Othello

by C. E. Wilson

  “I wouldn’t be surprised if—”

  “Archer, stop it!” Ellie hissed, breaking up the laughter between Micah and Devony.

  “Like you know anything,” Archer growled. “Well look who’s coming up the street!” he said loudly, causing Devony and Micah to pull apart suddenly. Archer relished in the blush on the girl’s face. Guilty as always. She couldn’t help herself. “You’re welcome,” he said to the two of them.

  “F-for what?” Devony asked, her face still pink.

  “Perhaps I should say thank you?”

  “Ignore him,” Micah said. “Come on, Devony, let’s go see el presidente.” He pulled her arm to lead her towards Orion’s car but she still looked confused about Archer’s strange statements.

  “Be careful,” Archer said under his breath as Micah led the girl away. “Flirting with her will only get you in trouble.”

  “He’s not flirting,” Ellie said.

  “We’ll see, won’t we? We’ll see about that.”

  Chapter Two

  “There’s my girl!” Orion exclaimed, getting out of the car and sweeping Devony up in his arms. He gave her a twirl before setting her down.

  “You’d think it’s been months!” Devony said, smiling up at him. “I just saw you this afternoon!”

  “I’m always glad to see you. I don’t think I’ll ever get tired of seeing your beautiful face.”

  “I’m happy to see you, too. I didn’t think you’d have time to come see me tonight.”

  “I’ll always find time to see you,” Orion said, wrapping his arms around her waist and kissing her.

  “You’re happy now, but happiness is fleeting,” Archer said seriously as he and Ellie joined the group at Orion’s car.

  “Stop being a grump,” Orion said. “Who wants to come over to my place?”

  “Is there enough room?” Micah asked. “Maybe we should all go over to my dad’s place instead. We can hang out in the pool house.”

  “Pool house, guest house. It’s like a resort,” Orion laughed.

  “It’s my dad’s house but it’s my grandmother’s money,” Micah said defensively.

  “I suppose that would be better. I just saw the weather reports and they’re saying this weekend isn’t going to be the mess I was worried about. Can you believe it? It’s only supposed to skim us! The tournament should go off without any problems. But listen to me! I’m babbling non-stop and I bet most of you can’t even understand what I’m saying! Come on, Dev. Let’s head over to Micah’s,” he said, pulling her to his car.

  “Can you take Ellie?” Archer asked. “I mean, I’ve been chauffeuring your girlfriend around the clock. Would you do the same for me?”

  “No problem,” Orion said with a broad smile. Once Ellie was in the back of his car, he pulled away with Micah following him closely. The volunteers dropped their shovels in a pile and ran to their cars, barely able to believe their luck. Within a minute there was only one person left standing in the lot.

  “At last, some peace,” Archer grumbled and pulled out his phone.

  “Hello?” a tired voice greeted him on the other end.

  “Roderick. Dammit, were you sleeping?”

  “Just resting my eyes. What’s going on?”

  “You have competition,” Archer said.

  “Competition? For what?”

  “Devony.”

  “Oh stop that, I already know. Do you have to point it out?”

  “I mean with someone else.”

  “Who?”

  “Micah.”

  “Micah? Micah doesn’t like Devony! They’re friends.”

  Archer’s brow furrowed but he didn’t lose his cool. “You know how Capetown and Devony got together in the first place, don’t you?”

  “Something about stories that he told her?”

  Archer frowned. Close enough. “Well I think you’ll also remember that I told you she would get sick of his stupid stories and the fact that he’s not man enough for her. Orion may treat her well but she’s aware he’s graduating soon and her father doesn’t approve. She wants someone who her dad likes and maybe someone a bit closer to her age. I can tell that she’s already looking to get in her father’s good graces again. Now who would be a better match for her than the Headmaster’s son? He’s attractive and has tons of experience. He speaks as kindly as Orion does to Devony but he also knows how to touch a woman. Devony’s already looking his way.”

  “I don’t believe you. The whole reason I like Devony in the first place is because she has standards. She’d never cheat on Orion.”

  “You don’t know what kind of woman she is! She’s the same tits and ass as every other woman in the world! If she had such great standards, then why is she dating Capetown in the first place?”

  “I…I don’t have an answer for that.”

  “Of course you don’t. Now listen to me, Roderick. I saw them with my own two eyes. Before Capetown showed up tonight, Micah was holding her hand and whispering in her ear. I don’t know how much further they would have gone if not for Orion’s car showing up.”

  “I’m sure they were just joking around.”

  “He wants her. I could tell just by the way they looked. They’re alike, Roderick. If I could see it from a distance, she had to have felt the tension between them. I’m not lying to you. I’m telling you this for your own good. You have to make Micah look bad, otherwise she’s going to choose him over you.”

  “What the hell am I supposed to do?”

  “Piss him off, embarrass him or something. Am I asking too much?”

  “I think I can do that.”

  “Micah puts on a sweet show for Devony, but he’s hot-headed, especially when he drinks. I think he’d start a fight with you if you upset him enough. Let me get things started. I’ll get him drunk and rile him up and that’s when you’ll step in. Once Micah’s out of the way, you can start trying to talk to Devony again.”

  “I said I’ll do it, but you need to help me.”

  “And you know that I will, Roderick. I’ve always been there for you. Now, stop by Micah’s father’s place and I’ll meet you out front, okay?”

  “Alright.”

  “I’ll talk you later.”

  Archer hung up the phone before Roderick had a chance to respond. Smiling, he opened the door of his car and sat down, letting the hot blast from the heater hit him in the face. It wasn’t as though he was actually lying. He did think that Micah gave Devony too much attention and it wouldn’t surprise him if Devony was flattered by it.

  “Orion’s not any better,” he muttered to himself as he drove out of the lot. “I know he’s lying about not having sex before marriage. I know he slept with Ellie and though she’s an annoyance she’s still mine and I don’t like people touching what belongs to me.” He pulled out his phone, not bothering to pull over this time. Who cared about those stupid laws? He had to tell Roderick something else before he forgot.

  ~ Going to make O suspicious of D.

  I’ll spread rumors about M to O and he’ll believe me.

  M will sleep with anything. See you 2nite.

  ~A~

  He grinned, shutting his phone and turning into Micah’s gated community. “Capetown may even thank me for this,” he said, rolling the window down to talk to the guard. “If I can earn Orion’s trust, then the plan will work itself out.”

  Chapter Three

  “Thank goodness your parents finally fell asleep,” Orion said. “Still, let’s keep the volume down. We have school tomorrow.”

  “Archer’s keeping watch.”

  “In that case…I guess it’s alright. I like Archer, he’s grown on me.”

  “He’s…different, that’s for sure,” Micah said carefully.

  “I think I’m going to take a nap and then try to drive home. Dev, do you want to lay down with me?”

  “Sure,” Devony said, giving Ellie a hug. “I’ll see you guys later tonight.”

  “Are you going to spend the night
? Your dad might be okay with it if it’s here,” Micah offered.

  “I haven’t decided,” she said, looking up at Orion. “I’ll make my decision after you have, Orion.”

  “That’s my girl,” Orion said, kissing her and sweeping her off her feet. “Everyone stay out of the guest bedroom.”

  “Did you hear what he said?” Micah asked when Archer came up to stand next to him.

  “How adorable. Consummating their marriage?” he chuckled.

  “You know that Orion’s abstinent until marriage. That’s not funny.”

  “It’s a joke, Micah, relax. I just find it funny that the two of them are lying down to relax and it’s not even ten! They’re already acting like an old, married couple.”

  “They don’t get a lot of time to spend together anymore. I think it’s okay.”

  “She’s a hottie, isn’t she?” Archer asked.

  “She is.”

  “She’s really grown up over the summer.”

  “Yeah.”

  “I mean physically.”

  “I know what you meant.”

  “I bet they’re not even sleeping in there.”

  “I’m sure they are,” Micah said.

  “Maybe we should go take a look and see what they’re up to.”

  “Just leave them alone.”

  “I bet Devony wouldn’t mind if you came to take a nap with them. I bet you wouldn’t mind that either!”

  Micah frowned. “Devony would mind that. She’s not that kind of girl. She wanted some privacy with her boyfriend, who she hardly gets to see, without people staring. I don’t blame her.”

  “So you’re saying that there’s no way they’re sleeping.”

  “I didn’t say that. I just told you, Devony loves him and Orion’s respectful.”

  “Respectful,” Archer scoffed, still keeping things light. “I bet what they’re doing in there has little to do with being respectful. If they’re not going to spend time with us, then we should at least drink to their happiness.”

  “Archer, you know that I can’t do that. It’s a school night.”

  “Don’t tell me you’re turning into a boring, responsible adult already?”

  “Drop it. I’m not getting drunk tonight.”

  “So why invite people over? What kind of host are you?”

  “A sober one.”

  “One beer never hurt anyone. Even two beers would be perfectly fine.”

  “I already had a beer and it was a strong one because you know my dad never keeps the cheap stuff around. Plus I had some shots with Mason and Tad. If I drink any more it’s going to show. Only pop from here. I’m not a good drinker.” He took a large swallow from his glass of cola.

  “You’re a lightweight.”

  “Exactly, so you know why I shouldn’t drink any more than I already have.”

  “What the hell are you talking about? Why drink if you’re not going to get drunk? This is your own house! It’s not like you have to drive! Come on! Go join our friends and let Orion and Devony have some peace.”

  “Where’s everyone else?”

  “They’re all hanging out by the fire pit near the woods.”

  “So that’s what all the noise is?” Micah asked, allowing Archer to point him towards the fire. “I was wondering where they’d gone.”

  “Stop being a lame ass,” Archer said, giving him a shove forward. “Go now. Enjoy yourself! You know that I’m keeping an eye out here. If the noise bothers you so much then go down there and tell them to settle down.”

  “Fine,” Micah said, walking a bit unsteadily across the lawn towards the firepit.

  Archer watched him until he reached the fire and a drunken cheer welcomed him. After another minute he pulled out his phone and called Roderick. “Are you here yet?”

  “I’m out front,” Roderick said. “How’s everything going?”

  “He’s well on his way to getting drunk. He’s had some beer and some shots and I’ve been spiking his pop since he can’t tell the difference. Micah’s a total lightweight. He’ll be drunk by the time you get back here. I even sent him to the back of his dad’s property to the rest of the guys who are more than a bit lit. Don’t waste any time.”

  “I’m on my way,” Roderick said, hanging up the phone.

  Archer went to join the rest of the party at the end of the lawn and watched them joking and swaying around the fire pit as music played.

  “Archer! They’ve been making me drink more!” Micah cried helplessly.

  “It wasn’t that much,” Mason said. “No more than any man could handle.”

  “Then give him more beer!” Archer cried, doing his best to pretend that he was just as drunk as the rest. He broke out into song, trying his best to match the lyrics but doing a poor job at doing so.

  “I love this song,” Micah said with a sleepy smile.

  “Same here,” Archer said, wrapping an arm around his shoulder. “You all must be deaf from drinking if you can still enjoy it with my voice!”

  “I’m not that drunk.”

  “Ahh, but I am Micah, and I hope to get you at the same level as me.”

  “Let’s drink to Dev and Orion!”

  “Yes! To Dev and Orion!” Mason cried out. “Sing for us again, Archer!”

  “Crazy bastards!” Archer laughed, starting to sing again.

  “Your voice isn’t that bad,” Micah said, smiling.

  “So then I should I sing some more?”

  “Yes…I mean no! No, we shouldn’t be doing this! We’re so loud! My dad’s going to wake up or someone’s going to call the police! I’ll be grounded for a month!”

  “If not more,” Archer said with a dramatic flourish. “Relax buddy, we’re not being that loud.”

  “He’d ground me for a year,” Micah said, pulling away from Archer. “It’s my junior year! I’m a man and I’m still scared of my father.”

  “It’s nothing to be ashamed of,” Archer said. “I’m pretty afraid of your dad too. The last thing I need is another detention.”

  “We need to stop! We didn’t come here to drink, we just wanted to hang out and talk about the tournament! This is bad! So bad!”

  “Calm down, Micah. You’re ranting like a sloppy drunk. You’re the sober-est person here,” Archer said.

  “Damn right! I’m not drunk at all! Do you hear me slurring?”

  “Not yet,” Tad said.

  “See! So I’m not drunk,” Micah said. “I need water. I’ll be right back.”

  “He’s drunk,” Mason laughed, watching him head back towards the house, barely able to keep one foot in front of the other.

  “He’s been like this a lot lately. Some vice-president, huh? Sometimes I think Orion made a mistake when he picked him. I mean, everyone knows how hard Micah parties.”

  “Yes but, I mean, is he like this very often?” Mason asked.

  “Are you kidding me? Micah drinks every night when he’s at home! His father tries to keep the whole thing hushed up, but I swear he can’t fall asleep without a drink in his hand. I’ve been meaning to talk to him about it. I’m worried about the guy.”

  “Damn. Maybe Orion didn’t know about it when he made him vice-president, but just thought that he was doing the right thing since he’s the headmaster’s son.”

  “I don’t know…” he trailed off as he noticed Roderick approaching with a hoodie over his eyes, covering his face. Archer addressed him like he was a stranger. “Hey buddy, you don’t look drunk at all. Maybe we should send you to keep an eye on our friend, Micah. It looks as though he’s had a bit too much to drink.”

  “Again?” Roderick asked. “I’ll go.”

  “That must be one of Micah’s public school friends. Poor guy,” Mason said, watching him jog after Micah. “I can’t believe the Headmaster’s son has a drinking problem! We should tell Orion.”

  “I’m not going to say anything. I think Micah can get it under control with a little help. I mean, who really knows about it? He keeps it
a secret—”

  “Stop! Stop, jackass! What’re you doing?” a voice shouted, breaking up the conversation.

  “Did you guys hear that?” Archer asked.

  “Someone’s shouting for help,” Mason said, standing up. “Look!”

  “Leave me alone! Tell him to leave me alone!” the man in the hoodie shouted as he ran up to the fire.

  “What’s your problem? Afraid to fight me?” Micah shouted sloppily as he staggered after Roderick.

  “What’s going on?” Mason asked.

  “It’s all him! He ran up to me and started talking shit on me! It’s my house and I sure as hell didn’t invite him. I’ll kill him!” he shouted, reaching towards Roderick.

  “You’re threatening me?”

  “No, I’m promising you!” Micah said, lunging forward and clubbing Roderick on the head with a flailing swing of his fist.

  “Stop! Don’t hit him, Micah! You’re drunk!” Mason reached out, grabbing Micah’s arms and attempting to restrain him.

  “Let me go! Let me go right now!” Micah shouted, struggling in his grasp.

  “Please, Micah. Calm down, you’re drunk!”

  “I’m not drunk, dammit!” Micah screamed, getting out of the hold and shoving Mason. In a second, Micah had Mason pinned down to the ground and was drunkenly punching him wherever his fists could land a blow.

  “Stop! Someone wake up Orion before Micah’s dad wakes up! Maybe he can break this up!” Archer shouted, still pretending to be drunk.

  As Micah and Mason continued to roll around on the ground, Roderick took the opportunity to slip away. Archer was the only one to notice him leaving.

  “Please stop, Micah! Do you want Orion to see you acting like an idiot?”

  “What the hell, guys?” Orion’s heavy accent rumbled through the air. The two men on the ground stopped fighting to find Orion standing over them, his face grim. Mason rolled away from Micah and felt his bloody mouth.

  “I’m bleeding!” Mason grunted. “What’s your problem, Micah?”

  “Stop!” Orion shouted, stepping in between them.

  “Listen to him, Mason,” Archer said. “Why are you acting like this? Micah, are you so drunk that you’re going to start fighting everybody? That’s enough, Mason! Stop, Micah!”