12. Archer

12

ARCHER

A s I stand at the sink, scrubbing the remnants of last night's party from the stack of dirty dishes, the warm water and soap bubbles feel good on my hands, but they do little to ease the knot of anger twisting in my gut.

Despite the sex after the car wash, I still can't shake the bitterness that's taken root inside. Lyric has lied so many times and hidden so much from us. She kept the fact that she had a kid from us! What the hell else is she hiding?

I rinse a plate and set it on the drying rack, my mind replaying the moments we shared with her. The way she moved under us, the desperation in her eyes, the tears that leaked out as she pleaded for release. All I wanted was to feel in control with Lyric, but it's not enough. It will never be enough to erase the past.

I pick up another dish, scrubbing harder than necessary. Memories of the past come flooding back. How she betrayed us when she turned on us in high school, the way she ruined our lives. It feels like we were starting to get even, making her pay for the thing she did. But now, with this new revelation, it feels like we're right back where we started.

The water sloshes around as I rinse the plates off. We all know things can't go on like this. We need answers and we need to figure out what to do next. But every time I think about confronting her, I can't get past the bitterness. I don't know if I can ever forgive her, not after everything we've been through.

I finish the last dish and dry my hands, taking a deep breath to steady myself. I know I need to talk to her, to get everything out in the open. But the thought of facing her, of seeing the guilt in her eyes, makes my chest tighten. I don't know if I'm ready for that. Some long-buried part of me wants nothing more than to drop this whole thing and move past it, let Lyric back in our lives, and reclaim what we once had.

But I know that's impossible.

I turn off the tap and head upstairs, intending to grab my books to go to the library, but I'm distracted by a text alert. When I pick it up, a scowl grows on my face.

We need to talk – Lyric

I can't believe she thinks we have anything to say to her right now. But I fumble with my phone, sending a text back before my brain can catch up.

You have five minutes .

I want to know what she thinks there is to discuss. Within a few minutes, I hear her footsteps on the stairs and then a soft knock at my door alerts me to the fact that she's arrived.

Pushing the door open with my foot, I turn in my desk chair and stare at her, raising a single eyebrow.

"What?" I ask, crossing my arms.

Lyric runs her hands through her messy curls and bites her lip, eyes darting around the room as if to gather her thoughts.

"We can't do this anymore," she says finally. "All this, the revenge bullshit? It's over. You had your fun, but I'm not going to let you destroy me for your own amusement any longer. I have too much self-respect."

I snort, unable to keep myself from laughing. She honestly thinks she has any say in this? Truly?

Lyric frowns. "What's so funny?"

"After all the shit you pulled, you think you can just walk in here and tell me it's over, that you have a say in when we're done destroying you the way you destroyed us and our family?"

"I didn't…"

"Stop lying!" I yell, smacking the desk. Lyric jumps back, wrapping her arms around herself. "I know about the kid. I know you've been lying to us from the minute we saw you again."

"You know?" Lyric asks, eyes going wide, cheeks flushed. "You know about Eli? What do you mean? Why didn't you say anything?"

"What is there to say?" I ask, standing up and getting into Lyric's space, crowding her so she's backed into the door. "You want us to tell you that we know that you're a lying whore?That we know you slept with someone else, even though you claimed that you loved us?"

Lyric trembles but holds my gaze. "You don't know what you're talking about."

My eyes flash in anger. "Bullshit!" I yell. "How soon did you jump into bed with someone after we were sent away? A day? Two days? Tell me!" I order her, looming over her smaller frame.

Lyric makes to speak, but she shuts her mouth, turning her chin away.

"Tell me," I say again, my voice going dangerously soft. "If you tell me, we can get closure on this whole thing. Tell me and I'll let you go."

But Lyric keeps her face turned away from me, refusing to make eye contact. Her mouth stays clamped shut and she crosses her arms, defiance in her posture.

I run a hand through my blonde locks, frustration rising. "I don't understand why you won't say anything. Is it because you were cheating on us the whole time?"

"I never cheated," Lyric said, turning to face me. "How dare you accuse me of cheating?!"

"Then I'll have to assume you already had your eye on someone because it sure didn't take you very long to jump into their bed. Who was it? Was it Max? I bet it was Cole. How soon did you wait to jump into his bed?" I ask, grabbing her by the arms.

"You're hurting me!" Lyric cries out. I drop my grip but keep my face level with hers.

"Tell me the truth."

She stays quiet, a tick in her jaw letting me know she's angry at the question.

"Fine. You don't want to behave for me, you can take the punishment that comes from your defiance."

Lyric's mouth drops open, but I hold a hand up, uninterested in hearing her protests. "Maybe this will make you more willing to talk. I want you to go kneel in the corner for thirty minutes, hands behind your back."

She stares at me, an incredulous expression on her face, brow wrinkled, but I refuse to budge. Slowly, she goes over to the empty corner next to my desk and kneels, hands behind her back. I set a timer on my phone for thirty minutes and go over and sit on the bed with my books, deciding I'll study here for now.

The room is quiet, save for the sound of soft breathing and the occasional flick of a page. I glance up every so often to check on Lyric and make sure she's still obeying. Her shoulders are tensed, but she stays in the corner like I ordered.

Tension starts to bleed from my body as I study, realizing how much I'm looking forward to seeing her finally break. It's one thing to have her running around at our beck and call, but what I want to see is for her to finally take responsibility for her actions, to own up to what she did and break down and admit the truth.

The thought of her red from crying has me growing excited. I want to see her finally come apart, to stop putting up the fa?ade she's so good at showing the world. Lyric has always been that way, even in middle school, when the other kids would tease her about being from the poor side of town. She acted like she was untouchable, but I knew that deep down, it affected her more than she let on.

Back then, I wished that she would reach out to us, let us help her and offer comfort. Now, I want to see her admit that she's not the ice queen she pretends to be.

With every minute that passes, I grow even more excited, hoping that I'll finally see another side of Lyric. If she would admit what she did, maybe we could find a way to get past things. We might be able to eventually forgive her.

I can hardly concentrate on the book I'm reading as I wait for the timer to go off. I re-read the same page three times before I decide to put it aside. Pulling out my phone, I text Levi to let him know that Lyric is in my room with me.

The timer goes off and I put my phone down and walk over to Lyric, offering her a hand. She ignores it, though and stands on her own, wincing as she massages her knees.

"Are you ready to confess now?" I ask. "Ready to tell me who you slept with?"

Tears drip down her cheeks and I realize that as eager as I was to see her break, it's not as satisfying as I anticipated.

"Congratulations," she says, contempt in her voice. "I knew you hated me, but I never thought I could hate you in return. But after today, I realize that I do, in fact, hate you. I hate all three of you. I know that you hold my future in your hands, but I sincerely hope that when you finally give up your petty revenge scheme, I never have to see any of you ever again for the rest of my life."

I scoff, refusing to let her get under my skin. Lyric shakes her head and curls her lip, heading for the door.

"Until you need me, I'm going now," she sneers. As she exits, something heavy settles into the pit of my stomach.

This doesn't feel like a game anymore. I don't know what it is.