Page 58 of Oh, Flutz!

I burst out laughing. “Oh, god, this is what he’s like when he’s less obnoxious?”

Alexandra grimaces. “Tell me about it. And, well, you know things haven’t been so hot the last few years. Lots of stuff going on. Parents. Skating. That whole Taylor Davis incident. You know? ‘He’s done?’”

I’d heard about that one. Just one more reason to strangle thatsvolachcommentator with his ugly neon ties if I ever get my hands on him.

Alexandra hesitates. “Listen…I know he can be a pain, but that’s the thing about Bry. He likes to play everything off as a joke, but he’s got a bad tendency of loving people who wouldn’t give a crap about him if it killed them.” There’s a dark look on her face. “It’s horrible. He’s too good for that. He just doesn’t see it.”

To say I think I’m missing something would be an understatement.

But then she clears her throat and smiles, attempting to ease the sudden tension. “But does he listen to me? Of course not. I’m just his baby sister, who he has to protect at all costs and won’t let me do the same for him. Typical.”

It really is.“A thought occurs to me. “Do you mind if I call you Sasha? It comes more naturally to me than Alex does. But only if it’s okay with you.”

“Yeah, sure,” she says with a surprised grin. “No one’s ever called me that.”

“It’s better than Pinky Pie.”

She shudders. “Anythingis better than Pinky Pie.”

Alexandra has to finishher schoolwork, so I figure I can go back into Bryan’s room.

To check on him and make sure he hasn’t found a way to die in the last fifteen minutes. Of course. What other reason would there be?

However, he’s being delusional, assuming that the reason I didn’t want him to have any visitors is because I want him to myself. Of course it wouldn’t have anything to do with both the doctor and Lian stressing that he should not be excited in any way.

“Young, if you ask me if I’m jealous one more time…”

He laughs, sitting up and pulling his t-shirt over his head. I don’t remember to look away in time, and feel my face flush.

“You are so definitely jealous,” he teases, reaching over the side to grab a clean shirt and yanking it on.

I force myself to stop staring. “You wish.”

“Look at you! You’re blushing!” He’s laughing at me. He’s enjoying this.

“I’m blushing because you’re making my blood pressure skyrocket,mudak,” I shoot back, willing my face to go back to normal color.And also because you look disgustingly good for someone who’s spent a week rotting in bed, but you don’t need to know that.

Bryan just grins at me. “Uh huh. Sure. Whatever helps you sleep at night, partner.”

I look at him with disdain. He is absolutely ridiculous, and the worst part is that he revels in it. “You know you sound like a cowboy when you say ‘partner’ like that, right?”

“And you sound like Ivan Drago whenever you say anything, so I think we’re even.”

“You’re so funny. I would laugh, but I am a bit busy trying to win the Olympics.”

“You need to relax for, like, thirty seconds. It might do you some good.”

“Relaxing is for losers.”

He groans. “Oh,god!”

“It’s true!”

“It is not. You know what, the second I get out of this boot and I can walk around without medical intervention, we’re going out. I’m going to show you how to actually have a good time.”

“I know how to have a good time,” I protest, and Bryan wags a finger.

“You wouldn’t know a good time if it walked up to you and kissed you on the mouth. So? We agree?”

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