Exchange - Chapter 1

Chapter 1

My sister, Jessica, traded her intelligence for my beauty. Only, she didn’t know the trade required both of our consent. On the day of the SATS, she wanted her smarts back. I said no. I got into Harvard. She got pregnant. My ridiculously biased parents lost their minds.

Jessica and I are fraternal twins, but total opposites. She was overweight and, frankly, not blessed in the looks department, but she was brilliant. Me? I was the pretty one, but dumb as a brick.

Growing up, Jessica excelled at everything. At school, she was the teachers‘ pet, always top of the class. I, on the other hand, was the beautiful but hopelessly stupid kid consistently at the bottom. No matter how hard I tried, knowledge just wouldn’t stick. Jessica could skim a textbook before a test and ace it.

Teachers called her a once–in–a–generation genius. With me, they just sighed. “They’re twins, but Ashley just doesn’t get it. All that effort, and her grades are still terrible.”

My parents, naturally, favored her. Whenever we went out as a family, Jessica was always in the middle, Mom and Dad holding her hands on either side. I trailed behind like a forgotten suitcase.

Occasionally, a neighbor would compliment my looks, and Mom would pull Jessica closer, putting me down. “Pretty is as pretty does. She’s got the brains of a flea. Always failing. No common sense. Not like Jess, always number one.”

Dad would just nod along. “One daughter’s a blessing, the other’s a lesson.” 

Growing up, Jessica always got first pick of everything – toys, clothes, you name it. I got her hand–me–downs. When I was eight, just before a dance recital for our school’s spring festival, Mom bought me a pair of sparkly white ballet flats, as required by my teacher.

The night before the recital, Jessica snatched them. I cried and cried. I couldn’t perform without the right shoes. They knew that. Mom just glared. “Ashley, you have to let your sister have them.”

Dad shoved me to the ground. “Stop wasting time with dancing and focus on your studies! We can’t afford these frills.” The next day, after months of practice, I was pulled from the recital. I watched from the sidelines as my classmates performed. I never looked forward to spring festivals again.

Later, Jessica stepped in dog poop and tossed the shoes back to me. I sat on a bench, scrubbing them clean, wearing them until they were way too small. Dinner was always made to Jessica’s liking. I’m allergic to shellfish, but Jessica loved it, so we’d have shrimp and crab for weeks on end.

Nothing else. “You’re just being dramatic. Eat it or starve.” Mom would yell while piling shrimp onto Jessica’s plate. “High maintenance, low results,” Dad would slur, half–drunk, banging his fist on the table.

“You think you’re too good for regular food? Let’s see how you like going hungry. After the SATs, you’re getting a factory job to pay for your sister’s college.”

Jessica smirked, her face, usually blotchy with acne, twisting into a cruel smile. “Ashley, you know why you’re so dumb? Because you don’t eat fish!” She dropped a piece of fish onto my plate.

“Eat up. Maybe you’ll get smarter. I wouldn’t want my dear sister dropping out at eighteen. That’d be tragic. Though, maybe you’d get lucky. Some old factory owner might take a liking to you. Fancy yourself a sugar baby?”

I picked the fish out of my bowl. “Sounds like a dream. Why don’t you go?”

Before Jessica could respond, Mom slapped me. “Get out! Don’t talk back! Your sister is going to Harvard!” “And after all the time your sister spends tutoring you…” Jessica’s tutoring always involved the most complicated methods.