* the best that I could *

[paige melissa rhodes]

For Paige, the winter days always seemed to drag by fruitlessly. She never felt like she accomplished anything during class or even at work and she crawled into bed each night with a miserable feeling of dissatisfaction playing on her mind as she slipped into the depths of a restless slumber. She would awake long before her alarm or her sister and usually made use of that time by cleaning the apartment that she shared with her twin. Paige appreciated when things were clean and tidy and Payton gave her more of a reason to do that with her weaker immune system. No harm came to anyone for taking care of their home and Paige would argue that to her grave if she had to.
This morning had been no different and the sun was barely peeking over the high rise opposite their apartment when Paige headed for the shower, the smell of bleach lodged in her nose until the incense kicked off with that lavender scent that always welcomed her home after class each day. It was the fragrance of their apartment in New York and it reminded her quite a lot of home on miserable days like today.

She assumed Payton was still fast asleep in her room as she padded across the cold floor to her room, jogging slightly to the warmth of her bed where she could sit as she dried herself with the fluffy towel and picked out her outfit for the day. Paige always preferred to dress brightly, not so much that she looked like something from Sesame Street, but she had to have some colour in her clothes. She was optimistic, happy and light and often wanted to show the rest of the world that through her choice of clothes. There were very few black or grey things in her wardrobe and Paige disliked how the winter months brought on the dark shades; the months were dreary enough without everyone in the city needing to reflect it too.

Once ready for the day, she tousled dried her hair and then moved to the kitchen, opening the cupboards and staring at her choices for breakfast. Her bag was always ready the night before; something she had picked up from her mother from when she and Payton were still both children in their small hometown of Derby Acres. Every night, their mother would make sure all the school books and homework was tucked away neatly in their bags and their bags placed near the front door so that neither girl could forget them as they raced out to school, eager to meet their friends. Now, Paige always made sure her notes and binders were in her bag before she retired for the night and that left her with much more time in the morning to get ready for the day and spend some time with her sister before she had to leave for the college in the middle of the city and then go straight from there to her shift at Borders until after the sun set. Living in New York was hardly inexpensive and Paige made a deliberate point out of saving some of her wages each month in case there was ever any new treatment available for her sister, to bring back her hearing.

Paige flicked on the radio, the silence scaring her a little as she moved to make breakfast. For some reason, the silence was always more bearable with Payton around and there seemed to be a much more important reason for it. Soon, she was serving up waffles, glancing at the clock and wondering if she should set another placing for Payton, who was usually up by now, unless she had had a late night at work. Paige herself had turned in the moment she walked through the door; cold and exhausted after choosing to catch the subway home.

Tagged- Payton Rhodea!
Words- 672
Lyrics- Down Goes Another One by McFly
Clothes- Over here
Notes- xD
[/size]

[Payton Elouisa Rhodes]

It always amazed Payton how different the two Rhodes girls had become. Paige was bright and fun, and the one who definitely cared a lot more. Payton was just there. She was the darker one, the one who perferred to be locked up in an office than out in the spotlight with the rest of her co-workers. She was just kind of there, drifting almost. There was really nothing to wake up for in the morning unless she had work or something planned with her sister. And, honestly, Paige was the one person Payton needed to get up for in the morning. She hated worrying her twin, or, more importantly, being worried about. Payton was too bull-headed and independence loving for it, even if all of it was in good intentions. Having people fussing over her just wasn't her favorite thing in the world.

Payton rolled over onto her stomach with a soft groan, her eyes turning to the clock on her nightstand. Paige would be up already, and most likely had been for hours, probably running about the apartment in that motherly way of hers, cleaning and disinfecting everything within a mile's radius. Pay sighed, running a hand through her hair and sitting up on her bed. She'd never be able to do that with the odd hours she worked. Lots of times on the weekends, she'd be at the Apollo long after the curtain closed, making sure the dressing rooms were cleaned or that nothing had been left backstage. Lots of times she wouldn't get home until well into the morning, sneaking through that door in the mouse-like way she'd developed. The light peeking through her blinds this morning told her she'd slept later than usual, though her body probably needed it after the couple sleepless nights she'd had the past couple days.

She dragged herself up out of bed, running a hand through her wild hair as she slipped her freezing feet into her slippers. Pay made her way out of her bedroom, crinkling her nose as the tell-tale scent of cleaners met her nose the moment her door open. Paige had been at it again, afterall. Shaking her head with a smirk on her lips, Pay walked into the kitchen where her twin was already mass-producing waffles. Her eyes flickered to the radio's dial, checking to see if it was flipped to "on" or not. Of course, it was, and it was no doubt blasting the one thing Pay now hated: music. Even though she couldn't actually hear it, she still hated the thought of it playing around her.

With a small frown, Pay went to flip the radio off, hopping up onto the counter once she was done and turning her eyes to her sister again. "Any of those for me?" she signed once she caught her twin's attention, a smirk back on her lips. "Or were you planning on eating all of them yourself?" Pay glanced over the stacked plate, shaking her head in amusement as she got back down off the counter, going into the cupboard and pulling out a plate for herself. She set it on the counter, heading to the fridge and opening up the door. She got out the butter and syrup, grabbing the carton of orange juice they had, as well. Eventually, they'd have to go shopping this week. Or, rather, Paige would have to make a list for Payton before school one morning and have her twin run out while she attended lectures. It was the least Payton could do, and it wasn't like grocery shopping took a lot of energy or social interaction, both things Pay was alright with not needing.

She set the things on the counter before getting two glasses out of the cupboard, as well, pouring the orange juice and setting one down near Paige's plate. Pay took a long swig of hers, refilling the cup again before putting the carton away.

• • •

WORDS: 687!
TAG: The Twin!
LOCATION: Their Apartment!
OUTFIT: hmm?
LYRICS: "Breathe" by Michelle Branch
NOTES: <3 <3 <3

[paige melissa rhodes]

Paige knew only too well how much Payton despised being fussed over and worried about. The blonde sister couldn’t help it though. As her sister, and as the one person here in New York who remembered what Payton used to be like it was painful for her to see what her sister had become and it worried her to see her fade more and more from her past self. Paige did everything she was capable of doing to bring a smile back to Pay’s face but nothing seemed to work enough to really keep it there. She had even enlisted the aid of her own dear friend Phoenix to try and coax Payton out of the bubble she kept herself locked inside. Paige didn’t know of a single person who had been able to resist Nix’s playful charm and if anyone could cheer her sister up, she knew it would be the lanky blonde boy who spent more time making people laugh than he did on his studies. She just hoped it would be enough and that Payton wouldn’t immediately realise Paige’s intentions when she introduced them both.

Normally, students had a reputation for sleeping in late and living in squalors of takeout containers and pizza boxes. Paige was the total opposite. She was up with the sun, cleaning away the dust that had yet to settle and she wasn’t the biggest fan of takeout food either; she much preferred something fresh and usually something that she had cooked herself from scratch. There was nothing more rewarding for her than to be able to enjoy a meal she had spent a few hours perfecting, usually following one of her mom’s old recipes that the young woman had inherited from her at some point during her teenage years when cooking and helping around the house became more of a routine than a chore. At least if she got anything from the change in Payton it was the ability to enjoy cleaning, cooking and ironing more than most girls of their age ever did.

Looking after Payton was something Paige was used to and despite what some people thought when they learnt the story of the twins, she didn’t regret her decision to bring Payton to New York with her. Most people may have severed that sibling bond and left her in their family hometown, relieved for freedom and the chance to follow their own dreams, but Paige was the opposite. She knew that they needed each other, and that moving to New York without her sister was not an option. Neither had spent time away from home before and alone it would only take a matter of weeks before Paige would have ran back to their small town with a horrible case of homesickness. With Payton around, there was always that lingering sense of home and the routine that Paige was happily familiar with; that kept her going whenever school was getting tough and whilst she did worry often about Payton’s long nights, she trusted her sister enough to be able to just keep a watchful eye over her from a distance…and to make friends in the places Payton worked and visited the most, just to keep a sound mind when Payton acted more distant than normal.

She didn’t notice her sister’s arrival until the radio suddenly stopped; the fast paced pop song cut short mid bridge, right before the catchy chorus kicked in. Paige didn’t mind though, simply turning around to smile at her still sleepy sister. She pulled her focus away from breakfast for one moment as she studied her sister’s signed message. It was weird, but whenever Paige interpreted the signals and turned them into words, she always heard Payton’s voice saying them; accented and soft, just the way she remembered it from before the Scarlet Fever. “Oh yeah, because I’m a greedy pig like that.”

[/I] She rolled her eyes and smiled warmly as she checked the waffles once more, humming that song from the radio as Payton made herself useful getting the rest of breakfast ready. Paige loved these moments; it was like old times and for a moment, she forgot about Payton’s situation and had often caught herself trying to talk to her twin as though she could hear her. Another thing that broke her heart.
“Thanks.”[/i] She signed, shovelling the waffles onto the plates at last and moving to her seat, sitting down and digging into the sweet scented breakfast after coating it in syrup, just the way she liked it.

[/blockquote]

Tagged- Payton Rhodea!
Words- 765
Lyrics- Down Goes Another One by McFly
Clothes- Over here
Notes- xD
[/size]

[Payton Elouisa Rhodes]

Payton often wondered what her life would be like if Paige had left her back in their little hometown. In her mind, it was often summed up in two words; "living hell". Even though she'd just begun getting over the lingerings of scarlet fever, she'd needed her sister with her. It was that cliched rumor about twins doing better together and being able to read each other's minds. Things like that. She needed to be with Paige, no matter where she decided to run off to for school. Pay had known for a long time that she wouldn't be attending college, for now anyways, and it made sense for her to just go live with her sister. That way, at least, she'd be in a place where nobody would know her. Nobody would give her pitying glances as she walked down the street. Nobody would look at her with that gleam in their eyes that clearly said "where's the old you?". She'd be a brand new person for awhile with a clean slate. And, she supposed, that was one of the bigger reasons she did decide to move to New York.

Part of her had wanted to stay home, sure. Pay wanted to stay with her mother and father, breathe the fresh country air, and try living the housewife life she'd given up on when music had been an option. Plenty of the boys had still shown a slight interest in her, especially those she'd been closer to. It could've worked out with one of them, and she knew it perfectly well. But, Payton Elouisa Rhodes was no housewife, and never would be. In a way, Paige's chance was Payton's because, otherwise, who knew where she'd be right now. At least, if she was here, she could say she was doing something. Back home, she probably would've been seen as the new town bum.

She didn't know why she let Paige keep the radio in the apartment, especially when every time she looked at it, all the memories from Before came crashing back into her mind like one hard, sickening blow. It made her cringe inside when the thought "That could've been me singing on there" rang through her head. And, these days, it was like some daily occurance. Granted, working at the Apollo didn't help her spirits much either. But, it was her own little way of contributing to the industry she felt she'd never be welcome in again. Even though her voice had been lost, didn't mean other's would have to suffer because of a crappy scheduler, which was why Pay had decided to even try applying for the job. At least it was something for her to fill her endless hours with.

"Of course you are! Didn't you get the memo?" Pay signed back, smiling back at her twin in that haunted way of hers. Her smiles hadn't been what they used to be for a long time, and it even scared her sometimes when she looked in the mirror and saw the paleness her own face could have. It was like she was vanishing before her own eyes, and the shadowy smiles were the first step in that process.

Pay flopped a waffle onto her own plate, ripping it to pieces instead of cutting it with a knife. It was a habit she'd had since chlidhood, when using utensils was not one of her favorite things in the world. It'd kind of just stuck with her all these years. Finishing with her tearing, she freed her hands and signed, "Don't you have class today? Or are you free to do something?" Pay found it was sometimes hard to find a day for sister outings lately. Between her working and Paige at school or studying, there wasn't a lot of free time with which to work. But, seeing as she'd had the late shift last night, she didn't have to go in until late tonight again, so she could hang out with her twin for a change. If her twin wasn't busy, that is. .

• • •

WORDS: 716!
TAG: The Twin!
LOCATION: Their Apartment!
OUTFIT: hmm?
LYRICS: "Breathe" by Michelle Branch
NOTES: <3 <3 <3

[paige melissa rhodes]

When Paige had first received her acceptance letter from NYU, she had sat down with her parents late one night and talked about Payton. It was a conversation that happened after her sister was asleep and lasted until the sun was rising. They had discussed the brunette’s future and brainstormed about what would be best for her now that Paige was moving on with her life. If her sister had stayed in Derby Acres then there was a strong chance that she’d remain permanently in the rut she had fallen into after her Scarlet Fever had taken over her life. None of the Rhodes family wanted that and Paige especially was determined to find a way to bring back that spark of life to Payton. It had been her suggestion to bring Payton to New York and it was one she didn’t regret at all. Back home, with such a small town and community, there were limits to what life could bring to a person and Paige knew that with her dreams currently dashed, Payton needed somewhere without restrictions, where anything could be possible and the rumoured magic of New York seemed more than promising for her.

Three years and still there was little progress, but Paige continued to reassure her parents that this was still the best idea for both daughters. Paige didn’t think she would’ve lasted this long if she hadn’t been around her sister. Their separation during Pay’s illness had almost driven Paige to insanity and she didn’t want to think about them being apart again, at least not for long periods of time. If only she could make Payton smile again, and not the lost smile that just brought back sad memories of the girl the pale brunette used to be.

Sure, they still had good times together and their days spent relaxing were some of the best days, but Paige was still allowed to miss their younger years, when they would relax together; Payton with her guitar and Paige with her books. She knew there had to be something that could be done to perk Payton’s spirit up again, but what?

Laughing silently to herself, Paige wrinkled her nose and threw her sister a mock look of annoyance. She leaned over and stole a fork full of breakfast from Pay’s plate and then shrugged her shoulders helplessly as she put the food in her mouth and chewed it, emphasising how tasty it was with a more than content eye roll. “Just living up to my title, then,”

[/i] she teased returning to her own breakfast which was much more heavily doused in syrup.
Barely catching what Payton signed to her, Paige took a few seconds to respond, opting to sip her juice before signing her reply. “I have one lecture at ten, but the rest of the day I’m free. What have you got in mind?”[/I] It seemed like an eternity since they had spent an afternoon together and it was yet another chance for Paige to try and cheer her sister up and bring back a glimmer of the girl she used to be.
[/blockquote]

Tagged- Payton Rhodes!
Words- 596
Lyrics- Down Goes Another One by McFly
Clothes- Over here
Notes- xD
[/size]

[Payton Elouisa Rhodes]

Payton didn't talk to her parents as often as she probably should've. But, then, she didn't want to most days. It was such a hassle, in her opinion. The phone wasn't an option, so it wasn't so easy as just dialing the number and chatting away with the aging couple. She had to email her mom or dad, or set up the webcam and go back and forth through Pay's new language, which neither of her parents had picked up on extremely well. At least, they weren't as good as the twins, which was understandable as Pay wasn't home for them to practice with anymore. But, despite her slight laziness about it, she just didn't want to. She absolutely hated being fussed over, unless it was Paige of course, and couldn't bare the constant "Are you alright?"'s. It was too much.

The "old" days were some of the memories that haunted Payton on a nightly basis. She knew her twin missed that; it was obviously with every worried, concerned look she caught. Truthfully, Pay missed those days herself before one illness decided to ruin her life. She missed being able to run and laugh without a care in the world, or going on family "vacations" around the state. She missed coming home at night and talking over one of her mother's delicious dinners, and she missed being able to smile with friends. She ached for it most days, but, to her, it was out of her grasp now. That Payton was the old one, and this new one had more important things on her mind; like paying rent and food bills. She didn't have time for fun.

Payton watched the laugh spread across Paige's face, her own smile lighting just a bit. She rolled her eyes as her sister's fork attacked her plate, reaching across and snatching her own forkful of syrup-drenched food. "Leave my food out of it then," Pay scolded, returning her mocking look.

Her eyes watched her twin's hands as they moved, and she shrugged. Payton didn't know exactly what they could do; anything, really. She just missed spending time with her twin. "We could stay in and do something," Pay suggested, as usual. Paige was the one who dragged her out, not the other way around. Besides, her nails were sorely in need of a home mani-pedi, and she'd bet money that her sister's were, too. .

• • •

WORDS: 520!
TAG: The Twin!
LOCATION: Their Apartment!
OUTFIT: hmm?
LYRICS: "Breathe" by Michelle Branch
NOTES: <3 <3 <3

[paige melissa rhodes]

Paige sometimes wished her sister would open up more, even with her. They still shared tales of their days and gossiped about whatever happened to come up in their lives, but Paige couldn’t help but feel that Payton guarded her emotions sometimes from her twin. Paige wanted to help and she knew when to give the brunette her space, but she longed to know more about why Payton would leave it to her to call their parents, or why there were nights when she just didn’t feel like being around anyone. Paige knew she hadn’t been through the same trauma as her sister and she knew it was still something that played heavy on her heart and mind, but there had to be a way to make it better; make it easier on the brunette who seemed to be fading further and further into the background, rather than flourishing in the same way that the young blonde was.

Payton was becoming far too serious for Paige’s liking. That was why she had introduced the ever-energetic Phoenix to her twin, in the hopes that he may bring back a spark of life in those dulling eyes. So far, she didn’t know if anything had worked, but her fingers were still crossed and she was still slipping the spare part of her wages into the separate account that she foolishly wished would one day help Payton again. At twenty one, life should be fun and not resting heavy on shoulders, yet Pay often looked like she carried the weight of the world on hers. Paige had her own life to live, but sometimes felt guilty when a night out was full of wonderful moments and memories, knowing that to share them with her sister would be to rub in just how much she couldn’t experience anymore, thanks to fate’s cruel hand.

Paige stuck her tongue out at her sister in a fashion that was far too childish for the teacher-in-training. No one was around though and when the twins were together, Paige seemed to fall back into a persona that hadn’t changed in roughly fifteen years. She was laidback, cracked jokes and just generally didn’t care what happened. She had no reason to think Payton would judge her and the girls were thick as thieves – always had been. “Excuse me, I cooked your food,”

[/i] Paige pointed out with a mocking look in her eyes. This banter was what she loved about their mornings together and aside from the fact that her parents were bustling around behind her, it reminded her of home.

Of course Payton would suggest staying in and doing something. It was always Paige who insisted on them going out someplace and experiencing New York as much more than just their home. However, this time, staying home sounded like good fun. They could have a proper catch up and a girly afternoon. Maybe Payton would let her tackle those dark locks with some of her serums and sprays too...it all sounded like a wonderful plan. “Okay, I’ll bring us some lunch in after class and we can spend the afternoon lazing around and doing whatever springs to mind,”[/i]Paige signed with a warm smile.
[/blockquote]

Tagged- Payton Rhodes!
Words- 536
Lyrics- Down Goes Another One by McFly
Clothes- Over here
Notes- xD
[/size]