13 (evans wild ride to turning 16)

Chapter 9 (Evan)

Patrice had run away from me. I felt a bit embarrassed. I'd yelled for her when we'd gotten through a more of a crowded hallway. People saw us and turned their heads, she picked up her pace and I lost her in the crowd of people.

I stood there as people moved around me. If she chose to side with Brett there was nothing I could do about it. Patrice was her own person after all.

                                         —

Later that night I was laying across the couch as my mom cooked dinner. Charlotte and Bob were in the kitchen talking with my mom. I'd barely eaten at all, so I was starved.

"Hey Ev, Patrice stopped by today." Mom said to me while stirring a pot. I'd figured that she must've at some point during the day, her phone wasn't on my dresser anymore. "I told her she could come over for dinner."

"OMG Evan!" Charlotte ran from her spot in the kitchen and stood over the couch. "What is happening with her and Richie?" Unfortunately for me the whole grade had found out about her situation already. Stupid tiny town. I'd been getting asked about it all day.

"That's her business apparently." I sat up and Charlotte sat down next to me. "I'm not allowed to help her for some reason."

"What does that mean?" She frowned. "You can't help her with what?" Suddenly I had a stroke of genius. I could help Patrice realize her decisions were stupid.

If I could get Charlotte to pretend that we had something going on, Patrice would have a come to Jesus moment and totally freak out. When she freaked out she would just come back and cry to me about it.

"No. I can help her and so can you." I told her. She had a confused look on her face. I couldn't explain my plan in full to her though, because she was way to nice to actually agree to help my cause. "Charlotte walk outside with me."

She nodded and got up. We walked outside to my porch. The plan was that I would stand there and wait for her drive to pull up. Once they did I would have Charlotte wait until Patrice came outside. She seemed to understand well enough.

"So why do you go to all this trouble for her?" She leaned against the railing and turned to look at me. Truthfully I'd always just made huge elaborate plans for nothing. Patrice would come to her senses eventually, I knew that.

"I dunno. Some part of me just enjoys being in her life and on her mind all the time." That was probably a narcissistic thought.

"I don't quite know how I'd feel about that." She chuckled then her smile faded "Simon cheated on me with Lucy a couple months ago." I hadn't known that they had broken up.

"Oh, Im sorry." I was terrible at comforting people.

"It's whatever." Suddenly a car pulled up in Patrices driveway. I looked at Charlotte and she walked inside, out of view.

It took Patrice only a minute to come out of her door. She spotted me immediately, we locked eyes and her expression was blank. Charlotte walked out of the door, and I watched as her eyes followed her. I felt Charlotte put her hand on the small of my back. Crap. She wasn't supposed to do that.

Patrice ran down the stairs of her porch to the small white car. She looked different for some reason, almost more mature. We waited until the car was gone, then Charlotte took her hand off of my back.

I bolted inside straight to my room.

"Evan are you okay!" Charlotte chased after me. Mom and Bob looked at us.

"Leave me alone!" I yelled at her then slammed my bedroom door closed. That felt so wrong. Patrice looked truly hurt.