“What, you and your brother cooked this up
together? You didn’t get me, so you ran off
and slept with some other guy?”
“Sunny, you thought you could trick me by
sending Brittany to the hotel and then
disappearing? That little game didn’t work!”
I stared. Why was Jake so pissed?
I’d done what he wanted!
I felt a pang of sadness. So, he thought I’d
set the whole thing up as some kind of
twisted play?
く
His voice cut through my thoughts.
“As you can see, Brittany and I got together
last night. I’m going to marry her. So,
whatever you’re planning, cut it out.”
I smiled weakly. “Okay.”
“I’m sorry about the drugs, but…”
“I really don’t like you anymore.”
Jake’s eyes snapped to mine, disbelief written
on his face.
Everyone in our little circle knew how I felt
about Jake. I’d turned down dates for years,
basically shut myself off from other guys.
But now, I knew better.
I wasn’t going to let my daughter be born into
that kind of life again.
Jake was about to say something when Ethan
came bursting in, yelling.
“Holy crap! We got a ghost! Who the hell is
that upstairs?”
He came closer, pointing at the ceiling.
“Brittany! When did she move in?”
Jake shut the door to the guest room and
explained calmly, “She was tired of the hotel,
so I brought her back here.”
“What?!”
Ethan looked at lake then at me a strange
<
expression on his face. “You… didn’t?”
He squinted at our necks.
I took off. “Gotta go get some sleep!”
I slammed the door to my room.
It wasn’t long before I could hear them
arguing.
I guess Ethan wanted to know what the hell
was going on.
At lunch, Ethan knocked on my door, asking
me to eat with them.
“Guys, I’m not hungry, you can go without
me.”
L
A few minutes later, I could hear Brittany
giggling.
“I’ll go get Sunny, she’s been so sweet with
us, she’s practically the reason Jake and I are
here.”
There was a soft knock.
“Sunny, it’s Brittany. I’m going to take your
advice and be nice. Just come have lunch
with us.”
Mom and Dad always taught me to be polite,
and you had to respect guests, so I
reluctantly opened the door.
At the table, Jake didn’t say a word, but he
kept piling food onto Brittany’s plate.
く
She was practically drowning in food.
“Jake, Sunny is right here. After last night she
probably doesn’t feel so well, she might get
jealous.”
Jake looked up at me, eyes cold. “What is
there to be jealous of? You are the one that I
am going to marry, just like Ethan, she is like
a sister to me.”
I stared at my food, not tasting a thing.
Ethan opened his mouth, but he looked away.
Brittany got some food on her face, and Jake
reached out and wiped it off.
“Jake, I want you to get it for me, but with
your mouth.”
く
She leaned in, and Jake froze, but did it.
Brittany turned to look at me, giving me a
smug smile. “Don’t mind us, Sunny, Jake is
just very… enthusiastic, since that first night,
you are still a small little girl, so maybe it’s
hard to understand.”
The meal was torturous.
I put my fork down. “I’m done eating. Enjoy
your meal.”
Even Ethan could tell something was up.
After lunch, he was stomping around the
house.
“You little idiot! How could you let Brittany
Г
get away with that? She’s as fake as they
come!”
“Jake is too dumb to see it, but I do, them
showing you, that was for you.”
I cut him off. “Don’t say things like that
anymore.”
