Evelyn

Chapter 1:

Fall in Maine was beautiful. More beautiful than California had ever been, although she knew that was only because of the bad memories associated with that place. Startled by the sudden recall of memories, her pencil stopped mid-twirl in her hand, but she quickly regained her composure and continued to leisurely spin her pencil with her fingers in a bored, nonchalant fashion while the white chalk text on the board covered more and more space.

Her attention was focused on the world beyond the window.

Evelyn's eyes focused back and forth from the orange and yellow topped hills in the distance, past the football stadium of the high school, and to her own reflection in the glass. 

Times like these, she wished for nothing more than to bolt out the classroom window and run the mile towards the tall, beautiful hills, never looking back.

But that was a stupid, silly, foolish dream that could never happen. Her mind rarely lingered on these kinds of thoughts and in a blink of an eye, she was back to reality.

A tap came at her arm and she turned her head slightly, not even bothering to properly face her friend, Hannah Robertson who whispered,

"Are you coming to practice today?" 

"Don't really have a choice, do I?" Evelyn replied back, shrugging her shoulders as she focused her attention back on the English lesson.

"Okay, good," her friend beamed back. "Trust me, you will not regret it."

Evelyn didn't say anything back. Experience had told her that silence often yielded more answers than questions did, and Hannah was not the type of girl to hold back secrets for too long.

"Jace Westfall's back in town, haven't you heard?" Hannah chirped excitedly, although making sure to keep her voice down.

"Vaguely." Evelyn recalled, racking her brains to remember that two hours ago, she had been huddles in the commons of the high school with a group of giggling, gossiping girl who were all worked up about some guy that was returning back to Evergrass High after a two year absence, or something like that. But Hannah's rattling was kind of getting on her nerves and so, to appease her, she added, "Yeah, I think I remember. I heard he was really cute."

That hit the jackpot.

There was nothing Hannah liked better than talking which was why Evelyn enjoyed her company, eighty percent of the time. Because the conversation was always led by one person and Evelyn, who enjoyed listening more than speaking, could wander off in her own mind and do whatever she wanted to do, as long as she remembered to contribute occasionally so Hannah wouldn't get too suspicious. 

 After Evelyn's remark, Hannah launched into another one of her one-person conversations (something along the lines of, "Cute? Girl, he was the hottest guy in our school two years ago and he was only a freshman! I swear every girl in the school...) and Evelyn was peacefully watching the time on the clock, barely even hearing what her friend was saying. 

Inwardly, she sighed. Two years. Two years was a long time.

But not long enough. 

                                                              *****

"I got a B on my essay and now my final grade is a B, I'm so pissed--"

"Why didn't he show up for school and he's coming to practice?"

"I got that pearl pink sweater I've always wanted from--"

"Guys," petite little Bethany Solomon piped up with real news, tears shining in her large brown eyes. "Jason broke up with me last night, and I just..."