A Wild Thing - Troy Otto

twenty-six

     "Katie," Evelyn whimpered. Katie had become the first person Evelyn would go to whenever something confusing happened to her. Her confidant. She didn't know why she still went to Katie though, because her views were way different from Evelyn's. She just needed someone to talk to.

"Hey," Katie paused the show she was watching, "what's wrong?" she quickly noticed the freaked out state her older sister was in.

Evelyn made her way over to her sister's bed and threw herself onto it. She was laid on her back with her hands covering her face.

"Ev," Katie urged, "what's going on?"

"Troy and I almost kissed," Evelyn blurted like it was the most normal thing in the world.

"What?!"

"Yeah," the slightly tanner girl frowned, "one moment we're having like, a random conversation. next thing I know he's in my face and our lips are about to touch."

Katie watched excitedly as her older sister dramatically spoke with her hands. "Evelyn!"

"What?" she whined.

"You guys almost kissed! What happened? Why didn't you?"

"I pulled away."

"Evelyn," Katie repeated, tone now disappointed and stern.

"I'm sorry, I panicked!"

"You act like you haven't had crushes before Evelyn! What is wrong with you?!" Katie accused.

"This is different! This is not a crush!"

"If it wasn't a crush then you wouldn't be acting like this," Katie made a bad argument, a horrible one even. Still, it got the gears in Evelyn's mind turning.

"Oh my god," the older girl concluded. "I don't have a crush on Troy, do I?"

"I mean you guys do spend a lot of time together. I wouldn't be surprised," Katie shrugged.

"No, that can't be."

"I think you like him, Evelyn," Katie singsonged, taunting her already stressed out sister.

"I just- I can't believe we almost kissed!"

"Who almost kissed?" the door to Katie's bedroom suddenly swung open. Evelyn sprung up, panicked.

"Hey, Carson," Katie nervously laughed, "we were just talking about this show... that we're watching," the girl gestured to the television in her room.

"You're watching SpongeBob," Carson observed. Evelyn had to refrain from facepalming.

Katie coughed, she didn't know why she was still talking. She was never really good at playing things off. "Yeah! Pearl and... that boy who cried."

Carson glared at the girls and crossed his arms. "That still doesn't make any sense. I heard one of you say 'we'... who is we?" Evelyn remained still in her spot, scared that if she made any kind of wrong move, Carson would learn everything. "It was you and Troy wasn't it?!" Evelyn's jaw slightly dropped in shock. She tried not to act too surprised though. Maybe it was just a superpower that all crazy older brothers had. "It was you and Troy!"

"What?" Katie tried to deny it. "That's not true."

"Katie," Evelyn looked over at her with a defeated look. The younger girl nodded in understanding.

"You and Troy! What?!" Carson exclaimed in disbelief. "When you said you had it under control, I didn't think you meant you'd go and date him!"

     "I didn't! We're not dating!" Evelyn avoided eye contact with her angry brother. She had to keep reminding herself that he still didn't know the truth about her and Troy's friendship.

     "You said you almost kissed! You two, at the very least, are on the road to dating!"

     Evelyn huffed. "It was just a moment between friends. We got caught up in it, that's all."

     "Oh, sure, like I'm supposed to believe that!" the boy rolled his eyes. "People don't just do that! Especially people like troy!"

     "Carson! Why would you say that? Look at her!" Katie gestured to her sister, whose frown deepened with every statement. "If she has feelings for Troy, so be it!"

     Evelyn huffed again, harder this time, and stared at her sister with a pained expression. She wished Katie would just let her do the talking. "I wouldn't say I have feelings for him," she shrugged.

     "Please, like you weren't all excited about it before I came in," Carson accused. He didn't care that he was being so overprotective. He needed to be. Everybody on the ranch had their differences, their own issues to be worried about, but there was one thing they could all agree on; Evelyn would never belong. She was the ultimate outcast, the only truly different one. It didn't matter what their story was. It didn't matter where they came from. They would always feel nothing but hatred and disgust for the younger girl, no matter how long she'd been living there.

"That wasn't excitement, it was shock," Evelyn tried to reason, but Carson wouldn't budge.

"Evelyn. I've said it before and I'll keep saying it; Troy is going to hurt you!" With that, Carson turned away and finally left, leaving the two girls alone and stunned.

     Katie huffed. She moved over to where evelyn was sat and pulled her into a much needed embrace. "I'm sorry this has to be so confusing. Carson is so difficult."

     "Yeah, well, that's Evelyn's life."

     "It's unfair," Katie leaned her head on her sister's shoulder, "if you like Troy, you should be able to just go for it."

    "Katie, I really don't think I like him. I don't know if I should like him or not."

     "Why shouldn't you? He's tall, he's cute... is he nice to you?"

     "I wouldn't say he's mean to me."

     "Look at that. Tall, cute, and nice. He's perfect!"

     Evelyn softly laughed at her sister's words. She was being way too enthusiastic. "But like, what can you really expect from him, Jeremiah's son?"

     Katie shrugged. "Jake turned out pretty okay."

     "That's Jake though. He's different."

     "You're right," Katie sighed, letting herself fall back onto her bed and into the same position Evelyn was in earlier. Evelyn followed. "Why do things have to be so difficult?"

     "Tell me about it."

a/n
heyyyy everybodyyyy
another short sibling chapter
ayeeee! also spongebob
definitely exists like whenever
this story is taking place
because i say it does.
wc: 1008
03.12.22