Hook winks at me.
"Sure, sure. Next thing you know, she’s over here cleaning your toilet and folding your socks into little hearts."
Pipe leans in with a grin so big it looks painful.
"Whipped."
"Whipped," Brick echoes, smacking the counter for emphasis.
"Whipped harder than a rented mule," Hook finishes proudly.
I glare at all of them.
"I don't get whipped. It's impossible. I’m Light."
I say it like it’s supposed to mean something, but judging by their shit-eating grins, it doesn’t.
Then Hook grabs a dishrag off the counter and twirls it around like a lasso.
"New plan, boys," he says. "We ransom it back to him. Ten bucks or we eat it ourselves."
"Twenty if you want the garlic bread too," Pipe adds, holding up a greasy napkin like he just found the Holy Grail.
I hug the lasagna tighter and back toward my room like they’re a pack of wolves.
"Y'all better step the fuck back. I’m not afraid to fight over this."
Brick smirks. "Nobody fights fair for love, brother."
"I don't love it," I growl.
The second the words are out, I hear how stupid I sound.
Hook howls with laughter.
"Sure you don't. Tell that to the way you're spooning it right now."
I flip them off with my free hand and retreat down the hall, clutching the Tupperware like it is my last goddamn lifeline.
Behind me, I hear Pipe yell,
"Light and Melissa, sittin' in a tree, K-I-S-S-I-N-G!"
I slam the door to my room shut with my foot and lock it for good measure.
Whipped?
Me?
No fucking way.
I set the lasagna down on my nightstand and stare at it for a long second.
Maybe... maybe just a little whipped.
But nobody needs to know that but me.
Before I even realize what's happened, the lasagna is gone. I ate it, like an animal, with my hands.
