B A D
B O Y ' S
G A M E
***Archer's pov***
"You took your time, West."
I stand astounded, she's still at the coffee shop after two hours of having no company.
"Grey, you waited?" I ask, shock evident in my voice.
Her smile she warmly greeted me with remains on her face.
"I couldn't have left even if I tried."
She stands up from her seat and does the unexpected, she hugs me.
"You worried me, I thought something might have happened to you. I thought you may have gotten into an accident or in trouble with the law again. Archer, you had me so worried," she says in a rush, her grip on me tight.
I move my hands to wrap my arms around her, she relaxes into my arms.
An unbelievable amount of comfort comes from her, I almost forget my world full of problems.
"I'm sorry, I'm so sorry for making you worry. My aunt went into labor and I forgot my phone at her house. I had to watch Sofia and my uncle had to come from work... I'm really sorry," I ramble, knowing that I owe her as many apologies as I can possibly let out.
She moves out of the embrace as she listens to me and her eyes are now staring directly at mine.
"It's okay, I'm just glad that you're safe. I tried calling you a few times but you didn't answer, it's good to know that there's a reason on as to why you didn't answer the phone. I'm glad that your trip to the hospital was for your aunt and not because you got hurt. Is your aunt okay?"
"Yeah, she's doing just fine. I should have a new cousin in less than twenty-four hours," I answer.
"Do you need to go back to the hospital? If you need to watch Sofia or anything we can always reschedule," she states, showing how considerate she is.
That's the thing about Elliot Grey, she's considerate and understanding in the end.
I shake my head and reply, "no, Sofia's taken care of and it could be a while until the baby comes. Right now all I want is to be here with you."
She gives me a small smile.
"Are you sure?" she asks, not sold by my previous response.
"Yes, I've never been more certain," I answer, assuring her that's she my top priority at the moment.
Once she finds satisfaction with my answer she takes a seat back in her chair and I take a seat across from her.
"I want to be honest with you from now on, if you have any questions just ask. I owe it to you to tell you the truth," I tell her.
Her smile grows larger and she takes a sip of her coffee.
"Any questions? Any?" she questions.
I nod, indicating that I am in fact willing to answer any of her questions.
"Can you tell me why you had the deal with Ryder? Why do you need the money?" she asks, cutting to the chase.
I think of how to phrase my response, I knew that these questions were to be expected and yet they were hard for me to properly respond to.
The hand I place on the table soon gets a companion, she holds my hand as if she knows I'll need the support.
"My mom has ovarian cancer," I say quietly, my throat all of a sudden begins to feel dry and my voice feels ready to crack.
Her eyes don't widen, she doesn't yell false sympathy. She simply sits and gives a small nod before looking down at our interlocked hands.
I'm glad that she hasn't replied, I'm glad that she's listening and wants to listen to what I have to say. She's here for me rather than simply pitying me.
"She was diagnosed with cancer six months ago on her birthday, out of all the possible days in the year she was diagnosed on her birthday. It was a month later that I made the deal with Ryder and it was because the medical bills were piling up, she was far away, and I was desperate..." I begin to explain, just to trail off after a bit of talking.
Her gaze is still directed at our hands, but she opens her mouth to speak.
"You love your mom so much," she says.
"Of course I do, she has been raising me all by herself and has always been there for me," I automatically reply.
She looks up, her eyes now staring at me.
"Archer West, you're an incredible person. You're doing everything you possibly can for your mom and that's a lot for a high school student. I'm not going to say that the deal with Ryder was the best idea, but you did have underlying good intentions. I'm sorry for assuming the worst when you told me about your deal with Ryder, I should have known that you wouldn't have done what you did without a valid reason. You did it for your mom and I should have stayed long enough to hear that part. A man who loves and cares for his mother as much as you do for your mom... They certainly must know how to treat and respect a woman," she tells me, her hand holds tightly onto mine.
We hear a few clinks of glass, the background music ends, and she takes a sip from her mug before continuing.
"I'm not going to hold a grudge. But rather, I am going to be here for you. I want to be with you through the ups and downs, I want to be there when you need me. I'll even be there for you if you need me at three in the morning," she explains, continuing after a moment, "Archer, I like you and I'm here for you. You don't have to make any more deals, hide behind a facade, or even mute your sorrow. I'm wholeheartedly here for you and I want you to know that."
Her eyes tell me that she means every little word she says. They have the slightest sparkle in them, a certain kindness and truth to them.
"Thank you," I whisper.
"I would love to even go and visit your mother with you some time, I bet she misses her son."
"How about today?" I ask, half kidding and half serious.
I did want to see my mom, I haven't visited her in almost a month.
"What?" she asks, a bit thrown off by my question.
"Would you mind visiting her with me today? The drive to her hospital is just over three hours, we could still make visiting hours. I didn't get to see my mom over the holiday and I really miss her. So, what do you say?"
It's an unreadable expression that she initially displays, one that slowly turns into the smallest of grins.
"Okay, let's do this."
* * *
It ended up being three and a half hours, three and a half hours of mostly silence.
I was focused on the road and the destination, she was focused on the scenery.
It's about four when we arrive at the hospital, we walk through the hospital until we're in front of my mom's room. Before we have the chance to enter the room Grey excuses herself and heads to a nearby restroom, giving me a moment alone with my mom.
I twist the handle to reveal my mother, she's looking a bit paler and more worn out. She's watching some low budget drama on the television in the room, her head turns at the sound of my footsteps.
"Archer?" she calls out with a bit of uncertainty.
"Mom," I reply, wrapping my arms around her seconds later.
She too wraps her arms around me in her natural motherly way.
It's not until I give some room to my mom that she speaks again.
"How did things go with the girl you like? Did you tell her the truth, Arch?" she asks me, remembering our last conversation.
I give a small smile, a knock on the door follows my action.
The door opens to reveal a brunette, she immediately gains my attention.
She walks in slowly and cautiously, my eyes follow her movement.
I reach out a hand to her in which she accepts, my mother now stares at her. She stares at us.
"Things are going well," I say to my mom, she gives a small grin in response.
"And you are?" my mom asks kindly to the girl I have an interlocked hand with.
"Hello, I'm Elliot Grey," she says.
"What a beautiful name for such a beautiful girl," my mother replies, her smile not bothering to leave her face.
After the introduction, she excuses herself so that my mom and I can have some time alone. She lets me know that she'll be in the lobby.
"She seems very nice, she's definitely the one," my mom says once 'she' is out of sight.
I nod my head, not even bothering to deny that she is the one.
"Are you two dating?" she asks.
"No, not yet. I haven't properly told her that I like her," I answer, receiving a raised eyebrow from my mother the moment the words fall out of my mouth.
"Arch, you need to tell her soon or else she's going to think you're not serious about her," she tells me, almost scoldingly.
"I'll tell her soon, I promise."