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“Not only do I plan to let him,” Archie said in that dry, droll, and deceptive tone he engaged when he was about to slam someone. “But I encourage it. If you’re done, you can go. No oneinvitedyou over here.”
“If you’re not done,” Jake volunteered with a very unfriendly smirk. “You can still go. No onewantsyou here.”
“Hey,” Maria said. “We can be nice.”
“Not from where I’m sitting,” Archie told her, then looked at Patty. “Youdefinitely need tobesomewhere else while we’re still being polite.”
A part of me felt like saying the guys should dial it down. This—this happened when they were done with girls. Based on what they’d said, there’d definitely been some sex—oral or otherwise. Much as I’d already shared with Jake, at least, and now this. I’d had a front row seat to it too many times. They didn’t do the big drama, and I’d seen them be harsh, but this was cold. Uncaring. It was difficult enough because I felt for the girls. These guys were really great when they were interested, but they could shut it off just as easily.
That was part of what worried me about this whole dating thing.
Patty stood abruptly. “You’re a dick.”
“So I’ve been told,” Archie said and he’d already turned away from her. Flushed and eyes flashing, Patty glared at me. I swore she was about to cry, but she turned on her heel and marched away.
“Way to go,” Maria commented. “Do you have to be an epic asshole?”
“No,” Archie told her, not missing a beat. “I’m a dick, didn’t you hear?”
I winced and Sharon snorted. “Maybe that’s why you’re untouchable, Frankie. Because whatever you caught hanging out with these guys no one else wants.” Then she was gone just as Ian jerked around. A part of me was grateful. I really didn’t want to hear what Ian might have retaliated with. For a beat, Maria was left standing there alone.
We locked eyes and she shook her head, then raised her hands and backed off. “I’ll see you later, Frankie,” she said, ignoring the others.
“Not if she sees you first,” Jake muttered. For some reason, that made me uncomfortable. It didn’t help that with their exit, the quiet around us seemed louder for some reason. The fact we had a lot of eyes pointed our direction didn’t help, either. They’d all liked their respective girls, right up until they hadn’t.
“Ignore them, Frankie,” Coop said, his manner all relaxed again—like his Mr. Hyde hadn’t made an appearance. “Oh, that reminds me, are we getting together after the game tonight?”
“That was the plan, I thought,” Ian said tilting his head. When I glanced up, he studied me almost searchingly, and I found a smile. I was fine. I just hated it when the breakups got messy and people got hurt.
They’d shown up because it was homecoming and they all expected to be asked. The guys hadn’t been gentle about their dismissive rejections. Though, to be fair, they hadn’t been rude until the girls started it.
“We’ll see,” Archie said, his expression relaxing but there was a wariness in his eyes when I caught him looking at me. “Frankie and I have plans and we’re not cutting them short.”
I raised my eyebrows.
“I’d like not to cut them short,” he amended. “So, we’ll see.”
Ian frowned. “Yeah okay… text if you’re not going to make it?” The last he directed at me.
“Why don’t we text if we can?” Archie suggested. “That way if you don’t hear from us…”
My phone buzzed in my pocket, and I shifted upward to pull it out, bumping Jake’s leg with mine. Mom’s name was on the screen, and I held up a finger to the guys. “I’ll be right back.” Then hit answer as I stood.
“Hey, Mom,” I said as I walked away.
“Hey, Arch,” Coop was saying. “About tomorrow night…”
“Frankie,” my mom greeted me with a sigh. “You’re not going to like this.”
“You’re not coming home tonight.” The fact she hadn’t shown up at all or called since her “quick” trip had been kind of telling. I headed for the edge of the cafeteria, away from people so I didn’t have to listen.
“No,” she admitted. “This is taking more than I thought it would and…I feel like I need to be here.”
Not that I knew whereherewas.
“Okay. You planning on coming home sometime in the next week?”
“Of course I am,” she snapped. “I just thought you shouldn’t be looking for me this weekend. I know you have to work, but I’ll transfer money to your account in case we needed groceries.”
