Tiffany brought up the time when I was helping
a girl named Summer, “So, Summer’s skirt got
caught on a car and you helped her, that’s not
flirting?”
“If
you hadn’t led her on, why would a girl like
her, who always keeps to herself, jump into the
lake to save you?”
So, it was Summer who had saved me?
I was puzzled. “I don’t know Summer, we just
exchanged some words at a party, you…”
“Shut up, I don’t care about you and other girls!
Why haven’t you made Matt dinner? Do you
have any idea how long Matt has been waiting
on an empty stomach?”
Tiffany was clearly not in the mood for my
explanation, changing the topic. She doesn’t
want me to think she’s jealous.
Like I’d ever be worthy of it.
I swallowed my words, and instinctively lowered.
my head: “Sorry.”
Yielding would make this less unbearable.
“Sorry is not going to cut it! You need to come.
back home with me, now.”
<
“…Okay.”
But, I could barely sit up, my hands shaking. Tiffany helped me up automatically, her voice dripping with sarcasm, “You’re faking! Stop
acting weak!”
The nurse, coming in on her rounds, couldn’t
take it anymore and scolded her.
“He has pneumonia and fever, and he needs to
stay in the hospital! What do you think you’re
doing forcing him to stand up? Can’t you see
he doesn’t have the strength to feed himself?!”
Tiffany was blushing scarlet.
She had a look of annoyance in her eyes, “Why
didn’t you say anything about being so sick? I
thought you were just trying to play the victim!”
I said tonelessly, “I’m sorry, my bad.”
Between us, I was always the one in the wrong.
She was annoyed with me, not insisting on the
dinner. She ordered take out, planning to feed
- me.
But even before she managed to feed me the
first spoon, Matt called.
“Did you get burned making dinner? You’re not
supposed to do manual labor! Wait for me, I’m
on my way!”
Tiffany was so rushed that she spilled the hot
soup on me.
I winced, from the pain, but she didn’t even
notice. She ran out of the room.
Her best friend, Jill, was waiting by the door.
She saw everything.
“Tiffany, sometimes I really don’t understand
you. You clearly care about Jake, and you see
Matt like an older brother. Why do you keep
mistreating Jake for Matt?”
Chapter 3
Tiffany stopped, her expression dark, “You
don’t get it.”
The first time he tried to woo me, he acted like.
he was madly in love with me and he fooled me,
hook, line and sinker.
But, after the second time, I found out he was
just getting closer to me to complete some
challenge.
I didn’t know if his love was fake or real.
Only when I saw him jealous of Matt and trying
<
to win me over, no matter what, I could make
myself believe that he truly loved me!
Jill sighed, “Don’t you worry that all this will
break him, and he’ll leave you for good? You’re
gonna regret it!”
“He won’t!”
Jake had a system.
He couldn’t die.
And he couldn’t ever leave me.
Tiffany wasn’t going to say anything, “Let’s not
talk about this. Matt burned himself, let’s go!”
Back in the room.
I had to get a nurse to clean me up and help me
eat.
After getting back into bed, I started regretting
accepting this mission for like the millionth
time.
I was always sick, and died when I was 18.
I’d been desperate to live like a normal person,
and that’s why I agreed to this challenge.
But I didn’t know that this would turn out to be
my worst nightmare!
My phone vibrated, breaking my train of
<
thought.
I looked at the caller ID and saw Tiffany. I felt a
shiver of dread.
But, I immediately picked up, “Tiffany, is
something wrong?”
Matt’s voice came through the line, full of
malicious glee:
“It’s not much, I just need you to get down on
your knees, bark like a dog, and then wiggle
your butt like a female dog.”
I had tried to win over Tiffany for four years,
and I had been humiliated and abused many,
many times.
But I just could never get used to it.
I felt all the curses come to my lips, but held
them back.
Tiffany yelled, “Matt’s talking to you, are you deaf?”
I grabbed the phone, and felt completely
helpless.
“Tiffany, I’m a living person too. This is so
humiliating, can you just stop treating me like this, please?”
<
“Are you refusing to do what I ask? Fine!
You’re not seeing me again!”
Tiffany didn’t give a hoot and hung up.
Truth was, I did not want to see her ever again.
But, I had to keep trying to win her over.
Only when her rating of me was 99% could I
use those points to change targets!
As long as I could get away from her, I was
willing to do anything.
I gritted my teeth, and called her again, “I’m.
sorry, I was wrong, I will do what Matt says.”
Tiffany was cold, “It could have been easy, but.
you had to pull a drama. Turn on the video, let’s
begin!”
I took deep breaths, managed to squeeze a
word out, “Okay.”
Just hold on, a little longer.
Ten days and I would be done with Tiffany for
good!
I turned on the camera, and knelt down.
I forced myself to endure the shame, but I
couldn’t make myself do what Matt asked.
It was too humiliating.
<
They started to cheer on the other side of the
line:
“Come on, do it!”
“What are you waiting for?”
Among all the noise, one voice stood out.
“It’s just a game, no reason to make someone
feel humiliated. Tiffany, Matt, I think that’s
enough!”
Tiffany’s face turned dark, through the camera,
she said to me:
“Looks like you’ve got yourself a champion in
Summer!”
Matt complained, “I thought Jake would play
along with me, and I didn’t have to lose on the
truth or dare! Looks like he doesn’t have the
stomach for it. If Aaron hadn’t died, he’d have
done it!”
Tiffany ended the call and sent me a couple of
texts.
[Jake, why was Summer defending you?]
[You were just using me for your game, is there
someone else you like? Is it Summer?]
[You’ve got five minutes to explain!]
<
I could just imagine her fury through the phone.
But, I had only seen Summer a couple of times,
+ was
maybe three sentences between us,
there to explain?
