Just a short one this week guys. Promise next week will actually be an edited and longer chapter as I'll have much more time. Hope you are also enjoying the new cover! I thought it was time for an upgrade!! Thanks for reading everyone- I love you guys so much and I'm so glad to see that more and more people are reading this every day. It is so amazing. So thanks guys xxxxoooo
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Life is normal. I haven't said that in a long time. But it is now. The first few months were absolute chaos but now it's just well...normal. Ordinary, normal, underwhelming. I still don't like living here but when something becomes normal you begin to not notice it much anymore. I wake up, get dressed, go to school, sit with my friends at lunch, come home, do homework, mess around, Skype Carly, kiss mum goodnight, go to bed. Repeat. Repeat. Repeat. Except I haven't spoken to Archie in a week. A whole week since our little escapade in the hut. A whole week. 7 days. 168 hours. 604800 seconds. I don't know why, I don't know how but he intrigues me. I want to see him. I need to see him. I see the back of his head in English class and that's it. Not a wave, a hello, a text an anything. Half the time his car isn't even in his driveway so I can't go over there and speak to him. But I need to. I need to speak about us and ask him about us. I need to ask him why and how and what us is. What are we? I feel like a crazy ex girlfriend thinking about him so much. That moody boy that I just don't understand. I stare out of my window at his house. I can see Jane cooking away in the kitchen and Lucie playing on their back porch. He isn't there. He's never there.
Where do you go Archibald Parker? I say in my head. Ughh. I sigh. Why am I obsessing over this? It was only last week when I finally recovered from my...attacks. Carly thinks I'm insane. So does Cat. I tell them over and over that he is capable of being nice. I know it. And I know he's shady and seems to be hiding stuff but maybe he's just guarded. I'll find it out. I will. I pledged that I would and I will. It's Sunday today. A normal Sunday.
***
I'm lying on my bed, reading a novel when I hear the ring of the doorbell. I can barely hear it in my room but it's so quiet and calm and sunny outside that the sound manages to float up through my window. The doorbell barely ever rings. Who could it be? I open my door and stick my head out to listen.
"LEXA," yells my mum from the bottom of the stairs. "Archie is here to speak to you!"
I freeze in my tracks and slam the door behind me, leaning back, panting. Archie's here. Shit. Shit. Archie is here. Fuck. I look down at the sweater I've worn so much it has holes in it and my frilly pyjama shorts. Shit. I frantically look around helplessly. Do I even have bloody time to get changed. Suddenly I hear someone walking upstairs.
"Just a minute mum!" I call out, jumping away from the door to make my way to the closet. There's a loud knock and I jump. The knock comes again. Louder this time. Shit.
"Mum, wait I'm coming," I yell. I make my way to my closet but me being incapable of controlling my body parts, I trip on whatever shit I've left on the floor and topple over onto my makeup cabinet. There's a giant CRACK as the edge of it splinters and my makeup clatters everywhere. "Ow. Ow. Ow," I hop around as the big mirror falls on my foot. My elbow is hurting badly and I can feel blood dripping off of it. It takes me a second to notice that the door has opened and two concerned faces are staring at me. One is my mum. And one is Archibald Parker.
My mum just stands with a hand over her mouth for a moment and Archie looks just as shocked.
"Um is this a bad time?" he says, scratching the back of his neck.
"Are you alright Alexis?" my mum says with wide eyes. I just nod. She looks at my elbow and sharply looks away from the blood.
"Are you sure Lexa?" Archie asks.
"Yep," I put on a brave face even though it hurts like hell. "What are you here for?" I grimace up at Archie. I can feel the blood from my elbow dripping so I slap my other hand up to stop it.
"I don't feel so well," my mum says, paling.
"That's okay. Just leave us mum," I say to her, though half pleading for her to get Archie to leave. Did he have to come right at this moment? She shuts the door behind her. I begin painfully to pick up my makeup. Lucky I have carpet or I'd have a bad case of shattered palettes.
"Hey Lexa," smiles Archie. I pretend he isn't there. At first I was happy to see him but now I'm just mad.
"Where have you been Archie?" I say flatly as I pick up my bottle of foundation with care. and place it back on the cabinet.
"Oh I just, I had stuff to do," he bites his lips and rubs the back of his neck again. I hate how I love that he does that. I sway a bit with dizziness. The pain is getting to me. "Hey, sit down," he says and touches my elbow. I yelp as he touches the cut in the wrong spot. "Woah that's bleeding bad," he says, guiding me to the bathroom. Let's wash that. I can only comply as I feel myself getting weak. Why is it that Archie is always here in my weakest moments. He sets me down on the toilet and rummages in my cupboard, finding some ratty towel, wetting it and patting my cut. My eyelids feel heavy and I barely feel him stroking the sore spot. He looks up and I catch the glint of his gorgeous eyes.
"Wow, so pretty," I mumble before sitting up straight and snapping out of my trance. I feel the blush rising up to my cheeks. I just said that out loud. I said that Archie's eyes are pretty. Maybe he didn't hear.
"What?" he says confusedly.
"Nothing," I say, looking away outside the window. "Why are you even here Archie?" I ask, looking into his eyes now. I feel much better. He freezes and puts the cloth on the vanity.
"I- I just. Maybe I should wait till you're thinking properly," he says. I just wait, staring into his eyes.
"Why are you here?" I sternly repeat.
He sighs in defeat. "I was wondering, Lexa Fox, if you wanted to catch up this week?"
I blink, my face blank. Catch up? What?
"Okay," I blurt out.
"Okay?" he repeats.
"Okay," I simply say again. He checks his watch.
"I have to go," he says, standing up.
"Okay," I repeat.
"Okay," he says, trying to suppress a massive grin. "Okay," he whispers, before giving a wave and walking out. "I'll call you," he yells out. I don't have time to be angry or upset with him for not talking to me this week or even time to go after him and ask him what actually just happned. I hear the front door open and shut downstairs.
I'm going out with Archie this week. Okay. What the hell just happened. Okay.
Today is just a normal Sunday. Normal, ordinary, okay.
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CHAPTER XIX RELEASE:
Sat 8 October 7:00am CDT (central daylight time USA)
Australia: Sat 8 October 9:30pm ACST (Australian Central Standard Time)
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