Passionate Exchange

Chapter Seven

Archer's arm weighs heavy on my shoulders as he pushes his entire body weight onto me. I bite my tongue in determination, using all my strength to help him up to his room.

By the time we get there, I feel like I've run a marathon. I drop him on his bed, cradling my already-aching arm.

He starts mumbling a series of incoherent sentences under his breath causing me to lean closer in to hear him. A crease forms between my brows once I realise what he said. I think it was something along the lines of a horse eating a slice of cake. I know, it doesn't make sense to me either.

I pull the duvet over him and luckily, he doesn't rip it off just to spite me. He still has his shoes on but it's his own problem if he gets his bed dirty.

Briefly, I check on him before looking around his room in disbelief. This is the first time that I've been here. I wasn't expecting it to be so clean; nothing's out of place.

I was expecting the colour scheme though. Everything's black. The walls, the sheets, all of it.

He has a computer that looks like it hasn't been used in years and a few lamps dotted around. I start to feel embarrassed by the state of my room. It's definitely not as organised as it was when I first got here.

"Where were you?" I ask, my attention switching back to Archer.

His eyes are closed yet he chuckles softly. It's almost too quiet to hear but it's there. I decide to ask him again but still get no response. He's lying on his back with his hands bent awkwardly at his sides. Is he even awake?

With a roll of my eyes, I give up on trying to get any answers out of him. He was probably at a party with his friends like he is most nights.

I turn around and head out of the room, but I don't make it out of the threshold before his voice stops me in my tracks. "No," he protests. "Please don't leave me again."

His voice is laced with sadness. His normally blank eyes are now squeezed shut, a pained expression plaguing his features.

My lips part slightly, and I start inching towards him again. "Archer?"

"Please don't go, I need you." He mumbles.

My eyebrows furrow instantly as I search his face for something. Anything. I open my mouth to say something but before I can think of some sort of response he passes out.

I leave his room, closing the door behind me. I know not to listen to what he said. He's drunk out of his mind; he couldn't possibly know what he's talking about.

His pain-riddled face appears in my thoughts every time I close my eyes for the rest of the night, but I manage to eventually fall asleep.

*

For the next few days, I rarely see Archer. When he isn't at school he's shut in his room. He only leaves to go to mysterious places that I and Penny do not know of.

I haven't been able to get his words out of my head. They keep replaying over and over. There must be a meaning behind them, but I can't work it out.

I discard the thought and allow myself to enjoy today. It's the day I and many students have been looking forward to. The school decided that the seniors are going to go on a field trip which means no lessons. I couldn't be happier about that.

It hasn't been that long since I started the final year of high school, but it feels like forever. The endless cycle of school and assignments day after day is exhausting. I definitely need this break.

Supposedly, the trip is strictly educational but finding out that it's simply a walk in a forest doesn't sound very educational to me. It'll be more quality time to spend with Penny and Brody. We've all been getting on really well recently. I'm grateful that they welcomed me to their friendship group so quickly.