Killer Teens

Spellbound

Jason’s POV

I wake up with a hell of a hangover and very little recollection of last night.

It comes back to me after some aspirin pills and a phone call from my mom. I gradually remember everything. Brooke was so into me… and then, so was Maddy… and then… did I punch Cole? Multiple times? As he was being held back by my friends?

I must have; he insulted Brooke and, come to think of it, me…

Once the aspirin kicks in, I head upstairs to check on my little sister, Leyla. Our parents both work a few hours on weekend mornings, so I’m supposed to keep an eye on her. I’m used to it, so I’m not bothered by it anymore; our parents are out so much, I’m basically Leyla’s guardian.

“Hi, Jase,” Leyla greets when I open the door. She’s playing games on her Switch. “How was the party?”

“Good,”I tell her, and grin. “I punched someone.”

Leyla’s big, blue eyes widen. It’s weird, looking into her eyes and knowing that mine are the same. Leyla is only twelve, but by the time she hits teenagerdom, she’s going to be a total heartbreaker. Luckily, for now she’s still just a kid.

“Who?” she asks, twirling a strand of the blonde hair that also mirrors mine. “Was it about Brooke?”

“Sort of.” I’m not sure what it was about, really. I think I was actually defending Kate. I guess I’ve grown to feel the same way about her that Brooke dies: protective. 

“Okay.” She doesn’t seem all that interested. “Well, I’m fine. Go call Brooke or something.”

I take that as a hint to leave, so I back out of her room and do exactly what she suggested. Brooke always helps me out when I’m in a bad mood. Well, usually.

She answers after a few rings, yawning like she just woke up. “Hello?”

“Hey, babe. Can you talk?”

“Yeah, sure. How’s your hangover? I almost cried when the phone rang.”

I laugh. “I’ll be sure to talk quietly. Mine’s all right—I took some aspirin.”

“Good idea.”I hear her dainty footsteps pad toward the kitchen. “So, Jase, I’m worried about Kate. I know you hear that a lot, but seriously. She was mad at me last night.”

That catches my attention. Kate is rarely, if ever, mad at Brooke. Sure, they have petty arguments, but they’re always resolved quickly. “About what?”

“Cole. You. You punching Cole. She told me I should have stopped you.”

“Oh. Babe, I’m sorry.” I’m really starting to regret punching that asshole. Sure, I hate him, but that doesn’t mean I had to hurt him. I should have stuck it out and dealt with it. Now Kate is worried, and thus Brooke is worried. 

“It’s okay. I’m just worried about her—you know what a guilty person she can be.”

I groan. “I can’t believe she’d feel guilty for making that freak feel bad.”

“Me, neither. But she’s got more heart than us.”

I laugh dryly. It’s probably the truth—at least, for me. Most of the people Brooke and I know don’t have half the heart that Kate does. Still, I believe that Brooke does.

“So,” I say. “That was some party.”

“No kidding. Luckily the aspirin’s setting in. Hey, do you want to go to the barn with me? We could yell at Fiona some more. She called and asked me to meet her there in half an hour.”

I don’t particularly enjoy going to the barn, given that I have no interest in riding, but I have to admit it can be breathtaking, watching Brooke ride. “Okay, yeah. I’ll drive us. Do you really think this is Fiona’s fault?”

“Not at all. But I do want to talk to her about it—make sure she knows that there’s something wrong with him.”

I nod. ‘The guy needs help. I’d report him, but then he’d report me for hitting him.”

“More like beating him to a pulp.” She doesn’t sound too upset about it. I almost feel bad that she’s so okay with it—like my meanness is rubbing off on her. 

“Right,” I say, frowning. “Anyway. I’ll pick you up in a few?”

“Yeah—thanks. Bye.”

“Bye. Love you.”

But she already hung up.

- - - - -

She doesn’t look herself when I pull up. Where she usually looks put-together and made-up, she actually looks pretty casual—jeans; t-shirt; hair in a ponytail.

“Sorry,” she says when she slides into the passenger’s seat next to me, “I know I look terrible.”

“Impossible." Frankly, it’s sort of refreshing to see her not dressed to the nines.

Why do I have to like every single thing about her, good day, bad day, rain or shine? 

She gives me a short kiss before I reverse out of her driveway and head for the barn.

“I called Kate before I left,” she tells me. “She didn’t answer. I think she’s actually mad at me.”

“I doubt that. Kate doesn’t really get mad, you know? She probably just doesn’t know what to think. I hope Cole hasn’t called her.”

The instant I say it, I regret it; the look in Brooke’s gorgeous, gray eyes is distant and fearful. “Do you think he would? Maybe we should turn around. I don’t want him to freak her out any more than he already has.”

“He probably got the message, though, right? I mean, that Kate has people looking out for her—people who can pack serious punches.”

“No offense, Jase, but he was tough. He could have totally taken you if he wasn’t being held back. I don’t think he’s that scared of you.”

I wrinkle my nose, even though I know it’s true. I still don’t understand it. The guy doesn’t even look that ripped. He’s decent-sized, I guess, but it doesn’t seem like muscle as much as stature. Thinking back on that first punch I threw, though, and when I bent his finger… 

He hardly even flinched.

Shivers run down my spine. I’m used to being the strong one.

“It’ll be okay,” I mutter.

“I hope so. Jase, you don’t think… I mean, he wouldn’t… hurt her, would he?”

I have to really focus to keep my hands on the wheel. Of course, the thought already came to me, but I didn’t let myself actually consider it until now. 

It’s ridiculous. Things like that don’t happen in real life. And yet…

“N—no,” I stammer stupidly. “Of course not.”

She sighs. “Yeah… Of course not.”

I turn into the barn and park. I wait patiently as Brooke fastens on her boots and chaps, grabs her helmet, and hops out. I take her hand as we walk, and she squeezes mine tightly. It provides a surprising amount of relief.

At least, until she drops it in panic when she sees Fiona across from Spellbound’s stall. 

Fiona, who is wheelchair-bound, bruised and stitched up, with a neck brace on.

“Oh, my God,” Brooke breathes, running faster than I knew she could over to Fiona. “Fiona! What happened? Did he do this to you?”

Fiona looks up at her (as best she can without the use of her neck) with a confused expression. “Who are you talking about?”

Brooke looks over at me, expression relaxing. Cole didn’t do this. We’re both just overreacting. 

“Never mind,” Brooke says. “What happened?”

“Jumping accident. On Spellbound. It was my fault, of course. Huge jump, like five feet, way more than he’s used to… at least, with me.” She grins a little at Brooke, and I infer that Brooke has taken him over five feet before. “But anyway, my parents were furious, because they already didn’t trust Spellbound, and now… Well, I’m not allowed to ride anymore.”

Brooke’s eyes widen. “At all?”

Fiona shakes her head. I see the same sadness in her eyes that I would see in Brooke’s if she was told she couldn’t ride any more. “Brooke, they’re making me sell him and Valentino.” Her voice is choked and painful.

“But… Spellbound, he’s terrible for new riders—”

“I know. Brooke, I want you to take him.”

I expect her to be thrilled—I’m thrilled for her. I know how much Brooke loves that horse. But she doesn’t look excited; she looks fearful. 

She shakes her head. “No. I can’t take Spellbound from you.”

Fiona doesn’t look as surprised as I am. “He’s not mine anymore, Brooke. I probably can’t ever ride again, even when I do heal. And I want you to have him. I don’t want him to go to anyone else.”

Brooke is still shaking her head. I don’t understand it at all.

“I need you to take him,” Fiona insists. “A great rider will love Valentino and scoop him up. But you know that’s not going to happen for Spellbound.”

“Fiona,” Brooke objects softly.

“Just think about it. I’ve got some time.”

Brooke manages a short, careful nod.

Seeming to sense she isn’t going to get more than that out of Brooke, Fiona turns to me. “Hey, Jason. I meant to call you and apologize about Cole… I heard how disastrous that double date was.”

I glance at Brooke. She obviously hasn’t told Fiona about the second date. “Yeah, it was—and it was followed by an even more disastrous second double date.”

Fiona raises her eyebrows. “Kate agreed to that?”

“Yeah—don’t ask. But, man, Fiona. He freaked all of us out. He knew so much s**t about her. He said he watches her.”

Fiona’s eyes bulge, and she turns to Brooke.

“Fi,” Brooke says, “he told her he loved her. That they were meant to be together. And a lot of other stuff… and then Jason beat him up. Now we’re all… scared.”

“Scared?” Fiona repeats. “Really?”

“I’m not,”I say, even though I think, the tiniest bit, I really am.

“He’s not right,” Brooke says. “In the head. It’s so obvious, and I don’t know what to do about it. He was such a jerk to me, but I didn’t even know where to begin. He thinks I’m a bad influence for Kate. He wants to ‘keep me away from her.’ All I know is, I have to keep him away from her.”

That’s when I hear it—a shuffle. Panicked, if a shuffle can sound panicked. I look around, trying to figure out where it’s coming from. 

Call me paranoid. 

I excuse myself and pick up a quick pace toward where I think it was coming from. 

He won’t be there, I tell myself. It’s ridiculous to even think that.

And yet, there he is.

His dark eyes are furious. I can’t see any shred of humanity in them, whatsoever.

“She wants to keep me away from Kate,” he whispers. His voice is darker than ever.

“Get out of here, Cole,” I hiss through gritted teeth. "Now."

Cole looks up at me, but he isn’t looking at me. He’s looking a lot farther away. 

“Yeah. All right.”

And he leaves.

I don’t tell Brooke. I should, but I don’t.

Not until it’s too late.