Dear Evalynn Hansen

EIGHT

At lunch time, Evan and Jared find her. Jared's the one who confronts her, Evan's just there because he's always with Jared. The two are inseparable.

"Why was Connor Murphy at your house last night?"

"He, well, he gave me a ride home and I invited him inside. What's it to you?"

"You're fucking joking, right? What did I tell you about him? He's fucking psycho!"

"No, he's not. He's not psycho, Jared, and he certainly isn't a freak. So leave me alone, and stop trying to tell me off!"

Evalynn turns and storms away then, not waiting for any form of reply from Jared. The fact that her twin had just stood there silent throughout the whole exchange fueled her anger. She feels the darkness closing in on her mind and somehow, she finds herself leaving campus and heading toward Ellison State Park. She can't take it anymore. Doesn't want to listen to anymore of Jared's comments.

She makes her way to the tree. The giant oak from before. Ignoring the fact that her cast has made her slower, she begins to climb. She's fifteen feet up before she hears a familiar voice.

"Evalynn, wait! Come down from there!"

Evalynn looks down to see Connor's face and she breaks down. She doesn't move from her perch in the tree as she sobs, not coming down like he asked, but not climbing higher either.

"Evalynn? Please come down from there."

"Why? What's the point?"

"What's this about, Evalynn? What happened?"

"I can't take it. I can't listen to his off-hand comments about you anymore."

"Who?"

"Jared!"

Connor swallows, mentally cursing Kleinman and making a note to have a few choice words with him later.

"You don't have to, if you don't want," he assures her. "Just ignore him from now on."

To his relief, her tears have subsided and she has started descending out of the tree, getting closer and closer to him. Finally, she's standing in front of him and he pulls her in close.

"Sh. It's okay. I'm here."

"I-I don't want to go back. I can't go back."

"That's okay. We don't have to go back."

He's leading her over to his car, helping her into the passenger seat before slipping in behind the wheel. He begins taking the familiar route to the orchard.

"W-where are we going?" Evalynn inquires.

"My favorite place to escape," Connor replies.

She doesn't ask any more questions as they drive. When they arrive, he parks the car and climbs out. He scales the fence easily, having done it plenty of times before, but she takes a bit longer. He waits patiently until she lands beside him before taking her good hand and dragging her to his clearing. Evalynn's face contorts to a look of wonder.

Her eyes take in the yellowed grass and mostly dead trees forming a perfect ring around the clearing only broken by a flowing stream. Looking up, she can see a clear blue sky, void of any clouds. Meanwhile, Connor can't take his eyes of of her. Her faded jeans, her soft lilac shirt with a few small gold buttons up the front and on the sleeves. The way the sunlight makes a halo out of her golden curls and the sparkle dancing in her deep blue eyes. She's perfect, he realizes.

"We used to come here when I was younger. Before it shut down. We would have picnics in this clearing," he tells her.

"It's perfect," she says, and he smiles because he had just thought the words about her.

Sitting down in the grass, he pats the spot next to him. Evalynn walks over and sits, looking up at the sky while he continues to study her. She liked to wear purple, he realized. She'd worn it every day so far. Just like that brother of hers seemed to always be wearing blue.

"Evalynn?"

"Hm?"

"That tree... Well, um, when you broke your arm. Did you fall? Or did you let go?"

Evalynn looks over at him, eyes brimming with tears, and he knows he's right. As soon as he saw her climbing that tree, he had a feeling.

"It was the same tree," she whispered, not really answering the question.

"The same-oh. Oh, Evalynn."

The tears are flowing freely now, and he pulls her into him. He rocks her gently, stroking her hair and making soft shushing noises as she cries into his shoulder. Her family probably doesn't know. Why would she tell them? What with the letter she had written only two weeks later. Never again, he decides. He won't let her feel that way ever again.