How to Kill a Man in Thirty Seconds

Chapter 14: Good Conversation

"Mr. Evans," my voice was cold and my tone curt as I stormed into his office the following morning. I halted upon reaching his desk and he immediately glanced up, his eyes widening as he did so.

"Mr. Evans," I repeated, hands crossed over my chest, "Is there anything you have to tell me? You know, about how you knew my name the second you saw me?"

Evans held his hands up in defence, "Ms. Green, I don't know what you're thinking or what you mean. But just so you know, you were the only topic of conservation in the staff room that day-"

"Then what about suddenly holding me back after class? What about trying to give me your number, knowing you could get the sack for it?" I swallowed the bile rising in my throat, "what made you not think twice before crossing the distance we should have between us as student and teacher?"

Evans froze for a second and I could see the wheels of his brain at work. Finally, he frowned, "Ms. Green, I have no idea what you interpreted my words as. You see, Mr. Hunt seems dangerous. I was simply being concerned about you as your teacher-"

"Or better still," I slammed the photograph on the table, cutting him off mid-sentence," Mr. Evans, you knew my father." His beady gaze flickered down to the picture, stilled and then slowly returned to me; the teacher looked like a deer caught in headlights. I continued, my lips slimming into a thin line, "But what I'm really curious about, is why you would want to hide that fact."

Mr. Evans was speechless for a moment. He then rubbed his temples and sighed in resignation. When he did speak, the professional tone in his words were lost, "Alright, Charley. You caught me. I recognized you the moment I saw you; I've seen you multiple times as a child; how could I not? And... yes, I may have acted a bit too concerned. It's only I've heard how hard it's been for your mother and as someone who was your father's friend, I couldn't help but step over the line to try and help you."

Mr. Evans glanced up and I stared into his inky eyes, trying to read them, "Forgive me, Charley if I came off sounding like a first class paedophile and ended up scaring you instead. Bloody hell," he added, almost to himself than to me, "God knows I'm not too good around kids. I was just trying my best."

He sounded truthful, which caught me by surprise.

"That still doesn't explain why you had to hide anything."

He sighed once more, "It was because I didn't know how you'd take it."

My brows furrowed, "What do you mean?"

"Look, Charley," he looked like a little boy at confession, "During the last couple of months your dad was around, I wasn't on the best terms with him... We had our differences even though we were friends and we had our arguments. Unfortunately, things didn't quite end well the last time I saw him." Evans sighed heavily, "When I found out he had passed away, I was full of guilt for the way I had left things." His gaze flickered to meet mine, "No one wants the last memory they have with their best friend to be a heated argument."

I frowned, "So what happened?"

"I was so ashamed of myself, I couldn't face the others; they all knew what trouble I'd put your father through during those weeks. I was a coward." He swallowed, "I missed his funeral, Charley."

My anger drained away from me and I stared at him, understanding the disappointment he felt and feeling pitiful for it.

"I didn't know if you'd recognize me, Charley. And if you did, I didn't know how I'd face your mother, after not bothering to so much as give you guys a single call all these years."

As I looked at him, I wondered what had gone down between him and my father to cause all this disappointment. But Isaac Evans looked so stricken by guilt, I knew it wasn't the moment to ask.

Lily was sitting on my lap, joyously munching on a carrot. She seemed to be lost in a world of her own. Watching her gobbling it down, I couldn't help but chuckle; with her wavy blonde hair in two pigtails and her wide eyes staring off into the distance, she looked too adorable to be real.

"You like the carrot, huh, Lily?" I asked her, snaking my arms around her waist and snuggling her closer. I already knew what her answer was going to be; Lily's wild obsession with carrots was the true definition of undying love. My mother and I simply could not get over it. In reply, she nodded exuberantly before sleepily wriggling around to face me and sinking into my embrace, her face burrowing into the crook of my neck.

"She loves you more than you realize it."

I glanced up to realize my mother had entered the room, and was watching us with a rare smile on her face. I smiled softly in reply.

I thought hard for a moment then, reconsidering the question that burned inside me. But the words slipped out anyway.

"Mum, why don't a lot of our old friends come visit us anymore?" My mother stilled and her eyes were wide when I turned to her, "I'm sure you and dad had a lot of friends all those years ago. How come we never hear from them?"

Mum averted her gaze; the smile had vanished. She didn't reply.

"I'm sorry, I wasn't trying to upset you," I told her, feeling a pang of guilt, "It's just that... I feel sorry about dad sometimes." My mother was watching me, her grey eyes full of despair, but I continued, "Oliver once told me that when I think of dad, I should think of the good times I had with him. But the thing is, mum," I swallowed, "Even though it's been only three years, so many of my memories of him- the good ones-... have faded away. All I can remember, clear as day, is how he died." My voice cracked on the last sentence.

It was when I glanced at her again that I realized she was crying. Tears fell from her eyes, flowing down her cheeks as she watched me.

"All I can do is feel horrible about the times I ignored him during those last few years, too busy being a stubborn, prissy little teenager to make time for him. I just... feel so angry that I missed so much time I could've spent with him. If only..." I swallowed the heavy lump in my throat, "If only I could talk to his friends, about him, maybe I'd miss him less."

My mother had crouched down by me and her face had softened. On instinct, I wiped away her tears with the tips of my thumbs, and gazed earnestly at her, "mum, what were dad's friends like?"

My mother stared at me for a few seconds, her expression one of utter misery before she suddenly averted her gaze and stood bolt upright.

"Charley, it's late," she told me, her voice cracking, "I don't know why you bring up these things after so many years. It's just... I can't. I miss your father too, Charley, so much and God, I'd do anything to turn back time. But I can't keep dwelling in what we lost. If I do, we won't be able to handle reality." She cast me an apologetic look, "I'm sorry, love."

As she trudged upstairs to bed, my heart sank in the pit of my chest. As if sensing my unhappiness, I felt Lily's arms tighten around me.

It was after school the following day as I was trudging out through the school gates, that a storm of terrified shouting erupted from the parking lot. Furious yelling emanated from the distance and I noticed, with a start, a few kids hurrying away from the source of the din.

What in the world had happened?

My heart quickening in my chest, I immediately ran towards the noise, hoping against hope that it wasn't who I thought it would be.

But of course, there he was.

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Thank you for reading my story and especially for the votes your guys have been giving!! You have officially made my day :D

Will be updating soon!

Mindy.