Page 134 of The Last Ones Standing, Part Two

We’ve been talking as I feel her out. Lizzy doesn’t date a lot, the last thing I want is for her to be closed off after this. If she’s not willing to date, Dante really doesn’t matter, no matter what Gio wants.

“So you’re not into Jacob, then?” I say.

“He seems to think we’re in a relationship. I don’t want to hurt his feelings, he’s a nice guy, but I want to take a step back. This was never what I wanted,” she says.

“I love you. You’re too nice for your own good. Listen, I have something I need to handle. Can I call you back?”

“Sure, no problem. You’re still jumping on with me, right?”

“Yeah, I’ll be there. I’ll message you when I’m ready.”

“Cool.”

I hang up and work on finishing the forum that will make Jacob look like a troll. I have to look away from the garbage I’m posting about my sister. It’s actually some shit someone else posted, I’m just using it to frame Jacob tonight.

I keep chanting in my head that this is for the best. Time ticks by as I work. I glance at the time, Jace needs to leave soon to meet up with Gio and Dante.

I look to him as he lies across the bed in front of me. I heave a heavy breath. Rolling my head on my shoulders to loosen the tension, I then log on to my sister’s channel. She’s live.

“You ready to do this?” I breathe.

“You don’t have to. I can do it.”

“No, I know my sister. You just handle the chat. I’ll do the rest. Let’s go, Gio is waiting for you.”

“I’m logged in,” he says.

“I am too. I’m Shield underscore 44.”

“I’m The underscore Dane underscore 2,” he murmurs with his attention on his tablet.

I grin at the name. Uncle Emil would be proud to know how much Jace has followed in his footsteps. I start to type, giving Jace his opening.

Shield_44: You’re always beautiful.

Jacob_eats: She is.

“There he is,” Jace says.

“I see him. Go in.”

The_Dane_2: You guys make me sick. You always suck up and tell her she’s beautiful on here. Why not tell her all the shit you guys say in the forum? @Shield_44 and @Jacob_eats I see you. I’ve seen your comments.

My heart aches as I look up at Jace. He’s watching me closely. Placing the tablet aside, he moves to climb behind me, wrapping me in his arms.

The look on my sister’s face kills me. “I need to go, guys,” she says. When she speaks, I hate that I’ve done this.

“Jace?” I nearly sob.

He kisses the back of my head. “We’ll fix it. I promise.”

I breathe and finish what I’ve started. I send Liz the link to the forum in Discord. Reaching for my phone, I call her. Tears run down my cheeks as I listen to it ring. When she answers, she doesn’t speak, but I can hear her breathing.

“Hello, do you see this?”

“Please stop,” she sobs.

“Liz?” I say, almost breaking. “Are you crying? You said you didn’t really like him. I only wanted you to see the shit he’s been spewing behind your back so you’d stop wasting your time thinking he’s some nice guy.”

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