we weren’t. We were acquaintances at best, enemies at worst. The only thing we had in common was how much we needed that girl.
I couldn’t say how long Jacob, Vaughn, and I stood watching Archer and Jaz’s reunion from afar, but it was a while. All I could think was: that fucking prick. I should’ve stabbed him when I had the chance. Also, Jaz’s lips were going to be so chapped after that make-out session.
Seriously, though. I should’ve stabbed him when I had the chance.
Chapter Seventeen – Jaz
When my head hit my pillow that night, I was smiling as I fell asleep, my lips puckered out from all of my kisses with Archer. I probably should’ve tried to go slower with him, but hey, it wasn’t like we tore off each other’s clothes and had at it in the garden, so as far as I was concerned, we did take it slow.
The past was water under the bridge…as much as a still-unsolved murder could be water under the bridge.
Mom was relieved I was home at a reasonable hour—just after midnight. She’d stayed up to wait for me, though Ollie had gone to bed. Jacob had gone home already, right after Archer had dropped me off.
Honestly, tonight went better than I thought it would. I’d been expecting something horrible to happen, more shit to hit the fan. It seemed Midpark had a never-ending supply of shit, constantly loading it on a slingshot and flung right at me. I was tired of it, but I was glad Archer realized it, too.
Sleep took me almost immediately, the very same moment my head hit the pillow, and I was out. A dreamless sleep took me over, the warm hug of unconsciousness a sweet one. No nightmares, no anxieties. Just the calm sleep of a girl who’d had a great night, a girl who, for the first time in a while, had a hope that the future would get better.
Silly, silly me.
I was woken up early the next morning, the beginning hints of daylight streaming through my window. Just before six A.M., and both my mom and Ollie stood in my room. My mom wore her pajamas still, while Ollie wore a freshly-pressed suit, his cell phone in his hand.
Eyebrows creasing, I was slow to sit up as I yawned. “What’s going on?” I asked, though the words came out jumbled since I was so tired, my voice a little raspy.
“What party were you at last night?” Mom asked. Her arms were over her chest, but that didn’t stop me from noticing how she was shaking. Her blonde hair was in a messy bun on top of her head, heavy bags under her eyes. Normally she’d be up and about by now, but since she stayed up late for me, it looked like she’d been woken out of a slumber, too.
Ollie was the only one in the entire room that was awake and fully alert.
“Um…” I thought hard.
“Was it at the Taylor residence?” Ollie asked, his watery blue eyes on me, zeroed in like I’d done something. Like, after all, that party had been a mistake, just as we all knew it would be.
But…no. Nothing happened at the party. I mean, I made out with Archer for a while, but that was it. I certainly didn’t think making out with Archer Vega merited a talk this early in the morning. Sure, it might be best to lay low where he and I were concerned, especially if whoever killed Brittany was still watching, but last night my hormones had taken control. What could I say? I’d had a weakness for Archer, even after I’d found out he’d lied to me. That blonde had me.
“That sounds familiar,” I said, running a hand through my hair. Knotty and unkempt, because I didn’t brush it after the party. I’d just shed my hoodie, my jacket, and my pants and crawled into bed. Which meant I couldn’t get out of this bed until Ollie left the room.
“Detective Wilde called me,” he went on, frowning slightly. “Something happened at that party, but he won’t tell me what it is. He’d like for you to come in for questioning. Get ready. He wants us there as soon as possible.” Saying nothing else, Ollie turned on his heel and walked out, leaving me alone with my mom.
My mom, who currently stared at me with the hardest I told you so glare I’d ever been witness to. And then she thought to say it