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21
Lena
“That is too fucking fancy.” Ruby snags the shirt I’m holding out of my hands, and I blink up at her. I’ve been so lost in my thoughts I didn’t even realize I’d grabbed a shirt. I glance down at it and frown.
“This blouse is cute, what’s wrong with it?” It’s a pretty white top with black polka dots on it.
“The fact that you have to ask why you shouldn’t wear a blouse to a bonfire is the root of all our problems, Lena.” Ruby practically sneers the word blouse, as if she has a personal vendetta against it.
“Leave her alone, Ruby.” Miri walks into my bedroom, sipping on a cocktail she mixed up in my kitchen.
There’s a big bonfire down at the cove tonight. They happen all the time and it’s always an open invitation. Anyone who wants to stop down can come. It’s always bring your own booze and whoever shows up, shows up. I wouldn't mind staying home and hiding under blankets while watching something on Netflix, but Miri and Ruby wouldn’t let me say no. Ruby says I still have massive amounts of groveling to do before she’ll fully forgive me for not telling her about Archer, so I have to do what she tells me. A bonfire I can handle. I don’t want to test Ruby because Lord knows she’d come up with some crazy punishment.
“She’s doing it again, Miri.” Ruby shakes my shoulder and I glare at her.
“What am I doing?”
“Zoning out. What is going on in that head of yours?” Ruby taps a finger on my temple. I duck under her arm, walking over to my dresser to find something to wear, since she’s apparently going to block my closet.
“Nothing’s going on.” I shake my head and pull out my Ziggy Stardust t-shirt. Miri makes an odd noise behind me, and I turn to look at her in question. “What?”
“I don’t think I’ve ever seen you wear a t-shirt before.”
“What? That’s not…” My words trail off because she's probably right. I rarely dress down. I enjoy putting together my outfits, and I usually jump on any excuse to wear something new. Tonight, I just want to be comfortable, and it is odd.
“Okay, I’m starting to get really worried, Lena. You’re going to force me to put on my serious face. What is going on in that head?” Ruby’s arms are crossed as she gnaws on her lips and inspects me.
“Nothing, really. I guess I’m just worn out.”
Miri moves over to the bed, sitting on the edge. “Magic stuff or Archer stuff?”
I sigh because right now I hate how I feel. My thoughts are as fractured as the rest of me. I’ve worked so hard over the years to create an exterior image of composure, always looking put together, even though my insides are still a jumbled mess. I’m not controlled by my father any longer, but I’ve never really escaped the looming threat of him. I still allow him to scare me. Allow the magic I have to scare me. And Archer, he’s in a totally different ballpark of uncertainty.
“The magic. Archer. Both.” I flop down on the bed beside her and rub my temples. When Ruby forced us to have our girl’s night after Archer and Rhys tried to beat each other up, I’d told them everything that had been going on. Ruby already knew I’d been in love with Archer since forever, but she’d lost her shit when I gave her the vague details about what had been happening more recently.
“There’s a lot going on, huh?” Miri makes a sympathetic noise. She looks like she’s going to kick someone’s ass tonight instead of going to a bonfire. Her shoulder length dark brown hair falls in messy waves that my stick straight hair could never achieve. Her dark gray jeans, black t-shirt and leather jacket are topped off with a handful of delicate rings that adorn her fingers and a series of necklaces and charms around her neck that she likes to wear. She’s in her socks now, but she left a pair of black Docs out by the front door.
“There’s a lot going on. Everything with the Axis and Anthony, seeing my dad that day in the clearing…” None of that is a lie, and it’s all weighing on my mind, but it’s not the thing that’s occupying the most space right now. That belongs to one gray-eyed man with a golden smile.
I grunt as arms wrap around my middle from behind. Ruby has me locked in a hug so tight I can barely breathe. My arms are pinned to my sides as she smushes her cheek against my back.
“I’m going to be a bitch for a second, and you’re not going to like it,” Ruby says without letting me go.
“Ugh, can we not?” I wiggle my arms to get free, but she’s stupidly strong.
“No. You need to listen.”
Miri’s no help at all, sipping on her drink while she watches the two of us.
“You’re being a chicken.”
“What?” I try to turn around, but Ruby is practically laying on me, pinning me with all her weight. “Dammit, Ruby, let me up.”
“No. I’m not done. You have been in love with Archer since you first laid eyes on him. Don’t think I haven’t noticed it all these years. I might be self-absorbed, but I’m not dead. Anyone with eyes could have figured it out.”
An unhappy noise grinds out of my throat.
“Now, don’t get offended by this, but…”
