Loves Me Not

*REVISED* Chapter Thirty-nine

As soon as I step outside I regret telling everyone to come out here, for more than one reason. I chafe my hands up and down my arms, hugging myself tightly as I try to keep warm on the freezing patio. I gaze up at the moon as I hear the rest of them file out onto the deck behind me, using the silence around me to gather my thoughts and try and figure out how exactly things went so wrong.

Everything was working out so well. I thought I was going to be able to get Kaiy and Jer together while still being able to do what needed to be done. Maybe I should have talked it out more with Ch--

I don't have more than a few seconds to myself before the glass door slides closed and we're secluded away from the prying eyes of the adults.

"Maybe we should start by the two of you explaining what the hell is going on," Archer barks.

I should have known he would be the first to talk. I round on him, my eyes narrowing as I look him up and down. "I don't have to explain anything to you, Archer."

My heart pangs at the hurt I see spelled plainly across his face but I don't let them see I that flinched, my face unbroken after a lifetime of practice.

"Yes, you do!" Archer fumes as he crosses his arms in front of his chest. "You're my girlfriend for fucks sake!"

It feels like the entire porch freezes at this moment, astonished by those words, but it's probably just me. I don't even know how to react, my mouth flapping open as closed as a battle wages within me for the winning emotion.

Anger prevails.

"What the actual fuck are you talking about?" I seethe, taking a small step forward as I barely stop myself from marching over there and slapping him in the face. "Are you delusional? Am I the only one that remembers the conversation we had the other day? Am I the only one that remembers that you explicitly told me you didn't want to date me yet because I was too immature?"

Archer looks away, refusing to meet my eye contact anymore.

"Oh, so you do remember that?" A sarcastic smile paints my face and lights my eyes as I cock my hip to the side. "So, what is this then? A fit of jealously? You don't want anyone else to play with the shiny new toy you just got?"

My lower lip pushes out as I pretend to pout. "Are you mad because you thought that I would just wait here like a good little girl while you fucked everything with a pulse at NYU until I graduate in May?"

"You know I don't do that!" Archer tries to explain, but he doesn't really elaborate. "It's not like that at all."

"What's it like then?" I hiss; my anger barely reined in.

"I didn't call you immature! I just said we should wait until you were a little older." He crosses his arms over his chest as he stares at me. "I mean, I assumed we would be able to start things up after you graduated this year."

"You assumed?" I bark out a laugh. "You can't just assume something like that! That's like me assuming you liked me as I am, not for what I could be. Guess we were both made some wrong assumptions, huh?"

This time I can't disguise the hurt on my face or in my voice, so I turn away, looking back up at the moon peeking through the scattered clouds. I hope this is the end of the conversation, but I know it won't be. There are too many people out on this patio to let it end here.

I close my eyes as I try to calm myself, pushing all of the negative thoughts out of my mind as I try to think of a way out of this. Maybe things can still work out okay for everyone. Kaiydeen seems really happy with Jeremiah. Charlie is still agreeing to help me out. And Archer...maybe he'll just want what's best for me.