The Third Twin by Cj Omololu

hope is a sincere smile but am afraid I just look terrified.
    “Look, that didn’t work last night, and it’s not going to work tonight.”
    “I wasn’t here last night.”
    “Don’t give me that crap. I have a memory for faces. You stood right here and tried to give me some story about losing your ID.”
    My mind races, trying to remember where Ava said she was last night. Why is she being so secretive all of a sudden? “Fine,” I say with a shrug. “Can’t kill me for trying.”
    “So a Coke for you.” The bartender turns to Linzey. “I’m assuming your ID has also mysteriously disappeared?”
    “I’ll have a Diet Coke,” she says, not even bothering.
    Diet
Coke. Damn. That’s what Alicia would get—I totally forgot. I look at the bartender, but changing my order now would look weird.
    Linzey grins at me as the bartender turns to get our drinks. “You had to give it a shot.”
    “Yeah.”
    “Weird that she thought you were here last night.”
    I try to play it off. “It happens sometimes. My sister looks a lot like me.”
    “Oh,” she says vaguely. Eli must not have said anything about us being triplets. We watch the band for a few minutes before she speaks again.
    “Did you hear that Melissa got them some gigs up in Seattle next week? I’m going to try to drive up with some of the other girls. Are you going?”
    My heart sinks as I realize that Eli hasn’t mentioned it at all. Not like I could go, with school and all, but it might be nice to be asked. I’m trying to come up with an intelligent answer, when a dark-haired girl walks up and punches Linzey in the arm. “Where the hell did you run off to? I go to pee, and you vanish.”
    Linzey shrugs. “I was thirsty, so sue me.”
    The girl glances at me and then turns completely toward Linzey so that I’m staring at the heart tattoo on the back of her left shoulder. I haven’t totally figured her out yet. She seems to have some kind of relationship with Danny the bass player, but I saw him with his arm around another girl backstage, so I’m guessing it’s not exclusive. She leans down and whispers something to Linzey that I can’t hear, and the two of them burst into laughter. The bartender comes back with our drinks, so I slip her some money and push Linzey’s drink toward her on the bar.
    The dark-haired girl grabs Linzey’s hand and pulls her back toward the stage, but as she goes, Linzey smiles at meand raises her glass. “Thanks for the drink. Don’t mind Rebecca. She’s the girl Eli wrote the song about last year, and she’s a little bitter about it.”
    Rebecca. So this is the jealous ex that Eli was talking about. As if she can hear me, she turns and glares in my direction, planting herself right in front of Eli and mouthing all the words as he sings, staking her claim. She’s been around a lot longer than I have, and she’s not letting go that easily. I watch Eli sing the last chorus, lifting one arm behind him as he pours all his energy into the song. Rebecca and Linzey are swallowed up by the hands waving in front of the stage.
    I glance around the crowded club and feel a sense of satisfaction. Regardless of what Rebecca thinks, Alicia belongs in a place like this. She totally fits in with the makeup and the leather boots and the people who are just out to have a good time.
    An hour later, the lights are on and the disgusting reality of a club after closing is revealed. One of the bartenders sweeps the grungy floor as the guys pack up their instruments onstage. Linzey and some other girls are sitting in a clump in one of the fake leather booths, waiting for the guys to be done. I don’t see Rebecca anywhere, and I wonder if she’s actually giving up. Eli’s finished first, jumps down off the stage, and crosses toward where I’m sitting on a barstool trying to stay out of the way.
    “Hey!” he says, his eyes still shining with excitement. “I’m glad you came.” He puts his hand on my arm for just a split second,