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[indent]Jun’s arrival at the scene surprised Marisol. In all the shitty events that had taken place at this goddamned party, the girl had honestly forgotten all about her favorite Asian friend. Not that she was [i]all[/i] to blame, of course: almost drowning, making out with your worst fucking enemy and then nearly dying of hypothermia would do that to you. But Jun didn’t need to know about the perils of her trip to the Devil’s Den. So instead of having yet [i]another[/i] Marisol Meltdown, she’d put up her best face and pretend that everything was fine.

[color=brown]“Abandon you in this hellhole? Never,”[/color] Sol told him, playfully punching his arm. She turned to Archer with a questioning expression. [color=brown]“Didn’t you see Jun when you went in to look for him and Son?”[/color]

Still staring at the über screen on his phone and following the small car religiously, Archer looked up at his friends.[color=35996B] “I mean it’s a [i]huge[/i] house! I just figured they were doing something together and I am really done with this shitshow!”[/color] He shifted his gaze towards Jun, running his fingers through his hair. [color=35996B]“I’m sorry J-bird, but you’re here now and just in time for the über! So let’s not keep Shaun waiting!” [/color]He kept making small movements for them to get going.  

[color=9AC667]“Dude. You've been in that huge house like half-a-dozen times. It isn’t a maze.”[/color]

[color=brown]“What’s your hurry, anyway, Archie? The car isn’t even here…”[/color] Mari asked the curly-haired boy, eyebrows knotting together in suspicion now. She’d recognized that tell-tale tick Archer had when he was nervous about something: he had done it just a second ago. It meant that there was probably something the young man wasn’t telling her. And when that happened, it usually meant bad news… That or she was just being ultra paranoid tonight.

[color=9AC667]“So we’re taking an [i]über?[/i] Did Sonny finally crash his truck into a tree or something? Are we going to its funeral? Will there be a nice ceremony?”[/color]

Taking a deep breath Archer steadied himself, he locked eyes with Jun trying to send some kind of telepathic message to [b][i]SHUT THE FUCK UP[/i][/b]. He let out a sound that was a mixture of a grunt and a sigh. [color=35996B]“No, we are going to mine, if we do not get the hell out of here. Or are we having such a [i]great[/i] time here, Marisol?!”[/color] This earned him a deathly glare from the green-eyed girl. It was obvious that he was getting stressed and a little frustrated.

[color=9AC667]“You're having a truck funeral? Wow. Nice.”[/color] Jun looked over to Archer with a worrying look. [color=9AC667]“Jokes aside, are you alright dude? I think if you sweat any more you’ll melt.”[/color]

[color=brown]“Yeah, Archer: [i]are you okay[/i]?”[/color] Marisol repeated with mocking sarcasm, crossing her arms in front of her chest.

Archer gave her a fake smile. [color=35996B]“I’m just fine, dear!”[/color] he replied, his tone indicating how done he was with this night. [color=35996B]“I’m just saying, a minute ago you were jonesing to get out of here and now you want to wait for Torvald?”[/color] he lamented, running his hand through his hair once again. 

At the mention of Sonny, Mari’s expression hardened. [color=brown]“I’m not saying I want to wait for anyone, [i]Archer Frederick Diedrikson[/i]. I’m just asking what’s your hurry. That’s all.”[/color]

Ouch! Hitting him with the full name? She really [i]was[/i] annoyed. Archer scowled at his small friend. [color=35996B]“We’re going around in circles here. I want to leave: the sooner the better. Therefore, I am in a hurry. Besides the uber is here!”[/color] He waved his phone in the air showing the little notification telling them to meet the driver. 

Greeting Shaun as opened the passenger side door of the silver Lexus that had just rolled up to the group, Archer let out a sigh of relief.

[b]“Archer? Ready to leave?”[/b] Shaun asked them cheerfully from his seat behind the wheel, looking at his passengers from the rearview mirror with a welcoming smile.

[color=35996B]“Oh, Shaun, you have no idea!”[/color] He mumbled as he slid into the front passenger seat next to him. Still frowning, Marisol took a seat on the back passenger seat.

Jun took the seat next to Marisol as he closed the door behind him, [color=9AC667]“To infinity! And beyond!”[/color]

As the car drove away from the booming music Archer closed his eyes trying to process what had just gone down. Was he the only one who had seen? How long would he be able to keep this from Mari? He opened his eyes with a decision figured out, he will tell her in the morning. Silently he was hatching a plan as to how he would do it, he was so deep in thought that he didn’t even notice when the car pulled up in front of his house. 

“First stop!” Shaun exclaimed, jolting Archer back to life.

He turned around to face his friends [color=35996B]“Well this has been an unbelievable joy! I love you both, and Mari, I will call you tomorrow! Peace!”[/color] he jumped out of the car and trudged towards his house.

Jun's eyes remained on Archer's house for a few moments, his arms stretched backward in a casual, resting manner. He wasn't sure why his friend had been acting skittish since they left Diablo's party. The only thing he knew was that it wasn't normal and both he and Marisol had picked up on it since the moment the car pulled up. The Asian-American teenager wasn't exactly Sherlock Holmes, but he felt like there was something up and it just wasn't the nerves like it normally was. Without skipping a beat he looked over to Marisol and wondered if she had any ideas.

[color=9AC667]“So. What do you think he doesn't want to tell us? He was pretty anxious and I don’t mean in the normal Archer Diedrikson way.”[/color]

Mari shook her head and shrugged. [color=brown]“I have absolutely no idea. But what I do know is that it must be some serious shit. He seemed way too excited to bust out of this car in my opinion.”[/color]

[color=9AC667]“You think him and Sonny got into it?”[/color] Jun wondered out loud. The idea that Sonny and Archer got into a fight or pseudo-fight wasn’t exactly a big leap of faith and Archer had mentioned Sonny several times while waiting anxiously for the über to arrive. Jun thought it was weird and when he attempted to lighten the mood and see if what the deal with he had given him a [i]look[/i]. Usually that was when Jun started to get worried about his friend. Looks were [i]bad[/i].

[color=brown]“I dunno. Maybe.”[/color] Another shrug from the short girl. [color=brown]“I doubt it, though. Pretty sure Archie would be very vocal about getting into a fight with Son, so I’m pretty sure something else is bothering him. I’m just not sure [i]why[/i].”[/color]

[color=9AC667]“That’s Archer for you. Won’t come around until it’s the last minute. Like he’s revealing the last line of a cliffhanger episode. It’s annoying.”[/color]

[color=brown]“Tell me about it!”[/color] Mari admitted, the corners of her mouth curling up a little. [color=brown]“I love him, and he’s like a third brother to me. But I [i]hate it[/i] when he does that.”[/color]

[color=9AC667]“You and the entire population of Palm Springs.”[/color]

The brunette’s mouth curled up even more, a closed-lipped smile now visible as she turned her green eyes to Jun. [color=brown]“Oh well… You can’t please everyone!”[/color] she said simply, choosing to change the subject. [color=brown]“Anyway, did you enjoy the party, though?”[/color]

[color=9AC667]“I mean. It’s about the same as the last few times. Other people had drama, I laughed, and eventually got bored. Way less interesting than the last time we went to a party at Diablo’s place, though. I still remember the one in junior year when that Nate guy challenged Kavi to a fight in front of everyone. Got his ass beat so bad he switched schools.”[/color] Jun laughed, recalling the ‘battle of the beach’ as he had named it. Probably in his top 5 of Kings Academy drama.

[color=brown]“Fuck, that was a good one!”[/color] Mari admitted, letting out a loud, cackling laugh. [color=brown]“Shiiiiiiit, I remember that! We were chilling in the hot tub and they just started going at it in front of us and we were scared the dudes were gonna end up inside the tub with us!”[/color]

[color=9AC667]“I'm pretty sure I missed the good shit this time, though. Maybe Diablo should invest in a smaller house. That or get Baxter to just video tape the whole house. Live stream it. I can see it now.”[/color] Jun smirked as he made a big hand gesture. [color=9AC667]“The Real Housewives of Kings Academy.”[/color]

Another round of laughter was in order for Jun. [color=brown]“You are such an idiot!”[/color] Mari cried out with a smile, softly slapping his arm. [color=brown]“Real talk, though? It would be a motherfucking [i]hit[/i].”[/color]

[color=9AC667]“I really should go into marketing.”[/color]

[color=brown]“Looks like you’ve found your true calling,”[/color] she teased, resting her head on his shoulder. 

[color=9AC667]“Maybe. I still prefer guitar.”[/color] He uttered, noticing Marisol’s behavior shifting a little. He wondered if it was just exhaustion or something else. Either way, it wasn’t his place to pry. If she wanted him to be a clown while winding down from a shitty party, well, that was what he was going to do.

[b]“And we’re here! Last stop of the night!”[/b] Shaun announced, his car now parked on the entrance to the Castillo driveway.

That was when it dawned on Jun. Archer hadn't put in Jun's address on the über app. Of course he didn't. His immediate response was expected. [color=9AC667]“What the fuck, Archer? I am so going to kick his ass now.”[/color]

Instead of being annoyed, Sol was amused at the whole thing. [color=brown]“Stop being such a pussy, J. You can just come on up to my room and we can chill or whatever. I could really use the fucking company after that goddamn party from hell,”[/color] she admitted, opening her passenger door and stepping out of the car. [color=brown]“Oh! And thanks, Shaun! I’ll be sure to give you five big stars, k?”[/color]

[color=9AC667]“Whatever. I need to charge my phone before I can call [i]my[/i] über, anyway. I can chill for a bit.”[/color] He said as he exited the car.

The friend duo silently made their way to the Castillo home, making sure to make as little noise as possible upon Mari’s request. Although her parents weren’t the type to be on her ass about getting home late now that she was eighteen, she was sure they wouldn’t be too approving of Jun’s presence in her bedroom at this time of night. Her mother wouldn’t mind much, but her father would certainly have a heart attack if he found out.[/indent]