Page 59 of Survival

Jet: I will ALWAYS choose you.

Me: Funny. Doesn’t feel like it. Want a solution? Why don’t you just set Nic up with Ruby and get them both out of my hair.

Jet: That came out of nowhere.

Jet: And I doubt that will work.

Me: Yeah, the ice king with the flirt. You’re right. Nic deserves better.

Me: I take it back. No, he doesn’t. The asshole saw me naked and robbed me of an orgasm.

Jet: He didn’t MEAN to barge in.

Me: Oh, yeah, because we were so fucking quiet.

Jet: He had headphones in.

Me: So, he can’t fucking knock?

Jet: Fuck, Annie, I don’t know what to do here. I’m sorry. We’ll only do it at your place from now on.

Jet: And why didn’t you tell me you don’t like Ruby?

Me: Seriously? You’re just now picking that up? How about why couldn’t you just figure that out? Oh, wait. You can’t even figure out that she’s always trying to flirt with you.

Jet: Sweetheart…I think you’re overreacting. Ruby is just a friend.

Me: A friend who WANTS you, babe. And you can’t see it.

I groaned at the direction this conversation had gone. This wasnotthe way I’d wanted to bringthis up, but Jet had been clueless. Maybe I should have spoken up sooner, but I never thought I’d have totellhim to tell a girl to back the fuck off.

Me: I’m not trying to fight. I don’t want to. But we need to talk about this later. Not now over text.

A few seconds passed before he texted back.

Jet: Agreed.

I sighed, dropping my phone to my legs, and scrubbed my hands over my face as I growled through a scream. I was done. I was sick of everything being screwed up. I wanted my life back. I wanted mymodestyback. My sister back. My boyfriend back without his annoying ass cousin always lingering in the background and some floozy trying to hang all over him. Mom…

Forcing back the wave of frustration and emotion, I took a giant, deep breath and hopped out of the truck, going to find Izzy.

I was immediately annoyed all over again.

“We’re going to be late.” I leaned against the doorway of the studio as my sister took her sweet time gathering her things. She and Leo had gone an extra ten minutes since I’d come inside.

“It’s fine, Annie. Emma won’t mind. She knows I had dance first.”

I rolled my eyes, holding back a growl. “That’s not the point. It’s her birthday, and we promised to be there.”

“Which we will.” Izzy shifted something around in her bag. “You just hate being late.”

Oh, holy mother of…“Of course, I do.” I tossed my arms in the air.

Leo looked between us, his brow raised as he watched our exchange. “I’m sorry, Annie. If I’d known—”

“What?” Izzy cut him off. “You’d have stopped us earlier? I have less than a month left to prepare for my audition, and I’m using every minute of it.”

He held his hands up at her glare in the mirror, and I felt a bit guilty for getting him into trouble.

---