Paige Rewritten Read Free

you’re already doing, you generally say yes.” She shrugs. “That’s just been my experience though.”
    I sigh and rub my forehead. “I don’t know what to do.”
    â€œWell, let’s start with Mark since that seems the easiest.”
    This is why we are good friends.
    â€œOkay.” Layla straightens up, crossing her legs under her body and turning toward me. “You don’t want more money. Why?”
    I laugh. “Layla.”
    â€œWhat? It’s a valid question.”
    â€œI don’t want to die being a secretary.” I bite my lip.
    â€œWhy not? It seems like a fairly mild way to go honestly. What’s the worst that could happen? A gigantic paper cut? A stapler to the forehead out of frustration? Maybe dying of boredom?”
    â€œLayla, I didn’t mean literally dying because of being a secretary. I just meant …” I watch Westley as the Man in Black tries to find out if Buttercup still loves him or not. “I don’t want to be a secretary forever.”
    â€œWell sure. But there’s a lot of things I don’t want to do forever. For example, I hope that at some point someone invents sunscreen that doesn’t smell like a tropical rain forest, because one day I have high hopes of wearing sunscreen and perfume without knocking people over from the sheer weight of scent around me.”
    â€œYou have the strangest goals.”
    â€œAt least I’m honest.”
    â€œWell, here’s me being honest then. At some point in my life, I’d like to use my degree.”
    She shrugs. “Degree usage is overrated. Next.”
    â€œNext what?”
    â€œNext topic. Let’s talk about Luke.”
    â€œLet’s not.” Like I said, not talking about Luke has worked out really well for us for the past four years.
    â€œI think you just need to tell him, ‘Dude, you missed the train. I have a great life, a great new guy, and all is right in the world that you have no part of.’”
    I look at Layla, eyebrows raised. “Harsh.”
    â€œI like you without Luke.”
    â€œSo it seems.”
    â€œAnd I like you with Tyler. Are you with Tyler?”
    â€œWell — ”
    â€œAnd as far as Preslee goes, I’m not going to get involved with that one.” She pretends to wash her hands and holds them up. “You need to figure that out on your own.”
    â€œThanks for all the help,” I say dryly.
    â€œI don’t have a sister unless you count yourself.” She reaches for the remote. “I can’t help you there. Now shut up, this is my favorite part.”
    She cranks the volume just in time for Westley to kill the R.O.U.S. and sighs sweetly when he looks up at Buttercup, all bloodied and hair mussed.
    â€œSeriously. That scene right there shaped everything I wanted in a future husband,” she says.

    I climb under the covers later after Layla leaves and pull my Bible over to my lap. I just finished reading through James. It’s time to find something new, so I turn to Galatians since Rick’s wife, Natalie, and I were just talking about some verses she was trying to memorize from there.
    Verse ten of the first chapter screams at me: “For am I now seeking the favor of men, or of God? Or am I striving to please men? If I were still trying to please men, I would not be a bond-servant of Christ.”
    I close my Bible, frowning. What does that even mean? And surely there is some caveat in the later part of the book, because isn’t part of life pleasing people?

Chapter
    2
    F riday morning I open my eyes, blink at the white ceiling, and realize yet again how awful birthdays are when you live by yourself.
    When I lived at home, Mom would always wake me up with a birthday cinnamon roll with a candle in it, sing happy birthday, and give me a present to open that was something I got to use on my birthday before I opened my real presents that night.
    Usually