[ A WATTPAD FEATURED STORY ]
•••
❝We accept the love we think we deserve.❞
But what does that really mean?
This is Eva's story; a tale of a wayward girl who had a heart of glass and when it broke, forgot that light tends to creep in through the cr...
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Eva stared at her mum's profile as the woman packed her lunch and placed it in the girl's bag.
“That's about it,” Ma muttered, zipping it shut before looking at Eva. “Everything ready, sweetie?”
Eva opened her mouth, so much sitting on the tip of her tongue and yet nothing to be told either. She felt like there was something she needed to say — wanted to say, but for the life of her couldn't imagine what. So instead she stepped forward and awkwardly wrapped her long arms around her mother's legs, her head only reaching up to the older woman's waist.
Her mum must have been too taken aback to respond but just as Eva felt ma moving to return the embrace, she quickly dropped her hands and moved back. “Gotta go, mum,” the little girl offered a closed mouth smile, “can't keep Benjie waiting.”
“The chauffer's name is Benjamin, love,” her mother reminded her again in a monotonous tone.
Eva lifted her left shoulder in a shrug, “Benjie sounds nice. He doesn't fuss about it too.”
Ma sighed. “Well then, better get going, yeah?”
Eva nodded, a tiny smile slipping onto and off her face like the quick flicker of a light bulb.
She was back in the same grand white car, being driven by the same old smartly dressed man to the same gates behind which her primary school stood. And the entire time, Eva couldn't help but feel her mum was distracted by something.
---
It was interval yet again, and just like the past week, all the kids raced out the class to the playground that was closely monitored by a few teachers. But Eva stayed and this time — she noticed — someone else stayed behind too.
The girl who'd approached her the first day.
Eva stared at her openly wondering why the girl was heading towards her when she'd avoided her ever since that day.
“What?” Eva asked as soon as the girl stopped by her desk, not waiting for her to speak.
“I was wondering why you never come out to play with us,” she explained, looking down at her shoes.
“I don't want to,” Eva muttered expressionlessly.
“Oh but it's so fun!” Excitement poured into her voice as her head snapped up to meet Eva's eyes. “You'd love —”
“I said I don't want to,” she cut her off impatiently.
The other girl's face fell but she didn't go away yet. “Terrence said your name's Evelyn.”
“It's Eva.” Why was the stupid red-haired boy going around telling people her name anyway?
“That's a pretty name,” the girl smiled. Eva stopped scratching the paint off the surface of the table and her blue eyes peered at the person standing in front of her in curiosity.
