Chereads / On the Flipside / Chapter 13 - o8 | wishes (part one)

Chapter 13 - o8 | wishes (part one)

I DON'T END UP GOING home. Somehow, one thing leads to another and Archer and I end up beneath a blanket in a small, vacant room, still warm and aromatic from the fish and chips dinner settling in our stomach.

The brick wall behind us emits a cold chill, but the blanket traps the body heat each one of us radiates, thawing each other's bones.

It's six in the morning, and Ebony still hasn't replied to my text; one I sent in the thick of night. When I check my phone, I notice he has left it on read, and I can't even blame him. To be honest, I don't even remember telling him I was going out, and now it's morning, and I've still left him none the wiser.

"We need to get going." I rub at the exhaustion still clouding my gaze, trying to fight the sleep that threatens to take over with each breath.

"Yeah." He breaks free of the blanket, stretching to full height and extending a hand to me. "I'll drive you back to yours."

I widen my eyes. "You just left your car all night?"

"It's parked and locked," he promises, his fingers curling around mine. "Now, let's go, we don't want to be late. We need to get you to Admin before first period anyway."

This pulls me up short. "Admin? Why would I need to go there?"

Archer fixes me with a quizzical gaze. "To change your Specials to Music, of course. You know you'd rather be there than Art."

"Well, yeah, but." I sigh, my free hand twisting the strap of my velvet vest top between my fingers. "I can't just...switch. It's years too late, and besides. I'm doing okay in Art. I'll pass, and that's all I need. I can start my music career elsewhere."

"That's up to you," Archer admits, but I can tell he's not happy about it. Maybe I'm not either but I don't know what other choice I have. I'll never match up to the other kids doing Music. I shouldn't even try. I'll always be behind, and that's not what I need right now. There are other ways to make it into that world, and maybe I'll try one of them one day, but for now, all I can concentrate on is art. "Let's go. Did you ever get that response from Ebony?"

At the mention of my little brother, my heart sinks a little in my chest. What was a thoughtless action last night has become a source of heavy, chaining guilt today, and I'm not sure I'll be able to shake it free until I see him and can apologise in person. "No. He left me on read. I think he's mad at me."

"Did you even tell him where you're going?" Archer asks as we escape back into the main block. Contrasting to last night, the hallways are empty and devoid of the passion that fed the atmosphere, pumping it with adrenaline and excitement that made the colours on the walls a little bit brighter.

I shake my head, and he tips his head back in thought. "Maybe he thinks you're with Rebel or something. Especially after what happened. He always seems to be worried about you, you know."

"Nah." I kick at a random spot on the floor, my boot scuffing its surface. "He's probably just sick of having to babysit me."

"Are you sure about that?"

I shrug my shoulders, a somewhat bitter smile on my lips. "Why wouldn't I be?"

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