What the fuck?How am I supposed to act this out??
Jackie tells us to start, and the six of us acting out the scene stare at each other before everyone starts performing.I stand there, my hand still clutching my slip of paper while I stare at Jolie with wide eyes.She’s trying—and failing—not to laugh at me.I’m glancing at the paper again when one of the other performers comes up to me with his eyes frantic.
“Did you know?Did you know it’s all a conspiracy and he’s still alive?”
“Who?”
“Elvis!”
I bite my lip hard so I don’t burst out laughing at how ridiculous this all is.I look down at my paper one last time and then say the first thing that pops into my head.
“You should get on the floor and drink my milk.”
His eyes bulge, and I suspect it matches the horrified look on my face.A choked sound causes me to look over to see Jo doubled over, laughing so hard tears are pooling in the corners of her eyes.Her reaction takes a little of the mortification out of my gaffe, and I laugh too.
“I didn’t mean that how it came out,” I say, trying to reassure the guy who’s looking at me like I’m into some weird sex thing as he walks away.
Jo comes over to me, grabbing my arm in an attempt to hold herself up while she tries to stop laughing.“Oh my God, that was terrible.”
“I told you I’m bad at this,” I mumble, but the sight of her laughing so hard has me smiling despite my humiliation.
It doesn’t get much better during the next game I participate in either.Especially when Dylan suggests I start it off.The game is called I Am a Tree and includes three people at a time.The first person decides what object they are going to be and then the next two people have to be something in relation to that object.Dylan picks me to be first, and I stand there awkwardly.
My brain has completely gone blank.I’m not even sure I could tell someone my full name right now, let alone make up an object.My palms are sweaty, and I stare at Jolie at a complete loss.
She holds her hands over her head, her fingertips touching and her arms at an angle, while she mouths a word I can’t quite make out in my anxious state.But the shape of her arms remind me of the steeped roof of a house, so I go with that.
“I’m a house,” I say, putting my arms up the same way Jo’s were a few minutes ago.Dylan gives me a thumbs-up and then I’m forced to stand there awkwardly while we wait for someone to join the scene.The pirate redhead comes to my rescue, or at least that’s what I think until she wraps herself around me and proclaims she’s the insulation.My eyes practically bulge out of my head as I stare at Jolie, and she puts her fist in front of her mouth trying to hide her grin.Thankfully, a third person joins us quickly, getting on their knees and pretending to be a cat living in the house.Dylan breaks up the scene, and the redhead lets go of me but not before giving me a wink.
Jolie sees the whole exchange and bursts out laughing until tears leak from her eyes.As I walk over to her, she catches her breath and then I wipe the happy tears away while a new scene begins.Our eyes lock and her remaining giggles subside.
“You might be terrible, but at least you tried.”
“Do I get my reward now?”I say quietly.We might as well be alone because the only person I can see in this room is her.
She smiles wider, and my gut clenches with the way she looks at me, almost like she loves me too.I want that more than anything else.I want her mornings, her nights, her laughter—even at my expense—her tears, her dreams, her fears.I want to challenge her the way she challenges me, and I want to support her as she chases whatever dreams she wants.
She nods and pushes up on her tiptoes, and I bend down to help her out so she can whisper in my ear.“I’ll give you anything you want.”
Everything.I want everything.