Page 131 of Burn Bright
His brows scrunch in confusion. “Why?”
I lift my stiff shoulders. “Because after that I felt responsible—like ifanythingbad happened to you, it’d be because of me. Because I didn’t tell your parents. I didn’t even tell Moffy…and you know how badly I wanted to run to him that night?” I shift my weight. “You have one of the best brothers in the world. Back then, I would’ve given a left kidney to switch him with Charlie.”
“Back then? Not now?”
“I don’t know what’s happening, but Charlie hasn’t been that horrible.” I don’t mention how he gave me a heads up about the Board Game Club tonight, and how he told Harriet he doesn’t hate me. The latter still feels unreal.
Xander loosely fists the neck of the beer. “You know if you ran to Moffy, there is no chance he would’ve kept it a secret. He would’ve told our parents.”
“Yeah, he would’ve done the right thing.” I hear my voice rising. “Everyone would’ve, except for me.”
“You were thirteen too,” Xander defends me. “If anything happened to me, it would’ve never been your fault. If anything does now, it won’t be either.” He motions to my water bottle. “Is there holy water in there? Because you’re absolved. Spritz it on yourself or whatever.”
It won’t be my fault.
I let that ping around my brain, but it’s not helping me relax. Something feels wrong with me. I don’t know…I lift my gaze to his. “If it means anything, I don’t really see you as breakable as much as everything is breaking around me.” The door begins to creak open. Easton is here. “I should go.”
“Wait,” Xander calls out.
“See you in class.” I nod to him with a smile. “I am glad we did this.”
He nods uncertainly.
And I salute Harriet. “Fisher.” My chest is tight. I’m leaving her with Xander. Don’t do it. Don’t do it.
I want her at my side.
I want her in my arms.
I want her to be mine.
Instead, I’m veering toward the door like a tornadic wind, and Easton blows out of the way. Glaring, he says, “It’s not a French exit. It’s theBenexit.”
I shoot a glare back.
When I’m in the hall, I head to the elevators. Each step away from her hurts. The sound of a shutting door jolts my body, and I look backward.
Harriet is running to catch me.
My lungs expand. I hang on to her appearance, not even caring if she’s a mirage and I’m imagining shit now. I’ll take this fantasy. But full disclosure, she’s real.
She slows at my side, digging in her black backpack. Our eyes meet a few tender times. Then I say, “You looking for a cross to excise the demon within me, Fisher?”
“You’re a Cobalt. The only demon within you is hubris, and sorry to say, you seem to lack it the most of your immortal fam.”
“So you say,” I smile more and more.
It pulls a tiny one out of her too.
Harriet does make me feel so much fucking better, and I can’t explain it at all. I’ve stopped trying to figure it out.
“Damn,” she mutters, a plastic baggie of hard candies in her hand. Her shoulders drop in defeat when we reach the elevator. “How are these not vegan?” She’s reading the ingredients label.
She wanted to give me candy? I smile down at her.
She looks up at me. “What?”
“Nothing,” I whisper, then I drape my arm over her shoulders.
