Page 8 of Rules, Roses, and Rivals
“Frankie, this isn’t you…” Archie said.
“Of course it’s me. It’s the me you don’t get to control anymore. It’s the me who dates who she wants when she wants and does with him what she wants.”
He jerked back.
“Yeah, not so untouchable now. Not anymore. You four think you’re so clever—chasing off anyone who wanted to ask me out. Making me feel like no one could possibly be interested in me, allthe while, I’m there thinking you guys are my best friends. When you were anything but?—”
“That’s bullshit,” he snapped. “We’ve always been your friends. That will never change and I don’t know who put that shit in your?—”
“Did you guys warn off anyone who wanted to ask me out?”
“That’s not the point,” he said, waving his hand as if to dismiss it.
“Oh it’s very much the point. Matt Tanner. Jason Martin. Barney Jackson.”
The recognition in his eyes as I ticked off the list of names. Matt and I had been friends for about fifteen minutes in sophomore year. Then one day, he went out of his way to avoid me and never looked back.
Jason Martin and Barney Jackson had both been guys that seemed interested for a minute. I’d been tutoring Jason, but then he quit that and Barney changed classes to get away from me. I’d always thoughtIhad done something wrong.
“Yeah, see—I know what you did. Rachel told me.”
That actually made him back up a step.
“She told me why no one wouldeverask me out. Why I’d never have a date to a dance or to a party or anything else.” I fought the sudden surge of hot tears to my eyes. “You guys were supposed to be my best friends and the whole time—you were sabotaging me. So no more. Mathieu? He’s my boyfriend. Get used to it.”
Tears threatened to fall and I pivoted on my heel and stalked back inside. I was so angry that I dropped the coffee in the trash. A crime. But my stomach hurt at the thought of drinking it.
It felt like the whole damn cafeteria stared at me as I made my way back to Mathieu. His eyes darkened with worry so I forced a smile to my lips.
“How about we go check out the library,” I suggested as I snagged my backpack. I’d really had enough of the guys
“As you wish,” Mathieu said, then glanced past me. His expression tightened, but he just wrapped an arm around my shoulders after I grabbed my backpack. We left the cafeteria via a different door. I had no idea if Archie was still in the hall.
I didn’t really want to run into him right now, but the weight of three particular stares seemed to burn between my shoulder blades.
Misery made for poor company, but I’d almost found a way to stifle the tears by the time we got to the library.
Almost.
Chapter
Five
FRANKIE
Leaving Mathieu was harder for me than for him. I didn’t make a big production out of it. He was excited about his semester here in an American high school. It was one of the things we’d bonded on over the summer. As I watched him walk down the hall, it was a reminder all over again about the clock on our relationship.
When winter break came, he would be flying back to France and to his family. I rubbed a spot on my breast bone where my heart seemed intent on punching its way through. I slipped through the door of my first period class and dropped into a seat near the back.
Archie followed me right through the door and grabbed the desk next to me. I could practically feel him staring at me, but I didn’t want to meet his gaze. I made it through most of the classnotfocusing on Archie but when the bell rang, he blocked my path.
“Lunch?”
I stared at him.
“I have to get to class.”
“So do I,” he countered, then snagged my book bag before I could. “I’ll walk you there and you can have all that time to say yes.”
