Unintended Consequences

Chapter 27

Potential Trigger Warning: References to verbal and physical abuse.
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"Please, Charlotte! I'm only in town for tonight! The guys said you come here all of the time, why won't you come to see me?"

I sighed into the phone. Because your best friend broke my heart? Because I don't want to risk seeing him? Because I'm pretty sure if I have to look at his cold eyes one more time, I'll lose it? "Because Oliver... I have a lot of homework. If I had known you were coming to town I could have finished it earlier," I lied.

"Sorry, Lotty." Oliver's voice was muffled by the music in the background. "James literally called me tonight after dinner and I just hopped in my car right away and drove here. But I really want to see you! We don't really get to hang out like this anymore."

The sincerity in his voice shook me. There was no excuse I could give Oliver that would justify not wanting to see him. Not without driving a wedge between him and Archer—which I wasn't ready to do. "Okay," I sighed. "If I can get Mads to walk over with me, I'll come by. But only for a bit, Ollie."

Twenty minutes later Madeline and I were walking up to the football house arm-in-arm. "You're strong okay? Just relax and if it's too much, we leave. No questions asked," she spoke into my ear as we approached the front steps.

"Thanks, Mads." I smiled up at her. "Let's just find Oliver and get this over with."

This party was much more intense than the last one we came to. People spilled out of the house everywhere. The front lawn had clumps of party-goers standing in thick streaks of smoke. The front door flew open as more people came pouring out. The open door created a frame for me to peek through.

The lighting was low, but party lights cast bursts of colour over the crowd. Everyone inside looked like sweaty sardines shoved into a can. Anxiety prickled my spine at the thought of getting trapped in that many people.

We walked through the front door, angling our bodies to slip through the people leaving. I took a moment to gain my barrings as I peered around the party. I couldn't see Oliver but there was a large group of the football guys crowded near the kitchen, which had once again been turned into a bar. Drunk people crammed into whatever small spaces they could find in the living area, dancing and yelling.

Madeline's hand shot to my wrist and tightened, pulling my attention back to her. Her hard eyes were locked on something on the outskirts of the crowd. Confused, I traced her line of vision to see what had her so tense.

A phantom hand reached into my chest and squeezed my heart as I found what she was looking at. Archer was sitting in a recliner pushed up against the wall. He was twisted so his back faced us, but I recognized his broad shoulders and messy brown waves immediately. Teela was propped on the arm of his chair, whispering in his ear.

Archer's hand came up and grasped her arm for a moment, his head shook as he said something to her. Teela looked up and our eyes connected. She smirked at me, sending a chill down my spine, before shifting her attention back to Archer. She leant forward running her finger over his shoulder flirtatiously before getting up and walking away.

I stood frozen, unable to comprehend what I should do. Tears stung my eyes making me blink rapidly to keep them at bay. Coming here had been a bad idea. After everything that happened between us, how could I not have assumed that he'd be here with someone else?

Pain shot through me as I stared at him. I couldn't bring myself to look away even as I felt Madeline yanking on my shirt to pull me outside. Seeing Archer now—after almost a week apart—made my invisible wounds feel fresh and raw again. But a sick part of me was also grateful to see him at all. I guess I was a glutton for punishment.