Page 48

He looked at me lying on the couch that he normally had all to himself. “I’m really that predictable, aren’t I?”

I put my thumb and forefinger as close together as possible without them touching. “Just a little.”

He seemed to accept my very accurate assessment. “Do you want the heating pad for your stomach?”

“Death. I want death.”

He left, and I texted Kamala.Never let me look at dairy again.

I clearly labeled your drink. I’m sorry you were trying to juggle two boys and forgot how to read.

There was no juggling.I closed my eyes and groaned.

Another text came in:You don’t have to use it.Below the text was a link.

“Huh?” What was Kamala talking about? But then I saw the name across the top of my screen. Asher.

Butterflies fluttered to life in my stomach. “Nope, you should be dead in there with the rotting milk,” I muttered.

This link isn’t going to put a virus on my phone is it?I respondedback.

No. Just follow it

Don’t tell me what to do

My text was a joke, but I really did hate surprises and I had no idea what following that link would result in. I followed it anyway.

The video started with the wordsThe Bean Gameson a black screen and some sort of fight song playing in the background.The words shook and then shattered to reveal:Can you best our beast?Those words faded out to a shot of Dale’s backyard and the table and participants. A voice-over rose above the music: “Meet today’s lucky competitors. They are up for a chance to win a gift card from Meg’s. But they have to beat our favorite shelter resident, Bean the Great.” The voice lowered and said, “Currently up for adoption.” Then a big photo of Bean’s smiling face, theAdopt Mescarf around his neck, filled the screen. My face split into a smile. He was socute.

The next bit played out exactly like I remembered it except with slow-motion sections and Asher calling it like a sporting event, complete with funny asides and descriptions of what everyone was doing, things like “Bean goes for the distraction technique with a tongue to his opponent’s ear.” When Bean ran across the table,me following (I honestly didn’t remember being on the table), Asher closed with: “And that’s how you win a competition. If you thought that looked fun, please comment below to be a future participant for a chance to win prizes and meet our favorite animals.”

I watched the video through once more, then closed out of the screen. He’d done it—made the video look fun instead of a disaster and brought out Bean’s personality, the one that only came out for certain people.

You’re brilliant,I texted.

A second later, my phone rang. I hesitated, not really wanting to talk in my sick state, but I found myself answering. “I told you not to make that.”

“Hello to you, too.”

“Hi, that was really good.”

“You don’t have to use it,” Asher said.

“I don’t have to use the masterpiece? I can make my own mediocre version?”

“Correct.”

I laughed. “I’m using it, but noting that you aren’t a good listener.”

“This is also true.”

“Also, a gift card to Meg’s?” I asked. “Where did that comefrom?”

“Since it was just us, I made it up. But I figure a little bribe wouldn’t hurt to get people to sign up for the next one.”

“Probably true,” I said. “You have a good voice-over voice, by the way.”

“Yeah?”