Recover: Book 2 of the Magic Mutations Series | ✓

55: Becoming the Punching Bag

I couldn't stand to look at her the next day—mostly because my mind kept switching between two memories: Olivia's falling face etched in betrayal, and the sounds of her immediately returning to Ben despite wavering by me. My response was, in some ways, unwarranted. But I needed to get my anger out somehow, so that I could fully mourn the loss of us. I just wondered when these feelings would end and I would finally reach acceptance.

So at first I ignored her. The whole morning, during breakfast, lunch, chats, and TV time, I pretended she wasn't in the room. I spoke to Jayce, Erica, and even Ben—but not her.

From the corner of my eye, I could see the dejection slowly causing a slump in her posture. But every time Ben leaned in to give her a peck or they made lovey eyes at each other, I only confirmed that this was what I had to do. Through hating her, surely I could unlove her?

Yet then Erica decided to break out the Monopoly board, demanding a rematch.

"I don't think this is a good idea," Olivia mumbled, and I almost grinned at her, knowing she, like me, was having flashbacks to the last time we played some days ago. But I caught myself just in time before the corners of my lips turned upwards.

"Scared you will lose, Ollie?" Jayce countered, evidently still riding his ego trip for winning last time.

But she just threw him a smirk, selected her player piece, and slammed it on go with a challenging gleam to her eye.

Yet as the corners of Jayce's mouth wobbled as he tried to hold back a smile, that familiar warmth glowed around my heart to know that even Jayce—who struggled to open up to people, just like Ben—had easily connected with Ollie. As someone who had next to no one back home, she fit among us so easily. Just as I had always wanted for her.

But as that feeling consumed me again, I reminded myself that I was trying to be angry... trying to hate her, so that I wouldn't love her. So resuming my jerkface exterior, I decided it was time to really press her buttons through this competitive game.

And I started by slowly wiping her out.

It took next to no time to bankrupt Ollie—with merely a few tricks on the dice and changes of the community cards she picked up. All her money disappeared quickly, and finally she removed her piece from the board as she begrudgingly handed over her final dollar to me—almost as though she knew what I had done.

But I did my best to pay little attention to her pouty mood, this time moving onto Ben, using the exact same tactics on him.

Though that was a mistake. Because once he was out, with neither of them having anything to do, they quickly wrapped their arms around each other, planting kisses on cheeks and whispering sweet nothings to each other.

So once I finally finished off the game fairly with Erica and Jayce, I decided tonight was the night to bring up the plan in front of Ben. To remind Ollie that she was supposed to be hating him for getting in her way of becoming stronger.

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I immediately left Jayce and Erica to pack up the board while I retreated to my room, not wanting to see Ben and Ollie together any longer.

Sitting on my bed, I popped in headphones, hoping to drown out their chatter while I flicked through my phone for something to amuse myself with.

But the sound of the front door thudding shut over the music saw my eyebrow raise in interest.

Pulling my headphones from my ear, I waited for a while, listening to the creaks of the house and for any chatter. But it was silent... meaning everyone had left.