29. Archer

29

ARCHER

T he air is crisp with the promise of winter as I walk across campus. The holidays are coming, and with them, the annual fraternity competition to raise money for the toy drive. It's a tradition at Sterling Heights University, and every year, the Alpha Lambdas, win. However this year, the Sigma Thetas are putting on a hell of a show, having raised a ton of money already.

Normally, I'd be focused on crushing the competition, but my mind has been elsewhere lately. Things have started to shift with us and Lyric. There's a tentative, fragile peace between us now.

I spot Levi and Zane already at our booth in the quad, trying to get donations for our booth at the fundraising event. A few Alpha Lambda brothers are helping, but my eyes are drawn to Lyric, who's chatting with Levi. It's strange seeing them so friendly, but it's also… nice. I never thought I'd say that.

"Hey, Archer," Zane calls out, waving me over. "We need to decide on the final setup. Lyric had a really good idea for how we can beat the Sigma's."

I walk over, trying to ignore the way my heart picks up when Lyric turns to me with a smile. "Let's hear them."

She nods. "I was thinking we could set up a hot cocoa and coffee stand. Everyone loves hot cocoa, especially when it's cold like this. We can sell it for donations and have a spot for people to drop off toys."

Levi grins. "That's a great idea, Songbird. No one is going to turn down a warm drink when it's this cold out."

"On top of that, I hear the Sigma's are trying to do some kind of kissing booth. People will be way more willing to pay for a cup of coffee or hot cocoa over a kissing booth. Great job, Lyric," I tell her. "Let's get it going."

Over the next week, we work on the stand every afternoon. Lyric and I paint the stand in candy cane stripes while Levi and Zane string the lights and add a festive banner. There's a lightness in the air that hasn't been there before, a sense of camaraderie that truly feels right.

"Pass me the tape," Lyric says, reaching out.

I hand it to her, our fingers brushing briefly. A spark runs through me and Lyric blushes, ducking her head. "Here you go," I say, trying to ignore the way my heartbeat picks up speed.

She grins, taping down a decorative present box and shows it to me. "What do you think?"

"Looks good," I say, unable to tear my eyes from her. She clears her throat and looks away, hunting for the next box she needs to wrap.

Over the next few days, we throw ourselves into the project. Zane and I make posters to advertise while Lyric and Levi handle the logistics of getting supplies. We spend late nights planning and brainstorming. Somewhere along the way, the lines between us blur.

Lyric starts bringing Eli around more often too, letting Zane or Levi hold him while the two of us organize the donations we've already received, or letting me play with him while she and Zane put the finishing touches on the posters. Eli is a sweet, adorable boy and I feel lucky to get to know him.

The day of the event arrives and the quad is bustling with activity. The Sigma Thetas have their booth set up nearby, but we're drawing a good crowd too. People line up for hot cocoa and coffee and the donation box steadily fills.

"Hot cocoa, coming right up!" Levi calls out, handing a cup to a student. Lyric has Eli with her, trying to utilize the "cuteness factor", as she says, in soliciting more donations.

Someone brings up a wooden puzzle, handing it to Lyric for the donation bin.

"Thank you!" Lyric says, taking the puzzle and placing it in the box. Eli claps and giggles, earning a smile from the donor.

I glance at Zane, who's handling the money. "How's it going?"

"Pretty good," he replies. "We might have a chance to beat the Sigma Thetas. It's going to be close, but we're rocking it out."

I nod, excitement bubbling up until I spot Cameron walking up to our stand, waving at Eli, who waves back.

"Hey, little man!" he says, far too cheerful for being on our turf.

"Don't you have a shift at the kissing booth?" I ask, glaring at him. Lyric rolls her eyes but bounces Eli on her lap.

"How's that going?" she asks, giving him a soft smile.

"Good, we're doing good. We've raised a ton so far, over fifteen hundred," Cameron brags.

Lyric's face lights up. "That's great! I know you're our rivals, but I'm still excited at how much money we're raising for the charity drive."

"I'd like a cup of hot cocoa, please," Cameron says, holding out a dollar bill. Before Lyric can take it, Zane snatches it out of his hand.

"Thanks," he says, pushing the Styrofoam cup toward the man. "Have fun getting herpes at your booth!" he calls out.

Lyric and I both roll our eyes at that and I nudge Zane. "Dude, chill," I tell him. As badly as I want to tell Cameron to step off, I know that the peace between us and Lyric is so tentative that I don't want to do anything major to set it off. I'm still trying to get used to having her in our lives again.

Zane grumbles, but I make him switch places with Lyric, letting her handle the money this time while Zane takes toy donations.

Eli reaches out for Levi, squirming in Lyric's hold, so she passes him over, letting Levi sway back and forth with him.

"Having a good time, buddy?" Levi asks.

Eli babbles and gives him a big smile, showing off the bits of cookie someone gave him that he'd been gnawing on for the last ten minutes.

The line seems to go on for ages, with tons of people willing to fork over some cash for a cup of coffee or hot cocoa.

"How much have we raised so far?" I ask Lyric during a brief lull.

She checks the totals and beams. "Holy crap. Over two thousand dollars!" I give her a high-five and then we both pull away, looking at each other awkwardly for a moment before throwing ourselves back into the task at hand.

As the day winds down, we start packing up. There's a sense of accomplishment in the air, but also something more. A bond that wasn't there before. Maybe this is what we've needed all along—a common goal to bring us together.

"Good job, everyone," I say, looking at my brothers and Lyric. "I think we did it. I think we have a real shot of beating the Sigma Thetas."

Lyric smiles, a light in her eyes. "Awesome! I'm glad Eli and I could help you guys out. I know that I, for one, am glad that he's made some new friends and I'm glad that we raised as much as we did."

"The winner of the drive will be announced in, like, an hour," I tell her. "Do you need to put Eli down for a nap or do you think he can stay up and wait for the announcement?"

Lyric glances down at her son, who has another treat in his mouth, this time a fat candy cane. "I think he can stay up on this special occasion," she says, her voice bright. "What do you say, bubs? Want to stay with the boys?"

"Wee-vi!" Eli says, clapping his hands. "Ah-cher!"

"That's right!" I say, giving Eli the high-five that I've been teaching him how to do. "Archer!"

"Ah-cher!" he repeats, then reaches out for me to hold him. I pick him up and bounce him on my knee as he giggles.

Lyric stares at us, an unreadable expression on her face. She opens her mouth, but Madison walks up to us.

"You guys were the talk of the event!" she gushes with a little wave at Eli. "I can't believe how much you raised!"

"It was all thanks to Lyric," Levi says, an earnest note in his voice. "She came up with the idea and she spent all her free time helping us put the stand together."

"Great!" Madison beams, her smile almost a tad too big. "But you guys spent all day out here in the cold, raising money. You owe yourselves a pat on the back too."

Lyric nods in agreement. "Yeah, you guys are the real heroes of the charity drive. You built the stand, Archer. And Levi called the cafe around the corner and got them to donate supplies. I'm proud of you."

Her eyes are bright and shiny, then I have the sudden urge to reach out and pull her in for a kiss, but just at that moment, the president of the Interfraternity Council rings a large bell. It draws everyone's attention to the middle of the quad.

"Hello, everyone," he says, puffing his chest out. "I know we're all excited to find out the results of the winners of the charity drive, but first I want to say…"

I tune him out as he drones on about the importance of charity and giving in the festive season, I'm too focused on the way Lyric is looking at Zane. No one else's attention is on her and there's a look of desperate longing there that I know all too well.

"And finally, the moment you've been waiting for," the president says, drawing my attention back to him. "This fraternity raised over five thousand dollars for the drive and collected over eight hundred donations! The winner of the annual toy drive charity event is…"