Evan Farrington's Confession | ✔️

seven

Evan inched a little closer to the steamy window as yet another load of gossiping students piled onto the bus. For how desperately everyone rushed out of the school at the end of the day, they sure took a long time to get themselves onto the bus. Evan had insisted on coming to school, even with the added weight of a pair of scissors and confession note in her backpack. They had pressed on her shoulders all day, not lessening even when Evan got a friendly smile from one of the police officers as she made her way past Mr Watt's (old) classroom. Suzanne hadn't been even slightly insistent that Evan stay home but she had insisted that Evan travel there and back on the bus. Something about lonely roads, anyone could be about, they've not caught the murderer yet.

A shadow darkened Evan's seat and her heart shuddered. But it was only a boy in her year, waiting for her to move her bag so he could take the seat next to her. She pulled her bag down on top of her feet and tightened her grip on the zip. She was all too aware of its contents. It wasn't until he had sat down and the bus had jerked its way back into a steady trundle that she recognised him as the boy from the day before. She turned her face completely to the window and watched the grey toned suburb roll past.

"Excuse me?" the boy asked. Evan considered pretending she hadn't heard but politeness got the better of her and she turned to face him.

"Yeah?"

"I'm William," he said. "Sutton."

Evan frowned at him. "Evan."

"I just... I just wanted to check that you were okay after yesterday."

Evan let out a stunted breath. She sensed something a little closer to curiosity than concern in his face.

"Yeah, I'm alright," she said. "Thanks."

She turned back to the window.

"I just..." William hastened before she could fully remove her attention from him. "That shadow. It didn't look normal. Do you... Do you know anything about that? Like, have you seen it before?"

Evan set her jaw. "I didn't notice anything weird. Maybe the light just hit weird on my locker."

William squinted at her and Evan looked at her lap. His gaze seared into her.

"Would you stop that?" she asked. She caught the unkindness in her voice a little too late but William didn't falter.

"It's just kind of hard to believe, if I'm honest."

Evan scoffed at him, politeness forgotten. "Hard to believe?" She could do it. Her heart leaped into her throat and sweat chilled her armpits and back. She was doing it. She lowered her voice. "Okay, how's this for hard to believe? The voices in my head have materialised as walking, talking shadows and it was them yesterday at my locker."

(idiot)

William raised his eyebrows at her but Evan forced herself to hold his gaze this time. In her mind she was grabbing the words and cramming them back down her throat. But that wasn't possible. He might think she was joking. He would  think she was joking, of course he would. He's be utterly mad not to.

"Wicked," William said.

Evan's mouth opened slightly and her eyes widened into a disbelieving frown.  "I'm sorry?"

"If you're telling the truth then that is the coolest thing I've heard all year. If not then... that's a bit rude."

"I-" Evan bit down hard on her lower lip. Decision steadied in her voice. "I'm not fibbing."

William sat back in his chair and shook his head. "That's so cool, dude," he said before checking himself. "But also not. Cause like... " He allowed a long pause before speaking again. "What can I do to help? Does anybody else know?"

Evan pinched her lip. Her voice was slightly distorted by it but she wasn't prepared to let go. "It's just schizophrenia."

(nope)

"Hallucinations are a symptom."

(can hallucinations pick up scissors?)

"Yeah, I guess. But it sounds like it could be more than that. I mean, it could be exactly as you saw it. You don't seem crazy to me."

Evan turned to the window again, wanting nothing more than for the conversation to be done. "This is my stop," she said. 

"Oh, okay."

Before William could say another word, Evan hurried off the bus.

She shrugged her bag higher onto her shoulders and flipped up the hood of her jacket, eyes staring sightlessly at the pavement. She told someone. And it wasn't just Eric or even Suzanne. Nope, she told a complete stranger.

(not the brightest move)

Not the brightest move indeed. 

--

Welcome to the world of William! Trust me, you're going to love it.

Love always,

-pinknaails

xx