13 (evans wild ride to turning 16)

Chapter 7 (Richie)

"Are you actually trying to get with Evan Goldmans girlfriend!" Cassie ran up to me right after first period ended. She had her phone out and a huge grin on her face. The question threw me off completely, I was not expecting to be asked about her at the moment.

I should've known that in a school this small nothing stays that much of a secret.

"How many people are saying that." Was the first thing I said then "No of course not, shes just helping me with something."

Crap. If word was spreading this early in the day I couldn't even imagine what it would be like by the end.

"Oh Richie you're totally done for." Cassie began to walk down the hallway with me. She simultaneously began texting at the same time "I heard that they're a super serious couple, like they even live together or something."

"But I'm not trying to do anything with her!" I protested "She's just helping me with something." No one would believe me though, everything was just going to get more and more gossipy. I needed to find Patrice or try calling her again. Something could get cleared up if we found a way to talk it through.

"That sounds so bad when you don't specify what it is shes helping you with." Cassie laughed. She was right, I felt humiliated. "You know you could probably find her in the music room, someone said they saw her walk in there."

Yes. I needed to go to the music room and talk to Patrice. We could come up with a response for all the rumors.

I walked ahead of Cassie and walked to the music room. I was walking from A hall to C hall it was a long walk but I had never walked faster.

The music program at our school was basically non existent so the music room was empty and mostly used by the students for random nonsense. Before I opened the door I heard voices coming from the inside. 

I looked in the window to see Patrice and Evan. They both looked upset

"Evan please!" Her voice was high "I made up my mind already, I wasn't actually going to still help him." I went away from the window and put my back to the wall next to the door.

"Well it sure looked like you were!" Evan responded to her "Besides you really love to make dumb decisions." Crap. What were they talking about? Had she backed out of the deal and Brett hadn't told me?

"That doesn't mean you always get to make decisions for me!" She sounded really upset. This was serious I shouldn't have been eavesdropping, but it was sorta my business to know whether or not she would help.

"Sometimes you just don't know whats best." Evan didn't seem like the type of guy to talk to somebody that way. It felt kind of wrong to hear that come out of someone's mouth and not intervene. "I'm sorry but you just don't get it when things are wrong."

"I hate you!" She screamed and suddenly the door next to me opened. When she stormed out of the door we made direct eye contact. Evan followed out after her. They both stopped and stared at me.

I could've just ran away from them while screaming. That would've probably worked, but I just froze in fear instead. I shouldn't have listened to their conversation. I was going to barf.

Evan turned to Patrice, pointed at me and asked "What is he doing here?" She shook her head as she started to walk away again. He gave me a nasty look before he turned back around to run after her. Everything felt overly awkward and confusing.

So there I was standing alone in the middle of a completely empty hallway. If I didn't talk to her I wouldn't know if she was going to go to my parents dinner party that night. I started to walk away and pulled my phone out of my pocket.

The truth was that there was no reason for me to rat out Brett, I'd never really planned to. I just wasn't smart enough to make a plan to get Patrice to help me. Brett could probably use some real help though, he had some serious issues.

Instead of calling him I put my back to the wall again, I slid down and sat on the floor. My parents really wanted to meet this girl, and if they didn't they would just assume that she wasn't good enough. They liked to be real classist jerks. If someone didn't show up to something like a dinner party, they would automatically assume they were a terrible person.

When they told me they were moving overseas I'd panicked and told them I had a girlfriend who I couldn't move away from. Unluckily Patrice just happened to be the first person I thought of, how unfortunate for her. Why couldn't I have picked someone like Cassie or Molly?

It was kind of the lamest place in the world, but I loved Appleton. I'd lived in British Columbia for the first 10 years of my life, I didn't really fit with anyone there. In Indiana I immediately fit with the boys. Brett was sort of my best friend, even if he didn't view it that way. I wasn't neglected by anybody here.

If I moved to the UK I might find the nearest bridge and jump off of it. There was nothing for me there, not even my parents. I didn't love my parents the way a child should, and they didn't love me the way parents should love a child. We just had a mutual agreement that they took care of me and I didn't bother them with anything bad.

Everything felt stuck in one sticky place. What was I supposed to tell my parents? They were going to make me move in with them guaranteed.