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That night I was half asleep when something slick and sticky against my skin jolted me awake.
I opened my eyes to a huge snake head fixed on me, its forked tongue flicking at my face with a low hissing sound.
I screamed at the snake that had appeared out of nowhere in the middle of the night, and with shaking hands I reached for my phone to call for help.
But George Fox, my boyfriend of three years, snatched the phone from me and glared, his whole face impatient.
"What are you screaming for? That's Kate's pet snake. Her name's Blossom. She's gentle, she never bites."
"Why are you dragging emergency services out here in the middle of the night? Go on, take Blossom back to the study."
Kate Butler. George's childhood neighbor.
When I stayed frozen where I was, his impatience only grew.
"What are you standing around for? Hurry up and carry Blossom back inside so she can rest."
But before I could even touch the thing, it sank its fangs into me.
George acted like he hadn't seen the wound at all.
"What did you do?! Blossom has never bitten anyone. Did you handle her clumsily and hurt her? Blossom is Kate's baby. What if you've scared her so badly she won't trust people anymore?"
"You've had a cold lately, haven't you? Your blood is bound to be dirty."
"Get Blossom to the vet right now for a proper checkup. If anything happens to her, how am I supposed to explain it to Kate?"
I sank down to the floor and quietly watched my boyfriend work himself into a panic over a snake.
In that moment, I suddenly wanted none of it anymore.
Including the man in front of me.
1
George didn't spare me a single glance. He was busy hunting for a cage so he could get the snake to a vet.
The snake still held its striking pose, staring me down like I was already its prey.
I've been afraid of soft, crawling things since I was a child. I can't even bring myself to touch an earthworm.
And now a living snake was locked eye to eye with me.
My back was already soaked through with cold sweat, but the sheer terror left my legs useless, and I stayed collapsed on the floor, unable to move.
I heard my own trembling voice.
"George, a snake bit me. Shouldn't your first thought be to get me to the hospital?"
George didn't even lift his head.
"Blossom isn't venomous. Can you stop making a scene?"
"And Blossom is usually so docile. Who knows what you did to provoke her?"
The more he talked, the angrier he got.
"You've had that cold for days now. If your blood is dirty and something happens to Blossom, I will not let you off!"
"Kate treasures this snake more than anything. She'll be heartbroken."
I couldn't believe my own ears.
Couldn't believe words this cold were coming from the mouth of the man I'd been with for three years.
"Can you guarantee this snake isn't venomous? Do you know anything about snakes?"
His impatience turned even more obvious.
"Kate told me Blossom isn't venomous. You think Kate would lie to me?"
"Nanette Summers, I've said it a hundred times. I only think of Kate as a little sister."
"Stop using these cheap little tricks to compete with Kate for attention. It's making me sick."
At that, something seemed to occur to George. He pulled out his phone and made a call.
"Kate, are you asleep? Blossom got out of her cage, and she just bit Nanette."
"Nanette's had a bit of a cold these past few days. I'm worried about the effect on Blossom, so I want to take her to the vet."
"Okay, don't worry, I'll wait for you here."
Kate arrived fast. In no more than five minutes she was at the house.
When she saw George standing there in his pajamas, she visibly froze.
"George? Why are you home, and in your pajamas?"
"Didn't you say you'd be working late at the office today? Why did you come back early?"
George looked confused.
"The work wrapped up early."
But I caught what was off in her words right away.
"What do you mean by that? Was George not supposed to be home today?"
"Much less in the bedroom?"
A flicker of panic crossed Kate's eyes.
"No, Nanette, don't get the wrong idea. I was just a little surprised, that's all, so I asked a couple of extra questions."
"All right, all right, we need to get Blossom to the vet. If we're too late I'm afraid something will happen to her."
Watching the two of them load the snake into the cage to leave, I spoke up again.
"George. I said, take me to the hospital."
Before George could get a word out, Kate cut in first.
"Nanette, don't worry. I had Blossom's venom glands removed. She isn't venomous, you'll be fine."
"But you've got a cold. Maybe your blood is more poisonous than Blossom."
George held the cage in one hand and took Kate's hand with the other.
"Enough, don't waste your breath on her. Blossom's what matters."
From start to finish, George never once looked at me.
"Slam!"
The door crashed shut, and the huge house fell silent again.
My head grew dizzier and dizzier, and a violent unease closed in around me.
With shaking hands I dialed emergency services.
"Hello, is this 911?"
