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“I don’t want you to know it,” Archie said, his lips compressing. “I can be a real bastard. I learned from the best. I don’t like that part of myself.”
“You’re never that way with me,” I said.
“Because you’re the exception,” he said with a sigh. “You’ve always been the exception. I hate that you know. I don’t want you to look at me differently.”
“I don’t want to look at you differently either,” I said slowly. “But I already look you differently—not because of that. I’m still… I’ll be honest, I don’t get it. But the party pictures are making more sense now.”
Archie winced. “Frankie…”
“It’s okay, I mean…it’s not really okay. But you don’t owemeany apologies. What you guys did or didn’t do—it’s not about me. If you did it because I shut you out, then…that sucks, but it’s still not about me.” It wasn’t denial so much as… “I want to think that you’re not doing that with me.”
“No,” Coop said sharply, and Archie glared.
“Hell no. I told you—”
“I’m the exception. Then…” I lifted my shoulders in a bit of a shrug. “Okay.” I glanced at my phone again. “Maybe you guys owe apologies to other people. I’m not saying you should make them. But maybe you should think about that. Sticking our heads in the sand and pretending the bad stuff didn’t happen doesn’t work.”
It hadn’t for a long time.
“The bell’s gonna ring.” I looked at Coop. “Text me if you hear from them? Chances are they’re going to talk to you guys first.”
“Yeah, of course,” Coop said, but his troubled expression deepened. “Frankie, you are important. You’re more than the exception. You’ve always been the rule. I got a little stupid when you weren’t around…but you’re right. That’s not on you, and it’s not about you. It’s us.”
I gave him a little smile. “Not sure I’m a fan of positive fight culture.”
Ian and Jake’s coffees were still there, but Archie picked them up and then tossed them before he grabbed his bag.
“I’ll see you later,” Coop said as we headed off.
“Bubba told you,” Archie said softly.
“Does it matter?”
“In this instance?” he said. “Yeah, it does.”
Ian wasn’t in math.
I had to walk myself between classes because I told Coop and Archie they weren’t going to race back and forth all over the school. They didn’t like it, but they listened.
I ran into Sharon twice.
She didn’t say a word.
Good.
Coop hadn’t heard from them by AP lit.
We met up with Archie for lunch. He’d heard nothing either.
I spent most of my study hall trying to get homework done. My heart wasn’t in it, but it needed to be finished.
There was a note from Rachel in my locker that I grabbed before seventh.
Hey,
Just reminding you that not everyone is an asshole. Hard to tell around here sometimes. I almost texted you like ten times, but I figure—you know where I am now. Let me know if you need me to be the pushy friend or not. I totally got you covered there. Chin up, girl, and fuck Sharon. I’m totally going to mess up her day sometime this week. Stay tuned. It’s going to be a riot.
R.
