Some say getting out of The Friend Zone is hard. Well, try getting out of The Sister Zone.
Vanessa Hayes-Wong has been best friends with Oliver Morrison for five years, one month, and fourteen days. Just as she starts to realize her feelings for him...
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"Popstar Rayna Sparks was arrested earlier this morning for running around Grand Park naked. This has been the third time the actress-singer was arrested following a case of DUI and . . ."
"Yes!" I point at the anchor lady on the TV. "I knew it. I knew this would happen!"
TJ struts into the recreation room and stops before his 85-inch TV. "Since when do you care about Rayna Sparks?"
"Since she called Nes—never mind." I pull my phone from my pocket and text Nessa.
Me: Have you seen the news?
Me: It's official. I can see the future.
As I send her a sticker of a grinning clown, TJ tries to peek at my phone. But I spin around and cover it with my shoulders.
"Since when do you use stickers? I thought you said," he raises his voice a semitone to create an awful impression of me and says, "They're an absolute waste of money?"
He's right. I only bought the stickers to scare the hell out of Nessa when I found out she was scared of clowns. But somehow, I find myself addicted to using them.
"It's none of your business." I shove my phone back into my jeans pocket, switch off the TV, and pick up the cue on the pool table.
Today, TJ and Nina invited me to their house under the guise of tasting the food for their upcoming New Year's Eve party. It doesn't take a genius to know that the nosy couple just wants to interrogate me about what happened after the Christmas party.
Now, the wise thing for me to do is to politely decline their offer. But I can never say no to free lunch.
To anticipate their absurd questions, I challenge TJ to a game of pool, and whoever wins gets to tell the loser what to do. When I win, I'll order him to stop teasing Nessa and me once and for all.
"So." TJ grabs a triangular rack and the pool balls from one of the shelves next to the TV. A teasing smirk tugs at his full lips as he glances at me. "Did you and Vanessa . . ." His thick eyebrows wiggle up and down.
"I've cleaned up the mess you made if that's what you're asking." I fish a cube of chalk out of my pocket and brush it against the tip of my cue. "Plus, now you owe me nine dollars and ninety-nine cents for the present I had to give her."
"What did you get her?" TJ puts the triangular rack on the table and begins arranging the balls in it. "Ooh! Did you get her one of those mugs that says I Love You?"
I roll my eyes. "I gave her a mug, yes. But that's not what it says."
"What does it say?"
"World's Greatest Little Sister."
He gapes at me, the 9-ball slipping from his grasp and landing on the table with a thump.
