Page 39 of The Girl and the Cobra

Jordan and I leave the school after that, and I’m not going to lie, my heart feels fluttery in my chest, like I know I’m doing something bad but it’s kind of fun at the same time. There aren’t any fast food restaurants on the way home, so we have to go out of our way to grab something. We end up with a bag of deep-fried goodness as we sit on the couch, trying to find something to watch while we chow down.

Our parents have a big sectional, but Jordan and I sit side by side. He lets me pick the movie, and I end up on one of my comfort watches,Tangled. The songs, the story, Eugene; I honestly love it all. Can’t be sad or upset whenTangledis on in the background.

Jordan watches me for a few moments, a soft smile on his face. “I wish I could make things better for you. All the time, I mean. I wish I could do something that would make all those assholes stop.”

A sigh escapes me. “I don’t think they’ll ever stop. As long as they’re breathing, they’re going to make my life miserable.”

He wraps an arm around my shoulder and leans in to jokingly whisper, “Then maybe they should stop breathing.”

“Yeah, if only.” I laugh softly as I meet Jordan’s gaze. His eyes are bluer than mine, a deeper, prettier color if you ask me. Easy to get lost in if you stare too hard. My brother or not, I can see why girls go crazy for him.

Plus he’s got that aloof thing going on for him. He’ll take girls to dances and go out once or twice with them, but he always ends up breaking things off relatively quickly. His excuse is always that he just didn’t feel it with them. I asked him once what he looks for in a girl, and all he did was grin and shrug.

With his arm still around my shoulder, I lean my cheek on him and close my eyes. Being here with him, just us, it’s like what happened in the lunchroom took place years ago, like we’re so far removed it’s easy to forget.

“I don’t know what I’d do if I didn’t have you,” I murmur, and I feel Jordan move his head, so I open my eyes and find him staring down at me with the softest expression I’ve ever seen on his face.

His arm around my shoulder tightens. “It’s you and me,” he whispers. “Us against the world. No matter what happens, I’ll always be here for you.”

The way he’s looking down at me, I believe it. I genuinely believe it’s us against everyone else, that the only person I can ever count on in this world is him. He’s my brother, my best friend, my everything, and I know I’m all that to him, too.

His arm falls away and I sit straighter and reach for a fry as I turn my attention to the TV and the movie. Out of my peripherals, I can tell Jordan still watches me, but it doesn’t bother me. I don’t know what he’s thinking, but if it’s anything close to what I’m thinking about, we’re good.

As long as I have Jordan, I can take anything life throws at me.

That’s what I used to think, anyway, until Jordan decided to go on a rampage and target certain students that made my life miserable. Anyone who says it’s not my fault doesn’t see the full picture; Jordan would’ve done anything for me, including kill.

And in the end, he did exactly that.

Only now, as I walk through the house, my destination my room, I can’t help but look back at memories like that in a new light thanks to what Dr. Wolf asked me.

I’m insulted in every possible way. My gut instinct is denial, denial, denial, but as I walk up the main staircase, I can’t help but start to wonder if, in a tiny way, it might’ve been true. Siblings fight. Siblings bicker. They don’t always get along—it wasn’t the case for Jordan and me, though. We were always on the same wavelength, right up until the end.

Life is like TV. Unfortunately, no matter how great the beginning seasons were, if the ending sucks, it’s what sticks with you.

Chapter Sixteen – Tristan

I may or may not be waiting for Mabel in her room. Laying on her bed, I can smell her; it’s a poor substitute for the real thing, but I’ll take what I can get. When I hear her footsteps approaching in the hall, I sit up and swing my legs off the side of the bed. She rounds the corner and steps inside, and before she says a word I can tell she’s upset.

I stand and go to her. “What’s wrong?” Her session with Wolf must be the culprit. I don’t doubt the asshole said something to get under her skin; he’s good at that.

Mabel’s lips part, and her pretty gray-blue eyes lift to my face. “I—” The word comes out of her with a soft breath. “I need some time alone. To think.”

My initial reaction is to tell her that I can help fix whatever it is, that Wolf is an asshole and probably said whatever he said just to be a dick, but I manage to hold myself back. If Mabel needs space, then I need to give it to her.

The only thing I do is nod. After I move out into the hall, Mabel shuts the door.

Jaw clenching, now that I’m not with Mabel, I do the only thing I can: I head down to the first floor and barge into the office where Wolf is, writing something down on his little notepad. Acting like he’s an actual therapist and not a psycho in disguise. Right.

“Tristan,” Wolf says without so much as glancing in my direction. “What can I do for you? We aren’t scheduled for another few hours.”

“What the fuck did you say to her?”

“To who?”

I glare at him as I grind my teeth. There’s only oneherin this house, and he knows it. He just wants me to say her name.“Mabel. She wants time alone, and she didn’t look too happy—which leads me to think you said something that upset her. What did you say?”

Wolf leans back in his chair. “You know as well as I do that what we discuss in our sessions is private.”

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