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“The winner of the drive will be announced in, like, an hour,” I tell her. “Do you need to put Eli down for a nap or do you think he can stay up and wait for the announcement?”
Lyric glances down at her son, who has another treat in his mouth, this time a fat candy cane. “I think he can stay up on this special occasion,” she says, her voice bright. “What do you say, bubs? Want to stay with the boys?”
“Wee-vi!” Eli says, clapping his hands. “Ah-cher!”
“That’s right!” I say, giving Eli the high-five that I’ve been teaching him how to do. “Archer!”
“Ah-cher!” he repeats, then reaches out for me to hold him. I pick him up and bounce him on my knee as he giggles.
Lyric stares at us, an unreadable expression on her face. She opens her mouth, but Madison walks up to us.
“You guys were the talk of the event!” she gushes with a little wave at Eli. “I can’t believe how much you raised!”
“It was all thanks to Lyric,” Levi says, an earnest note in his voice. “She came up with the idea and she spent all her free time helping us put the stand together.”
“Great!” Madison beams, her smile almost a tad too big. “But you guys spent all day out here in the cold, raising money. You owe yourselves a pat on the back too.”
Lyric nods in agreement. “Yeah, you guys are the real heroes of the charity drive. You built the stand, Archer. And Levi called the cafe around the corner and got them to donate supplies. I’m proud of you.”
Her eyes are bright and shiny, then I have the sudden urge to reach out and pull her in for a kiss, but just at that moment, the president of the Interfraternity Council rings a large bell. It draws everyone’s attention to the middle of the quad.
“Hello, everyone,” he says, puffing his chest out. “I know we’re all excited to find out the results of the winners of the charity drive, but first I want to say…”
I tune him out as he drones on about the importance of charity and giving in the festive season, I’m too focused on the way Lyric is looking at Zane. No one else’s attention is on her and there’s a look of desperatelongingthere that I know all too well.
“And finally, the moment you’ve been waiting for,” the president says, drawing my attention back to him. “This fraternity raised over five thousand dollars for the drive and collected over eight hundred donations! The winner of the annual toy drive charity event is…”
30
LEVI
The air is thick with anticipation as we wait for the Interfraternity president to make the official announcement. The final totals are in and the participating fraternities are abuzz with excitement. The competition has been fierce, but I have a good feeling about this. We've worked so hard and it shows.
After the president drones on for a while, he finally gets to the good part. “The winner of the annual toy drive charity event is… Alpha Lambda!”
Cheers erupt around us and I find myself caught up in the moment. Archer and Zane are grinning from ear to ear and I can't help but join in. We did it. We actually did it.
“Yes!” Zane shouts, grabbing me in a bear hug. “We won!”
Archer is all smiles as he high-fives the rest of the guys. “Party at the frat tonight!” he declares, his voice booming over the noise. "We're celebrating in style!"
I turn to Lyric, who’s smiling but not quite as enthusiastic. “You coming?” I ask, hoping she’ll say yes. It wouldn’t be the same without her after everything she did to help us.
She hesitates, a look of regret crossing her face. “I wish I could,” she says. “But Annie has a final, so I can’t get her to babysit tonight. I gotta stay in with Eli.”
I can see the disappointment in her eyes and it tugs at something inside me. “I’m sorry,” I say, my lips twisting into a sad frown. “It won’t be the same without you.”
She nods, her smile a bit forced. “Hey, it’s fine! I’m glad I could help out. You guys deserve to have some fun tonight. So go crazy, okay?”
Archer steps closer, his expression softening a bit. “We’ll celebrate with you another time, okay?”
Lyric’s smile widens, more genuine. “Deal.”
We all share a few more hugs and high-fives, the thrill of victory still fresh. But as the crowd starts to disperse and the plans for the party solidify, I can't shake the feeling of wanting Lyric to be a part of this celebration. She’s been with us every step of the way and her absence will be noticeable.
As we head back to the frat house to start setting up for the party, I glance back at Lyric. She's holding Eli and they both wave at us. A sense of disappointment settles over me, wishing Eli could come too, but the party will be late, way past his bedtime, loud, and there will be activities inappropriate for someone his age.
We gather everything up and start cleaning. While taking down the stand wediscussing how we could use this in next year’s competition, when all of a sudden Madison shows up.
