Page 46 of Terms Of Un-Endearment
Britta blinks. “You’re blond.”
“I was electric purple this morning.” I start back up the stairs.
“This is better?”
I put the beanie back on. The fact she’s questioning whether I looked better as a kid’s TV character isn’t encouraging. I can hardly wait for Dex’s reaction.
“So…why was your hair purple?” Britta asks as we walk down the hall.
“Piper.”
“Piper?”
We walk into their room—the primary suite of the house with a full en suite bathroom and wall to wall windows. Dex is taping a box shut. There are more of them stacked against the wall closest to the door.
Most of their stuff is still in boxes in the garage because they never really unpacked when they moved in. Their marriage was supposed to be temporary, so they didn’t have much reason to settle in. Even after Dex’s accident, as it became clear he and Britta had something real, they didn’t unpack anything they didn’t need.
I guess we all understood this arrangement was temporary.
“Show him your hair,” Britta orders as she rushes past me to take the taped box from Dex.
He reluctantly lets it go, then looks at me. “What did you do?”
“I didn’t do anything.” I keep my beanie on. “Piper dyed my hair purple. I just spent six hours and a fair bit of cash for Juan Rivera to fix it.”
“I’m dying to hear why you let her mess with your hair in the first place.” Britta sets down the box by the door and her eyes bounce to my beanie.
“I didn’tlether do anything. She spiked my shampoo with purple hair dye.”
Britta looks horrified. Dex starts laughing.
“It’s not funny, Dex!” Britta pulls off my beanie on her way back to Dex. “Look what she did! She’s ruined Archie’s gorgeous hair!”
I appreciate her indignation. Also, her compliment about my real hair. She may be my new best mate. Particularly with Dex laughing as hard as he is.
“Why would Piper do this to you?” Britta demands.
“The better question is,” Dex interjects, “what did Archie do to deserve it?”
I glare at Dex. He keeps laughing.
“What are you talking about?” Britta is almost as irritated with her husband—myformerbest mate—as I am. “What could he do that’s bad enough to deserve this?” She waves her hand in the direction of the abomination on top of my head.
“Can I have my hat back now?” I tug it away from her and put it back on. Maybe I’m not sorry they’re moving out.
“Where to start?” Dex grins at me. “The time you tricked Piper into eating so much Vegemite she puked? Or when you introduced her to Rhys as ‘my annoying stepsister who has a massive crush on you’?”
“That’s not what I said.”
At least I hope not.
“Archie, you did that?” Britta sends me a disappointed look from across the room.
And I can’t even argue, can I? I legit couldn’t stand Piper back then. Or, possibly, it was more that I couldn’t stand what she stood for—Dad fawning over her like she hung the flamin’ moon. Hard to untangle now. Especially considering the fact that every time she looks at me, a zing of something shoots down my spine and settles in my belly. I’m not sure what it is, but it’s not what I felt about her ten years ago. But this isn’t exactly the moment to start pulling at threads to unravel the past from the present.
“That’s just the tip of the iceberg, Britt. Archie was a bit of a bully to Piper.” Dex still moves slow, thanks to his injury, but he’s sure quick when it comes to throwing me under the bus. I’ve got no choice but to defend myself.
“That was a decade ago. She’s the one picking on me now. The worst I’ve done to her is hide the coffee.” I realize my mistake as soon as the words are out of my mouth. I meant to admit to the mildest of my crimes.
