Page 46 of Friend
Drew swallowed, glancing at our still animatedly-conversing teachers, before he moved to us.
“Let’s get him to the nurse,” I told him, pulling Cory’s arm over my shoulder. The bigger wolf was beginning to shiver—now I really was starting to worry. Drew nodded and ducked under Cory’s other side.
“Abernathy!” A teacher had finally noticed the commotion and yelled at us from across the pool.
It was good they hadn’t seen him much. If Cory really was making an effort, I had to try too.
“He caught my stomach bug,” I told the teacher, and the man shot me a disbelieving look. But also, he absolutely would not come over now—the man was terrified of germs. “I’ll take him to the nurse?”
He waved, looking slightly afraid of Cory now. “You do that.”
Bianca had been sitting on a seat in the first row at the bleachers, as she normally did for swimming class—this was one class I’d made sure she didn’t have to take. She never had told me why, though. But as we neared the door, she stood.
“It’s fine,” I told her as Cory groaned into my ear. “You don’t need—”
“Brosnan.” The woman’s coach had spotted Bianca’s attempt to help. “At least pretend to pay attention, that’s the least you can do for participation.”
Bianca’s face turned pink, and she slumped back into her seat.
I glanced back once as Drew and I pulled Cory through the doorway.
With every step away from her, the strangest sense of foreboding filled me—but that could very well be because I was about to drag a wolf through the school while dressed only in my swim trunks.
But Adrian wasn’t here, and the rest of the bully crew was with me.
There was nothing left to worry about.
“Damn it, Cory,” I muttered, thankful that our forever-absent nurse was gone once again. Drew and I were basically dragging him now, and it was a relief when we were finally able to drop him onto a bed. He fell face first, groaning, before he pushed his arm under his face and glared at me.
He better not give me that look. “This is your own fault,” I told him.
“Didn’t you think I should stop the ‘roids?” he asked, and I stared at him, before he added, “I don’t knowwhyyou’re trying to help me, but this was you guys’ idea.”
Ugh.
“No one ever meant to quit cold turkey!” Did he not think to look up the drugs he was taking? “You can’t just do that!”
“Well, it’s too late now.” Cory rolled onto his back and covered his eyes with his arm. “I refuse to touch another one of those pills for the rest of my life.”
I hoped so. “Just go to the doctor.”
“No,” Cory stubbornly replied. “The worst should be over soon.” He sounded hopeful, but really, he had no idea. “You’ll just have to help me.”
“Me?” Had he lost his mind?
“Yes, because you’re an Er Bashou.” Cory waved his hand in the air. “You’re supposed to support those who are trying their best.”
What was this? Since when did he care about rankings? He’d stop being a jerk a long time ago if that was the case.
Besides, it wasn’t like I could wave a magic wand and give him everything he wanted.
But I had to admit—the more I learned about him, the more I believed that he wasn’t entirely awful.
I hated it when Bianca was right.
“Fine,” I grumbled, crossing my arms. There were less than five minutes until class was over, and Bianca would be waiting for me.
It was time to just hurry this along.
