My Best Friends, My Worst Enemies

explaining why

tand. Or rather, Chl

inely hurt, a frown creasing his b

ought. A l

uestions and their attempts to draw me back int

iveness was a

nt communication that I knew

tone. "But hey, the graduation trip is still on, right? The mo

y to keep me under their coll

excited. This time, a cold

"No more drama. Just us, like old times. We'll foc

e "toning it dow

o weary to argue.

rhaps. Or maybe, a morbid part of me just wanted to wi

trip was to a remote mountain

l, rustic, and

Chloe's ma

unpacking, I overheard Liam and Noah talki

was wi

ned. "How much longer do we have to keep this up w

miserable. "She knows something's off. Can'

s, truly suspects, she'll run straight to MIT and never look back. Then what? My Stanford dream,

. "Besides, don't you like having both of us doting on

m, miserably, "Bu

he greater good. Our good. Now, be good boys, an

nct sound of a ki

urned. They w

completely

to my room, my he

ggested a hike to a "p

rightly, Liam and Noah flanki

behind,

overlooking a deep ravine. "Oh, look! The view fro

ager to please her, a

edge. "Just a little further,

my first life, it had bee

me, I w

r hand outstretched to "steady" he

carried her forward. She shrieked, flailing

ching from a few feet below on

m yelled, sc

he victim. "Ava! You... you pushed me!" she cri

But that wou

hloe's side, their faces

" Noah asked, kne

glare. "What the hell

hing," I said cal

her "twisted ankle," her eyes da

tely ignoring me as I stood on

safer ground, my hands ste

sly only "mildly sprained" after a dramatic exam

s. "We just... misjudged the situation up ther

qually unconvincing. "

st n

zzed. A tex

out little old me! Don't

n't r

lly cataloging every

ier was