19. SUSPICIOUS

19

SUSPICIOUS

Archer

It hurt a little when I woke and she wasn't there, but that was one of the best sleeps I've had in a long time. Fuck, I missed her. I blacken my phone after I send that last text. There's music playing downstairs, so I go shower then I change. I feel fresh and I have no more sleep in me.

Feeling a little better, I go downstairs and find a few familiar faces looking at me awkwardly.

"Finally, up from the dead," Jaden says between two blondes.

"Hey, Archer," Another girl almost sings it.

"I need a beer." Taking one, I plop down on the couch. I see the worried looks from my friends and a few others. These people are going to ruin my good mood.

"Arch." Harvey's voice comes from across me, and I take his gaze head on.

"You do know that I'm an adult who can drink, right?"

"Bro, we know that," Caleb answers.

Jaden looks back to the TV and says nothing, but I see all they mean to say. I try to calm myself; these are my best friends and I know they only mean well for me.

"Just to get it out of the way, I know it got bad, but I intend to stay on my medication, and I don't plan on getting wasted. Now, can you stop looking at me like I am going to die if I have this drink?" It's honestly annoying.

I admit I was descending into a bad space mentally, but having Peach back even as friends has given me something to look forward to, something to hold on for. I can't disappoint her, so I'm going to do my best to make her proud.

I don't want to see her cry anymore for me, I only want smiles. So, I'll take my medication. Though I still don't know how I am going to take care of my insomnia. And that's where a large portion of my anxiety is. What if I can't sleep tomorrow?

"Aight, man." Harvey tips a beer my way, and that is the end of that.

The music gets louder and one of the girls starts dancing. I lean back and tune the scene out. Looking at each of my friends instead. What are we even doing? This…this is not where any of us thought our life would be.

My mind wanders all over the place, mostly around her. Peach has given me an in. A tiny one, but it's something. How do I try to get my family back together? Although I never meant for it to happen, my illness brought her back to me, and as fucked up as it is, I don't want to let go of her ever again.

It's a hard pill swallowing the fact that she has a boyfriend who isn't one of us anymore, but it is what it is. We can't push her to anything. The best way is to just let everything happen and unfold on its own. Peach won't want to feel forced into anything, she's too stubborn.

If she is going to come back, it has to be her choice or feel like it's her choice. So, I need to chill. She will be ours again, I just need to be patient and bide my time. Maybe be the friend she needs. I just hope these idiots haven't gone too far when she's ready to be ours again.

The dancing girl comes to give me a lap dance and I shake my head at her. But she doesn't take the hint so I just go back to my head and drink my beer.

"You talk to coach? What did he say?" I look at Harvey.

"That you need to see him on Monday," he answers.

"Is he pissed?"

"He wasn't happy but tough shit."

Harvey and I are two of three freshmen who made the team. It made Trevor and Logan mad to have us after they tried to sabotage us, but we are unstoppable and our talent is undeniable. We are great as individuals, but we've proved through a few games that we're a lethal and winning combination.

We have gained the favor of the coach and it doesn't sit well with the seniors. But fuck them. I remember how tough those first few weeks were knowing Logan was moving in on our girl. Harvey and I may have channeled a lot of our aggression in the field, but it paid off. We have the respect of our teammates, well, whenever Trevor and his crew aren't looking.

Once again, we find ourselves climbing the social hierarchies without even asking to.

When I can no longer bear the crowd, I leave and go to my room. With sleep nowhere in sight, I take my laptop and get into my course work. I have a few assignments due in the next month and a few tests.

The sun rises with me still on my laptop and I just keep going. When I hear movement in the house, I close it. I need a shower.

My phone pings.

Eat.

I smile to myself. My peach. Peach is a nickname I gave her before we even dated. She went through a phase in high school where she was wearing a lot of tights and when she'd catch me staring at her ass, she'd say, 'stop staring at my peach, Deltona.' It stuck after that.

If I say no what are you going to do?

Then I will not be happy, Deltona. Eat!

I smile to myself.

Fine. You sleep okay?

Yeah. I'm guessing you haven't slept since we last spoke?

It tugs at my heart a little, but if I can talk to and be honest with anyone in the world then it's her. She's always accepted me, and never judges me.

Lots of work to catch up on. So, no.

A few minutes pass by, she types and then stops, then starts again, and when I think she won't answer, a message comes through.

Okay. Enjoy the rest of your day.

Setting my phone down, I get up from the chair, stretching as I yawn. I wrap a towel around myself and walk out. The TV is playing downstairs, and I head to the shared bathroom. This house has five bedrooms and two bathrooms. The other bathroom is in Jaden's room. He secured the master bedroom after a fierce tournament of rock paper scissors.

The fifth bedroom is now empty. Fanta found his tribe and tapped out early and we left it vacant. But it's not like we ever saw him anyway; the boy was like a ghost. He officially moved out after three weeks and honestly, we were all too happy to see him go. The space belonged to Peach anyway.

After I shower and get ready for the day, I head downstairs, the smell of bacon and coffee filling the place.

Harvey is on the stove and Caleb is smoking sitting on the couch.

"It's 9 a.m. You could wait to smoke later like a normal person," I say to him as I head to the kitchen.

"Well, not all of us got cuddles from Bumble. So, go fuck yourself." He spits at me.

"Are you jealous?" I smirk, feeling cocky suddenly.

"Of course, he's jealous. So, what did you and our little demon get up to yesterday?" Harvey asks as he plates the pancakes.

I take a seat on the island. He looks neutral. But he's probably jealous too.

"Wouldn't you like to know?" I say, picking an apple from the basket. Thinking about her message from earlier. I'm not hungry but a fruit will do.

"What do we want to know?" Jaden asks, his heavy steps coming down the stairs.

"What Arch was doing alone with Bumble yesterday?"

"Oh yeah, you guys were alone for a long time. Suspicious." He slides in the seat next to mine.

I just smirk because I'm loving their envy.

"Fucking suspect. So how did you make her stay that long, did you cry?" Caleb taunts behind me before he sits on my other side.

"Cry for what exactly?"

"Peach, I am so lost without you," Jaden mocks and I find it annoying as they laugh.

"I did none of that and what me and her do in our privacy is our business, and I don't have to justify shit to you."

"Since when do we have 'privacy?' Or secrets," Jaden asks taking a pancake from the pile and Harvey glares at him because he has batter for one or two last pancakes.

"Since I say I have privacy, jackass." I look at them. "Why are you being nosy?"

"We aren't, but if you have an in with her, just don't fuck it up," Caleb says

I furrow my eyebrows. "Are you saying you want me to…manipulate her into remaining in my life?" I hope that's not what they mean.

"Not manipulate, but strongly encourage to stay."

I lean onto the countertop with a smile.

"You guys do know she is still dating that idiot, right and she is hell bent on the relationship?"

"I'm sure you have ways of reminding her what she used to have. Ain't no way that mouth breathing idiot is good enough for her."

"We can't push her, or it will push her away." I try to reason with them.

"That's not what I mean." Jaden gives me a pointed look and my mouth drops.

"You don't mean…?"

"Yes, that's exactly what I mean."

I look around and they are serious.

"How do you propose I get her there in the first place?"

"You smart, think of something," Jaden says.

"You lot are immoral."

"No, we are in love." Caleb says.

I sigh as Harvey pushes plates to us and gives us our portions. We start eating. Well, they eat. I don't have the appetite at all. I have one forkful because I have to take my medication. Without it, everything is hard to do.

I think about what my friends just said. I get their point, but I don't think they understand that she won't cross that line. I mean, I want her to, but she won't.

"We will expect progress reports weekly, lover boy," Jaden jokes before he stuffs his mouth with a syrup dripping pancake.

"I am not doing that shit. I am not plotting against her." I take the orange juice and bring it to my lips.

"Whatever."

Harvey stays pretty silent on everything. Not contributing to the conversation.

When the others leave to go to their room, he looks at me. "Just…be careful, okay. She still isn't ours and…I don't want to see you hurt when she doesn't give you everything you hope for."

The next few days, I am back to square one. Sleep evades me. Coach gives me the bench for two weeks to look after my body and I am due for a medical exam before he allows me back in. It fucking sucks because without the games exhausting me, I have one less helpful way to sleep.

The worst thing though is that I keep lying to Summer. She has checked on me every second day and I am running out of lies. On one hand, I want to tell her but on another, it feels manipulative.