Mission: Get Rid of Peyton's Crush on Archer
Plan A - Desensitize Yourself
- () -
I meant to only text Irene. Instead, I accidentally end up forwarding my message to group chat between my friends from Chicago and I.
Peyton: Hey, I think I might have a crush on Archer.
(Jake is online)
(Andrew is online)
Peyton: THAT WAS MELODY TEXTING FROM MY PHONE.
Jake: omg
Andrew: OMG
Andrew: Our Peyton???? A crush???? On Archer????
Andrew: THE Archer?????
Jake: that's adorable
Peyton: Shut up.
Peyton: Where did Irene go?
Andrew: DUDE
Andrew: when you guys get maried, we can visit Peyton and Archer both at the same time
Even though I'm alone in my bedroom, I slouch further down in my pillows so nobody can read my texts. Jake and Andrew continue to talk about my future plans with Archer. This is humiliating. But I stay online in hopes that Irene will pop up soon.
Andrew: do you think Archer will make us his best men?
Jake: he'll have like twenty best men at that rate.
Andrew: true. maybe we can be peyton's maids of honor?
Peyton: I'M GOING TO BE A SINGLE CAT LADY UNTIL I DIE.
(Irene is online)
"Peyton!" Melody calls from downstairs. "Archer says he's coming to pick us in five minutes."
"I don't care!" I yell back, hating how my pulse picks up just at the mention of his name. I pull my backpack closer to me and hug it.
"Okay!"
Irene: you fools. i'm Peyton's maid of honor. or favorite cat lady friend.
Andrew: Peyton has a crush on Archer.
Irene: omg. that's wonderful.
Peyton: No it is not! I don't want to have a crush on Archer!
Irene: why not? out of all the guys you could have a crush on, he's the best choice.
Andrew: If I was a homosexual, I'd date him myself.
Jake: i think you two would look good together
Before I can stop myself, an image of Archer and I holding hands on the beach flashes in my eyes. He's smiling. I'm smiling. How would it feel to be his real-life girlfriend? Amazing. My entire body flushes with the possibility.
I shove the image in a corner.
It's time to get down to what I wanted to talk about in the first place.
Peyton: Irene, what's the thing you did when you wanted to stop yourself from thinking bad thoughts about yourself?
Irene: you mean the rubber band thing?
Jake: ugh, i hated the rubber band thing.
Irene: i know. that's why i stopped doing it.
Peyton: Yeah, what was that?
Irene: I just put a rubber band around my wrist. Every time I would start to think of how fat I was, I'd snap the rubber band and the physical pain would stop me from thinking of it again.
Peyton: Good.
Peyton: I'm going to use it to get rid of my crush on Archer.
Irene: what???
Irene: that's not what it's supposed to be used for.
Jake: i think that's a bad idea.
Andrew: don't you think you're being a little over dramatic?
Irene: it's not going to work
(Peyton is offline)
I close my phone and put it in my back pocket so I can search for a rubber band. This is a necessary evil, I tell myself. Giving me a little pain right now will save the massive amount of hurt I'll feel from the rejection in the future.
Melody swings open the door to my room just as I find tight, yellow, rubber-band.
"Hey, Archer's outside. We should go."
I nod, giving the rubber band a test snap. A brief flash of pain runs across my wrist, cutting off all thoughts of my crush of Archer.
It's perfect.
"I'm surprised you're not freaking out more today," Melody comments, as we walk downstairs.
"I have decided to face my fears. A flu shot is necessary and helps my health. There is no reason to be afraid," I recite my mantra from the last hour. "Besides, I brought my special friend with me to cheer me on."
Melody sneaks a peek at my backpack, where the head of a stuffed animal pokes through the first pocket.
"Is that Charlotte?"
"Yup."
"Well, as long as it stops you from freaking out, I guess it's okay."
"Did I ask for your approval?"
Melody punches my shoulder lightly.
Archer and his little sister wait for us in his car. The door's already open when I arrive. I sit down and shut the door behind me.
Archer's foot is almost healed, so he's wearing a simple pair of jean shirts and a sleeveless white shirt. It shows off his lean muscles, which have been strengthening thanks to his practice on the swim team. It makes him look -
I snap the rubber band.
Ouch. The butterflies die in my stomach. I slip out of my backpack and place it on my lap, pleased with the results.
"Is that Charlotte?" Archer questions, starting the engine.
"Yes. She's here to comfort me." I pat Charlotte's tiny head. Her fuzzy fur soothes my nerves, just a little bit.
"Comfort you?"
"Peyton's scared of needles," Melody offers from the backseat.
Next to her, Julia nods her head to the music playing from her headphones. Even from here, I can tell it's the Death Metal band that I recommended.
"Hey," I protest. "Stop telling him my weaknesses."
Archer backs out of the driveway, pausing momentarily to look at me. I can see my reflection in his eyes. "You're scared of needles?"
I shrug.
"That's a shame," Archer muses. "I was looking forward to giving you a tattoo."
My heart skips a beat.
I snap the rubber band.
- () -
I haven't realize how much I think about Archer until I have rubber band with me.
His smile enters my thoughts in biology, when I find myself comparing him to the cute animals in the textbook. His low chuckle bounces around my head when I think of some math puns in class. When I trip over a shoe in the girls locker room at gym, I can almost feel his hands around my arms, telling me to be more careful.
I've snapped the rubber band a total of forty-two times before the end of the school day. There's a bruise forming around my wrist by the time the bell rings.
I trudge to the cafeteria, where the school is sponsoring a couple of doctors to administer the flu shot to everybody. Melody and I signed ourselves up to the session after school since Archer has swim practice and we'd have to wait for him anyways.
My heart races at the thought of a sharp needle.
You can do this. Flu shots are necessary and good for you, I tell myself, but make my steps slow and small anyways.
"You're nervous," Melody, who caught up to me, says. "Calm down. We don't want a repeat of last year."
Last year, I punched the doctor and ran into the parking lot so I could hide under a random person's car. We nearly got sued.
"I am calm," I say and stroke Charlotte's fur.
"Do you want me to get Archer?"
"No. Why?"
"You're calmer around him."
"Am not. Besides, what's he supposed to do? Give me a thumbs up while the doctor inject a ten-foot needle inside my veins -" I choke at the very thought and can't speak anymore.
"You're freaking yourself out," Melody scolds. "Just give Charlotte a hug and try not to think about it."
I nod and give my backpack a hug. We enter the cafeteria. Melody and I stand in line with a bunch of others to get the flu shot. I stare at my feet, trying not to panic at the thought of the pain I'll feel as he sticks a long -
The doctor calls Melody's name.
I inhale loudly. Melody gives me a supportive pat on the shoulder before walking over the to the doctor.
They make light conversation as he brings out a syringe - oh my god, why is it so big - and wipes her arm with a cotton swab before inserting the needle - why is it so long - into her arm - she's wincing it must hurt - and presses the syringe -
"I just remembered I had a doctor's appointment," I say out loud to nobody.
And then I sprint out of the cafeteria.
Melody calls my name but I'm already turning the corner to the gym. I run towards the pool, where Archer's swim practice should be ending. They're finishing their last round of laps when I enter the area, letting the door shut behind me with a loud bang.
"Peyton Monroe?" Coach Watson calls, raising an eyebrow as I enter the room.
"Hi Coach. Can I hide under the bleachers?"
"Do what you got to do."
"Thanks."
"Can I ask why?" He calls.
"I'm a fugitive." I say, already crawling under the bleachers.
I press myself against the cool wall and watch the boys swim back and forth through the cracks in the bleachers. The low rumble of lights and constant symphony of water splashing calms me, just barely. Even though nothing happened, my entire body is covered with sweat.
I reach for Charlotte for more comfort, then realize I've left her behind in the cafeteria. I'm such a terrible owner.
It's just a flu shot. But I can't get the image of a giant needle out of my head.
Coach Watson blows his whistle, causing me to jump. The boys get out of the pool, one of them being Archer. My heart kicks into overdrive once again. I forgot Archer wouldn't be wearing a shirt right now.
I snap the rubber band, wincing as the rubber snaps against my sensitive skin.
"Was that Peyton I heard?" Archer questions, walking up to Coach Watson. Beads of water run down his muscles.
No, Peyton. Don't look.
"She's hiding under the bleachers." Coach Watson says.
Archer ducks his head the bleachers. I bring my knees up and try to maintain a cool expression, although that's pretty hard to do when your crush is half-naked and in front of you.
"Peyton?"
"Archer."
"What are you doing here?"
I try to focus on his face. "I'm hiding."
"Hiding? From what?" But then his expression clears. "You didn't get the flu shot, did you?"
I shake my head.
"Called it," Yells Sebastian's voice from the pool. "You owe me some money, Raine."
"The day's not over yet!" Archer shouts, before turning back to me.
I scowl. "You and Sebastian made a bet about whether I'd get the flu shot or not?"
"Yeah, but I was on your side."
"Oh."
I snap the rubber band. This one hurts more than the other ones, considering my bruised skin, but its effect is lessening.
Archer's eyes turn toward my wrist, then at me again. He opens his mouth, but before he can speak, somebody else interrupts.
"PEYTON!"
"Damn it," I sulk lower in the shadows. Through the tiny gaps in the bleacher, I spot Melody stomping into the pool with a Mickey Mouse band-aid on her shoulder.
"Hey, Coach Watson, have you seen my sister?"
"Under the bleachers."
"Thanks."
"No problem."
She stomps over to where Archer's standing and bends down next to him.
"Ha! I knew it!" Melody declares. "You do go to Archer for comfort!"
"You don't know anything," I snap. "It took you half an hour to find me."
"Yeah, because I had to convince the doctor to stay for an extra hour so I could get my cowardly sister -" Melody reaches for my legs. I press them to my chest. "- and drag her back."
"You'll never take me alive."
"Oh my god, I hate you so much."
"Here, let me try," Archer says.
He drags Melody away, whispering something in her year. They disappear for a few minutes, leaving me alone to ponder my own existence. A second later, Charlotte pops her head out from the side.
In a ridiculously high voice, Archer says, "Oh Peyton. It is I, Charlotte the Sentient Bear, come to encourage you to take a flu shot."
"This is stupid," I say, but try not to smile.
"Do it for me, your life-long friend?"
"No."
"That's upsetting. I thought we were close. Wouldn't you like to just get the flu shot over with and help Archer win fifty dollars at the same time?"
"You bet fifty dollars on me?"
"You should ask Archer that."
"I am asking Archer that."
Charlotte continues to do a jig.
"You're impossible." I roll my eyes and move outside, grabbing Charlotte on the way and tucking under my arm. I try not to get close to him, but part of my arm brushes past his chest. "Fine. I'll go, but nobody try to restrain me. I'm talking to you Melody."
"No punching, no restraining," Melody says, placing her hands up in surrender.
I slip on one of the puddles as I stand up and fall right into Archer's chest. I mutter an apology and take a step back, hoping that anybody who sees my flushed face will attribute it to fear.
I snap the rubber band three times.
It doesn't help.
Just then, Sebastian and Derek McGual exit the room just as I'm nudging Charlotte back into the backpack, between the blankets I've placed for her. Derek raises an eyebrow once he spots the stuffed animal.
"What do you want?" I say sulkily.
"You still have a teddy bear?"
"Obviously." I say and zip the zipper almost all the way closed.
"Why?"
"She's providing comfort for me as I get my flu shot."
"If she gets her flu shot," Sebastian mumbles.
"Shut up."
When Charlotte's placed in the backpack, I zip it up, but not all the way. There's enough room for her nose to poke through.
"Why aren't you zipping it up all the way?" Derek asks.
"She needs to breathe, dumbass."
"You're crazy." He shakes his head.
"I think she's cute," Says Archer.
"You better be talking about Charlotte."
Archer only grins. Melody whines about wanting to get home so she can watch a show that's coming home, so we say goodbye to Coach Watson and walk towards the cafeteria. Archer follows us with his shirt in one hand.
"Put your shirt on," I demand. Before the sight of you makes my heart explode.
"I'm getting my flu shot too. This just saves time and energy."
"Yeah, whatever."
We enter the cafeteria again. I stop once I spot the doctor, waiting for us with a tired smile on his face. Archer grabs me the crook of my elbow and drags me towards him.
"Sorry about earlier," Archer says as I sit down on the stool."Peyton's afraid of needles."
"That's alright. I understand."
He rolls up my sleeve. I jump once he starts rubbing the cotton on my bare skin. The doctor shuffles through the materials. Each sound builds up the suspense.
I close my eyes so I can't see the needle.
Archer pats my head. If I wasn't terrified, I'd slap his hand away."It's all going to be alright, Peyton. Think of your bear that you want to be like. What was it called? Winnie the Pooh Bear?"
"Wojtek the Polish Bear! I cannot believe - ah! Help, I'm dying!" I reach for Archer blindly and he grabs my hand, squeezing it lightly.
"No, you're not. The doctor just injected the needle."
A sharp pain pierces through my skin, followed by some pressure. I focus on the feel of Archer's palm, still a little damp from the pool, on mine. Once the pain vanishes, I open my eyes. The doctor's already putting the syringe away.
"Excellent," Archer pulls out his phone with the hand that's not holding mine. "I believe I'm fifty dollars richer."
The doctor peels off a Minnie Mouse band-aid and sticks it to my arm. Archer makes me hold his hand while the doctor gives him the flu shot. I wish I could snap the rubber band again, but Archer's fingers are covering my wrist so it's impossible for me to do it.
I close my eyes during Archer's flu shot too.
After Archer gets his Donald Duck bandage, we walk to the parking lot. Melody runs off to find Julia, leaving Archer and I behind.
"You can take that off now," Archer says, nodding towards my rubber band. "You don't need it anymore."
"I don't?"
"Of course not. You were using it to distract yourself from the flu shot, right?"
I hesitate. "Right."
"Well, congrats. You faced your fear," Archer takes the rubber band off my wrist himself and throws it in a nearby trashcan."Damn. You really did a number on yourself. It's all black and blue here."
He kisses my wrist, at the spot where the bruises formed. My heart goes into overdrive, sending chills in places where I didn't even know I could get any. I stop in my tracks and stare at him, open-mouthed.
"Something wrong?" Archer asks.
I shake my head.
A hint of a smile nudges against his lips, but he says nothing.
The butterflies don't stop all the way on the ride home. Every time I think I'm over it, I remember the feeling of warmth I got when his soft lips touched my skin. I think my crush on him only intensified.
Plan A - Fail
- () -
Next Chapter: Plan B.
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This week's dedication goes to ISWAHE, joantiffanyorezi2020, team10lovergirl, SamariaLovesMjj, mandy402, stayalive_crybaby, basketball_forever, analyticaldreamer, SUPgirl6251, robin_scott, Moa_Enroth, Mak2217, RareSpecies and everybody who voted/commented last chapter for your support!
Thanks for reading!
QotC: What is your biggest fear?