Page 20 of My Best Friend's Bully

I roll my eyes and take a heaping scoop of the broccoli, and another of potatoes. The long day of work took its toll and I’m ready to refuel for my run tomorrow.

“Your body won’t know what to make of it,” I chide.

“Have you boys been having fun? I know it’s an awful circumstance that brought you back together but you should make the most of the time you have with each other. Find a way to reconnect.” Mom picks at her food, barely eating. Whenever she’s down, her appetite is the first thing to go.

“Well,” Cole trails off, looking up at me. Is he going to tell Mom I’ve been avoiding him as much as possible?

FaerieBeast comes charging into the dining room, skittering on the hardwood floor. She looks dazed, as if the smell of chicken has shaken her from a deep sleep in the living room.

“Woah there, Beastie,” Cole says as she jumps up onto his lap, reaching for the food on the table. “Okay, okay, you’re right. You didn’t have your dinner yet. Come on, I’ll feed you. Sorry, guys, I’ll be right back or this gremlin is going to punish me by eating your dinner before you do.”

As Cole leaves the room, Mom turns to me, setting her fork down. “Cole says you’ve been avoiding him.” She reaches out to push my hair back from my forehead the same way she did when I was a kid.

That fucking rat. “I’ve been busy with work. Why does he have to make it about him?”

“Do me a favor and do something with your brother, just one thing. It’ll make him so happy and really, that’s all I want for you two. For you to be happy.”

I’ve never seen her look so exhausted, so delicate, and it pulls at my heart. I agree, if for no other reason than to alleviate some of the intense strain I know she’s feeling. “Okay, Mom. I will.”

“Will what?” Cole pops back into the dining room. The sound of FaerieBeast crunching on her kibble in the kitchen is much louder than one would imagine a tiny dog could make.

Mom perks up, popping a potato into her mouth. “Your brother is hoping for a chance to do something with you while he’s here.”

Cole looks at me, raising his eyebrows. “No way! Yeah, let’s do it! We could hit a few rounds of golf, or take a hike in the state park.”

The state park? I wonder if that’s where that picture of him and Jordan hanging in the hallway was taken. Did he take her up there for a romantic date, a picnic in the wilderness?

“The hike,” I reply. There’s too much opportunity for standing around talking during golf. At least on a hike I can leave Cole behind and still satisfy my mother’s request.

“I’ll pack us some snacks and we can make a day of it.” Cole’s enthusiasm brings a smile to Mom’s face but I can’t take it seriously. Nine years away from him isn’t enough to change my feelings. “And we’ll have to bring a coat for FaerieBeast. She’s small but she’ll keep up no problem, as long as we let her share our snacks.”

I nod and turn back to my plate, keeping my mouth too full to add to the conversation. Mom’s appetite returns, and she slices off a large piece of chicken from the breast on her plate and puts it in her mouth. As much as I can’t stand the idea of a whole day with Cole, it’s good to see mom eating. Besides, maybe Cole will invite Jordan along for the hike so I can observe their relationship more closely. Though, she was so defensive when Cole was around. Better if only the two of us do the hike so I can grill him about her. Maybe it will shed some light on this so-called “friendship.”

“And after that, maybe you two can swing by the hospital to visit Dad?” Mom continues, through a mouthful of broccoli. “I know he would love to see you both, and seeing the two of you together would really make his day.” She pushes her plate away, mostly empty.

I groan inwardly. It’s hard to be civil toward my father even if it is for my Mom’s benefit, and after spending a whole day with Cole, I know I’ll be at the limit of my patience. But she looks so hopeful, her eyes darting between the two of us as if to force us together, so I can’t help but to agree.

“Sure, Mom. We can pick up dinner for you on the way.” And somewhere in between all that, I’ll get some work done. “I’ll help clean up here, Do you want seconds of anything?”

She places both hands on her stomach and shakes her head. “No, no, I’ll burst. That was lovely, boys. I’ll help you clean up and then I should be getting back to your father.”

“No, you won’t,” Cole and I respond at the same time. Finally, there’s something we agree on. I snatch her plate from in front of her before she can pick it up, and begin to clear the table, stacking the dishes to bring to the kitchen.

“We’ve got this. You just go take care of Dad.” Cole picks up the serving plates and follows behind me into the kitchen.

We set the dishes into the sink and walk Mom out together. Flowers in her hand, she kisses Cole on the cheek before turning to me and doing the same. Always Cole first. Typical.

“It just makes me so happy to have you both here again. Goodnight, boys. Enjoy your hike tomorrow. Don’t forget to take lots of pictures!”

With that, she leaves, letting a swirl of cold air into the hall with the opening of the front door. Cole turns to me, “You wash, I’ll dry?”

“Sure, whatever.” Now that Mom’s gone, I don’t need to act so buddy-buddy with him.

For once, he seems to take the hint and we clean the dishes and the table in silence. When the chores are done, I retreat to my room upstairs and spend the rest of the night on my laptop. Mostly trying to catch up with work and deal with the launch. But plenty of times I lose my focus with thoughts of a certain brunette girl.

Tyson

“You’re telling me you’ve never even tried to kiss her?” I’m grilling Cole as we make the final climb to the peak of the mountain. Despite what I expected, he had no difficulty keeping up with me, and FaerieBeast, too. Even with that absurd knit sweater she’s wearing, she charges ahead, her tongue lolling out of her mouth.

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