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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"Is it working? Is it working?" I peek over my shoulder, yet Ryan's tall body blocks my view.
"Shh. Calm down." Ryan rests his hands on my shoulders and whispers, "He's coming over here. Act normal."
"Okay." I draw in a deep breath, getting ready to enact our plan.
"So, how are things going?"
The corner of my lips yanks up in a wicked, ear-to-ear grin the second I hear Ollie's voice.
Act normal, Vanessa. Act normal. I wipe the smile off my face before spinning around to face my infuriating bestie.
Ollie approaches Ryan and me, one hand holding a glass full of scotch, the other resting on his fake date's hip. Yes, I realize his relationship with Emilia is fake. But it doesn't stop jealousy from taking over me.
"Excellent." Ryan shifts his gaze to me. The adoring smile on his lips is so convincing it almost brings my paranoia back to life. There's a ring of truth in his voice when he continues, "I have to say, I've never had a student as brilliant as this one."
Ollie tries to keep his expression apathetic, yet his composure falters when Ryan puts his arm around my shoulders. My fake date rubs his hand up and down my arms as we planned, and I pull every bit of energy in me to stop myself from squirming.
I've never been comfortable getting touchy-feely with anyone, especially with a man I barely know. Nevertheless, my insatiable hunger for revenge thrives when I see the flames of jealousy burning in Ollie's eyes.
"Oh, stop it, Stud Muffin!" I give Ryan's rock-hard chest an affectionate slap, holding back the vomit crawling up my throat at my over-the-top action. "You're just a super-duper awesome teacher. That's all."
"I bet he is," Ollie mutters through gritted teeth. Tapping his fingers on the wooden rail of the pool table, he says to Ryan, "Wanna play a game?"
Gotcha.
Although my original intention was to prevent Ollie from challenging Ryan to a game of pool, my plan changed mid-way when I saw him kissing Emilia. His cruel act ignited the rage inside me, and I decided I would fight fire with fire.
That's right. I've lured him into the trap he created for Ryan, and I'm going to teach him a lesson by beating his ass off at his own game.
"Sure," Ryan replies, a note of cool self-assurance in his voice.
"Let's make things interesting." Ollie looks over his shoulder at the stage, where a bulky young man wearing a red fraternity jacket is singing his heart out to Aqua's Barbie Girl.
Although the song is super fun to sing along to, there's nothing more embarrassing than to sing about how you're a blond bimbo who can be undressed everywhere in front of hundreds of people. Considering how his fellow fraternity brothers are busy cheering and recording the whole performance, I'd say the poor guy is up there because he lost a bet—which is exactly what Ollie intends to do to Ryan.
