Chapter 28
English ends with a reminder from Ms. Hill that our essays on The Great Gatsby are due on Friday. I shove my binder in my backpack, standing as soon as the bell rings.
“Are we meeting on Wednesday or Thursday?” Kinsley asks, falling into step beside me as we walk into the hallway.
“Wednesday, because we might have to meet Thursday too,” I tell her. “There’s still a ton to do before homecoming.”
“Clear entire after-school schedule this week. Got it.”
I laugh. “You’re the best VP ever.”
Kinsley grins. “I know. I’ll see you at lunch.”
“See you,” I say, then head for my locker.
I pull out my phone as I walk, disappointed there’s no new message from Ryder. Hopefully, that doesn’t mean he’s feeling worse and won’t want me to come over later.
I miss him. I haven’t seen him since I showed up at the garage on Friday night and that evening was tainted by what happened with Archer. Saturday was overtaken by volunteering with my mom, and yesterday was a long day spent touring college campuses.
I reach my locker, swapping out the textbooks and binders in my backpack for the ones for my afternoon classes. I’m struggling to zip my bag back up when I spot Keira and Juliet walking toward me.
“Hey,” I greet them, tugging harder at the zipper. I overfilled my backpack, but I need everything in it.
“Did you hear?” Keira asks me.
“Hear what?” I ask. The zipper finally cooperates, closing. I smile triumphantly.
“About Ryder.”
I glance at Keira, confused by the worried look on her face. Juliet appears uncharacteristically somber as well.
“That he’s sick? Yeah, he texted me earlier.”
Keira shakes her head, her expression turning sympathetic. “No. That cops showed up to the trailer park. I can’t get ahold of Tuck—he left as soon as he heard the rumors.”
“What rumors?”
“Lindsey Davenport was in my French class last period. She said …” Keira glances at Juliet. “She said Ryder was arrested.”
Lindsey’s father is Fernwood’s chief of police.
My heavy backpack hits the floor. “For what?”
Keira shrugs. “I don’t know. Have you heard anything from Ryder recently?”
I don’t reply. I grab my phone out again and call him. We’re not supposed to make phone calls in school, but I couldn’t care less about following rules right now.
It rings and rings, then eventually hits voice mail.
Panic is starting to spread across my skin, a frantic, impatient buzzing that makes me want to run or scream.
This is crazy. Wrong. Something—someone—is wrong.
And then I see Archer.
He’s standing by the entrance to Mrs. Scott’s classroom, right where I know his locker is, talking to Perry. He looks up, spots me, and goes still. I haven’t seen or talked to him since fleeing Maddie’s bedroom on Friday night.
The underneath of his left eye is bruised, like he hasn’t slept for a year. The skin next to it is swollen, a large Band-Aid partially covering his cheek.
Archer might have an inflated sense of self, but he holds a lot of power in this school. The Hathaways are one of the most influential families in town. Archer’s father’s company insures most of it.
I can only think of one person who would be brave enough—who would be stupid enough—to punch Archer in the face.
He promised.
I’m pissed at Ryder for breaking that promise.
But it’s nothing compared to the fury I’m experiencing toward Archer as he looks away and breaks eye contact. Dismisses me, the same way he disregarded me in Maddie’s bedroom.
Perry sees me approaching first, his grin of greeting growing confused when he gets a good look at my face.
“You fucking asshole. What did you do?” I shove Archer into the lockers as hard as I can.
He’s surprised enough that I’m effective, but the smack of his body hitting metal isn’t very satisfying. It’s just noise that adds to the growing commotion surrounding me.
Perry is saying something.
Other students are whispering.
I’m fully focused on Archer, the noise around me dulling to a low buzz in the background.
“What. Did. You. Do?”
“Nothing!” He straightens, tugging his shirt down so it hangs properly again. “I don’t know what the hell you’re talking about, Elle. And you’re acting insane.”
His bravado is weak at best. Archer won’t look me in the eye.
“Ryder came after you, didn’t he? And you had him arrested?”
Archer finally meets my gaze, blinking blankly. I don’t know what the source of his shock is, and I don’t care.
“Tell me! Admit it!” I shove him again. “What the fuck did you do?”
“Nothing!” Archer shouts back, his infamous temper flaring. If he feels any remorse about Friday night, it’s been overwhelmed by annoyance about the scene that I’m making. “Christ, Elle. Calm down. If that Two got arrested, then I’m sure he deserved it.”
I slap him, the stinging in my palm as shocking to me as it is to Archer. I’m not a violent person. But I’m not me right now. I’m witnessing this scene take place like an outside observer, surrounded by a haziness as to what’s happening. It’s like I’m trapped in a nightmare and can’t wake up.
Archer glares at me as he rubs the red spot on his cheek.
“You know why he hit you,” I hiss. “And you called the cops?”
“I didn’t call the cops! I threatened to, yeah. But I didn’t.”
“I don’t believe you.”
“I don’t give a shit what you believe,” Archer snaps. “That psychopath is wearing off on you.”
“That psychopath wasn’t the one who held me down on a bed.”
His face goes pale beneath the remnants of his summer tan. “That wasn’t?—”
“Wasn’t what?” I shove him for a third time.
Archer’s expecting it. He barely moves, and it makes me madder. Reminds me of when I could barely move.
“Whatever you did, I will never forgive you.”
“Miss Clarke!”
There aren’t just students in the hallway anymore. I step away from Archer, registering some of my surroundings again.
Shocked faces. So many shocked faces.
Students. Teachers. Principal Walker, who I was supposed to meet with after school about the Spirit Week schedule.
“My office, Elle,” he tells me, his expression more serious than I’ve ever seen it.
I swallow, then follow him that way. My gaze falls to the floor, not meeting any of the eyes I can feel on me.
I should be panicked about what’s about to happen. Me, who’s never gotten a tardy or a detention, getting sent to the principal’s office for attacking another student. I can’t imagine what my friends will say. What my parents will say.
I should be panicked about what’s about to happen.
But all I can think about is Ryder. Pray that Keira was wrong and Archer wasn’t lying.