Page 65 of Let's Pretend I'm Okay

I thought I had him completely figured out, but I’m starting to realize I don’t know him at all. Daniel Hansen is a complete mystery to me.

I rush through our front door and straight into my bedroom to find Annie.

She’s sitting on her bed, scrolling through her phone.

“I know I’m late, but we can still make it.”

She doesn’t look up. “It starts in ten minutes.”

“So we’ll miss the ads. That’s not so bad.” I sit next to her. “Please. I’ll make it up to you, I promise. I’ll buy you those candies you like, and we can go get takeout after. I’ll let you choose where.”

“I was really excited to see this movie,” she says. Her eyes are cast down, mirroring the pout on her lips.

Total gut punch. I don’t want her to feel like I don’t want to spend time with her. I want nothing more than to listen to her tangents on what characters she likes or dislikes in books she’s reading or which version ofPride and Prejudiceis better.

“Are you sure I can’t make it up to you?”

She bites her lip. “Well, how much candy are you willing to buy?”

I stand up and smile, pulling her to her feet. “As much as it takes.”

“Be careful what you ask for.”

She hasn’t completely relaxed, but she made a joke, which is a good sign. It’s a start. I have to be on my best behavior over the next few days. No being late or ditching plans. I need to be present. I need to show her that she’s my priority.

I sit in the passenger seat as Annie drives to the mall’s theater. She’s quiet, and I have to break the silence. “So what’s this movie about again?”

Her jaw falls. “Ads for it have been everywhere. It’s about a woman who gets amnesia and falls in love with the doctor who helps her get her memories back.” She glances at me and waves her finger. “And I don’t want to hear about how unrealistic it is. I read and watch fiction for a reason.”

“Says the girl that wants an epic love story.”

“Everyone deserves an epic love story. Other people might settle for less, but I won’t.”

The streetlights bounce across her face, illuminating her pretty smile, and now more than ever, I hope she’s right. I hope she falls in love so deeply she never falls apart. I hope she finds someone that values her and never lets her feel less than. She deserves the world.

“Don’t worry, I won’t let you settle,” I say.

“I know.” She laughs. “I feel bad for anyone who ever hurts me because they’ll have to deal with you.”

“As they should.”

I take my role as her twin sister very seriously, especially since she’s so scared to stand up for herself. I’ve been protecting her ever since I could walk and talk.

As soon as she parks, I jump out. “Race you!”

She takes off after me. “Wait up!”

I skid to a brief stop to look for cars before running intothe building. She comes up behind me and links arms with me. “At least there’s no line.”

No ads and no line. Maybe we should be late to the movies more often.

We pay for our tickets, and I buy Annie two candy boxes in addition to the bucket of popcorn we plan to share. With our hands full we head down the hallway and look for the right number for our movie.

“It’s this one,” I say, glancing up from the ticket.

Annie smiles and runs up to the door. “Come on.”

The large room is already dark and the movie plays on a screen so big it makes me feel like an ant. There are lots of empty seats.

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