Archie’s smile is gorgeous. ‘Rio taught me ten soccer tricks in ten days once,’ he says. ‘But when I could do them better than him, he went crazy.’ He makes a furious face and waves his hands in the air like he’s miming Rio going crazy.
It’s my turn to grin. ‘One time Jai actually thought to open the lunchbox and saw it was empty. He still brought it up to the school, but told me I had to stop crying wolf.’ I haven’t thought of the next bit for aeons, but now it comes back to me. ‘Then, right there in the playground, in front of everyone, he started howling like a wolf.’ I start laughing with the memory of Jai howling in the playground. The other kids had no clue what was going on with my crazy brother. I was really embarrassed at the time, but now it just seems really funny. Plus, I never did that thing with the lunch again.
‘Ah, a practical joker,’ Archie says with a grin. ‘Rio used a prankster app on my iPhone and called Mr Cartwright without blocking my number. He called me back fifteen minutes later and I answered. Sprung. I got a detention.’
‘Oh my god, which app?’ I ask.
‘Hello, is that the pizza man?’ Archie says in a kiddie voice. I know that app. The girls and I have used it heaps. It’s hilarious. But it wouldn’t have been hilarious to be sprung by Mr C.
‘Obviously, they’re both lunatics. Why would we miss them?’ I say.
We’re both laughing when Hazel and Leo step back out onto the porch.
‘We’ve finished talking about … the thing,’ Leo says.
I can feel Archie slide a little closer to me. The gap between us is electric. ‘I think there’s another … um … thing you need to talk about,’ he says. ‘Five minutes?’
Hazel gives a very small, hidden thumbs up as she goes back inside. Archie steps out from the windowsill so that he’s in front of me. So we’re face to face.
‘Edi,’ he says, serious now. ‘Things didn’t go … well … the way I wanted them to. I actually …’ his voice trails off before he finishes his sentence, but I understand anyway.
‘Why did we break up?’ I ask.
He shakes his head. ‘That’s hard to … um … explain,’ he says.
I wait, this time. I want him to communicate with me. I want us to communicate with each other.
‘I got … a bit … well, freaked that you didn’t want me to play soccer at lunchtime, because I really love soccer.’
‘I know you do,’ I say and nod. To let him know that I get it. That maybe, I was a bit too full-on.
He pauses. Then he breathes out and breathes in again like he’s trying to suck in some words and it’s really awkward, but he is seriously cute. He even rocks his school uniform.
‘That’s not all, I guess,’ he continues. ‘It’s like we didn’t really seem to have much to talk about. At least, that’s what I thought,’ he says softly, ‘but after we broke up I kind of realised I hadn’t given it much of a go.’ He does stop talking this time.
‘We only really talked about soccer,’ I say, and there’s something about saying it aloud that makes me feel giggly all over again.
‘Jeez,’ he says, like he’s just realised something. ‘You don’t like soccer, do you, Edi Rhineheart?’
I think for a moment. Part of me just wants to tell him that of course I like soccer. Part of me doesn’t want to lose that connection. But it’s not a real connection. And now, after we’ve been able to talk about my brother and his cousin, I feel like we might be able to throw out the stuff that isn’t real.
I want him to like me for me.
‘Nup!’ I say and it flies out of my mouth and the next thing I know, Archie has stepped forward and he has his hands around my waist and he’s tickling me like he’s never going to stop.
When he finally does, I take a step back away from him. I look him right in those gorgeous green eyes. My heart starts thumping in my chest.
I’m going to do it.
It’s just like Hazel said. I’m ready. I don’t want to wait around, hoping for him to ask me again. Not even five minutes. It feels like a waste of time.
We have so much to learn about each other, but at least we’ve made a start, and it’s a way better start than last time. If for some freaky reason I’ve misjudged things and Archie just wants to be my friend, I’ll be devastated. But I don’t feel like I’m guessing about him liking me anymore.
The curtain on the window shifts a little and I see Hazel’s face peek through. She gives me a little wave and I lift my hand in answer, so she knows I’m okay and the curtain falls back into place.
I have the best friends on the planet. If Archie says no, I’ll live. I’m pretty sure of that.
‘Archie?’ My voice is a bit squeaky but I make myself go on. ‘Do you want to try again? Do you want to go out with me?’
For a second, he doesn’t react. There’s nothing there. I can’t read his eyes or his mouth. Zip. He blinks.
Then his whole face lights up. Eyes. Mouth. He gives me the lot, Archie de Souza.
‘Yes.’ He says it simply, and words aren’t the easiest thing for Archie, but the way he pulls me into him? That’s easy.
‘Edi,’ he says. I look up to him. ‘I don’t really want to pretend to be your maths tutor with your parents,’ he says. ‘It just doesn’t feel very … honest, you know?’
I do know. I want to start again. It was unfair of me to ask him to act like he was something he’s not. I don’t want to pretend about anything anymore. I nod. ‘Deal,’ I say.
It’s not going to be easy, being honest about Archie with Mum and Dad. At least Mum kind of gets some of what’s going on. Even though she thinks I’ve broken up with Archie, at least she knows I’ve had a boyfriend. I hope she’ll help me tell Dad. That will be something else entirely. Still, I have to try. It’s the only way anything will change between us. I will try.
‘Okay, time’s totally UP,’ Hazel says, stomping onto the porch with Leo following her.
Archie and I smile at them.
Hazel gives us the thumbs up and then beckons for us to come inside.
Archie and I lean in towards each other for one last beautiful hug.
Before all this, I imagined myself getting lost in his arms. In him. But I don’t feel lost in Archie de Souza’s arms anymore.
I feel found.
Things I Don’t Know
Leni doesn’t understand her friends or family at all. Why does Anya want to start a dumb kissing competition? Why won’t her grandmother quit smoking? And why is her athletics buddy Adam acting like a big weirdo around her?
The Leni meets Jo … the new girl at school. She’s cool and fun, and totally on Leni’s wavelength. But as their friendship grows, Leni finds she has questions about Jo too. Or maybe they are questions about herself. Whatever it is, she doesn’t know the answers!
Waiting For It
When the boys at school put up a list of the hottest girls in hser year, Hazel is ranked halfway down. It figures. Even on something as stupid as a hot list, Hazel is stuck in the middle.
She’s sick of being nearly-but-not-quite grown-up, kind-of popular, almost good-looking. And she’s sick of waiting for things to change. It’s time to take matters into her own hands!
It’s Not Me, It’s You
Erin doesn’t know exactly when it happened, but it happened. Boys started being boyfriends. Girls started wearing make-up to school. And her big sister started keeping secrets about her love-life.
It seems like everyone is changing around Erin, and yet she’s still the same. She’s fine doing her own thing, but she never thought she’d be deliberately left out. How can Erin grow up and just be herself?
I Heart You, Archie de Souza
published in 2012 by
Hardie Grant Egmont
Ground Floor, Building 1, 658 Church Street
Richmond, Victoria 3121, Australia
www.hardiegrantegmont.com.au
This ebook is also available as a print edition in all good bookstores.
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ghts reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form by any means without the prior permission of the publishers and copyright owner.
A CiP record for this title is available from the National Library of Australia
eISBN 9781742739281
Text copyright © 2012 Chrissie Keighery
Illustration and design copyright © 2012 Hardie Grant Egmont
Design by Michelle Mackintosh
Text design and typesetting by Ektavo
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