Page 40 of Reckless
“There’s a party happening on Friday—” When I gave him a certain look, he quickly added, “Just hear me out. I know what happened the last time I took you to a party, but this…I don’t want this time to be like that. I would like this to be a redo, if you want to go.”
I looked at him hard, trying to see if he was playing any games with me. I was so not in the mood for it, and yet I knew I was weak against this particular boy. Of course, I also then wondered who the hell would be throwing a party now, after so many students from Midpark High had wound up dead.
“I don’t think anyone would want me at their house,” I said. That much was true. Everyone else viewed me as guilty, so Archer bringing me to a party would only cause further issues.
“If anyone has a problem with you, then they’ll have to deal with me,” he said, and in spite of myself, I believed him.
Was I stupid for wanting to say yes to him? Probably.
I waited a moment before asking, “Are you sure?” A part of me was hoping he’d change his mind and say no. That would make this a lot easier. Things between us were so complicated, so murky, it was hard to see through it all.
Archer nodded. “I want…” He lowered his voice, stepping closer to me. He held his books off to the side, but I kept mine in front of my chest. With a barrier between us, at least it was something. “I want to try again. I know it’s not the right time, but…but it’ll never be the right time.”
That much was true, I knew.
“Okay,” I said.
“So you’ll go with me?”
“Yes,” I said. “But I’m not touching any drinks.”
Archer gave a nervous chuckle. “Me either.”
Well. That was not at all how I was expecting the first hour of my day to go, but I could deal. Mom wouldn’t want me to go, but at this point, she’d pretty much given up on policing my whereabouts. As long as I was with Jacob, she was placated.
Of course, bringing Jacob to a party was the last thing I wanted to do, so I’d have to talk to him after school. First, though? First I had to talk to Bobbi and see what she thought about all of this.
Today’s choir class was basically a study hall. Ms. Haber had some things to deal with, I guess, so it was a free-for-all class period. I wasn’t going to complain, because that meant I got to talk to Bobbi during it.
I missed her. I missed scheming with her, hanging out with her, generally being with her while not worrying about whether or not her dad had found any new evidence that might further tie me to Brittany’s case.
“How are you holding up?” Bobbi asked. We sat in the corner of the room, away from everyone else. She wore an oversized sweater that her arms looked like she was drowning in, along with leggings that appeared to be jeans, even though I knew they weren’t. Today her brown hair was down, semi-wavy, just a hint of makeup around her hazel eyes.
She was pretty. I’d go so far as to say she was prettier than Brittany. I had no idea why Bobbi wasn’t more popular around here. Looks seemed to dominate, along with the amount of money families had. Maybe Bobbi wasn’t popular because her mom wasn’t in the picture anymore. Even though families around here weren’t your typical loving group, it seemed like most still involved a father and a mother.
I shrugged. “As good as I can be, I guess,” I said.
She sighed, muttering, “I’m sorry.”
Again with the shrugging. “It’s not your fault.” I bit the inside of my cheek, studying her as I thought back to the invitation Archer had given me…and my acceptance of it. Mom would absolutely flip when I told her I was going somewhere with someone who wasn’t Jacob.
Mmm. It’d probably be stupid to try and go to this party without Jacob being around, but honestly, that grumpy man might cramp my style. Plus, I needed to know if there was anything between Archer and I. My body said yes, but my brain said no, no, no. One way or another, I had to figure my own shit out.
“Still, I feel bad,” she said. “I wish I could make things better. Tell my dad to look somewhere else, but your hair was found at the scene, Jaz.”
My hair. My fucking hair. It didn’t even make sense, unless some of my hair had somehow fallen in her house during that stupid house party and stayed there for weeks. Of course, if I sat down and thought about it, anyone who saw me for even a split-second during the day could’ve gotten some of my hair. I had a lot. My hair was thick, and it constantly shed. Getting some of my hair wouldn’t be too hard.
“If someone’s trying to make it look like you did it, they’re doing a good job,” Bobbi added.
Yeah, and if it wasn’t for Ollie, I’d be fucked so hard—and not in the good way.
“Enough about that,” I said, desperately wanting to change the subject. “Archer and I might try to start over.” Start over, see if I couldn’t deny the feelings that swelled inside of me anytime he was near, you know, the usual shit when it came to Archer Vega. “He invited me to a party on Friday.”
Bobbi blinked, and I could tell by her expression that she hadn’t expected that. I mean, a few hours ago, neither had I, so join the club. “He did? Wow. He must really not have liked Brittany.”
I wanted to laugh, but I had enough sense in me to keep it down. It would seem Archer and Brittany’s relationship was never real, but that didn’t change what he’d done, what he’d tried to hide from me. He’d lied, he’d hurt me, and there was no forgiving that so easily.
I might want to jump his bones, but that did not mean I forgave him. Two very different things.
