Page 68 of Signed, I'm Yours!
I wink at him and whip my phone out to call Kevin. He needs to find my next victim.
It doesn’t take long to get the group back into good spirits and Lily out of bed. Robin and Zeke even start cooking dinner while the rest of us play Scrabble. I don’t, however. I don’t have any need to relive my disastrous spelling bee years. What do you mean Wednesday has a D in it? I call bullshit.
“Thanks for helping Lily,” Annie whispers.
She sits beside me on the floor as I go through her VHS collection. I thought Gen Z didn’t even know what tapes were, let alone collect them.
“I didn’t help. Not yet.”
Annie laughs, rolling her eyes.
“Of course you did. You changed the vibes in the room from sad to happy. The only other person I know who can do that is Jack.”
I blow raspberries.
“I’m nothing like Jack.”
She shrugs.
“You’re more alike than you think. You make a good couple.”
Had she said that yesterday, I would have dismissed her, but after last night…she might have a point.
Although he’s still only with me because we’re stuck together so that doesn’t say much. I’m pretty sure when this whole ordeal is over, I’ll never see him again. He might even throw me into prison himself.
“You’re good for him,” Annie says. “He deserves someone good for a change.”
A little pang of guilt makes my chest throb. I’m not good, yet somehow, I’ve convinced these people.
“Why-why do you say that?”
“Well, you know about Denise, but…Jack’s always struggled with partners.”
“Why?”
What’s there to struggle with? How can anyone dislike being with him? What reason could they possibly find?
“Being happy all the time is great, but it can have its downsides. Imagine being super pissed about something, and your boyfriend can’t stop smiling and telling you it’s not all thatbad. Imagine not being able to have a proper fight because he always takes your side.”
I roll my eyes.
“Seriously?”
I thought anyone would kill to have their partner always take their side.
“Oh, I know. It’s silly, isn’t it? But unfortunately, that’s what his exes were like. When they weren’t taking advantage.”
I frown. “Advantage how?”
She glances at Jack on the couch. He’s too absorbed by his tiles to pay us any mind, and Annie purses her lips.
“Because you can ask your happy boyfriend for anything, and he’ll always think it’s a good idea. Even when it’s things like taking out a loan neither of you can afford.”
I stare at Annie, my insides twisting, acid climbing up my throat.
“Really?”
She nods.
