He shoots me a wink. “Too bad we didn’t know about each other sooner. We could have had some fun.”
I blush, and he cackles. “I’m totally fucking with you. You’re my brother, man, and that would be weird as fuck. I’m just glad I’ve got friends in the club that aren’t hiding anymore.”
“I honestly never planned on coming out, but Cull changed all that. Well, that’s not completely true. We’d probably still be hiding if we weren’t outed at school.”
“Still haven’t figured out who did that?”
I study Archer for a moment. Ever since I realized Mason wasn’t my stalker, it got me thinking.
“No, but…”
“But what?”
“I can trust you, right?”
Archer looks offended. “Fuck you, dude. You know I’d never spill any of your secrets.”
“I know, it’s just… I’ve been thinking.”
He snorts. “Don’t hurt yourself.”
I shove a tidal wave of chlorinated water in his face and he sputters, laughing.
“Alright, alright. What have you been thinking about?”
“Whoever this person is knows a lot about Cull and me. I was thinking that maybe…” I trail off, praying I’m wrong but not feeling great about it.
“Maybe…?” Archer urges.
“What if it’s someone close to us?”
“No way, man. Our friends are solid.” He laughs, then catches my face. His expression shifts. “You’re serious?”
“It’s at least someone from school. They had access to our lockers, they knew what I wore, they have our numbers…”
Archer looks like he’s turning it over in his head.
“Please tell me I’m not crazy,” I blurt. “I had a nasty concussion from my jump and apparently some wild seizures, so there’s a real chance my brain’s just… fried.”
Archer chuckles. “I shouldn’t laugh at that.”
I grin at him, glad he gets that humor has been the best medicine for all of this.
“Okay, I think you might be on to something.” He blows out a breath and runs a hand through his wet, shaggy hair. “What do you need me to do?”
I hesitate for a second. I don’t want to get him caught in the middle.
“Just… keep your ears open, that’s all.”
“I can do that,” he agrees. “What is the detective doing now that Mason is out of the picture?”
“Probably nothing. He wasn’t happy that Cull and I dropped Mason’s charges, and practically begged us to reconsider. He tried to gaslight us with the little evidence they have, but none of it actually lines up with Mason.”
“Dad calls him Detective Whit-less.” Archer is floating on his back and chuckling, eyes scrunched closed against the bright afternoon sun.
“That tracks,” I agree.
Ella pops into my mind, and it feels like someone pressed on a bruise I forgot was there. “I hope he’s actually looking for whoever killed Ella. It seems like they either overlooked evidence or just wrote her off as a druggie and hoped they could use Mason as an easy out. Either way, the investigation was sloppy as shit.”
