B A D
B O Y ' S
G A M E
His eyes are closed throughout our kissing session, however, mine don't stay closed and become wide open. My eyes become wide open and I suddenly find myself staring straight at Ryder.
I find myself staring straight back at him, he finds himself staring right back at me.
Archer kissed me abruptly because he saw Ryder, Ryder saw us abruptly kiss.
After our lips shift apart I curse under my breath, Archer not even able to hear the remark. I genuinely didn't expect to face Ryder so soon, I was still hurt from his poor actions and seeing him made my heart sink.
Or rather have him face me. Ryder drops the books he's carrying and scurries to pick them back up, obviously shocked by Archer and I. A few seconds pass and Ryder's in front of me, Archer's arm is now around my waist as if he's acting as a support system rather than a lover.
"Hi," Ryder says softly, ignoring Archer and looking straight at me.
I refuse to say anything for a moment, the moment surreal. I still stand in a state of shock, various emotions overwhelming me.
"Hi," I reply back faintly, my voice shaky and about to crack.
He gives a small smile, the smile I thought I loved. No, the smile I did love.
He glances at Archer coldly before asking, "Can we talk?"
He says he wants to talk; I could have talked three months ago. Ryder and I could have talked before he cheated and before he began to feel indifferent towards me. We could have left the mess of a relationship before it even officially became a mess. But, he didn't think that through. Probably like he didn't think I would find out about his secret girlfriend.
"Aren't we talking right now?" I ask in a cold voice, I see his smile drop.
He shakes his head slowly before replying, "Alone."
I don't say anything and instead, I do something, I take Archer's arm from around my waist and nod my head away. Motioning that we can talk alone but in another area of the school lot. He picks up on my notion and begins to lead me; I feel a hand grasp my wrist before I can walk too far away.
Archer is staring deeply at me as if he's trying to say something through his eyes. I give a gentle smile and he lets go of my arm.
Ryder leads me a whole ten feet away before I tug on his shirt and cause him to turn around.
And when he's facing me properly I take my hand and slap him across the face.
He says he wants to talk, but talk is cheap.
* * *
To be completely honest it wasn't my initial intention to slap Ryder across the face, the opportunity to slap him was just simply presented.
I actually considered for a split second to hear him out, but that would have done me no good. Ryder certainly didn't deserve to be heard out.
After I slapped him I strutted away, giving a glance back at him once just to see him with his hand over his freshly rosy red cheek. I always was told I made an impression on people.
It didn't hit me until I dramatically got into my car that I realized my car was nonfunctioning at this moment due to a certain bad boy.
After I saw Ryder drive off I ejected myself from the driver's seat and headed back around to Archer.
"Do you need a ride?" he asks as if what he just saw didn't occur.
"Yeah, I mean you broke my only one," I say, still a little upset.
But, just a little because slapping Ryder felt great and made me less angry with Archer.
He sighs and tells me to wait a moment, walking to the other end of the parking lot.
Approximately three minutes later he shows up in front of me with a loud motorcycle.
"The bad boy has a bike, that's totally not stereotypical," I say loudly as he pulls up, hoping he can hear me over its engine.
He stops the contraption and gets off, throwing me a spare helmet.
"Can't afford a car yet. Wear the helmet, wouldn't want her majesty to be unsafe."
I chuckle and put the helmet on, hoping the helmet wasn't home to unwanted creatures.
"Nobody has used that helmet before by the way," he says before getting back on the bike.
He motions for me to hop on behind and I do as I'm told.
I didn't have to tell him where I lived due to the fact he already somehow knew so we immediately left. I would say it was kind of him for offering me a ride, but then again this situation is entirely his fault.
After about ten minutes of driving, we arrive in front of my house, the cute cracking blue home at the end of the block.
He parks the bike in the driveway and we get off, I place the helmet I had worn on the bike's handlebar.
It isn't until we make it to the front door that I realize that I have left my keys in my broken car along with all my other possessions, minus my phone.
I sigh and dig a little in the window's flower box until I find the spare, today quite an adventure and having me to use the spare key for the first time.
"Well, see you tomorrow," Archer says before walking off my patio, not wanting to trespass ironically enough.
When he's about to hop on his bike I call out for him instinctively.
"Yeah?" he replies, stopping his actions.
"I've got some killer leftover lasagna, people say it's legendary. Too bad I can't finish it by myself," I say, the words falling out of my mouth, "unless you want to stay for a bit and help me out."
I like to cook, boys love food. One point for Elliot, only need a dozen more and then he will be head over heels in love with me and when he is he will have to clean up his act, helping him is something I genuinely want to do in order to better society.
He turns around with a smirk and begins to walk back up to the porch.
"I would love to have some killer leftover lasagna with a girl as lovely as you," he says smoothly, taking the dirty key out of my hand and unlocking the door.
I walk in, he does too. He discreetly looks around the room, realizing he's a stranger to it all.
He kicks off his shoes and plants himself on the couch after a minute of hesitation, I pick up the tv remote and find a movie for him to watch.
"I love this film," he says quietly, getting completely emerged into the film I end up on.
I walk away from him and heat up the lasagna. After reheating the food I take two plates of warm deliciousness out to the living room, he takes the plate politely out of my hand and eats.
Archer eats in plain silence; his focus entirely on the movie.
We sit for ten minutes in utensil clattering silence until I speak during a commercial break.
"What did Ryder do to you?" I ask rather bluntly, wanting to know the truth of his motives.
He doesn't reply so I try again and ask, "What did Ryder do to you?"
He shakes his head and snorts, putting his mostly devoured plate down on the coffee table.
"What did Ryder not do to me?" he replies bitterly.
The bitter tone he uses indicates that Ryder and he had a rough past, Archer still extremely enraged by whatever occurred between the two of them.
"It's nothing," he says, rolling it off.
I drop it and decide that today isn't the day to dwell on the past, I could uncover the reason for his hatred another time.
He changes the subject, "Are you working at the diner this weekend?"
I look at him with a raised eyebrow, taken aback by the sudden change in tone.
"Yeah, I am," I reply quietly.
"Good because I've been craving a milkshake." he says in relief, knowing that I work at a local diner because he periodically would come in.
"They're open every day?" I question him.
"I know, but you're not there every day." he says.
I almost swoon, but hold the swooning back because everything nice he could ever say was too good to be true.
Archer West was just trying to win the game.
The movie starts back up again and the next hour and a half are mostly silent with just the occasional commercial break small talk.
Once the credits role I pick up both finished plates and head towards the kitchen to wash them. Tonight has to be the most time Archer and I have spent together without disputing something.
I hear the doorbell ring mid-wash and hear Archer's footsteps walk towards it, Archer taking the liberty to answer the front door since I'm unavailable.
A minute later and Archer is in the kitchen, him and all his glory.
"Some guy is here, he says he's a friend." he grumbles.
I give him a confused look and then see a certain blond boy walk into the kitchen seconds later.
I drop the plate I'm working on in the sink and run past Archer, jumping into the boy's arms once he is only about a foot away. The boy just simply catches me and laughs before he speaks to me for the first time in three months.
"I missed you, Smelliot," he says.