Bittersweet Memories

“Hi, Samantha,” a young woman said softly. “You have no idea how happy I am to finally meet you. Truly.”

Samuel looked up from the table.

For several seconds, he could not move.

He had arrived first, exactly as instructed, and spent the past ten minutes waiting for the person who had watched him at the Graduation Gala, photographed him, and threatened to expose everything. He had imagined dozens of possibilities. A student from St. Catherine’s. Someone connected to the school. A stranger who had followed the girls.

He had never imagined Daphne.

The blood seemed to drain from his face and rush cold through the body he had once again transformed for someone else’s benefit.

Daphne stood beside the empty chair across from him, watching his reaction.

It had been seven or eight months since he had seen her. Their last conversation had not even happened in person. It had ended through a phone screen, with Daphne confessing feelings Samuel had not known how to return and both of them saying things that had finally destroyed what remained of their friendship.

Now she was standing in front of him as the author of an extortion attempt.

“You?” he whispered.

Daphne pulled out the chair and sat down.

“You look surprised.”

Samuel stared at her. “How could you do this?”

“I think you’re skipping a few questions.”

“How did you know?”

Daphne rested her phone on the table between them.

“The day Samantha appeared at St. Catherine’s, I went to pick up Tiffany. I did that pretty often.”

Samuel said nothing.

“I saw Natalie, Maddie, and Riley near the entrance. I already knew all three of them.” Daphne’s eyes remained fixed on his. “But there was another student with them. Someone I had never seen before.”

Her fingers moved across the screen.

“She looked familiar. Not enough for me to understand why, but enough that I kept looking. The idea that crossed my mind was ridiculous, so I dismissed it.”

Daphne turned the phone toward him.

A photograph filled the screen.

Samantha stood outside St. Catherine’s in the school uniform, surrounded by Natalie, Maddie, and Riley. She was turned partly away from the camera, laughing at something one of the girls had said.

Her phone was visible in her hand.

Daphne enlarged the image until the device filled most of the screen.

“I recognized the case,” she said. “And the St. Gabriel’s sticker on the back. You’ve carried that phone around for more than a year.”

Samuel’s stomach tightened.

He remembered that afternoon. The relief of getting outside without being caught. The exhilaration of seeing Tiffany again. The careless way he had taken out his phone without considering that Samantha should not possess anything so recognizably Samuel’s.

“I took the picture because I needed to look at it later,” Daphne continued. “I compared your face with hers. The eyebrows. The nose. The way you stand when you think no one is paying attention.”

Samuel looked away.

“It still seemed impossible,” she said. “But after a while, impossible became the only explanation that made sense.”

She swiped to another photograph.

Samantha at the Graduation Gala.

The fuchsia gown. The carefully styled hair. The makeup that had taken hours. Samuel stood near the edge of the ballroom, unaware that Daphne had already found him.

“I didn’t know whether she would appear again,” Daphne said. “So when I arrived at the gala, I looked for Natalie, Maddie, and Riley. I thought that if the mysterious girl was with them, I’d have my answer.”

Samuel stared at the picture.

“And there you were.”

“You sent the message.”

“Yes.”

The words appeared in his memory with perfect clarity.

I can’t deny it, Samuel. You look very pretty tonight. That fuchsia dress makes your eyes impossible to miss.

Daphne watched him carefully.

“I hadn’t originally planned to contact you that night. I thought I would wait until I understood more. But then I saw how far you had taken it.” Her gaze moved over Samantha as she sat across from her. “And how convincing you were.”

Samuel pushed the phone away.

“Natalie, Maddie, and Riley helped you, right?” Daphne asked.

It was phrased as a question, but her tone made it clear she already knew the answer.

“Yes.”

“Why?”

Samuel hesitated.

Daphne leaned back. “It wasn’t a joke. No one creates an entire person, enters another school, and attends a formal event because of a joke.”

“It started as one.”

“But that isn’t why you did it.”

Samuel lowered his eyes toward the table.

“Why, Samuel?”

He hated hearing his real name while sitting there as Samantha. It made him feel exposed in a way the photographs could not.

“I wanted to see Tiffany.”

Daphne’s expression changed.

Samuel continued before he lost the courage.

“Your parents made it impossible for us to meet. I couldn’t enter St. Catherine’s as myself, so the girls joked that I could go as someone else. Then the joke became a plan.” Samuel didn't want to tell her that he was the one who had asked about the boys who snuck into St. Catherine's

“And Tiffany knew?”

“Not at first.”

Daphne waited.

“She found out while I was there. She knew Samantha was me.”

Daphne looked down at the photograph again.

“So the three of them helped you create Samantha, and you did all of this to see my sister.”

“Yes.”

“I’m impressed,” Daphne said quietly. “I’m not going to lie.”

Samuel looked up.

“And a little disappointed.”

“Why?”

“You went through all of this for Tiffany.” Daphne gestured toward him—the hair, the makeup, the clothes, the entire carefully maintained illusion. “But you did nothing for me.”

Samuel stared at her.

“I’m not asking you to return the feelings I confessed months ago. This isn’t about that.”

“Then what is it about?”

“I missed my best friend.”

The answer caught him off guard.

Daphne gave a small, humorless laugh.

“You trusted three girls you barely knew with something this enormous. You trusted Tiffany. You let all of them see the most vulnerable version of you imaginable.” Her voice softened. “But you never told me.”

“We weren’t friends anymore.”

“I know.”

“You’re the one who made me walk away.”

Pain crossed her expression, but she did not deny it.

“And even if I wanted to fix things,” Samuel continued, “I can’t just start spending time with you again. Your family already made it clear I wasn’t welcome. If I start showing up around you again, they’ll assume I’m trying to get back to Tiffany. Being around you means being around Tiffany, and apparently everyone has decided that isn’t allowed.”

Daphne’s expression shifted.

A slow, dangerous smile formed on her lips.

“Maybe Samuel can’t spend time with me.”

Samuel felt the unease return.

“But Samantha can.”

He stared at her. “What are you saying?”

“I want to see you again. I want us to talk. I want the chance to have my friend back.”

“I’m sorry, but I can’t give you that.”

“You can.”

“No. Samantha was supposed to disappear.”

Daphne’s smile faded.

“She doesn’t have to.”

“She does.”

“Actually, she can’t.”

Samuel’s hands tightened beneath the table.

“What does that mean?”

Daphne folded her arms.

“Willow House is running its summer program,” Daphne said. “We have more children enrolled than usual, and we’re one volunteer short of the staffing level we committed to. If we don’t fill the position, we may have to reduce the number of children who can participate.”

“The open position is specifically for a female volunteer.”

Samuel stared at her.

“I’ve already submitted Samantha Brooks’s name,” Daphne continued. “As far as Willow House is concerned, she’s the young woman filling the final position.”

“You signed me up without asking me?”

“I made the arrangements.”

“You want me to volunteer as a girl.”

“I want Samantha to volunteer.”

“Samantha isn’t real.”

Daphne glanced deliberately at the clothes, makeup, and hair he had been ordered to wear.

“She looks real enough from where I’m sitting.”

Samuel leaned closer. “And if I say no?”

Daphne’s eyes moved toward the phone.

“Don’t make me show these photographs to Lily.”

His stomach dropped.

“Or your parents,” she continued. “Or Natalie’s, Maddie’s, and Riley’s parents. I’m sure St. Catherine’s would also be interested in knowing how four students managed to bring an impostor onto campus.”

“You wouldn’t.”

“I don’t need everyone to believe me immediately. I only need to send the pictures and ask the right questions. I’m desperate, Samuel. Give me a chance.”

“This isn’t giving you a chance. It’s blackmail.”

Daphne flinched at the word.

“Call it whatever you need to call it.”

“I can’t maintain this.” Samuel gestured toward himself. “I’m not a woman.”

“I’ll help you.”

He gave a bitter laugh. “You’re going to teach me how to be a better girl?”

“I’m going to make sure no one catches you.”

“How considerate.”

“I’m serious.” Daphne’s voice sharpened. “If you’re going to be around staff, parents, and children, you need to be convincing enough that no one looks twice.”

“More feminine.”

“Safer.”

Samuel said nothing.

“I’ll pay for an appointment with Emily, my personal image consultant and stylist.” Daphne continued. “She’ll help with the wig, the makeup, and anything else you need.”

“And she won’t ask questions?”

“She knows how to be discreet.”

“You’ve planned all of this.”

“I prepared for the possibility.”

“The possibility that you could force me into it.”

Daphne looked away for a moment.

Then she slid the phone back toward herself.

“I’ll let you know when your appointment is. Make sure Samantha is ready.”

Samuel’s voice came out quieter than he intended.

“How long?”

Daphne stood.

“For as long as necessary.”

She picked up her phone and looked down at him one last time.

“Everything is arranged. Willow House is expecting Samantha.”

 

Tiffany led Daphne away from the reception hall and into a quieter corridor overlooking the courtyard.

Samuel tried to follow, but Tiffany was moving quickly and his still-developing relationship with high heels did not allow him to do the same. By the time he reached the far side of the room, Andrew was already beside him.

“Sam.”

Samuel stopped.

Andrew looked toward the corridor, then back at him. “What happened?”

“She knows.”

“Tiffany?”

Samuel nodded.

“And she’s going after Daphne.”

“Do you want me to stop her?”

“I don’t know.”

Andrew placed a steadying hand on his arm.

“You don’t have to decide in the next five seconds.”

“Yes, I do.”

Samuel looked toward the place where both sisters had disappeared. His heart was pounding beneath the fitted bodice of the navy dress.

For weeks, every decision had been delayed, avoided, or made for him.

He could remain in the reception hall and let Tiffany fight the battle.

Or he could finally enter the conversation himself.

“I’m going,” he said.

Andrew nodded. “Then I’m coming with you.”

Samuel looked at him.

“I’ll stay back,” Andrew added. “But I’m not leaving you alone.”

Together, they crossed the room.

By the time Samantha reached the corridor, Tiffany had already begun.

“How long have you been doing this to him?”

Daphne’s face changed when she noticed Samantha approaching.

“He told you.”

“He shouldn’t have had to.”

“This isn’t what it looks like,” Daphne said. “There’s an explanation. It isn’t as simple as you think.”

“You threatened him.”

“I gave him a way to protect the secret.”

“You forced him to keep living as someone he never agreed to become.”

Daphne’s eyes flashed.

“You haven’t seen him at Willow House. You haven’t seen who he becomes when he stops fighting every second of it.”

“That still didn’t give you the right to decide for him.”

“You don’t understand.”

“I understand that he’s terrified of you.”

Daphne looked toward Samantha.

“That wasn’t what I wanted.”

“But it’s what you did.”

Daphne turned back to her sister.

“At least I was there. I saw what Samantha could do. I saw how much the children loved her.” Her voice grew sharper. “You decided it was easier to move on.”

Tiffany recoiled.

“You caused all of this. You read something that wasn’t yours, and you handed Mom and Dad exactly what they needed to keep us apart. You were the reason I was forbidden from seeing him.”

“And you were willing to let that be the end of it.”

“You don’t know what I fought for.”

“I know he created an entire person just to see you, and you arrived tonight with someone else.”

“He is not my boyfriend.”

“That isn’t the point.”

“You took away my choices, too,” Tiffany said. “Because of you, they took away the person I loved.”

Daphne’s face tightened.

“And you took away my best friend.”

“Stop.”

Both sisters turned.

Samantha stood a few feet away, breathing hard from the walk in heels and the effort of holding everything inside.

“Please,” Samuel said. “Stop talking about me like I’m not standing here.”

The anger in Tiffany’s face faltered.

Daphne lowered her eyes.

Samuel looked at Tiffany first.

“Neither of you is as cruel as the other one wants to believe.”

Tiffany opened her mouth, but he continued.

“If we had trusted each other enough to talk before everything exploded—if we had found a way to face your family together—maybe Samantha would never have had to exist.”

Tiffany’s gaze dropped.

Samuel turned toward Daphne.

“And if you had respected your sister’s privacy—and mine—Samantha would never have had to come back.”

The faint satisfaction that had begun to appear on Daphne’s face vanished.

Samuel took a breath.

“Going to St. Catherine’s gave me something I don’t regret. But attending the Graduation Gala as Samantha was my decision, and it was a mistake.”

Pain crossed Tiffany’s face, although she already knew the facts. Hearing Samuel call it a mistake made their weight feel different.

Samuel continued before the conversation could turn back toward the gala.

“Willow House wasn’t bad. Maya wasn’t bad. The children weren’t bad.” He looked directly at Daphne. “But I should have been the one who decided.”

Silence filled the corridor.

Daphne’s shoulders lowered.

“I know.”

Samuel had expected another defense.

Instead, she wiped beneath one eye.

Tiffany gave a disbelieving laugh. “Do you?”

Daphne’s eyes moved toward Samuel.

“I told myself Willow House made it worth it. I told myself the good you were doing meant I hadn’t really hurt you.”

“And then?” Samuel asked.

Daphne looked down.

“Then I started enjoying the fact that you couldn’t say no.”

Her voice dropped.

“That was when I should have stopped.”

She looked at Samantha.

“You did something extraordinary there.”

“What I did,” Samuel corrected.

Daphne went still.

“You gave the orders,” he continued. “I did the work.”

The words landed between them.

Daphne looked at Samantha again.

Not at the polished low bun or the carefully blended blue shadow. Not at the dress she had teased him about wearing or the heels he had been ordered to bring.

She saw the rigid shoulders. The hand unconsciously gripping the side of the short skirt as though he needed to hold it in place. The fear beneath the makeup. The exhaustion in his eyes.

For weeks, Daphne had seen a convincing young woman, a capable volunteer, and proof that her plan was succeeding.

Now, for the first time, she saw Samuel beneath all of it—tense, overwhelmed, and still waiting for her next command.

Daphne’s eyes filled before she could look away.

“I’m truly sorry.”

A tear slipped down her cheek.

Samuel did not know what to say.

Daphne turned before either of them could stop her and walked back toward the reception hall.

Tiffany watched her go.

Then she faced Samuel.

“When you told me everything in the restroom, I understood what happened,” she said. “I don’t think I understood what it meant until now.”

Samuel remained silent.

“You created Samantha because you wanted to see me. Then you went to my Graduation Gala knowing how terrified you were of being discovered.” Her eyes filled with tears. “You were willing to risk so much just to be close to me, and I spent the past month trying to convince myself that forgetting you was the only way to survive.”

She lowered her gaze.

“I never stopped to think about what any of it had cost you.”

Samuel’s throat tightened.

“I’m sorry,” Tiffany whispered. “I’m sorry I didn’t understand sooner.”

He wanted to answer.

No words came.

The first tear escaped before he could stop it, cutting a thin line through the makeup Emily had applied so carefully. Another followed.

Andrew approached from the far end of the corridor. He looked at Tiffany, then at Samuel.

“I think it’s time to go.”

Samuel nodded.

Tiffany stepped aside.

Neither of them tried to say goodbye.

 

Andrew drove him home in silence.

Samuel remained in the heels for the entire ride. By the time they reached the house, his feet hurt and he was too exhausted to care about the sound they made against the pavement.

Once inside, he climbed the stairs without turning on the lights, each step announcing him with the sharp click of his heels. The borrowed jewelry made small sounds whenever he moved.

In his bedroom, he removed the dress, the heels, the wig, and the accessories. He placed them wherever his exhausted hands could manage rather than returning them to their careful hiding places.

He did not remove the makeup.

He did not clean the navy polish from his nails.

He barely managed to pull on an old T-shirt before collapsing onto the bed.

When he opened his eyes the next morning, mascara had collected beneath them and foundation marked the pillowcase. His head hurt. His throat felt raw, and for several seconds he did not remember why.

Then everything returned.

Daphne.

Tiffany.

The corridor.

The words they had finally said after weeks of silence.

His phone vibrated on the nightstand.

I need to see you. Please. I really need to.

Samuel stared at Daphne’s message.

He did not know whether he wanted to answer the person who had frightened, controlled, and humiliated him.

He also did not know how to hate the person whose actions had led him to Willow House, Jenna, and Maya.

Before he could decide, there was a soft knock at his door. It opened a few inches.

“Can I come in?”

Samuel reacted instinctively, pulling the comforter over his face.

Lily stopped just inside.

Samuel kept the blanket pressed over his face.

Lily sighed.

“You can stop hiding. I saw you last night.”

His entire body went still.

Slowly, he lowered the comforter until only his eyes were visible.

Lily held up a package of makeup-removing wipes.

“I thought you might need these.”

Samuel watched her as though the smallest movement might make the situation worse.

Lily crossed the room and sat on the edge of the bed. She pulled out one wipe and held it toward him.

When he did not take it, she began carefully removing the mascara beneath one eye.

Samuel swallowed.

“How long have you known?”

“I didn’t know,” Lily said. “Not at first.”

She folded the wipe and cleaned the other side.

“I started noticing that you were acting strange a few weeks ago. You were quieter than usual, but I thought it was because of graduation.”

“That would have been reasonable.”

“Then you started going out all the time.”

“I have friends.”

“You do not have that many friends.”

Samuel gave her an offended look.

“You know what I mean.”

She used another wipe to remove the foundation from his cheek.

“Then I found the hair tie outside your room. After that, there was the day you heated your dinner, ran upstairs to change when I got home, and came back acting like I had almost killed you by opening the front door.”

Samuel looked away.

“And yesterday there was glitter on your nails.”

“Oh.”

Lily smiled faintly.

“Until then, I thought you had a girlfriend you didn’t want to tell me about.”

“That was your conclusion?”

“What else was I supposed to think? Hair ties, glitter, secret plans, strange girls you refused to explain.”

Lily’s gaze shifted toward his desk.

Several of her accessories were lying there exactly where Samuel had abandoned them the night before.

He followed her eyes and winced.

“But then some of my jewelry disappeared.”

“I’m sorry.”

“I noticed.”

Lily placed the used wipe beside the others.

“I decided I was going to wait for you to come home and catch you with it. I thought you had loaned everything to this mysterious girlfriend, and if I surprised you, you wouldn’t have enough time to invent another excuse.”

Samuel’s stomach tightened.

“So I stayed downstairs with the lights off.”

He looked at her.

“I heard the heels first,” Lily continued. “Then I saw you come in wearing the dress.”

Samuel closed his eyes.

“The room was dark, but I saw enough.”

“Why didn’t you say anything?”

“You sounded upset.” Lily’s voice softened. “And you looked exhausted. Whatever had happened, I could tell it wasn’t the right moment to make it worse.”

Samuel looked at her again.

“Thank you.”

“You don’t have to thank me.”

She handed him a clean wipe.

“So,” Lily said, “do I actually have a sister?”

Samuel laughed weakly and shook his head.

“No.”

“Just checking.”

For the next several minutes, he told her everything.

He told her about Tiffany, St. Catherine’s, Natalie, Maddie, and Riley. About the Graduation Gala and the messages that followed. About Daphne, Willow House, the volunteer uniform, Maya, and the promise he had made.

Lily listened without interrupting.

When he finished, she sat quietly for a moment.

“We may not be the perfect brother and sister,” she said, “but you should know you can trust me. Mom and Dad won’t hear any of this from me.”

Samuel smiled.

“Thank you.”

“And next time you need jewelry—or clothes—just ask. I’m not promising everything will fit, but I probably have a skirt or a dress you could borrow.”

Samuel stared at her.

Lily smiled. “Only if you need one.”

“Right.”

“And I can tell you which accessories actually work with it instead of letting you steal half my collection.”

Samuel laughed again.

Lily smiled.

“Any other sister-to-sister advice you need?”

He leaned forward and hugged her.

She seemed surprised, but returned it immediately.

When they separated, Samuel looked toward his phone.

“Now that you know everything, can I ask you something?”

“Of course.”

“What should I do about Daphne?”

Lily considered the question.

“I’m not defending her.”

“I know.”

“What she did was wrong. But she used to be your friend. Your best friend.” Lily glanced at the message still glowing on the screen. “Give her one chance to talk. You don’t have to forgive her, and you don’t have to keep her in your life. If you don’t like what she says, you walk away.”

Samuel nodded slowly.

“But maybe she says something that helps,” Lily added. “Even if it only helps you decide that you’re done.”

“You’re right.”

“I usually am.”

“Thank you, sister.”

“You’re welcome, sister.”

Samuel stared at her.

Lily tilted her head.

“Brother?”

“Let’s stay with brother.”

She laughed and stood.

“I’m making breakfast. You can come downstairs as Samuel or Samantha.”

“Samuel.”

“For now,” Lily said. “But someday I want the full sister experience.”

“What does that even mean?”

“Lending you clothes, fixing your hair, doing your makeup, getting ready together, and finding out whether you complain about heels as much as I do.”

“I already complain about heels.”

“Perfect. We’re halfway there.”

She left before he could respond.

Samuel listened to her footsteps fade down the hallway.

Then he picked up his phone.

He read Daphne’s message one more time before typing.

Should I wear a dress or a skirt?

The response arrived almost immediately.

Neither. I want to speak to Samuel. Same restaurant. Eight o’clock.