August 26th 1990 born and adopted, a surprise to my mother I was a girl. 26 minutes later a baby boy followed. From that day on I was frequently referred to as “Cody’s twin” or “One of the Vigen twins”, but besides red hair, freckles, and parents we have little in common.










As I look back on my childhood I wonder why things turned out the way they did. We have little respect for each other and love is not very often heard among us. Twins, and siblings born on the same day, but no compassion for one another. Our only common interest was tormenting each other.

It was never stated in my family, but it was a well known fact that it was dad and daughters vs. mom and sons. I also have two older siblings a sister 18 years older then me, and my brother Jake six years older. If an argument took place between me and my brother my mother sided with him, and if I was lucky my dad with me. We were very much treated as individuals by our family. Fraternal twins, two separate children coincidentally born on the same day.

We aren’t very close as you may have guessed, but there were a few times in our lives where we only had each other.

Early July we were nearly seven years old. Almost in the 1st grade. Mom and dad decided to move. Not very far away, we didn’t even leave Blaine, but we left our old neighborhood, old school, and most importantly our old friends.

We moved to a house which was a big improvement from our trailer. We had two rooms right across from each other mine was purple and his blue. It was a dull neighborhood at first, as if the whole town was hiding from us. Fortunately we had baseball to entertain us still. We had been playing since age four. The season soon ended, and we got restless. Quickly we realized our only entertainment was each other. We invented our own games. He even convinced me to play legos, while I convinced him to play Barbie’s. We actually got along for those short three weeks or more. That was until we realized we were surrounded by kids our age.



We came up with creative ways to meet the neighbors, once we even played baseball, a sport we both adored, and intentionally would throw the ball passed one another’s heads to land in various neighbors yards so we could ask them to retrieve it and introduce ourselves. From that point it was easy. Me and him being the social, kids that we are. We were very well-liked by our playmates.


That first month in our new home was where I met my best friend, Stephanie. She was about a year younger then me, but we were both going into the first grade, I guess you could say I was old for my grade. She lived directly behind me. We spent hours upon hours playing together that summer.

First grade came and we drifted apart a bit, because we were in different classes. Lucky me she was in my brothers class. That February her birthday rolled around, and when the invitation came. Who was it addressed to? Not me, but my twin brother. He had stolen my best friend. He always seemed to get what I wanted. In our early childhood he didn't do it on purpose. It wasn't his fault most of his class got invited to my best friends birthday, and I didn't. The rest of that school year went by, along with more summer fun of slip and slides and kiddy pools. Me and Stephanie became closer and me and Cody drifted farther apart. Nothing was strong enough to make us sympathize one another. Relatives passed away, and our family pet died. We had too many friends to consider our own blood relative important. It didn't bother either of us. Most everyone in our elementary school knew the Vigen twins. We were both invited to every birthday party, and both adored by our teachers. We never had the same class, and we were very busy for grade school age kids. The one thing we always did together was baseball by 5th grade it was our 7th year playing and my dad's seventh year coaching us. It was probably my best season. Scoring at least once a game I had to be one of the teams best hitters. Being the only girl in the league I was often treated differently by parents, umps, even teammates. I often stole the spotlight from my brother, and he too was a brilliant baseball player. As every year the season came to an abrupt end. And the thing I'd been dreading was quickly creeping up on me.

Middle school, no more recess, mom wouldn't be just a block away, half my friends were going to a different school. This was huge. Cody and I entering the large building known as Northdale. I looked beside me and knew this was going to be ok. If all else failed I had my brother… Nope guess not, less then 5 seconds into the building he had ditched me for his friends. OK I'll catch you later, I mumbled out, but he was far out of hearing. That year was a hard year. I never saw my brother and the adjustment to middle school was tough. Not everyone knew me by name, and "you have a twin?" was only amusing the first forty times.

Fortunately I would get what I loved back later that spring. Baseball season was not far off. I would get to show off, maybe even try pitching. Me and my brother would be compared as usual, but I might just beat him in the spotlight.
Remember when I said he always got what he wanted? Well once again it proved to be true. The first practice rolled around, and for some odd reason I wasn't aware of it. I'm usually the first one told. I always pull out jersey number 8 from my dad's equipment bag, but not this year. My parents forgot to discuss with me how I wasn't playing this year. I was being forced to quit my favorite sport, because I was a girl. Because this was my brothers sport now, my brothers team, and my brothers coach. I must've cried for days on end. I didn’t show up to my teams first few games of the season. It was probably one of the worst things my parents had ever done to me, and all for him.

I didn’t let it get to me for long. I soon picked up a different sport. Basketball, and made plenty of new friends. I was determined not to let it get to me. I took all my aggression out in basketball for the next four years.

High school came but the adjustment this time was easy. My brother and I didn’t grow apart we just grew up. We no longer argued anymore. We just stayed out of each others way. That was until we both had the same best friend. It was a constant battle to be the better friend. Every day Grant, that’s his name, was hanging out with one of us. He needed to choose.

We were good friends for almost 3 years. Until we were all going crazy. Grant decided he must settle the feud. He invited both of us to a rock concert, not telling the other until we agreed to go. Well me and Cody lived in the same house so it didn’t take long for us to realize we had been set up. That was the first social event we’d gone to together since birthday parties back in grade school. We had an awesome time. We even hung out like friends, but what happens there stays there.

It wasn’t easy for us to share a best friend. For one we are both conceited. We are used to getting what we want under most circumstances., but in this case I wasn’t going to win. Like most everything since as far back as I remember Cody got his way. Grant and I are no longer friends. W speak on occasion, nut only to avoid awkward silences. Cody:3 me:0


We are just two kids born on the same day. Still with red hair, freckles, and the same parents. We are still treated as individuals, but are goal is no longer to torment each other, just to pass high school. We don’t speak and I wouldn’t trust him with my life. Some one I am supposed to confide in I have nothing to say to. We occasionally end up at football games together, and we often team up to change our curfew, but other then that throughout the last 16 years my brother and I really haven’t grown to be friends, one day we will… I hope.