Free One True Thing by Piper Vaughn
Authors: Piper Vaughn
real
or just all in my stupid head, and I couldn’t do that
unless I saw him at least one more time. Still….
“What about the other day?” I asked. “I saw
you at The Banana Leaf with that girl.”
Archer was quiet for a moment. “What do you
mean? What girl?”
“The blonde?” I reminded him. “Nice chest.
Looked kinda like a Barbie?”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about. I
didn’t see you anywhere, and I don’t hang out with
any blondes of the female persuasion.”
I blinked, my mouth twisting in confusion.
Either Archer was telling the truth, or he was a
damn good liar because he sounded totally baffled.
“So you’re not bi?” I asked. “You don’t have a
girlfriend?”
“Hell no,” Archer replied with a laugh. “I am
110 percent gold-star gay. Trust me. I’ve never
even touched a boob. Don’t want to.”
I couldn’t think of a response for that. I’d seen
him at that café, I knew I had, and he’d seen me.
But he was talking like that entire incident had
never happened. Maybe he really was just that
good a liar. We were in California, after all, the
state with the highest concentration of actors
anywhere. How was I to know he wasn’t one of
them playing a game with me?
Archer’s voice cut into my thoughts. “So do
you want to go out on Friday or not? I know this
awesome little Indian place. And maybe after we
can go dancing.”
Say no , I told myself sternly. Say no. “Sure,”
I said instead, and just barely resisted the urge to
slap myself in the forehead, even as my mouth kept
running. “Sounds great.”
Asher
“HELLO?” I picked up my phone. I knew the
number. Why Archer’s boss had my number was a
different story. A story called my brother, who
didn’t answer his phone when he didn’t feel like it.
“Hey, Ash. I’m sorry to bug you. Can you go
get your brother out of bed? He’s late again.”
“Ryan, I was up really late last night working.
You owe me.” Archer’s manager and I had this
sort of half friendship thing going, mostly because
we talked so often. He sent me gift cards to the
store all the time. I had a big enough collection that
I could’ve walked out with most of the fall line. If
I ever got around to it.
“Please just go wake him up. I need his ass in
here. I’m doing inventory tonight, and I can’t cover
his shift.”
“Fine,” I grumbled and hung up. I tossed some
sweats on and stomped over to Archer’s room,
annoyed that I was missing sleep to— What the
hell?
The shit wasn’t even in there. His bed was in
its usual unmade state, there were clothes flung
haphazardly over every available surface, but
there was no Archer. My phone was still in my
hand, so I tried to call him, but it went straight to
voice mail. Son of a bitch.
There was no way I was going to spend my
day chasing after my errant brother when he
couldn’t be bothered to go to work. I was just
going to have to step up my game or… God, I
didn’t even know what.
I was about to turn and walk out of the room
when I noticed a pile of envelopes squished under
a pair of shoes on his dresser. Yeah, I knew it was
bad to snoop. I really wasn’t planning on snooping.
But why did Arch have all those envelopes? I
didn’t see that much mail for him usually, unless he
just never threw it away.
Against my better judgment, I reached out to
move the shoes so I could look at the pile. The top
envelope was a bill, for a credit card at a store. So
was the second, and the third… oh my God . I slid
the papers out of one of them. The card was maxed
out. Same with the next one. I couldn’t stand to
look at any more.
Archer was twenty-six years old, and I
wasn’t his parent. I could barely take care of
myself, let alone him as well. I had no idea where
to go from there other than out. And out was
somewhere I wasn’t quite ready for.
I made the call to Archer’s manager, telling
him that once again we’d
or just all in my stupid head, and I couldn’t do that
unless I saw him at least one more time. Still….
“What about the other day?” I asked. “I saw
you at The Banana Leaf with that girl.”
Archer was quiet for a moment. “What do you
mean? What girl?”
“The blonde?” I reminded him. “Nice chest.
Looked kinda like a Barbie?”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about. I
didn’t see you anywhere, and I don’t hang out with
any blondes of the female persuasion.”
I blinked, my mouth twisting in confusion.
Either Archer was telling the truth, or he was a
damn good liar because he sounded totally baffled.
“So you’re not bi?” I asked. “You don’t have a
girlfriend?”
“Hell no,” Archer replied with a laugh. “I am
110 percent gold-star gay. Trust me. I’ve never
even touched a boob. Don’t want to.”
I couldn’t think of a response for that. I’d seen
him at that café, I knew I had, and he’d seen me.
But he was talking like that entire incident had
never happened. Maybe he really was just that
good a liar. We were in California, after all, the
state with the highest concentration of actors
anywhere. How was I to know he wasn’t one of
them playing a game with me?
Archer’s voice cut into my thoughts. “So do
you want to go out on Friday or not? I know this
awesome little Indian place. And maybe after we
can go dancing.”
Say no , I told myself sternly. Say no. “Sure,”
I said instead, and just barely resisted the urge to
slap myself in the forehead, even as my mouth kept
running. “Sounds great.”
Asher
“HELLO?” I picked up my phone. I knew the
number. Why Archer’s boss had my number was a
different story. A story called my brother, who
didn’t answer his phone when he didn’t feel like it.
“Hey, Ash. I’m sorry to bug you. Can you go
get your brother out of bed? He’s late again.”
“Ryan, I was up really late last night working.
You owe me.” Archer’s manager and I had this
sort of half friendship thing going, mostly because
we talked so often. He sent me gift cards to the
store all the time. I had a big enough collection that
I could’ve walked out with most of the fall line. If
I ever got around to it.
“Please just go wake him up. I need his ass in
here. I’m doing inventory tonight, and I can’t cover
his shift.”
“Fine,” I grumbled and hung up. I tossed some
sweats on and stomped over to Archer’s room,
annoyed that I was missing sleep to— What the
hell?
The shit wasn’t even in there. His bed was in
its usual unmade state, there were clothes flung
haphazardly over every available surface, but
there was no Archer. My phone was still in my
hand, so I tried to call him, but it went straight to
voice mail. Son of a bitch.
There was no way I was going to spend my
day chasing after my errant brother when he
couldn’t be bothered to go to work. I was just
going to have to step up my game or… God, I
didn’t even know what.
I was about to turn and walk out of the room
when I noticed a pile of envelopes squished under
a pair of shoes on his dresser. Yeah, I knew it was
bad to snoop. I really wasn’t planning on snooping.
But why did Arch have all those envelopes? I
didn’t see that much mail for him usually, unless he
just never threw it away.
Against my better judgment, I reached out to
move the shoes so I could look at the pile. The top
envelope was a bill, for a credit card at a store. So
was the second, and the third… oh my God . I slid
the papers out of one of them. The card was maxed
out. Same with the next one. I couldn’t stand to
look at any more.
Archer was twenty-six years old, and I
wasn’t his parent. I could barely take care of
myself, let alone him as well. I had no idea where
to go from there other than out. And out was
somewhere I wasn’t quite ready for.
I made the call to Archer’s manager, telling
him that once again we’d