The Boy Next Door

Chapter 13

Chapter 13

"Megan!" I heard along with a pounding on my window. I rushed over to it and opened it. "My dad's gone."

"Is he at the store or something?" I asked, wondering why he was so wound up.

"He never goes to the store. He never goes anywhere! I tried calling him, but his phone isn't working."

My eyes got wide. What had my parents done? We just got home from the mall, where Scotty and Evan were dragging their feet until we let them pull us into a sports store.

"I'll see if my parents know anything."

He nodded and fled anxiously from his window, shouting for his dad. Dashing down the stairs, I came face-to-face with my own. "Where's Mr. Walker?" I asked.

He sighed. "I really think I should tell Evan before you."

I nodded and walked outside, over to Evan's house. After knocking on the door, Dad put his hand on my shoulder and nodded back to our house. I sighed, but nodded. "Alright." I walked back inside, though I wanted nothing more than to hear the conversation that was about to take place.

I expected Dad to come home pretty soon, but I didn't hear the door close until over an hour later. Anxiously I looked out my window, but Evan wasn't there. I heard his car turn on then.

"What happened?" I heard Mom ask him.

"He's going to see Carl. I offered to drive him, but he wanted to be alone."

"That's understandable."

"Have you told Megan yet?" My ears perked up.

"No, I figured if she was going to find out it shouldn't be from us."

I frowned, what was going on? Becoming curious, I walked down and asked them.

"Liliana, you're dating Evan now. It really shouldn't come from us," answered Mom. "Maybe Evan will tell you tomorrow."

Tomorrow came and went though without Evan hardly looking at me. We entered the classroom at the same time and he held the door for me, but other than that, nothing. And he was gone before I could get out the door, so I rode the bus home. I wasn't sure what to expect when I got home. His car in the driveway? A text about what happened? Maybe my parents to tell me. But nothing happened, and my curiosity grew.

That night, I heard Evan's car pull into his driveway while I was getting ready for bed. Right before I laid down, I looked out my window to say hi, but his blinds were closed. I sighed and laid down.

What on earth was happening? Spotting my Bible sitting out my my bed, I remembered how Evan had fallen first to God when things went wrong.

"Dear God," I prayed, "You are mighty and powerful above all others. No one can compare to You. Please now, God, tell me how to help my friends. Something is going on with Evan, and I don't know what. Will You please help him? Or show me how to? I have a feeling that no one else knows that anything is going on except Evan didn't talk to us today. I know more than that, and I want to do something. Please. In Jesus' name, Amen."

Days passed. Scotty, Erika, Brianna, and I gave Evan his space, but Friday came. I began wondering if he still wanted to go out and decided that enough was enough.

Instead of sitting at my house that afternoon, I walked over to Evan's house, seeing his car in the driveway. When I knocked on the door, at first there was silence. But then I heard a scuffling.

"Hi, Evan." I said with a smile. He smiled back.

"Hey. I was wondering when you'd show up."

"What do you mean?"

He shrugged and moved back a bit. "Do you want to come in?" I was shocked by the invitation, but nodded and stepped over the threshold. The house was dark, not in a creepy way, but in a way that showed me where Evan had been recently.

The furniture was stained in different places and there was trash in corners, but it was obvious that it had been hastily cleaned. Even so, it was a nice change for me from the pristine house Mom kept.

"Sorry about the mess. I could do only so much," he muttered.

"It's not a problem," I answered as we sat. "So, what's going on?"

"Your parents didn't tell you?"

I shook my head.

"I've been staying the night at Scotty's house, since I technically live there now. Your dad found out about some things my dad's been doing and called the police. He's, uh...he's in...jail now." My eyes got wide. "It doesn't matter why," he said quickly, "but he is. So, since I'm underage, I need to live with an adult, and Scotty's parents happen to be my godparents. I've been friends with him since I was little, before Mom passed. She probably set it up, because I don't think Dad has touched a single legal document in years."

"Wow, okay." I was relieved to know what was going on, but I was also confused. "If you've been living with Scotty, why haven't you been talking to any of us, even him?"

"I've really only been sleeping there, I've been spending the rest of my time here. Believe it or not, it looked worse a few days ago."

"Do you still wanna go out tonight, or would you rather not?"

He smiled at me. "Of course I do. Seven then?"

"Sure," I smiled, standing up. "I'll see you then."

I was so glad to finally know, but there was a weight on my chest. Evan's smile seemed heavy and forced, unlike the carefree, life-loving smile prior to this mess. What had my parents done?