Stillhim.
Whoever he was.
I picked up the flower and stared at it, but didn’t touch the card.
Couldn’t.
Instead, I leaned back against the seat, blew out a breath so deep it felt like I was trying to exhale all the confusion out of my lungs.
Then I whispered to myself, barely audible, the question I didn’t want to answer:
“What the hell am I going to do?”
And I had no idea.
Not yet.
Chapter
Twenty
COOP
Coop
The house always looked so expensive. The green grass was a testament to regular watering despite soaring temperatures and city water restrictions. The cut of it precise, not inching over onto the drive by even a millimeter. The flowers always looked in bloom. Nothing wilted. Nothing out of place. No debris dared to clutter the drive.
The damn fountain was on, the trickle of water almost soothing despite the waves of heat rising up around it. It was an oasis that suggested tranquility and refinement. I used to feel out of place here. The first time Archie invited us over, I didn’t want to touchanything. Mom would kill me if I broke something. Archie had more money than all of our families put together. Hell, more than most of our class.
I had no idea when that stopped mattering. When Archie just became Archie and his house a house. Today, however, it served as a huge reminder of the difference between all of us. Of what he could do for her. What he had and I hadn’t felt thisalienin a long time.
Ihatedit.
The front door opened before we even reached it. I’d ridden over with Jake while Bubba followed us. I wasn’t even sure whose idea it was to come. I thought maybe Bubba said it first, in the locker room after practice, towel slung over his shoulder, chin streaked with sweat. "We should talk to him. Tonight."
We all knew whohimwas.
Jake didn’t say anything at first. Just kept stuffing gear into his bag with that short, jerky aggression that usually meant someone was going to bleed soon. Preferably Archie. Preferably not himself. The only reason I’d been there was Frankie hadn’t come back to school so I’d hung out at football practice to get a ride after.
Jeremy opened the door. Jeremy, who was butler, chef, driver, and house manager for the Standishes. Jeremy, who was always there even when Archie’s parents weren’t. I liked Jeremy. More than I could say for Archie’s standoffish mother. His dad was… Well, maybe I was biased against dads at the moment so I just left it alone.
“Good evening Mr. Bubba, Mr. Coop, Mr. Jake—we’ve been expecting you. Mr. Archie is upstairs in the game room and the pizzas have arrived.” The last he delivered with a kind of wry amusement. Jeremy might work for the Standishes, but I swore he took more of a decisive hand with what Archie did and didn’t get to do, despite how much freedom Archie had.
Bubba gave him a quick nod as he strode in. “Thanks, Jeremy.” Bad mood still firmly in place, Jake stalked after Bubba and I sighed.
“Is Frankie here?” I didn’t even know I was going to ask the question before it came out. Bubba and Jake stopped on the stairs so abruptly no way they didn’t hear me.
“No, Mr. Coop, she is not here.” The level of kindness in his voice removed any judgment he might have offered.
“Thanks,” I repeated and headed up after the guys who’d moved as soon as Jeremy said she wasn’t here. As much as I should hurry to follow them, I wasn’t looking forward to this fight. But they were waiting for me, impatience swirling in the air around them like we were bracing for war. Ah, united front.
United for what? Well, I guessed we were about to find out.
One knock and Bubba pushed open the door. Archie sat on the couch, TV on but muted, one leg draped lazily over the other like he’d been expecting us. His face was the picture of calm.
“What’s up, gentlemen?” he said, voice too casual, too cool. Like we were just stopping by for sodas and Madden.
Jake moved first, stalking past Bubba like a storm and didn’t even pretend he wasn’t pissed. “You ditched school with her?”
