Page 9 of My Best Friend's Bully

“I’m not expecting any—”

“I don’t have an appointment.” I cross the room and approach the desk, where I stand, towering over the seated man. “My father is in the ICU. He needs his own room, with a bed for my mother to stay by his side.”

Franklin scoffs, his gray mustache bristling. “I don’t know who you are, but we don’t just set aside private rooms. This is a hospital, not a hotel.”

I place my hands down on the edge of the desk and lean toward him, fully aware of my stature compared to his. “Tyson Reynolds. And I think you’ll find that for the right price, that’sexactlywhat you do.”

My name triggers recognition in his face, as it should. I can see the cogs working in his brain, so I take my chance to push. “This place is looking shamefully shabby. I’d hate for my father to have to recover here. I’d like to fund a total refurbishment, provided that my father’s comfort, and my mother’s, are guaranteed.”

I can’t hide the smug smile on my face when I return to the waiting room twenty minutes later and relay the good news to my mother. The bimbo’s shocked expression is the icing on the cake.

“Oh, thank you, Ty. I’ll just pop home with you all to get my things,” Mom says, squeezing me with a quick hug. “But Ty, where are you going to stay?”

“Why don’t you stay with me?” Cole offers.

I’d rather sleep in the woods. “I’ve got a penthouse apartment downtown.”

“Come on, Ty. I’ve got a spare room ready to go, and it would be great to catch up. It’s been way too long. And you can meet FaerieBeast. It’ll be nice.”

“Fairy who?”

“My dog. She’ll love you.”

“I’d rather not. I like my space.” And I have no interest in spending more time with Cole than I have to.

“Come on, man, please. For old times.”

I’m about to say no again, this time in a far less polite way, when I catch a look from my mom that steals the words from my mouth. “Fine.” Okay, it wasn’t exactly gracious, but it’s the best I can do if it means being stuck with Cole.

“I should get going,” the girl says. “Call me if you need anything at all, both of you. Even if you just need someone to take care of FaerieBeast for a bit. I’m here for you.”

She hugs my mother, then Cole, lingering for far too long with her arms around him. Some of my hard-earned calmness erodes away.

“Come on, we’re in a hospital, not a bedroom,” I growl, gesturing for the door.

She stalks off, passing me without so much as a glance, and finally, it’s only the three of us. Mom leads the way, navigating the winding hallways as if she has a map in her head. I can not believe I’m going to be cohabitating with Cole again. There’s not enough meditation in the universe to get me through that. Thankfully, I brought my laptop, so I can bury myself in work. That’ll keep interaction to a minimum.

“I’m glad you came back.” Cole gives me a tentative smile.

I ignore his words. “Who’s the bimbo?” I ask under my breath so Mom doesn’t hear.

“She’s not a bimbo. And she already told you, her name is Jordan. she’s studying to be a doctor.” His tone sharpens, but he also keeps his words quiet. Neither of us wants to upset Mom any more than she already is. “She’s quite the exact opposite of a bimbo, actually. And she’s my best friend, so I’d really appreciate it if you stopped talking about her like that. And try treating her with a little respect. She’ll probably be around a lot.”

“Oh, Lovely.” I can see I’ve struck a nerve, and I don’t believe for a second that a girl who looks like that is just afriend. Plus, the way she was hugging him, the way Mom seemed so familiar with her. There’s more to the two of them, I know it, and I think I may have found something to make my stay at Cole’s house a little more bearable. It’s time for Cole to learn from the master and, unfortunate for him, to see how it feels to lose in the process.

Chapter 5

Jordan

BythetimeColedrops me off at my apartment, I’m exhausted. Cramming for the Anatomy exam, encountering the hospital drama, and dealing with the monster he has for a brother, has taken its toll on me and has worn me down. But after missing my classes and the exam today, I know I don’t have the luxury of throwing myself down on the couch and vegging out. There’s work to do.

Thankfully, Doctor Granby called me back and left a message that he could arrange a proctor to let me retake the Anatomy exam later this week. It’s nice that I will now have more time to study, but I just want to be done with it.

I flip through my phone and order a pizza before putting a pot of water on the stove for the French press. I’ve got a bag of whole Vietnamese beans from Cupitol that keeps me going when they’re closed, and lately I’ve been going through them at an alarming pace. The water comes to a boil and I drizzle it slowly over the grounds, followed by a good stir and sit back to wait for the magic caffeinated goodness to emerge.

I send a quick text to one of my classmates, Susan, letting her know what happened and why I wasn’t at the exam. I also asked her for her notes from the classes I missed. We’re not friends, but we are on good terms and I’ve covered for her a few times when she’s been out sick. A few minutes later, I get an email with her typed-up notes for the day and shoot off a quick thanks in reply. I set up at my coffee table, splaying out my textbooks, notebooks, and laptop across its surface, ready to dive in.

I’m on my third read-through of the same paragraph when I realize my mind is on anything but the Anatomy text book in front of me. Instead, it’s that jerk’s face running through my mind. How can anything so beautiful dare to be so horrible? It’s like finding the cutest, fluffiest puppy and all it wants to do is snarl at you.

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