Conleth, stop fidgeting!It had been decades since an exasperated teacher had last barked those words at him, but he still felt an old, faded pang of shame.
“To be more accurate, I fidget when I’m not spending effort to make sure I don’t. My brain gets bored too easily, so it’s always searching for more stimulation.” Glancing down, he discovered he was tapping his fingers against his leg. He flattened his hand over his knee, grimacing. “Even when I’m medicated, it’s hard for me to sit still.”
Paige reached out, putting her hand on top of his. Not pinning it down, or holding his fingers still. Just being there.
“You don’t have to stop yourself from fidgeting,” she said softly. “Not around me.”
“I do around everyone else, though.” He let out his breath. “I’ve spent my entire adult life trying to distance myself from the impulsive, hyperactive kid I used to be. I’d rather have a reputation as a control freak than a chaotic disaster. And Iama disaster when I’m not medicated.”
Her fingers pressed against his. “I can’t believe that.”
“You’ve never seen me at my worst.” He waved his free hand, trying to find the right words to make her understand. “A thousand thoughts whirl through my mind at any givenmoment, each one flagged top priority and demanding immediate action. As soon as I lose interest in something, I can’t force myself to do it. And when an idea does grab my attention, it’s incredibly hard tonotdo it. It’s like living with a hurricane in my head.”
“You think it’s like that for Archie, too?”
“I’m not a doctor. But I see a lot of parallels between Archie’s behavior and my own at that age. Enough to make me think you should take him for a professional evaluation.”
“A couple of years ago, one of his teachers suggested the same thing,” Paige admitted. “My mom got defensive, saying he was a perfectly normal boy and there was nothing wrong with him. Then Archie shifted for the first time, and…well, that seemed to explain everything.”
“I can see why you would have thought that. But maybe his problem isn’t that he can’t control his animal. Maybe he can’t control himself.Literallycan’t. No matter how much he wants to, or how hard he tries. Like me.”
Paige was quiet for a moment. “And medication was the only thing that worked for you?”
He nodded. “When I was a kid, adults were always telling me to think before I acted, but I couldn’t figure out how that was even possible. Until I was diagnosed, and started taking medication. And suddenly I was able to think clearly, and prioritize, and plan. I don’t like to admit that I need medication to function effectively. But I do.”
“And maybe Archie does as well,” Paige breathed, new hope in her eyes. Then a shadow crossed her expression. “But if that’s the case, it’s going to take time to get help for him.”
“I know.” He slid his hand out from under hers. “So it doesn’t change anything right now.”
Paige looked down at her hand, now resting on his knee. “It’s not that I don’twantfor things to change. It’s just…you knowhow Archie still feels about you. And I can’t make things harder for my mom. Not when her mental health is so fragile.”
“I understand. Family comes first.” A strand of her hair had come loose from her ponytail. He tucked it back behind her ear, not letting his fingertips linger on her face. “Whatever you need, however I can help, I will.”
Paige sighed, pulling her hand away. “For now, can we just go on like we were? Act like nothing’s happened? If Archie figures out things have changed between us, there’s no telling what he might do.”
She’d had to be strong for so long. He wanted to hold her close; promise her he would take care of her, and her brother, and her mom. That everything would be all right.
He locked his hands together, muscles knotting with the effort of not reaching for her. “Don’t worry. Archie won’t suspect a thing.”
CHAPTER 22
Something had changed.
Archie knew straight away. Normally, Conleth was at his most annoying first thing in the morning, pestering the group about what they wanted to do and drawing up complicated plans. Today, however, he was weirdly quiet, like he had a math test later on and hadn’t studied. He didn’t even bring his flipchart to breakfast.
Paige was being weird, too. She was trying to act like it was just any other day, but Archie knew her too well to be fooled. Her smile was too big, and she was constantly jumping up to refill drinks or fetch more syrup. When she accidentally knocked elbows with Conleth on her way to the kitchen, they both jumped apart as if they’d gotten an electric shock.
The more Archie watched, the more his stomach twisted into a knot. Paige was making a big show of not looking at Conleth, which was normal, but he wasn’t stealing glances at her either, and that wasn’t.
Something had definitely changed.
The other kids knew something was up, too. Throughout the morning, Beth kept whispering to Estelle, though she stopped whenever Archie tried to hear what they were discussing. Hecaught a few glimpses of Rufus looking from Paige to Conleth, like he was trying to figure out what was going on too.
Archie had a sick feeling he knew exactly what was going on.
Paige had caught the mating fever. She had all the signs of it. Despite all her promises, it was only a matter of time before her brain turned to complete goo.
Which meant he had to act fast.
