Author's Note
1. Obviously, this isn't a real chapter. But I put a scene from Peyton and Archer's fall break below the AN. The next chapter will be coming soon!
2. Character List Below. Some of them you might not have met yet, but I'm placing all the characters that will show up in the book here.
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Chapter 13.5
Three Days Before Halloween
"What's all this for?"
"It's cat food. What do you think it's for?" The sarcasm in my voice is drowned out by my heaving breathing. I stop just outside the door to catch my breath, letting the bag fall at my feet.
There's a sigh of exasperation, followed by a car door slamming shut.
"You're so slow," Archer says, walking towards me.
"Well, I'll like to see you try to carry the bag of cat food..." My voice trails off, though, when he actually slings the bag over his shoulder.
After throwing me a look that I can't decipher, Archer puts the bag in the trunk and gets in the car. Then, he swings open the passenger door from inside. I stand still for a moment, then climb in. The heater's on and the warm air washes over me as I slam the door shut.
"No fair," I mutter to myself. And then, in a louder voice. "How'd you get so strong?"
"There's a reason I'm capitan of the swim team." He starts the engine.
"Oh." I cross my arms and look out the window.
For a few minutes we stay silent, listening to the station Archer put on. He hums along to the song, which is slow and soft, drumming his fingers on the wheel. I lean against my seat, watching the blurs of the sky and streets. Soon, the soft rattling of the car lures me into sleep.
I close my eyes.
It isn't until Archer parks the car that I jerk awake. Tired, I turn my head to see what's going on. Archer's walking over to the back of the car, to where the cat food is - oh shit. I snap off my seatbelt, launch off my seat and run over to Archer. He barely gets the trunk open before I slam it shut again.
"What are you-"
"We can't let my parents see us," I hiss, clapping a hand over his mouth. "I took some money out of my college-savings account for this."
"You spent your college money on cat food?" Archer raises an eyebrow, gently pushing my hand away. His breath is warm on my hand. I wipe it on my jeans.
"Not just cat food. This could be the difference between her life and death."
"Sweetheart, if you waited this long to bring the cat food, it's probably dead."
"Wrong. The cat is still alive and hunting for food. I know because I found a dead rat under your porch the other day. I guess your neighborhood isn't as clean as you though it was."
"What were you doing looking under our porch?"
"That's not the point!" I snap, flushing. "The point is that I'm trying to save a life without letting my parents know. So, I would appreciate your cooperation."
"Okay, I'll cooperate," He looks amused. "What should we do?"
I think about this. "Bring your car into the driveway. We'll take the cat food into your room. Then, when it's night and my parents are asleep, we sneak out and you hand me the cat food in the backyard. I'll take it to my room."
"Seems like a lot of work." Archer muses, getting his keys out.
I shrug and start walking to his house.
By the time, Archer gets in his car, drive to his house and gets the cat food, I'm already at his door, waiting for him to open it. He throws me his keys before going to the back of the trunk. I catch them with ease and turn towards the door, but it swings open just as I approach it. Julia steps forward, with crossed arms and a scowl on her face.
"What's that?" She demands as Archer climbs in.
"Cat food," He says, shutting the door with his foot. "Get lost, will you?"
"No need to be such as ass. It was just a question."
"And I answered it, so why are you still here?"
I stand at the side, awkwardly watching this scene unfold. This is the first time I've seen Archer cross with somebody other than Derek or me. I'm not so sure that's a good thing.
"Okay," I say, edging towards the door. "Well, I'll just be going..."
I barely make two inches before Julia slams the door shut. She gives me one last scathing look before turning back to go down the hallway. "Mom's going to be pissed."
"That's the point." Archer replies. He shifts his weight, one hand on the rail. After a moment, his eyes shift back to me. "Are you leaving? Buster's back from his visit, if you want to see him."
I hesitate, wondering if I should ask if he's okay. But, at the end, I just shrug and nod.
Unsurprised, Archer grabs the bag of cat food and motions for me to follow him upstairs.
We walk to his room, which is as messy as ever. I don't whether to be annoyed by all the scattered sketches and paintings or curious to what they are. They range from people at our school to beautiful snowy landscapes. Archer opens his closet and shoves the bag of cat food inside.
Buster, who was lying on the bed, jumps as soon as he sees us. First, he runs up to Archer, licking his face and then, to me, nearly knocking me to the ground. I laugh and go on to my knees so I pet him better. His fur is softer and whiter than ever.
Archer sits at his desk, not looking at us. "There's toys in the corner if you want them."
Buster's already one step ahead of me. He totters to the corner, takes out a rope with a ball at one end and offers the rope to me. I laugh and we engage in a fake game of tug-of-war. At least, it was supposed to be fake. After a two rounds of him winning, I decide to up my notch and fight harder.
He wins.
"You're weak," Archer, who stopped working on whatever he was doing to watch us, remarks. He leans back on his chair and crosses his arms, like I'm sort of entertainment. "No wonder you couldn't lift the bag of cat food."
"I don't know what's happened to me," I say miserably, as Buster brushes his head against my arm. "I used to be able to bench eighty pounds."
His eyes twinkle with amusement. "You used to bench?"
"Yeah," I stroke Buster's fur. "But there's no gym in your stupid town."
"We have weights in the school gym," Archer says, putting his chin on the edge of his chair as he looks down at us. "You should come hang out with us sometime."
"No thanks," I scrunch up my nose.
"Your loss," He turns back to his work.
Buster barks. I stork his fur to appease him, planting a kiss on his head. He nuzzles his nose into my shoulder. I cup my hands around his body, so that I'm hugging him. After a moment of silence, I stand up. Buster follows me as I walk to his desk.
Archer doesn't look up. He's not sketching like I thought he would be. Instead, he's working on his college application. There's dozens of them, all scattered around his desk.
"Damn," I say. "How many colleges are you applying to?"
For a second, I don't think he's going to answer. But then, he says "Fifteen."
I open my mouth to say something else, but the door swings open. It's Mrs. Raine. She pauses once she sees me, her lips tightening.
"Peyton's just visiting," Archer says before I can.
"That's fine," Mrs. Raine says, even though her tone implies otherwise. "How are you doing, Peyton?"
"Good." I mutter.
"Good," Mrs. Raine walks over to Archer, putting her hands on his shoulder. "And you, sweetheart?"
"Almost done."
"I see," She turns her attention back on me. "I think Archer would prefer to work by himself, so he can finish without any distractions."
Even though her voice is warm and formal, I know she would want nothing more than to get me out of here. But that's not why I'm annoyed. For some reason, I feel angry on the behalf of Archer. I'm guessing the college applications aren't his choice. But, I get up anyways and place a hand on his shoulder.
I can feel Archer's gaze on me, but pretend not to notice it. Instead, I say, "See you tomorrow."
With one last pointed look at Mrs. Raine, I leave, wondering why I feel so upset.
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Character List
Peyton Monroe (protagonist)Â -Â Pale skin, blonde/black/pink hair, blue eyes. I really hope you know who she is.
Archer Raine (neighbor and friend (for now)) - He has tanned skin, dark brown hair and grey eyes. Artistic, popular and persistent, he's a pretty cool guy.
Melody Monroe (little sister) -Â Pale skin, blonde hair, and blue eyes. She's fourteen years old, just as good-looking as Peyton and even more popular. A plant killer, though.
Irene Belmonte (best friend) - Dark skin, curly hair, and brown eyes. She's intelligent, loves fashion and is busy recovering from an eating disorder.
Jake Fisher (friend) - Dark skin, brown hair, and hazel eyes. Probably the calmest out of Peyton's friends. Also the boyfriend of Irene Belmonte.
Andrew Tenzin (friend) - Light brown hair, tanned skin and brown eyes. He's loud, rebellious and lives in Chicago. He tried to hit on Peyton when he first met her, but got quickly rejected.
Sebastian Lionheart (Archer's friend) - Black skin, brown eyes and short black hair. Pretty sporty and another member of the swim team.
Derek McDougall (classmate)Â - Typical fuckboy. Also in the swim team.
Peter (manager) - He works in Lily's Pet House.
Leonardo (coworker) - He works in Lily's Pet House.
Susan Smith (customer) - Came into the pet shop to buy a pitbull.
Harper (pitbull) - A cutie.
Mr. and Mrs. Monroe (parents) - The typical, middle-class, white parents. Her dad is pretty chill, but not home often. Mom is invested in Peyton's life, but maybe a little too invested.
James Monroe - White, blonde hair, blue eyes. Loves teasing (and sometimes beating up) his little sisters. Goes to college in another state, but returns home often.
Mr. and Mrs. Raine (Archer's parents) - Although loving, both of them disapprove, on different parts of what Archer's doing with his life.
Kya (friend) - She connected with Peyton at homecoming.
Cousin Bettie (cousin) - Quirky, pretty and intelligent, she loves (and is loved by) every member of her family except Peyton Monroe.
Aunt Sue (aunt) - She loves and is entirely dedicated to her two daughters and husband. Nothing else in the world matters.
Grandmother Helen (grandmother) - She thinks that Peyton Monroe is leaving a black mark on her family and loathes her with every fiber of her being.