25. Archer

25

ARCHER

W atching Lyric run away should have been satisfying, but there was something else there, something that ate away at me like acid corroding metal. The pain in her eyes haunts me, making me wonder if I was wrong about everything.

I need to find her. I need to see her for myself, to confront her. I leave my brothers with little explanation and head in the same direction that Lyric took.

Approaching the coffee shop, my eyes catch sight of Lyric leaning into Cameron's embrace. My eyes narrow as I push through the door and walk inside. The pain in Lyric's eyes is evident, but it's the way she clings to him that twists the knife in my chest. She ran straight to another guy the moment things got tough. It's as if everything we went through meant nothing to her.

Striding inside, my fists clench at my sides as I watch them. Cameron's hand runs soothingly down her back and she looks up at him with those tear-filled eyes. The same eyes that she used to look at me with a mix of defiance and vulnerability. It's like a slap in the face, a reminder of how quickly she can switch her loyalties.

As I spit out that we're done with her, that all of us are done with her, the words come out harsher than I intend, fueled by a mixture of betrayal and confusion. Seeing her with Cameron now only confirms it—she's not affected by any of it. She's already moved on, seeking comfort in someone else's arms.

I turn away, unable to watch any longer. The café door chimes as I step out into the fresh air, but it does little to clear my head. My emotions are a tangled mess—anger, jealousy and a deep, unsettling sadness that I can't quite shake.

How did we get here? How did things become so twisted? I walk aimlessly across campus, replaying the events in my mind. From the moment we decided to make her pay to now, watching her with someone else, it's like a bad dream I can't wake up from. Part of me wonders if we went too far, but another part is still too hurt to care.

Maybe it's time that we let go. Something has to change. If revenge wasn't the answer, then maybe staying away from her will help.

Over the next couple of weeks, the three of us make good on my promise and completely turn our backs on Lyric once and for all. We try to erase everything from our minds and move on, focusing on school, studying and doing events for the fraternity.

But as the days pass, the ache inside me grows more and more pronounced. Lyric's absence starts to weigh on me.

One day, as I catch sight of a couple walking hand in hand, laughing at some private joke, a pang of something sharp and bitter shoots through me. It's not like I miss her , I tell myself. It's just that the routine, the sense of purpose, the drive to get back at her kept me going. Now that she's out of the picture, there's a void I can't seem to fill.

"Dammit," I mutter under my breath. It's not supposed to be like this. We were supposed to break her and make her pay for what she did to us. But now that she's gone, it's like I'm the one who's been left shattered.

The irony isn't lost on me. In our quest to make her suffer, I never considered the possibility that we'd end up hurting ourselves too. Seeing her with Cameron, so easily leaning on him, it's like the final blow. Maybe I thought, deep down, that she'd come back to us, that she'd realize she still belonged to us despite everything. But that hope, however faint, seems more foolish by the second.

I sit down on the bench, staring out at the familiar sights of campus. It's all the same, yet everything feels different now. The satisfaction of revenge has soured, leaving behind this bitter aftertaste I can't get rid of.

"She should have fought harder," I say to no one in particular. But the words sound hollow, even to my own ears. Because the truth is, it wasn't just her fight. We all had a part in this and now we're paying the price for our own cruelty.

The thought lingers, unsettling and uncomfortable. As I sit here grappling with it, I realize that maybe it's not too late to make things right. But the path forward is anything but clear and for the first time in a long while, I feel truly lost.

My phone rings and I glance down, checking to see who it is. A jolt of surprise runs through me when I see Lyric's name flash across the screen. My finger lingers over the Accept Call button for a moment before I shake my head, declining to respond.

I don't care what she wants. I'm not talking to her anymore. I'm done.

But the phone rings again and I find myself fumbling for it this time, putting it up to my ear. "What do you want, Lyric?" I snap.

"Please, can you help me?" Lyric asks, anguish in her voice. "I need your help. I have no one else to turn to."

"What's going on?" I ask, sitting up as the weight of her words hits me like a truck. She sounds desperate and scared.

Lyric's voice is muffled and she sniffles. "My son is sick. He's so sick, Archer. I need to take him to the hospital. I can't afford an ambulance and I don't have a car. Please, you're the only person who can help!"

"Where are you?" I ask, standing up and looking around wildly. I half expect her to be pranking me from across the quad.

"My dorm. We're in Childers Hall, the family dorm."

"I'm on my way," I say, grabbing my keys from my pocket and heading for my car. It's a two-minute walk away and as soon as I get there, I drive straight over to Lyric.

She rushes out of her dorm, the baby on her hip, and I open the back door for her to lay him down. "He's burning up. His temp has spiked to 105!" she exclaims, panic in her eyes.

"He'll be okay," I promise. "You sit back there with him, and I'll drive."

"Thank you," Lyric sobs. "No one would take me. I begged, but everyone I talked to told me I was being dramatic, or they ignored me. You were the first person I thought of to call."

We pull out of the campus, heading to the emergency room as fast as I can get us there without breaking any traffic rules. "Just hang on tight," I tell her. "He's going to be okay."

Eli fusses in the backseat, clearly in pain. As soon as we arrive, I help Lyric by holding the baby as she rushes inside to explain the situation. A nurse comes out with a gurney for him, and we lay him on it, watching them take him away to get him cooled down.

Tears run down her cheeks as she signs him in and provides all his medical information. "Thank you for helping me," she says as she sits next to me. "I can't thank you enough. After everything…"

"I would never, ever put a kid's life in jeopardy like that," I tell her. "No matter what is going on between us, your kid will always be safe around me."

Lyric sniffles. "Can you come back when I check on him? I can't be alone right now."

I nod and follow as the nurse leads us to Eli's room. When I walk in, I'm taken aback at how small he is. The bed all but swallows him up, he's got an IV in his arm and a breathing cannula in his nose, he looks so scared and helpless. Approaching with Lyric, I stand off to the side and study him for a moment.

Eli stares up at me, blue eyes gazing at me with intensity. I'm struck by how much he looks just like baby photos of me. We've got the same mouth, the same heavy brow, the same small eyes… it's strange how uncannily similar we look.

"This is Archer," Lyric says to him. "He's a friend and he's going to be with me while they help you get better, okay, baby?"

Something uncomfortable settles in my chest, and I wonder if this kid might be my son. "Hi, Eli," I say, reaching out for him. He grasps my hand with his and holds it tightly. "Nice to meet you. I'm sorry you're not feeling good. I hope you get better soon."

The nurse comes in again and explains that they think Eli has the croup. They're going to have him on antibiotics as soon as they can bring his fever down to a safer level. I feel awkward and out of place, but I can't leave, knowing that Lyric needs me right now.

So I go sit on a hard plastic chair while Lyric dotes over him, making sure he's comfortable and entertained.

"How old is he?" I ask, suddenly curious. "He's small."

"He's… fourteen months," Lyric says, turning to glance at me, then looking away quickly.

I frown. So there's no way he can be mine since the timing doesn't add up. It's merely a coincidence that we look similar, nothing more. But it doesn't matter if he's mine. Right now, he needs Lyric and she needs me.

"I'm staying here," I tell her. "Until he's released. I meant what I said. I'm going to make sure your child is safe."

But a thought nags at me. Was Lyric lying about his age? Is it possible he's older than he looks? I don't know why, but I can't stop thinking about the way she looked when she told me his age.

Whatever might be going on, now isn't the time to question her, though. I'm just going to stay until I'm certain her son is okay, then I'll quietly extract myself from her life once more.