Carry Me Home

Twenty-Eight

Rowan

I punched and punched and punched the wall with all my might until my knuckles bled. The pain from the cuts on my hand was incomparable to the pain Evelyn left me in.

After everything I said to her.

Punch.

After I opened up to her.

Punch.

After I had convinced her that I wouldn't leave her alone.

Punch.

She believed Avery out of all people. She chose the person she despises against the person who loves her to pieces with a passion he couldn't explain.

Punch. Punch. Punch. Punch.

'Rowan! What in the world are you doing, imbecile?" I turned around to meet the worried eyes of my best friend. Another thing I did for her - I shared my best friend with her. Hayden dashed for the bathroom and retrieved the first aid kit before opening it up, cleansing my wound and wrapping a bandage around my bloody knuckles.

"What happened, Row?" Hayden asked. His eyes were filled with concern and he placed a reassuring hand on my shoulder.

"Evelyn happened."

"Did you not take her declaration of her love for you well?"

Declaration of love? The only thing Evie was declaring was her disbelief and distrust in me.

"She didn't tell me she loved me."

"But she was so excited to tell you. She whispered it in my ear and she ran upstairs to meet you," Hayden explained with a burning determination to make me understand what he was talking about.

"She loves me?" I whispered, not quite processing what Hayden was saying.

"Yes, she does, but why were you punching a wall?"

"Story time, Hayd."

I allowed myself into Evelyn's dorm and made myself at home on her bed. My face snuggled into her pillow which filled my nose with her familiar citrus scent. I couldn't await her return any longer. I had such interesting stories to tell her about my week at my parents' house and I knew she had stories to tell me too.

Suddenly the bathroom door opened and out comes Avery. Her eyes widened in disbelief when she saw me in the room nevertheless that never kept the smile off her face.

"Row, what're you doing here?" she asked, taking her blow dryer out of her drawer.

"I'm waiting for Ang- Evelyn to come back."

"I know you call her 'Angel', Row, you don't need to cover it up. Anyway, how are you?"

"I've been okay."

"How was going back home?"

"Same old."

"Very vague answers you're giving me, Rowan. I think we're close enough to talk in more detail."

"The only people I'm close enough to talk to in detail are Hayden and my girlfriend."

"Rowan, stand up for a second," she ordered. I was perplexed at her command but got up anyway. "I think there's a spider in the corner, could you get it?"

I nodded, turned around to get the spider and before I knew it I was pressed against the wall with Avery's mouth on mine and the door had swung upon.

I placed a hand on Avery's arm to push her away but she was forceful. Her mouth was invading mine and as much as I shook my head and tried to take her off me, she just wouldn't budge.