The note cracked me up,and I fired off a text to her.
Me:I’m totally fine with the pushy friend.
She got backthree thumbs up, a laughing face, a mad face, and more thumbs up.
Rachel:Dude. I so have you covered.
Me:Can’t wait—and just so you know. It’s a 2-way street. If you need me…
Rachel:I could be cheesy, but I get it. I’ll call. Thanks. CUsoon
The only realgood news I got in G’s class was my test score on that second test was a hell of a lot higher. He didn’t comment on Jake’s absence, and I didn’t ask. I used the time for homework and checking my phone. Arch and Coop had kept up a running chatter, more than usual. Pretty sure they were as worried as I was. I’d given in to temptation and sent texts to both Jake and Ian, but neither had answered.
That didn’t mean anything.
Or at least, I hoped it didn’t.
After class, I headed out, and it was weird to be leaving school without Jake right there. Coop met me at the door, and Archie was there, too. “Nothing?” I asked.
They both shook their heads.
“Okay, I’m going home if one of you will take me…and oh shit. Archie, I forgot with all of that. You’re awesome.”
“Well, thank you for noticing,” he said, his expression bemused. “But what did I do?”
“Coop’s car. That’s very awesome.”
He shot a glance at Coop and raised his brows. “You told her?”
“Yep,” Coop said as we fell into step. “Because she’s right man, you’re friggin’ awesome.”
“Here I was trying to not make it about me.”
“S’okay,” I told him as I looped our arms, Coop on one side and Archie on the other. “It’s not.”
They both laughed, then Archie clutched at his chest with his free hand. “Wounded.”
“You’ll live.”
“Anyway,” Coop said as we neared the Lexus. “What were you saying?” Archie had followed us all the way to it when his car was out in the other lot.
“Take me home, and I’m going to get changed and drive over to Ian’s. Harder to blow me off if I’m at the door.”
“Want me to go to Jake’s?” Archie asked before I could even suggest it.
“Would you?” That had been next.
“Not a problem,” he said, then squeezed my hand before fixing Coop with a look. “Drive carefully with her. I’ll text if I find anything out.”
It didn’t take long after we got home—and Coop gave me a very thorough kiss in the front seat of the car, because it needed to be christened with a kiss, right?—for me to take care of the cats, get changed, and check the mail.
Crap, I still had mail in my backpack. Making a mental note to check it later, I headed out. Mom was still MIA, and for once, I really was glad. Not sure what it said about me as her daughter that I didn’t really want to see her.
The drive to Ian’s seemed to take forever and was over in an instant. The garage door was shut, and there were no cars in the driveway. I was a little later than we normally got here. His parents had a date night on Tuesdays, so maybe they were already gone.
Blowing out a breath, I knocked and then got my phone ready to send him a text.
When the door opened, I was not prepared to see the swollen wreck of his face. Black eye, busted lip, and scraped chin.