Losing You's a Thing That I Dread

Chapter 6: Archie

A/N: Have to get ready for work in a bit, but first...

A huge shoutout to Anne for checking on me over the weekend and motivating me to write.

P.S. We're crossing one spoiler off the list. :)

***

Wednesday, 7:51 AM

"Man, you don't look so good," Gino said, before handing him a steaming cup of black coffee.

"Gee, thanks," he replied indifferently and took a small sip of the hot drink, even though he's tempted to drain the cup in one go. He would have offered his friend a more sarcastic response but he couldn't muster the energy to do so.

The last thing he wanted was to spend eight hours inside a room filled with the buzz of hyperactive teenagers, the chatter of holier-than-thou teachers, and the awkward tension vibrating between him and her.

He didn't want to admit it out loud, but he knew that everything that went down on Monday was his fault.

Pwera yung kay Tim - he did that on his own.

He wasn't privy to the entire story, but he was certain that Tim single-handedly ruined his relationship with Roxy.

She adored - no, loved him too much.

The thought left a bitter taste in Archie's mouth.

He didn't know when it started. Before, when things were less complicated, seeing her riled up was the highlight of his day. Eventually he learned that she had a mouth on her and gave as good as she got. She earned his respect. Even though he sucked at showing it, he started viewing her as an equal.

But I'll treat her like a princess.

"Are you sure you didn't take anything last night, Kuya?" Z inquired.

"Hindi nga," he replied irritably after his sister interrupted his musings. "Paulit-ulit, Z?"

He heard light footsteps approaching their small corner of the room. He didn't have to look to know it was her.

Huh. When did that start?

Then he remembered the ice cold treatment she served him the day before and winced.

The air frigid, the company frosty.

My own real-life ice princess.

Z once dragged him to watch that movie where the lead female character leveraged physics to improve the other characters' ice skating skills.

Ugh. Baduy.

Never mind that he had a huge crush on Michelle Trachtenberg long after that.

He put the cup of coffee down on his desk and leaned back, the ergonomic chair's headrest barely offering relief. "And don't think I forgot that little seating switcheroo you did, Zyra," he said referring to how his sister sneakily left early Tuesday morning and stole his seat beside Gino's. "I'm not thrilled about that."

The footsteps faltered, and Gino cleared his throat before saying, "Good morning, Roxy!"

"Morning," she replied courteously.

He closed his eyes and slid his sunglasses down to block the bright light coming from the ceiling.

Migraine's a bitch.

He swore he didn't do it to block his vision of her.

"Oh please, Kuya, that's so yesterday. Huwag mong ibahin yung subject," Z replied sassily.