My Name Isn't Yours

The day SAT scores dropped, my twin sister Emily totally tanked. She cried so hard she could barely breathe. Mom, Dad, and Kenneth spent all night babying her. After midnight, Mom finally remembered I existed. "Amelia, what'd you get?" I checked my score. 1580. "Good enough for Halston." Halston was one of the best colleges in the country. The whole room went dead silent. For one stupid second, I thought they might actually be proud of me. Dad just stared. "You and Emily are twins. You look almost exactly alike. "Why don't you switch identities? "Let Emily go to Halston as you." Chapter 1 I figured Dad had just blurted it out in a panic. But no one else thought it was crazy. Mom held Emily and rubbed her back, refusing to look at me. Kenneth glanced between us. "It could actually work. You're twins. Even our relatives couldn't tell you apart when you were kids." Before I could even process it, they were already debating whether they could pull it off. I stared at Dad. "Do you even hear yourselves?" He didn't flinch. "Yes. We're saving this family." According to him, Emily had always been the high achiever in our relatives' eyes. Everyone in the family expected her to get into Halston. Now that she'd bombed the SAT, they had no way to explain it. "What about me?" Dad frowned. "Didn't you get in? "You and Emily are both daughters of this family. Whoever goes to Halston makes the whole family proud." I stared at him. "But I earned it." His voice turned cold. "We're family. Stop keeping score." Mom finally looked at me. "Amelia, Emily's never dealt with failure like this. "You're older. More mature. Why can't you make one sacrifice for her?" My throat tightened. "This is Halston, not a dress." Her face hardened. "Are you seriously keeping score with your own sister?" Kenneth jumped in. "Amelia, stop acting like this score is such a big deal. "When have you ever beaten Emily before? You got lucky once. "Emily's the real top student. She just had a bad day." He gave a cold laugh. "You're really going to ruin her life over one lucky break?" I stared at him. "How is me doing well ruining her life?" He answered like it was obvious. "Because she needs this more than you do." Still crying, Emily grabbed my hand. "Amelia, I'm sorry. I know this isn't fair. "But I can't go to some school like that. Everyone will laugh at me. "You're smart. You can start over anywhere." She apologized again and again. But she never once said, 'I can't steal my sister's life.' I asked quietly, "So... you want to go to Halston as me?" Emily went pale. Then she looked down. That was answer enough. Dad got tired of waiting and decided for me. "Emily will go to Halston under your name. "You'll apply to other colleges under her name and use her scores. "If you want grad school later, we'll make it up to you." I stared at them. Mom frowned. "Don't make it sound so horrible. You're sisters." Dad shrugged. "Is a name really that important?" I laughed. "No. "I earned my spot at Halston. "And Amelia Aerstall is my name." The living room went dead silent. Dad's face hardened. "Amelia, you think scoring a 1580 means you don't have to listen to us anymore?" Kenneth shot me a cold look. "If you say no, don't expect another dime from this family." Mom called me heartless. Emily buried herself in her arms, sobbing softly. They all acted like victims. And somehow, I was the bad guy. Dad made the final call. "It's settled. Starting tomorrow, you're Emily. Emily is Amelia." Back in my room, my phone lit up. The family group chat already had dozens of new messages. Dad had posted a picture of Emily. [Amelia made us proud. She crushed the SAT and will go to Halston University.] Someone asked: [What about Emily?] Mom replied almost instantly. [Emily didn't do as well this time. She's upset, so please don't bring it up.] I stared at the screen. That's when it hit me. They'd never wanted my opinion. They were already handing Emily my name. Chapter 2 The next morning, I woke to Mom laughing on the phone. "That's right. Amelia's applying for Halston. "She's always made us proud. After all these years of worrying about her, Fabian and I can finally breathe easy." I stepped into the living room. The second she saw me, her smile vanished. She covered the phone. "Don't say anything." I stared at her. "I'm the one who will get into Halston. So are you talking about me?" Mom frowned. "Do you have to start drama this early?" Dad sat at the table without even looking up. "We made ourselves clear last night. Starting today, you're Emily. Emily is Amelia." "I don't agree." The room went silent. Mom hung up and walked over. "Give me your ID, SAT admission ticket, and bank card." I froze. "What are you doing?" "I'm keeping them for now. That way, you won't do anything impulsive and make this family regret it." I stepped back. "Those are mine." Her eyes instantly filled with tears. "So you don't trust me now? "You really think I'd hurt you?" This from the woman who'd painted me as Emily, the family loser, in the group chat last night. Kenneth came out of his room and headed straight into mine. By the time I ran after him, he was already digging through my backpack. "Kenneth!" I lunged for my bag. Kenneth shoved me back. My elbow slammed into the desk, pain shooting up my arm. He stared at me. "If you've got nothing to hide, what are you so scared of?" In the end, they took my ID and bank card. I only managed to slip my phone and a few dollars into my pajama pocket. Dad locked everything in a drawer. "Starting today, no more allowance. "You'll get it back when you come to your senses." I looked at him. "You're forcing me." He finally met my eyes. "I'm teaching you a lesson." That morning, Kenneth carried a stack of papers into Emily's room. I recognized them instantly. My competition certificates. My college essays. Halston's admissions brochure. I rushed after him. "Give those back." Kenneth blocked the door. "Emily needs to know your background. "Otherwise, when she goes to Halston as Amelia Aerstall, she'll mess up if anyone asks questions." I stared at him. "She's not Amelia Aerstall." He looked annoyed. "That's why she has to learn." Inside, Emily sat at my desk wearing my new white dress. I'd saved three months of lunch money for it. I was supposed to wear it on my first day at Halston. She studied herself in the mirror. "Amelia... do I look like you?" I walked over, my voice cold. "Take it off." Her eyes filled with tears. "I just wanted to get used to being Amelia Aerstall." Mom heard us and rushed in. "You're seriously fighting over a dress? "Emily's taking your place at Halston and dealing with all that pressure, and you're still being this petty?" I laughed bitterly. "For me?" No one seemed to understand how insane this was. That afternoon, I went back to my room to text my homeroom teacher. I'd barely typed a few words when the door opened. Mom stood there, watching me. "Who are you texting?" I flipped my phone facedown. She walked in and lowered her voice. "What happens in this house stays in this house. "If your teacher finds out, Emily's life will be ruined." "What about mine?" Mom went quiet for a second. Then she said, "You're stronger than she is." That night, I got a delivery alert. My acceptance letter had arrived. I rushed to the front door. The package was gone. Mom claimed she hadn't seen it. Kenneth said I was imagining things. Late that night, Emily's bedroom door was cracked open. Through the gap, I spotted the corner of a delivery envelope. My acceptance letter sat on her desk. Right there on the front: [Amelia Aerstall.] Emily sat under the lamp, practicing the same signature over and over. [Amelia Aerstall.] [Amelia Aerstall.] [Amelia Aerstall.] That's when it finally hit me. They weren't just trying to steal my spot at Halston. Chapter 3 The next day, our relatives showed up with flowers and gifts, already grinning. "Where's Amelia? Where's our future Halston student?" Mom lit up and pulled Emily out of her room. She wore my white dress, her hair styled exactly like mine. Mom patted her hand. "Amelia, say hi." Emily ducked her head. But she didn't correct them. Everyone crowded around her. "Amelia really made you proud." "Halston? She's putting the Aerstalls on the map." "I always knew Amelia would go far." I stood off to the side like I wasn't even there. Finally, one of my aunts noticed me. "So how did Emily do?" Mom's smile froze for half a second. "Emily didn't do well this time. She's pretty upset, so let's not bring it up." I opened my mouth, but Dad shot me a look. Cold. Sharp. A warning not to embarrass them. Mom pulled me into the kitchen and shoved a fruit tray into my hands. "Take this out and get everyone drinks." I stared at her. "Isn't today supposed to be about me?" Her face darkened. "Do you have to embarrass us in front of the family?" Then she lowered her voice. "You're Emily now. Don't forget it." I carried the fruit tray back out. Everyone was still praising Emily. No. They were praising "Amelia Aerstall." One by one, they handed me their empty cups. "Emily, refill this?" "Emily, pass the fruit knife." "Emily, your sister really made this family proud." I kept my head down and did whatever they asked. I felt like a waitress at my own celebration. Everything I'd worked for was being handed to Emily. Someone asked about her study habits. Kenneth smiled. "Amelia's always been disciplined. Unlike Emily, who's emotionally unstable. "Maybe this score will teach her a lesson." I shot him a look. He acted like I wasn't even there. "You can't rely on one lucky break. Consistency matters." Everyone nodded. "That's true. Amelia's always been exceptional." My grip tightened around the glass until my knuckles went white. A 1580. Somehow, that had become proof of Emily's years of hard work. And I'd become the unstable screwup. One of my cousins spotted the math competition medal on the wall. "Did Amelia win first place in that too?" I'd earned it junior year. Emily opened her mouth. But Mom beat her to it. "She did. All those awards belong to Amelia." Emily glanced at me. Just once. Then she ducked her head with a shy smile. That's when I got it. She wasn't staying quiet because they were forcing her. She was getting comfortable being Amelia Aerstall. Later, one of our relatives tried to comfort me. "Emily, it's okay if you bombed the SAT. You can still do well at a regular college." I set down my glass. "I didn't bomb the SAT." The living room went dead silent. Mom's face changed instantly. Kenneth shot to his feet, clearly pissed. "What is your problem now?" Dad's voice went cold. "Emily, apologize." He said Emily on purpose. I didn't move. Dad turned to everyone else with a tight smile. "She didn't take her score well. She's not thinking straight." Mom instantly started crying. "She's always been proud. She just can't accept that her sister did better." The way everyone looked at me changed. No one believed me. Why would they? My parents, my brother, and my sister were all against me. After everyone left, Gideon showed up with a stack of Halston prep materials for Amelia. He pulled me onto the balcony and lowered his voice. "I know you feel like it's unfair. But Emily can't handle any more stress right now. Just help her this once." I stared at him. "You think she should take my name too?" He went quiet for a second. "You're twins. There's no reason to draw such a hard line." Whatever feelings I'd had for him since we were kids died right there. That night, I passed Dad's study and heard him booking a hotel. "The party theme should be: Congratulations to Amelia Aerstall on Getting Into Halston." Mom spoke beside him. "Don't mention Emily. We don't want to embarrass the poor girl." I stood outside the door, ice spreading through me. They weren't just stealing my name. They were going to turn me into Emily in front of everyone. Chapter 4 The next morning, Dad slid a notebook across the table. Inside was a list. My grades. Competition history. Why I chose my major. Why I picked Halston. My hobbies. He tapped the page. "Write it all down so Emily can memorize it." I looked at him. "So you're really doing this?" He frowned. "We've come this far. Stop causing trouble." 'We've come this far.' With one careless sentence, he turned my whole life into part of their plan. Emily sat down beside me with the notebook. She spoke carefully. "Amelia, what books do you usually read? "If a professor asks why I picked this major, what should I say? "And that last math competition problem... how did you solve it?" I looked at her. "You're not Amelia Aerstall. Of course you don't know." Her eyes filled with tears. "I just don't want to let Mom and Dad down." Kenneth happened to walk by. The second he heard me, his face hardened. "Cut the attitude. We're asking you to write down a few things. It's not going to kill you." That's when I realized he was right. They didn't want to kill me. They wanted my whole life. Mom walked over carrying a document folder. "Put all your certificates in here." I didn't move. She explained like it was obvious. "We're displaying them at the party. "If anyone asks, Amelia will have something to show." Except the Amelia she meant wasn't me anymore. "They're my certificates." Her face darkened. "They're pieces of paper. How long are you going to keep making a scene?" When I still refused, she walked over to my bookshelf. I'd kept those certificates tucked away at the back of my shelf. The edges were worn. Proof of countless late nights and endless practice tests. Mom didn't even look at them before shoving them into the folder and handing it to Emily. "You can hold onto these for now." I reached for the folder. Mom smacked my hand away. "I gave birth to you! "And you're really going to fight Emily over a few pieces of paper?" I looked at her, the back of my hand stinging. Emily clutched the folder to her chest. "Amelia... I'm sorry." But she never let go. Around noon, Dad answered a call. I heard him say, "Yes, her name is Emily Aerstall. "As long as she can get accepted somewhere, any practical major is fine." I rushed over. "Who were you talking to?" Dad hung up and looked at me blankly. "I'm arranging a college for you." I froze. "Who gave you the right?" "I'm your father." He looked me straight in the eye. "Emily will attend Halston under your name. "You'll attend whatever college her scores can get you into under hers. "This is the best option." "Best for who?" He didn't even pause. "This family." At that moment, I stopped arguing. Because I finally understood. I was never going to win. It wasn't that they didn't know they were hurting me. They just didn't care. I went back to my room and locked the door. From inside an old textbook, I pulled out a few bills and the contact information my homeroom teacher had given me. I sent her a message. [Ms. Parker, this is Amelia Aerstall.] [My family wants my twin sister to steal my identity and go to Halston under my name.] [They took my ID, my bank card, and my acceptance letter.] [I need help.] After I hit send, I stared at the screen. My heart pounded so hard I could barely breathe. Her reply came almost instantly. [Amelia, don't be afraid.] [Keep yourself safe first.] [I'm contacting the school and Halston's admissions office right now.] Three short messages. I almost cried. Someone had finally asked if I was safe before asking why I couldn't just give in. I packed a small bag. Two changes of clothes. A little cash. My old student ID. My phone charger. And my notebook of practice problems. I'd just zipped the bag shut when someone knocked. Mom's voice came through the door. "Amelia, open up." I shoved my phone under my pillow. A beat of silence. Then her voice went cold. "What were you just doing?"