Chapter 22: Drama

"Now slow down a bit Archer and tell us what happened." Ben said.

Mal had dragged Archer back into her and Evie's room after he said he had fucked things up with Freddie. This had been enough to awaken Ben from his slumber and after a brief complaint about a headache, he had joined the other two in their conversation.

"Start from the beginning." Mal said as she pushed Archer down in a chair.

"Okay." Archer said as he took a deep breath. "So, we had just said goodbye to you and I was about to drop her off at her room."

"Right." Mal said.

"So, I just start saying the usual stuff, you know, 'was a fun night' and 'we should do it again sometimes'." Archer continued.

Mal groaned.

"What?" Archer asked.

"We should do it again sometimes? Really? You say that when you try to turn down a girl?" Mal said loudly.

"I meant that we should hang out as friends more often!" Archer counter stated.

"Well she doesn't know that!" Mal replied.

"It's not like I invited her into my bed immediately!" Archer tried to defend himself.

"God, it's all just about extremes with you boys! Have you ever even heard of a middle ground?" Mal angrily asked.

"Why can't you girls be better at taking hints!?" Archer countered.

"Don't even go there!" Mal warned.

"Alright guys, calm down! Let's first hear the rest of the story Archer." Ben intervened.

"Right. So, I had opened the door for her and wanted to give her a hug. And then she just goes straight for it and kisses me!" Archer said.

"Oh." Ben and Mal both said as their mouths fell open. "Did you kiss her back?" Mal asked hesitantly.

Archer looked back with a pained expression. "No, I immediately turned away and sort of held her at arms-length."

"And how did she react?" Mal asked.

"First, she was quiet, and so was I. Then I started explaining that I did not like her that way, but that I really wanted to remain friends. At first, she seemed kind of in denial, then she got sad. I could see the tears in her eyes. Then she slapped me." Archer said.

"She slapped you?" Ben asked indignant.

"Yep, and that was followed by some screaming and yelling and name-calling. The details are pretty vague, we had a lot to drink."

"You don't say." Mal said as she squeezed the bridge of her nose to try and diminish the pain in her head. "So, then what happened?"

"She pushed me into the hallway and slammed the door in my face. Then I just went back to my room." Archer said.

"You didn't try to consolidate her?" Mal asked.

"I was tired, I was drunk! I hated seeing her like that and I didn't know what to say anyway." Archer replied.

"You just left a crying girl all alone in her room!?" Mal exclaimed. "Real gentlemanly of you."

Archer gave an exasperated sigh. "Would she have even listened if I tried to talk to her?"

"Well, I guess we will never know now." Mal replied.

"Stop! What he could have done better is not important right now!" Ben said to Mal.

"Are you defending him?" Mal asked Ben indignant.

"Only slightly." Ben defended himself. "Yes, he's been a bit of an idiot not telling Freddie how he felt right away. But come on Mal, you know that he didn't mean any harm."

"Yeah, okay. But in this argument, we're on Freddie's side though." She warned him.

"Sure sweetie." Ben replied when he saw Mal's intense stare. "But I do believe that we need to figure out what to do now."

The three of them stayed quiet for a while after Ben's last statement.

"Wait, Archer. Why are you all sweaty by the way?" Mal suddenly asked.

Archer looked himself up and down. "Ehm, when I woke up I was really mad with myself, so had to let off some steam. I ran to Auradon city and back."

"How are you not dead?" Mal asked with skeptic shock. "Running to Auradon city and back with a hangover!?"

"I don't really have that much of a hangover to be honest." Archer replied.

"How? You drank as much as we did at the dance."

"I have been in the army for about six years. I have learnt how to handle drinking." Archer replied.

"Damn, what? Did they give you whiskey for breakfast or what?" Mal joked.

"Guys, this is not the issue we should focus on!" Ben suddenly intervened.

Mal and Archer nodded.

"So, what do I do? Should I try to talk to her?" Archer proposed.

"You mean, the thing you should have done before the dance? Yes! Talk to her! Like it or not, you are the only one who can fix this." Mal said.

"I really want to make things better, I'll go there right now." Archer said as he stood up.

"NO!" Both Ben and Mal yelled as they pulled him back down. "You want to go now!?" Mal asked indignant.

"Sure, why not? Best to quickly get it done right?" Archer said surprised.

"Archer, you might me impervious to the effects of alcohol, but my guess is that Freddie has a pretty bad hangover, you should wait for it to pass." Ben proposed.

"You are probably right." Archer said as he let himself fall back on his chair. "I probably should have listened to your advice Mal, I'm sorry."

"Oh, you should be." Mal replied. "And I had warned you if you hurt Freddie in any way that you'd have to deal with me, so I'll be coming for you if you don't make things right!"

Archer looked at Ben mildly uneasy. "Dude, she really scares me sometimes."

Ben smiled and pulled Mal in for a hug. "Tell me about it."

It had been a few more hours before Archer decided to go try and see Freddie. He had naturally taken a shower and had brought Mal along for some support, even though she had made it abundantly clear she was on Freddie's side in this matter. Ben had been called back to perform some kingly duties but had wished him good luck.

When Archer finally reached the door, he breathed in and hesitated before knocking.

"Come on." Mal said as she put a hand on his shoulder. "You can do this."

Archer knocked.

They heard a brief shuffle inside before the door was opened by Jordan, Freddie's roommate. She looked quite tired, but her eyes immediately went wide when she saw Archer.

"Ehm, I'm not sure if it's the best idea for you to come in right now." Jordan said.

"I know." Archer replied. "But I really need to talk to Freddie, I need to clear things up. Please let me come talk to her. It won't take long."

Jordan looked back into the room for a second and Archer heard her whisper to someone before she turned back to him and Mal. "Please don't do anything to upset her even more." She begged of him and she opened the door.

Freddie sat upright on her bed, still in her pajamas and her hair had obviously been unkept since yesterday. When she looked at Archer, he could see that her eyes were wet and bloodshot.

"Hey." Archer said awkwardly.

"Hey." Freddie replied sadly.

"How do you feel?" Archer asked.

Mal mentally slapped herself when Archer asked that question. Could he really not guess how she felt?

"Nauseous and a headache, combine really well with the sadness of rejection." Freddie murmured.

Mal moved past Archer, sat down next to Freddie and put an arm around her. "I'm so sorry for you Freddie, I know Archer has been an idiot but he's here to apologize."

"I really am." Archer immediately said as he kneeled down next to Freddie. "I'm so sorry. I should have told you sooner, Mal had actually urged me to. I just thought that if I told you I only liked you as a friend, that you wouldn't want to go to the dance with me. I was wrong. I was a stupid fool and I am so sorry if I have done anything to lead you on. I really want us to stay friends."

Freddie looked down sadly. "It's fine. I guess I just got in over my head. It's just- you were so nice. I really liked you. I have just never really had anyone like that on the isle."

This obviously made Archer feel even worse for her, but it was Mal who answered.

"You know Freddie, a very smart person once told me something. 'If he doesn't love you, then he's not the one'. Trust me, someone else will definitely come along. It just won't be Archer and there's nothing wrong with that." Mal said.

Freddie gave a slight smile. "You're one to talk. Your first love was Ben and he immediately turned out to be your true love."

"True." Mal said, not taken by surprise. "I got lucky, extremely lucky. I love Ben with all my heart and I want you to experience the same. That's why you need to forget about Archer. It may take some time, but trust me, you will find someone, just give it time."

Freddie sniffed. "You're right. You're all right. I have been overreacting."

"Nonsense." Archer said. "Love is both the most beautiful and dangerous emotion there is, and it should be handled with care. I am not the one Freddie, but some day you will make someone else very lucky." He said as he patted her on the shoulder.

"Thank you." Freddie replied. "And I'm so sorry for slapping you and yelling at you Archer! Can you forgive me for that?"

"He doesn't need to, he deserved it." Mal intervened. "Now he knows that he should listen to me next time."

"No, he did not deserve it!" Freddie said shocked. "All he did was be nice to me and try to stop me from getting my feelings hurt, and I slapped him! I'm a terrible person."

"No, you're not. Please Freddie, we all get emotional sometimes and I have really been an idiot." Archer told her.

"Dammit Archer, why are you so nice?" Freddie asked with a slight smile.

"Natural charisma." Archer sarcastically boasted, which still earned him a small kick to the shins from Mal.

"Archer, if I'm not the one for you, there will be no words to describe how happy you will make someone later." Freddie said with a smile.

"I hope so." Archer said. "So, you're okay now? And we can stay friends?"

"Yeah, I'm fine. This was all just a bit new for me, but I'll learn how to deal with it. And of course we'll stay friends." Freddie replied.

"Thank you. Trust me when I say that I have been quite stressful this day." Archer replied with a smile.

"What did you do?" Freddie asked.

"He had a little morning jog, to Auradon City and back." Mal told her.

"This morning!? How are you not dead?" Freddie asked perplexed.

"That's what I said!" Mal added. "But apparently mister perfect does not suffer the same consequences from alcohol as us mortals."

"Haha." Archer sarcastically laughed. "Well, if everything is smoothed out, we should get going so that you can get some rest Freddie."

"If you run into any trouble, don't hesitate to come to us." Mal said as she put a hand on Freddie's shoulder.

"Thanks guys, really. I'll be fine. You just go and do your own thing again."

"Okay, we'll see you at dinner then." Archer said, and he stood up.

"Bye." Mal also said and she and Archer left the room.

Archer breathed out loudly. "That went so much better than expected." He said with a slight smile.

"And now you know to always listen to what I have to say." Mal said with a smile.

"Why? Everything turned out okay now, didn't it?" Archer replied.

"You were so lucky that Freddie is an emotionally stable person. The next time you try and screw with someone's emotions, you might not escape unscathed." Mal said rolling her eyes.

"I did not screw with anyone's emotions! It happened without any of my input." Archer told her.

"Just ask someone you actually like for the next dance, will you?" Mal sneered.

"There is no one in this school I like that way! Except for you of course." Archer said with a grin, which was quickly wiped off his face when Mal punched him in the stomach.

"NO MORE GAMES!" Mal said pointedly before walking away.