“They make a cute couple, huh?” Veronica said. “She’s definitely changed for him.”

“Changed? What do you mean by that?”

“Look at her. She typically dresses like a guy. I almost didn’t recognize her tonight. She’s working hard to impress him.”

I swallowed. “Yes, I suppose.”

It was my turn to bowl, and this time my stress was put to good use. Apparently, all I had to do was imagine the ball was Archie’s head. I hit three strikes in a row.

What annoyed me the most about my reaction tonight was that I had no ground to stand on. There was no reason Archie and Teagan couldn’t or shouldn’t date each other. My feelings were my own problem, and I’d have to deal with them.

Eventually the four of us stopped playing for a while and sat down. Archie brought a pizza and a pitcher of beer over to the table.

“What time does this place close?” Veronica asked.

“Midnight,” Archie answered.

Teagan blew on her pizza slice. “It’s so cool that they stay open. I can’t remember the last time I was out this late, which is pretty pathetic.” She laughed. “Maybe I shouldn’t admit that.”

“Well, that’s unacceptable,” Archie piped up. “We need to get you out more often, Teagan. I volunteer as tribute.”

When he began to pour beer into Teagan’s cup, I held my hand out. “Whoa. What are you doing?”

Archie momentarily stopped pouring. “What do you mean?”

“She can’t drink. She’s underage,” I scolded.

“You’re kidding me, right? Did we not drink from the time we were, like, fifteen?”

“That doesn’t matter. If someone comes around and IDs her, she could get in trouble.”

Teagan shrugged the whole thing off. “It’s fine. I’m not a big drinker anyway.” She slid the cup back toward him.

Archie stared at me incredulously.

Veronica slapped my leg. “Since when did you become such a disciplinarian, Caleb? You don’t bat an eyelash when I drink, and I’m underage. You even buy it for me.”

Shit. She’s right. I’m a hypocrite.

The truth was I didn’t want Teagan drinking because I knew it would mess with her inhibitions. I was supposed to be spending the night at Veronica’s, while Teagan would head back to the house with Archie. I knew he’d try to weasel his way to her room. Still, I needed to come up with an answer for my behavior that Veronica would find suitable.

“I feel responsible for her because her parents have been very good to me. She can do what she wants, but it’s just stupid to give someone underage alcohol in a public place.”

“That’s what fake IDs are for.” Veronica winked. “Then you never have to worry about it.”

“It’s baffling what a goody goody you’ve become, Caleb.” Archie laughed. “I could tell you so many stories about the trouble Caleb used to get us into.”

Veronica smiled. “I’d love to hear some of those. I only get to see his bad boy side in bed.”

It could have been my imagination, but Teagan suddenly looked a bit uncomfortable. This whole outing was very uncomfortable for me, too.

“Are you going home for Christmas?” Archie suddenly asked me. “I’m sure your mum misses you.”

Christmas was coming up in a couple of weeks, and I had no plans to leave Boston.

I shook my head. “No.”

“Why not?”

“Funds are a bit tight right now.”

While money was a partial issue, that wasn’t the reason I wasn’t going home. This would be the first Christmas I’d spend away from my parents, and that was fine with me. Christmas was probably the most painful time of year. My mother always hung Emma’s stocking on the mantel alongside mine. My father withdrew into himself even more than usual. And my mother always insisted on wrapping a present for my dead sister, one that would have been age appropriate were she still alive. Then once she opened it, she’d donate it to charity.

Christmas wasn’t just sad, it was excruciating. And this year was the first opportunity to forego that pain.

“I’ll lend you the money to buy your ticket if you want to go home,” Archie said.

Of course he’d use this opportunity to seem like a martyr, to flaunt the fact that he held a full-time job and had some money.

“Thank you. But I’m actually looking forward to experiencing Christmas here in Boston. It will be my only opportunity to do that.”

Veronica looked disappointed. “I thought you said you’d think about coming home with me to Minnesota.”

The last thing I wanted was another inquisition from her parents, this time lasting an entire week or more.

“I think it’s best if you spend time with your family alone,” I said.

When she didn’t say anything else, I knew this would come up again later and turn into an argument about how she believed I planned to ditch her. I’d never actually told Veronica one way or the other what my plans for us would be when the school year was over. But wasn’t it obvious? Going back to England of course implied that we’d be splitting up. Yet she still seemed to treat things as if we were serious. Case in point, wanting me to join her in Minnesota for Christmas. Ultimately, I supposed I was planning to ditch her. But she seemed determined to change my mind about leaving or that we could make it work long-distance.