Evelyn

Evelyn - Chapter Two

In that hour I learnt a lot about Evelyn Baudelaire. First of all, she was a massive fan of 20 questions. So whilst we sat on mine and Jonah's third hand rug, in a small circle by the bunk bed, we played 20 questions. Apparently this was a great way to learn things about people. I didn't agree but I stand corrected. Evelyn was an only child, her sister was still born when she was 8. Before moving to Warmsmede she lived with her grandma, partly because her mother died when she was young, partly because her dad was serving in Afghanistan.

"Your father is a brave man!" I told her, watching her lonely eyes roam the floor for some sort of escape.

"Yes." she paused aimlessly staring into space. "I know. That's what everybody tells me."

An awkward yet comfortable silence filled the air until we started firing questions at one another again. Evelyn continued to tell us about her record collection. Ranging from The Beatles to The Bee Gees. Elvis to David Bowie. I contained my jealousy as my collection wasn't nearly as large as hers.

"Love? And destiny?" She exclaimed after hearing my question. "What a load of bull-"

I have her a confused look. "What do you mean?" I asked.

"A man blinded by love, is a man not smart. There may be a chemical reaction in my brain that seems like love, but it's not love. It's never love." She concluded, uncrossing her legs and standing up.

"What 'bout Jacob Moore, in Year 7?" Jonah stated.

"That was ages ago, plus I wasn't 'in love', I was making friends. Think of it as an experiment!" She replied, shaking her head vigorously.

"Oh an 'experiment'! I see!" He nodded, gesturing quotation marks with his fingers.

"I'm off to bed, losers. See you in the morning!" she waved goodbye heading to the door.

"Bed already?!" I questioned. "But it's 7 'o' clock?"

She laughed turning the door handle. "I have beauty sleep to catch up on." She winked. "See you round." Her dirty blonde hair followed her around the wooden frame and the door closed making a small sound.

I mimicked Evelyn and got up from the floor. "What does she mean by, 'experiment'?" I asked, making my way over to my bed and unzipping one of the larger suitcases. Josh walked out of the small bathroom rolling his eyes and throwing his t-shirt on the floor.

"She's a lil' strange sometimes." He sighed, avoiding my question and nodding towards the door. "But she's one hell of a girl. Her mum died when she was young. It changed 'er, and ever since then 'er attitude to everything 'as been so cynicle."

"Ah. So..." I paused. "How long have you two been dating?"

He stopped, and turned to look at me, a brand new bottle of coconut shampoo in his hand. His eyebrows furrowed before he burst into hysterical laughter. "Were not dating!!" He protested shaking his head profusely. "I'm gay!!" He laughed. "Even if I wasn't, I wouldn't date 'er, I mean, she's my best friend and one of the most lovely girls I know but, she can be high maintenance."

I nodded, turning my attention back to the suitcase and started to remove items of clothing, organising them into drawers and hanging some things up in the tiny wardrobe we had each been provided with. The sound of running water drifted underneath the bathroom door as I walked over to the low budget window. I noticed some students arriving late and booking into their dorms last minute. Whilst others layed with their heads on the grass, watching the stars and listening to music. The window was open slightly and I could still hear the terrible sound of dubstep coming from a few rooms down.

I grabbed my car keys from the table and wrote Jonah a note:

Gone to get some more things, be back soon - C

***

I looked at the final box to take. I definitely left the heaviest till last. As I picked up the wooden box I let out a grunt. I put it on the ground so I was able to close the boot of my van before continuing to take it back to my dorm. I used the lift and soon found myself in front of room 308, banging the door with my foot. 'I hope Jonah is out of the shower' I thought. The door immediately swung open and revealed a topless Joshua. I took the box and put it on the kitchen counter, knocking over a few cups in the process.

"What's in there?" He asked gesturing towards the big wooden box. I uncliped the metal clasp on the front and the contents became exposed.

"Oh wow!!" He exclaimed. "Ev has one of those, got it from a man on a car boot. £20!"

My eyes widened. "God, I paid £75 for mine!! My granddad gave me these though!" I said holding up small and large cirlcular discs.

"Oh she'll love to see these." He stated whilst flicking through my large collection. "Hey put this one on!" He asked passing me a black one with a green centre.

"You like these?" I asked, raising my eyebrows in question.

"Love them!!" He answered still browsing. "My uncle introduced them to me. I never owned any but he'd always play them when I visited."

"Nice." I said, tending carefully to the plastic, as I placed it down on the dark surface, careful not to scratch it. Lifting the arm and watching it spin slowly. The needle hit the grooves and began playing the music.