The Way She Makes Me Feel

Chapter Seven

♡ Evelyn ♡
. . .

When Dawn, Tony, and I get to my grandma's house after school, we find Mom in the kitchen, panicking while both my grandparents consult her—or do whatever Grandpa's doing.

Of course, the three adults, backs turned, don't notice us kids are in the kitchen.

"I just—I don't know what to do!" Mom panics. "I knew we shouldn't have come—she's gonna find out...!"

"I told you not to keep her in the first damn place!" Grandpa grumbles.

"Please, George, don't be like that. I didn't want her to be raised in homes or something."

"You could have left her with the Fitz boy."

"Fitzroy has a kid—two, and a wife. This would ruin him, and Evelyn, she would be crush—"

The adults wouldn't have noticed us if it weren't for one tiny noise: Dawn dropping that stupid pink hydro-flask that never stays in her book bag for long.

All the adults turn their heads to look at us.

"How much did you hear?" Mom asks, at the same time Grandma puts on an obviously fake, sugary sweet smile in contrast to their initial panic and asks, "How was school?"

After they speak, the two look at each other, sharing a conversation I don't know and can't come between. On a normal Friday, I'd want to try, but considering I spent most of my day being dragged around and not flirted with by Sydney—seriously, she was flirting with me?—my brain's not functioning to its fullest capacity.

Like seriously—why did she stop flirting with me? How, and when did it start? And is that like a friendly thing? I heard people flirt with their friends, so...

"How much did you guys hear?" Mom repeats, looking manic and panicked.

"Not much... we just came in," Tony lies, and Dawn agrees, but I'm too busy desperately trying to figure out why I was in this conversation.

What do they not want to be found out?

And who's this Fitzroy guy?

I have a lot of questions, and I know even if I ask, I won't get answers.

I'm too tired to try.

• ✿ • ✿ •

"Hey Eve," Dawn peeks into my room. It's later that day, and I'm in the dim lighting of my bedroom, reading Percy Jackson while snuggled up against the life-sized panda I keep in the corner of my room.

I love animals—especially pandas, rabbits, and cats. They're adorable.

"Hm?" I look up from my book. It's nighttime—still Friday, but knowing Dawn, she'd be half asleep on the couch, binging Pretty Little Liars—even if it's before eight.

"I..." she pauses, "I have a question—a..." she shifts uncomfortably, "a hypothetical."

"Okay..." I'm skeptical, but Dawn likes to give me hypotheticals about her TV shows and books all the time, so...

I pat the spot next to me, and Dawn—in her rabbit onesie our Uncle Jay got us for Christmas—shuffles over to me.

"What's up?" I ask.

"What if..." she begins, sitting next to me and getting comfortable underneath the fluffy pink cover I have draped across me.

We're lucky the apartment's bedrooms are carpeted, or else our asses would be sore.

"What if you found out your mom wasn't who she was supposed to be," she says slowly, "like not your mom... and everyone else but you knew? Would you be mad...?"

"No..." I say, "I mean, I need context. How long are we talking though?"

"Well—say if it were us. I'd know since..." she pauses, "a year ago but got sworn to secrecy—and they wouldn't tell you ever unless you found out."

"That is..." I narrow my eyes in thought, "oddly specific. What kind of show even is this?"

"Don't worry about it—how would you feel?" she asks quickly. "How mad would you be?"

I shrug. "I'd be mad if it were you because you're the closest thing I've ever had to a sister and we're kind of best friends. But Mom? I'd be livid. I mean, seventeen years is a long time to lie."

"Yeah..." Dawn looks down. "One year is a pretty tough time trying to lie to someone you love."

"Are you lying to someone you love?" I ask.

"Nope," she says quickly, with a pop of her p. "Just uh... writing a book."

Oh? Dawn doesn't like books...

Maybe my book talk is changing her!

"Oh—let me read your draft when you finish!" I smile, actually excited for her.

"Probably won't for a while..." she smiles. "Good night, Evie. I love you." She stands and shuffles back to her room while I say:

"Love you too."

And my oblivious ass questions nothing.

. . .

No author's note in a while- I know, I know- honestly I'm too in the zone when writing that I don't even notice.

ANYWAYS, now that I have:

Question of the chapter: what's your favorite animal?

I can't choose- but anything except spiders and snakes will do (I find them cute BUT from a distance)

♡ T   A   L   E   Y   I   A   H ♡