Tadhg

Archer's bedroom has a ledge outside his window that you can climb onto if you're careful. At night you can see across the neighborhood and into the valley from it. Tonight the sky is clear, there is a huge full moon shining bright and the stars are blazing.

Alcohol laces my veins with liquid pain relief so all of the cuts and bruises from tonight's game are currently numb. Corrine's kissing me with a lot of tongue and I gently bite her lip in an attempt to slow her down. At this rate if we keep going the way we are she'll either drown me or have me naked here on Archer's roof.

Having only had a half of beer herself Corrine is pretty much sober, but she is really intense tonight. I'm not sure what's gotten into her. I barely know Corrine but she's kissing me like we've been doing this for years. I feel like she wants to swallow me whole.

Needing a breath I break off the kiss and lean back against my palms. "Give me a minute, Corrine. Hold on."

Nothing about tonight feels right. Like an itch in my back that can't be reached, all I want to do is scratch my discomfort away, but nothing is working. I thought having a few beers would ease my mind, but they didn't make a dent. In fact, I feel like I'm even more focused on my own aggravation.

Corrine snakes her hand across my thigh, down to my knee and back up again before I can grab it.

"What're you doing, Corrine?" I ask.

"What do you think I'm doing, Tadhg? Come on, don't you like this?" she asks me seductively.

Normally, I'd say, "Oh yeah, I like that just fine." But tonight I can't get into it. In fact, now that I think about it it's been more and more that I haven't been able to get into things.

I frown.

I look over at Corrine and take in her face. She's beautiful. Some might even say drop dead gorgeous. She looks like a model just off the runway. Her hair is long and thick, pooling over her shoulders. She's petite but well-endowed. No problems there, I think to myself, stealing a look down her barely-there shirt.

What is wrong with me tonight?

I lean over to kiss Corrine again. For a few minutes I focus only on her. I hold her neck with my hand and lean us back against Archer's roof to deepen the kiss. I hear her moan beneath me and smile.

I still got it.

"No, she left," comes Archer's voice up to the ledge where we are. "She was drunk, but didn't want me to take her home. She wouldn't come up to my room with me either, little ice queen that she is."

I pause in my kiss and try to hear what he's saying.

"All that work you put into her all night and not even a kiss. You think maybe-

"No, man, I'm telling you, nothing. Like I said, ice queen, totally."

"Who're you guys talking about, Archer?" I hear Jenny's voice over the din. The guys get quiet and I wait for his response with bated breath. "Where's Caoilainn?"

"She left," Archer answers her.

"What? When, Archer?" Jenny asks surprised. "She was just here a few minutes ago. Where'd she go?"

"She didn't tell me. She just got up and left. Walked herself down the street; I guess she's going home. And besides, she wasn't just here. She left about a half hour ago."

"And you let her leave? Alone?" Jenny hollers at him. "Archer, it's dark out here and the woods! She can't be left-"

That's all I hear before I'm climbing back inside Archer's window and crossing his room to meet the top of his stairs. Corrine calls out to me but I only yell back that I'll call her later. I'm running down the stairs two at a time and am out the door before anyone can stop and talk to me.

I pass Siofra along the way and she calls out to me as well but I run past her. As I go Brody grabs my hand to ask me where I'm off to so quickly. He's toasted and sways back and forth on his feet with a smile. He wants to drink with me to tonight's victory but my mind is focused on Caoilainn.

While waylaid with Brody, Archer joins the crowd and starts to talk to me. I don't even think about it before I punch him in the jaw.

"What the fuck, Tadhg?"

When he returns the punch I feel a sharp pain in my brow. I wipe my hand over my eye and feel blood. We swap fists until Walker and Nick manage to pull us apart.

"You left her to walk home alone in the dark, Archer? What the fuck's the matter with you?" I shout at him. "Anyone could grab her along the way and pull her off the side of the road. No one would even miss her."

"She wanted to go, Tadhg," he yells back, wiping his lip with the back of his hand. "The bitch wanted to leave. I wasn't going to stop her."

"Oh, so what now? She's a bitch? What, she won't put out so you just cut her loose?" I thunder at him.

"Hey, if she wants to be a little ice-" before he can finish his sentence I rush from Walker's arms and tackle him to the ground.

"That's it, Tadhg," he screams when Nick gets him away from me again. "Get the fuck out. Go cool off somewhere else. I don't know what your problem is tonight, but get the fuck out and don't come back until you pull your head out of your ass."

"Go to hell, Archer!" I yell at him, shoving Walker away from me. "Sorry, man," I say, turning towards Walker. "I gotta go. Will you make sure Corrine gets home alright? I have to find Caoilainn."

"Tadhg, Jenny and I were just getting ready to leave anyway. Go get Corrine; we'll drop her off together. Cian and Siofra want to go to Denny's for a late-night munchie run. Maybe we can pick up Coailainn along the way."

'Thanks, Walker," I reply running back inside to get Corrine. We come back out and pile into the car to take off.

We never do find Caoilainn; as we drive Jenny gets a text message from her that she left the party and just got home. I sigh in relief and look over at Corrine. Now that Caoilainn is home I guess Corrine expects that we'll have the night to hang out. She's not happy at all when I ask Walker to drive her home before our trip to Denny's.

I'm no longer in the mood for Corrine. I need some space and some time to think. The car is silent when we pull up to Corrine's. I get out to open her door and walk her up the drive but barely give her a hug before dodging her kiss to run back to the car where everyone's waiting for me.

"Let's go," I shout, opening the back door to slide in. Cian looks over at me in anticipation.

"What? Are you hungry, or what? Let's go," I say to him, leaving no opportunity for questions.

"Sound good to me," he replies sitting back and looking at Siofra. "Let's roll, Walker. A grand slam breakfast is calling my name."

Corrine doesn't even text me the next day, nor week.

I don't mind in the least.

I have a feeling some things are about to change and Corrine is not going to be a part of it at all.

______________________

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