The Alloys of the Blend

Chapter 9

The next morning at exactly 7:58, two minutes before the assignment folder closed, Evie submitted the slideshow. Compared to his slides, hers looked rushed and thrown together, similarly to her appearance. Evie would never look a complete mess, but her minimal makeup and uncurled curls wrapped in a bun were tell-tale signs.

"Here comes the passing student," Mal announced as she looked up from her tray to her friend who joined her, Jay and Carlos at their table at the end of lunch. Carrying a cube shoebox, Evie sat across from her roommate.

"If you can believe it. My silver atomic model is in here, the ceramics teacher let me put it in his kiln for a while. It's not as dry as it should be, but it's fine. Doug pretty much did all the work, but as long as I pass," she sighed, refusing to take her hands off the model. Carlos tried to peek in the box, but Evie's hands were almost glued to it's lid.

"Okay, okay, I get it. It'll be debuted when you present?" he questioned, not exactly looking for an answer. Evie nodded, grabbing a fork off of Mal's tray and eating a piece of Carlos' grilled chicken. Met with wide eyes from her friends, she raised a brow in return.

"What?"

"Grilled chicken? What happened to the salads? And what is wrong with your hair?" Mal blurted, reaching across the table to pick out a piece of blue clay that had blended in with the boring bun on the top of Evie's head.

"First, my hair is fine. I just got some clay in it from the model. Second, why can't I eat what I want? Is mom breathing down my neck or something?" Evie asked, turning around to check. She stifled a laugh and the rest of her friends looked at each other with equal concern.

"You're stressed," Jay asked, speaking for both Mal and Carlos. Evie drew in a heavy breath, then slowly released it.

"Maybe. I'm just counting on this stupid assignment. I really, really feel bad about the whole Doug thing and I talked to Fern and well she kind of told me a bunch of stuff and I realized how awful I am and I really really just don't know what to do at this point. I've never cared about anything this much. Not even my InstaRoyal following," Evie rambled. Carlos was the only one who caught the bulk of what she said, already understanding the position she was in.

"Carlos actually leaked–"

"Hey!"

"Well you did. Anyway, on Saturday Carlos told me that you were feeling guilty for going along with what I said. I just want to say that I'm sorry for daring you. But can I ask you one question? Why are you so bothered by hurting the guy's feelings?" Jay asked, no sign of a cheeky smile or smirk. His brows were lowered and he scratched the back of his neck.

"Jay, he's really not a bad person. I've never had anyone but you guys tell me the things he did. He made me realize a few things and I liked that feeling. I said I didn't care about him, but my actions did the opposite. I feel like I betrayed him almost."

Mal looked around the cafeteria, her eyes disengaged. No frown could be found on her face, but she was clearly disappointed. "Do you just think that the rest of us are evil and have no empathy or sympathy? Why couldn't you have said something?" Mal questioned, her eyes finally meeting Evie's.

"I didn't think you'd understand. I didn't think I had a choice."

No one said anything at the table and likely for the best. Eternity passed and she was relieved to find supportive smiles on their faces when the first bell rang. Jay came around the table and threw his arm around her shoulders. Mal was next and she nudged her elbow into Evie's arm and made googly eyes.

"Well, go fix this up. You know he was growing on you," she murmured, watching Evie roll her eyes and the sun hit the dash of pink on her cheeks.

Evie rolled her eyes. She glanced over to Carlos who was throwing away the napkins and plastic utensils on his tray. He looked up and saw her eye contact. His lips turned slightly up, his face relaxed into a half-smile. His encouraging eyes spoke all they needed to.