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I definitely imagined it.
He steps off my hand and helps me to my feet. My fingers throb and they’re marked with mud and dirt and grass stains but only concern shines in Archer’s eyes as he examines them.
‘Are you alright?’ he asks.
‘Ugh, I forgot,’ Cassie groans. ‘Frankie operates her own rehabilitation centre for bugs.’
‘Really?’ Archer gives a short laugh.
My cheeks burn. I don’t say anything as I turn away and place down the spider near the treeline. When I return, it’s like nothing happened. Music blares from a speaker and everyone’s drinking, even Archer, who’s driving. I’m relieved to see Chase isn’t indulging, though.
I lie back on the grass and look up at the sky. A few moments later, Chase lays beside me. I go still, even though my heart pounds.
‘Is your hand okay?’ he asks.
‘I think so?’
‘Can you still use it to dump custard on Archer’s head if need be?’
‘I don’t know. I might just have to throw the tin at his head instead.’
Chase laughs. ‘I definitely wish I’d recorded that moment.’
‘When I feel the urge to watch Archer wear a bowl of custard, I’ll let you know.’
‘I look forward to it. Although, if I may make a suggestion?’
‘If you must.’
‘I think we should set a trap for him. There’s a cupboard full of weird shit at the back of the hall, and there’s these pink feather-scarf-things. Picture this.’ He gestures with his hands, as if he’s thoroughly thought about the order it’ll happen. ‘You coax Archer into the hall, but there’s a bucket of oil above the doors, and when he enters, the oil tips all over him. This is where we come in. You throw the pink feathers at him, and I’ll get the flour. And then we take his clothes.’
I burst out laughing.
‘Then there’ll just be some random naked guy covered in flour and pink feathers walking around campus.’
I clutch my stomach as I laugh harder. I forget where I am when I’m with Chase. It’s so easy to talk to him. I could never speak about such random things with Archer.
‘Was that a snort?’ he says.
‘No,’ I say. ‘Of course not.’
‘Frankie Fart Fringe,’ he says with wonder. ‘You are the most unladylike woman I’ve ever met.’
‘Thanks.’
‘Only you would take that as a compliment.’
‘I didn’t take it as a compliment.’ In my peripheral I see him turn to look at me. I sigh. ‘I’m trying out this new… defence mechanism.’
‘If it’s not spitting poisonous ink, I’m not interested.’
‘You’ve probably heard what I’m being called at school. Well, when someone calls me it, I simply say “Thank you” and they leave me alone. And now, it’s becoming more of a joke than an insult, all because I choose not to rise to it.’
He’s silent for a long moment. The music has shifted onto some clubland classics, and conversation continues to flow around the group. I’m glad for the noise, because something tells me Archer wouldn’t be particularly thrilled about the way Chase is looking at me. It’s almost as if he’s faraway.
‘Do you ever wish you were a cloud?’ I blurt.
He doesn’t miss a beat. ‘Not really. I mean, I think it’d be cool, but I’d be terrified of getting caught in a wind and flying away with no arms to stop myself.’
