EVELYN

CHAPTER 27

Evelyn's POV

As the boy and I walked along the path back toward town, the weight on my chest felt a little lighter. We didn’t talk much, but his quiet presence was oddly reassuring. Occasionally, he’d glance at me, as though he was checking to make sure I was okay, but he didn’t pry or ask questions.

At one point, he kicked a small pebble ahead of us, breaking the silence. “You know,” he said, his voice thoughtful, “sometimes it’s easier to face things after taking a step back.”

I turned my head to look at him, surprised by the comment. His eyes remained fixed on the path ahead, his expression unreadable. “What do you mean?” I asked cautiously.

He shrugged, shoving his hands deeper into his hoodie pockets. “Just that... the world doesn’t stop moving, even when it feels like your whole life is at a standstill. You’ve got to find your own way to keep going.”

His words lingered in the air as we approached the edge of the main road. He stopped walking, turning to face me with a small, almost imperceptible smile.

“Well, this is where I head off,” he said, gesturing vaguely toward the opposite direction.

I frowned slightly, realizing I hadn’t even asked his name. “Wait—what’s your—”

He waved a hand, cutting me off. “It’s not important. Just... take care of yourself, okay?”

Before I could respond, he turned and walked away, disappearing into the street. I stood there for a moment, staring after him, before shaking my head and continuing my walk home.

---

When I reached the front door of my house, I hesitated for a moment, my fingers hovering over the doorknob. Finally, I pushed it open and stepped inside, the warmth of the house doing little to chase away the chill that had settled into my bones.

My mom was in the living room, standing near the couch with her arms crossed. Her gaze lifted to meet mine, and for a brief moment, I thought I saw something flicker in her eyes—pity.

That look made my stomach churn.

I stared back at her, my expression hardening. Without a word, I turned away and climbed the stairs to my room, the weight of her gaze burning into my back. When I reached my room, I slammed the door shut and leaned against it, my breathing heavy and uneven.

Tears welled up in my eyes as everything crashed down on me again—the humiliation, the fear, the overwhelming sense of loss. My legs gave out, and I slid to the floor, clutching my arms around myself as a sob tore from my throat.

“Why?” I choked out, my voice cracking. “Why did this have to happen?”

The room felt suffocating, the walls closing in on me as my cries echoed around me. I crawled to my bed and climbed onto it, wrapping myself tightly in the blanket. I wasn’t asleep, but I wasn’t really awake, either. I just lay there, numb and exhausted, staring at the ceiling as my mind raced.

---

A knock at the door jolted me from my trance-like state. I sat up slowly, my body heavy and uncooperative. The knocking came again, more insistent this time.

I dragged myself to my feet and shuffled to the door, opening it a crack. Standing on the other side were Amber, Jasmine, and Maya, their faces filled with concern.

“Evelyn!” Amber exclaimed, pushing the door open wider. She stepped in first, followed by the others, who were all looking at me with matching expressions of worry.

“What’s going on? Are you okay?” Jasmine asked, her voice soft but urgent.

I bit my lip, struggling to hold back the tears that threatened to spill over again. “I’m fine,” I said weakly, but my voice betrayed me.

“You’re not fine,” Maya said firmly, stepping closer. “We’ve been worried sick about you. You’ve barely talked to us, and now you look like... like you haven’t slept in days.”

The dam broke. The tears I’d been holding back came flooding out as I crumpled into Amber’s arms. She held me tightly, her hand stroking my hair as I sobbed against her shoulder.

“It’s everything,” I choked out between sobs. “Everything’s falling apart. Perla at school, my dad, the video... he made me delete it...”

“What?” Jasmine said sharply. “Why would he do that?”

I pulled back slightly, wiping my face with the sleeve of my shirt. “He said it was for the family. For the company. He said Langston has been helping us financially and that we’d lose everything if I didn’t take it down. He said it was for Max... for his tuition...”

Maya’s face twisted in anger. “That’s so unfair! How could he put all of that on you? None of this is your fault!”

I shook my head, fresh tears spilling over. “It doesn’t matter. I did it. I deleted it. But it doesn’t change anything. People still know. And now... now it feels like I’ve lost everything.”

Amber pulled me into another hug, her voice soft but steady. “You haven’t lost us, Evelyn. We’re here for you, no matter what.”

The others joined in, wrapping their arms around me in a group hug that felt both overwhelming and comforting.

We stayed like that for a while, their presence grounding me as my sobs gradually subsided. When they finally pulled back, Jasmine gave me a small, determined smile.

“We’re going to get through this together,” she said firmly.