Evangeline
Still buzzing with sexual energy, I go across the hall with the first aid kit to check up on Daniel.
I fixed my rumpled appearance as best as I could, brushing back my hair, straightening my shirt and trying to scrub away the redness of my mouth. Asher's scent is still on me. I'd be lying if I said I myself couldn't smell it. I contemplate changing my shirt, but I'd rather not.
I hear the twin's and Lucas's voices coming from downstairs in heated debate. I creep over to the twin's room door and rap twice.
"Can I come in?"
"Sure." My senior's voice slightly husky.
Seeing him here, looking out of place in the minimalistic, clean space of my stepbrothers' large room is rather strange. I'm always used to seeing my bright, energetic track captain. Not the haggard young man slouched at the foot of Max and Chris's bed, staring at his feet.
He looks up as me as I enter, golden brown eyes almost glowing in the dimness of the room. I flick on the light and approach him slowly, like he's a spooked deer.
"Did...did I hit you, just now?"
I shake my head, forcing a soft smile.
"No. I'm perfectly fine, as you can see."
Daniel's face twists. "Owen's not."
I avoid his gaze, remembering Owen, bruised and battered, sleeping in my room. "Well...."
"Why are you here?"
I wave the kit in the air. "Treatment time."
I settle on the floor opposite him and start setting up the necessary items.
"Give me your hands, please."
Daniel's brow creases, keeping his hands to himself. "I don't deserve this."
I stare at him challengingly. "I can't leave you like this."
He sighs heavily, holding out his hands for me. I inhale sharply. His knuckles are gloved with crimson, the dried surface cracking along the edges. Swallowing nervously, I tentatively take his right hand. My fingers gently encircle his wrist, all the while keeping well away from the sheen of blood flaking on his skin.
"It's not mine. Owen's."
He looks away, guiltily. As the blood begins to come off, staining my gauze bright pink, I notice his split knuckles.
"Not all Owen's," I murmur.
As I swipe iodine over the raw crevices in his skin, he winces. Despite his crazy violence earlier, I somehow don't feel scared of him.
To me, he's just Daniel, my track senior, the boy I met at the mall, the one who kindly kept me occupied and acted like nothing happened when I stained my pants with blood like the dumb kid I am.
"...do you know why I did it?"
-
Daniel
She tenses up at my softly spoken question. Suffocating silence lingers in the room.
She should be wary of me, right? I just beat her brother's older friend to a pulp right in her house, yet here she is, tenderly washing away the blood on my hands.
They feel filthy, unworthy in her gentle grasp.
"No."
Evangeline avoids my gaze, moving onto my next knuckle. The tops of my hands feel raw, a dull pain radiating without seeming to end.
