The Unknown Road

13 - Tessa

STANDING IN FRONT OF the mirror, I'm trying to get myself into gear.

We have Callum's Hallowe'en party this evening and, for once, I actually want to go. Although I still don't feel one-hundred percent after being off all week, I'd promised Millie I'd go. So here we are.

I was going as a favour to her, yes, but I also want to go because we were going round to their house later on, and I haven't seen Archie all week. As pathetic as it sounds, I miss him.

Archie's been a bit awol recently, a bit distant compared to what he's usually like with me. Even before I got sick he'd been distant, but I'm hoping that hanging out with him today will be as easy as it used to be.

I'm about to put on my underwear when I hear a thump on my bedroom door, along with the sound of a turning handle. I jump, but thankfully my door is locked.

"Tess? You decent?" Matt's voice comes from outside. "Can I come in?"

I squeak. "Erm... Hang on!" I scramble for my dressing gown, after putting on my bra, t-shirt, knickers and pyjamas trousers. After I pull my gown tight around me, I go over and unlock the door.

Matt opens the door just as I finish unlocking it and he's standing shirtless in his football shorts. His long hair, which is now as long as mine, is matted, damp from his shower and I think he's either trying to dry it or tame it, neither of which are working very well. He should just cut it really, but he refuses.

"What's up?" I ask, moving the various pieces of clothing from the bed before he sits on them. I throw them on my chair and tell myself I'll fold them later.

"I just need to talk to you about something," he says, nervously biting his lip.

He's fiddling with the damp towel he's holding, which means he's clearly chewed up about whatever it is bothering him. He never talks to me about anything, so I'm wondering what it is.

"You okay?" I put a hand on his shoulder.

He shakes his head. "Not really. Or rather I'm okay... I just feel like such an arse because... I've let Archie down." My blood runs cold.

"What? What do you mean?" My voice sounds high and squeaky. Thankfully he doesn't notice.

Had I missed something? Sure, I hadn't been at school all week, but he would have come home in a mood if they'd got into a fight about something. The two of them are as close as brothers, definitely closer than Matt and me. So to say that he'd let him down, it must be something awful. I literally don't know what either of them would do without the other. They know everything there is to know about each other, even the gross stuff I didn't want or need to know about.

Given Matt hasn't said anything yet, my first thought is something about Millie, but then I  shake my head, knowing Archie wouldn't see that as letting him down. For another thing, despite attempting to be cool about it, I know Matt has a huge thing for Chloe.

Still boggling, I stop running through my own theories and ask him what happened.

"I don't understand how you've let him down, Matt."

He gives me a look, and I've seen that look before. It's a look he gets when he knows something, and he isn't sure whether he should tell anyone. The last time he had that look was when he'd spotted Mum's suitcases, just before our conversation with our parents, about them getting a divorce at the dinner table.

But this was different. And now that he's mentioned it, I won't let him get away with it. He dropped an unexploded bomb, and I'm not letting him leave until he tells me how I can help diffuse it. I'm just praying it isn't serious enough that it could blow a hole in their incredible friendship.