Cold and Charisma (BoyxBoy)

Chapter Forty-Five

Archer's Perspective

I should've said no.

This was not my scene.

Not my people.

And definitely not good for Riley.

Standing in the middle of the backyard, dimly lit by fluorescent string lights, I couldn't stop wondering what Riley was up to.

He made me promise to leave him alone for the night. In his words, it was his reward for surviving my "strict tutoring regime."

I wasn't even strict—he was just lazy. Of course, I never said that. Lazy or not, he was still adorable whenever he butchered French words.

I stood with my hands shoved into my pockets, one of the only people not holding a beer. I couldn't even make small talk.

I had two things on my mind: how much Riley was drinking, and what Carter planned on doing about Drew.

After the way he acted earlier, the chances of him doing something stupid were dangerously high.

I didn't want to underestimate my best friend, but let's be honest—when it came to relationships, Carter wasn't exactly the brightest person in the room.

"Go on, fucking tell them!"

A loud, drunken voice rang out from across the backyard. My head snapped toward it immediately.

"I don't have anything to tell them! Not to anyone else, and definitely not to you. So leave me the hell alone, Carter!"

"Oh yeah? You sure about that? What about last night when we—"

The sentence never finished. A dull thud echoed through the crowd, followed by a sharp grunt.

Holy shit.

I was right.

Carter was drunk. Drew looked even worse.

The realization hit me all at once.

Carter actually tried to make it public.

And Drew completely lost it.

I shoved through the crowd, bumping shoulders with anyone standing in my way. By the time I reached them, Carter was already on the ground.

Drew lunged forward before Carter could even get back up, grabbing the front of his shirt and throwing another punch.

Carter shoved him off just as hard, stumbling into a lawn chair that crashed onto the grass.

"What the fuck is wrong with you?!" Drew yelled.

"You were gonna keep pretending I don't exist!" Carter shouted back, wiping blood from the corner of his lip. "I'm sick of being your fucking secret!"

People around them had started chanting, some recording on their phones instead of helping.

"Carter!" I yelled, grabbing him by the shoulders before he could throw himself back at Drew. "Stop!"

He barely even looked at me. "Arch, let me fucking go!" I pushed Carter behind me, gripping his arm tightly as I stepped between them.

"You two have lost your fucking minds." I looked back at Carter, unable to hide the disappointment on my face, "Especially you, Carter. What the fuck did I tell you earlier?"

He didn't even look at me. He stared right past me, glaring at Drew like he was seconds away from throwing another punch.

I let out a frustrated scoff before turning to Drew. "And you—you always told me not to be a pussy, but look at what you're doing right now. Either you fucking want this with him, or you don't."