Page 47 of Betting on You

“Boom,” I said.

“But,” she added, dropping the card and grinning. “That Bubble Wrap is held in place by clear packing tape.”

“That’s not a wrapping,” I yelled, arguing as the room exploded into laughter and noise. “Tape isn’t part of the wrapping; it’s the adhesive.”

Charlie shook his head, laughing, and said, “Why didn’t you listen to me?”

“Because I’d rather sing on a table than let you be right,” I replied.

“Get up and come on,” Clio said to me, smiling a tipsy grin. “We’re up.”

“I mean, I’m just here with Charlie,” I tried as she grabbed my arm and pulled me to my feet. “As a guest. I shouldn’t be subjected to the same—”

“Come on,” she said, pulling me toward the dining room.

“Charlie,” I said, looking back at him. “Shouldn’t you save me?”

“I tried,” he said, smiling, “but you didn’t want to dip into the proverbial G-string.”

“What song?” Clio asked, using a remote to turn on the karaoke machine after we climbed on top of the dining room table.

Everyone started yelling out suggestions, and then Charlie said, “?‘All Too Well.’ The ten-minute version.”

CHAPTER NINETEENCharlie

Everyone cheered, and Bailey looked at me like she wanted to stab me in the face. Her eyes narrowed and her brows went down, and it occurred to me that I was 100 percent comfortable with her glaring at me.

I kind of liked it, to be honest.

Getting under her skin was my new favorite hobby.

What she didn’t getthistime, however, was that I was doing her a favor by choosing that song.

The music started, and again—everyone cheered.

But then—as I’d suspected—the entire house started singing along with Clio and Bailey. It was like a Taylor yell-along that everyone was totally into.

You almost ran the red ’cause you were looking over at me.

Bailey was smiling and laughing, sharing the microphone withClio, and I was a little impressed by the way she was rolling with it. I would’ve expected Miss Hall Monitor to be intensely nervous, but she actually looked relaxed.

“I thought you said she was a dork,” Eli said, grabbing the spot on the couch beside me. “She’s hot.”

I glanced at Eli, and he was watching her, smiling, and something about it felt wrong.

“I never said she was a dork.” I went back to watching the entertainment, and Bailey was kind of yelling now, her nose scrunched up.“Fuck the patriarchy” / Key chain on the ground.“I said she was uptight and a little nerdy.”

“Well, it works for her,” he said, and I didn’t like the way he said it. As if her looks were the most important thing about her.

What the hell was wrong with me?

Chill the fuck out.I needed to chill the fuck out. The only reason Eli’s attitude was hitting wrong was because I felt protective of Bay.

That was it.

Eli was fine.

“Yeah,” I agreed. She might’ve been hella irritating, but she did look really fucking cute, dancing around on top of the table.

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