Othello (Shakespeare For Everyone Else #2) Read online

  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.”