Page 48 of Rules, Roses, and Rivals
Jake turned his head. “It doesn’t matter.”
The hell it didn’t.
I stood there for a second longer, willing someone to give me a reason not to shove Jake into a locker and demand answers. But Coop said nothing. Bubba just ate his donut like it was all above his pay grade.
Fine.
They didn’t want to fix this? I would.
Because something had shifted. Frankie was out there alone, and whether they were mad, jealous, confused, or just plain stupid, they were letting her drown. And that madememad.
She’d let her guard down. Told us she was finally open to something—dating, maybe more—and now they were treating her like she’d cheated on all of them at once.
I looked around the commons, where we used to sit and laugh and argue about nothing. Now it felt like a war room. And if that wasn’t bad enough, I already knew where the next bomb was coming from.
Frenchy.
Mathieu, whatever.
He was a problem. Too slick, too polished, too charming—and none of us knew a damn thing about him. I’d seen the way he watched Frankie when he thought no one else was paying attention. And I didn’t like it.
He was the only one whohadn’tgrown up with us. He hadn’t been there for the late-night group chats or the trashy convenience store runs or helping Frankie fix her busted faucet because her mom forgot again. He didn’t know her. Not really.
But he wanted something. I could see it all over him.
And now, with the rest of the guys too wrapped up in their own hurt feelings, no one was paying attention to the fact thathewas making moves in all the cracks she didn’t know she had.
So if no one else was going to look out for her?
I’d do it myself.
I’d figure out what Frenchy wanted.
And then I’d make sure he didn’t get it.
It startedwith me catching sight of her in the hallway, walking next to Coop. Frankie was nodding at something he’s saying, but she’s not really there. Her smile was on her face, sure—but her eyes? They were somewhere else. Distant. Quiet. Like someone turned the volume down on her.
I hated that look on her.
I didn’t mean to be the villain here. Not today anyway. But she walked next to Coop, looking all dimmed down and agreeable, and I couldn’t take it.
So I slid in beside them like the chaos I was, smirking just enough to irritate him and amuse her.
“Hey, Frankie,” I said casually. Then I turned to Coop without missing a beat. “Mind if I borrow your lunch date?”
Coop opened his mouth, ready to assert his moral territory or whatever, but I cut him off, all sunshine.
“Perfect. That’s a yes. Thanks, Coop.”
Just like that, I gently looped my arm around Frankie’s shoulder, steering her away from him and into the current of the hallway crowd. She half-laughed, resisting slightly but not pulling away.
“Archie—what are you doing?” she asked, but the smallest ghost of a smile twitched at her lips.
“I’m abducting you.” I grinned. “Classic lunch heist. You looked far too agreeable back there. It was disturbing.”
“You can’t just—” She glanced back at Coop, that reflexive politeness kicking in. “We had plans.”
“Cancel them. Or reschedule. Or send him a postcard.” I shrugged. “Frankie, come on—when’s the last time you blew something off?”
