletic, form. Eva was the more fashion conscious of the two, and when she wasn’t wearing her catcher’s pads, favored fitted button up shirts and short skirts that emphasized her smaller frame and petite body. Her longer hair was worn in some form or another of braid, and I knew she woke up an hour before everyone else each morning to get “just the right look”.

My heart broke for them, and I felt myself go on autopilot as I volunteered to coach their team. They looked at me with complete happiness, as the jumped up and started hugging each other. Alex ran up to me and kissed me, then sprinted out of the locker room to sign up their team officially. Eva hung back, and as the door swung shut, she walked towards me, much slower than Alex, looked up at me hesitantly, and seemed to pause in nervousness. She put a hand on my shoulder, rose up on her tip toes, and kissed me, slowly, and softly, and let her tongue linger tentatively on my lip. My heart pounded against my chest. Eva pulled back, and her eyes went wide with surprise. She said, “Oh my god, I’m so sorry,” and sprinted from the room.

Well, great. I already had almost no free time, because of my community service, but now what little bit I did have, I had just given up in order to coach a bunch of fourteen to sixteen year old girls. I finished up cleaning the locker room, and by the time I got everything put away, it was almost time to go home. I signed some forms to officially coach the girls’ team, and they met me at the car. Alex grinned and thanked me over and over, but Eva couldn’t look me in the eye. She sat in the back seat, and every time I looked in my mirror, I would see her look away quickly. Alex chattered away, apparently not paying attention to anything else going on in the car. We got home and had a decent evening, had dinner with our parents, and otherwise were completely normal. I was relaxing in my room when there was a soft knock. Eva pushed open the door, and locked it when she came in. I put down my game controller as she climbed onto my bed. She kept her eyes down, and I could barely hear her when she finally spoke.

“I’m sorry,” she whispered. “I don’t know why I did that. It just seemed right.”

I answered, “Sorry for what? I’m confused.”

“Yeah, I’m confused, too. That’s why I’m sorry. When I kissed you earlier, it seemed so right, but I know I shouldn’t have done that. I mean, you’re my brother. I’m sorry if I made you mad, and I hope you’ll still be our coach.”

She looked so small and innocent there on my bed, fidgeting with a corner of my blanket. I couldn’t let her torment herself so much. I don’t know why I did it, but I leaned in and softly kissed her. She tensed up for a moment, and then collapsed into me. Her soft lips pressed into mine. Slowly she lowered down onto my bed, and I was compelled to follow. Her lips parted, and her tongue pressed into my mouth. We were both lost in an eternal moment, and her body arched towards mine. After several minutes, we finally broke away, gasping for air. Eva’s hands fumbled with my belt. My heart pounded against my chest. I blinked hard, and took her hands away.

“Eva, we can’t do this. We just can’t, it wouldn’t be right.”

She looked around, and her face looked like that of a cornered animal. She muttered, “Oh my god, I’m so sorry. I’m so sorry.” My body screamed at me as I saw her amazingly beautiful figure disappear out of my door. I picked up my controller and tried to get lost in my game, but it just wasn’t working. I heard my door open again and turned to see Alex standing in my doorway, already showered and dressed for bed.