His Bunny

Chapter 4

EVANGELINE

"I called the school," my mom tells me when I wake up, handing me a bowl of warm broth.

Nodding in acknowledgement, I set the liquid aside on the nightstand, not having an appetite. I feel like crap. Why did I have to be born this way?

I lean back with a tired sigh and close my eyes.

A week later, I'm finally well enough to go back to school.

"Are you sure you're okay," my mom frets, fussing with my clothes to make sure I'm warm enough.

I smile gently at her, edging closer to the door, "Yes, Mom. Don't worry, I'll be perfectly fine."

Staring at me like I'm insane, she asks, "How can I not worry, Eve?"

"You know what? Nevermind," I say, walking to the front door as I readjust my backpack strap over my shoulder. "Bye, Mom."

"Bye, Sweetie," she sighs, turning around and walking into the kitchen.

Quickly, I open the door and slip outside. The cool fall breeze blows through my hair, making me shiver but smile happily nonetheless. I have always loved the colder weather, despite the fact that I'm almost always sick.

Beaming to myself, I walk confidently down my driveway, towards the sidewalk. I insisted that I walk to school instead of Mom driving me. I have spent enough time sitting around this past week, I need exercise.

I also need to finish the school work I missed...

After ten minutes of walking through my peaceful neighborhood, I see an old man curled in a ball on a doorstep. He looks homeless, shivering in his hole-covered clothing.

Pity wells within me and I slow to a stop next to him. "Sir?"

When he doesn't move, I become worried. "Sir?!"

Is he dead?! Gulping nervously, I slowly reach out to touch his shoulder.

Before I can touch him, I am yanked back into something hard and trembling.

"What the hell is wrong with you?!"

I crane my neck to see a familiar boy from my school glaring down at me.

His name is Arson and he is in the year above me. As the best receiver that the football team has, he is probably the hottest man alive. He is at least a foot taller than me and his muscle bulk is impressive, to say the least. Chiseled jaw, tan skin, short black hair, gorgeous green eyes...

Needless to say, I have been crushing on him since Freshman year.

"U -um, w -well -I," I stammer helplessly, my tongue tied.

"You could have gotten sick," he growls, shocking me, "Do you know how many diseases that dude could carry?!" His deep, angry voice sends shivers down my spine. And his angry eyes pull me in so easily, they're really quite hypnotic.

"S -sorry," I whisper, tearing my eyes away to look at my feet nervously.

He growls in frustration, making my face heat up, "D*mn it, Angel!"

Gently, but firmly, he grabs my arm and pulls me away from the old man, muttering profanities under his breath. "Stupid girl!"

Wincing, I try to ignore the sharp stab to my heart.

"I swear," he sighs to himself as he continues dragging me in the direction of school, "You are way too naïve for your own good."

I stare anxiously at the sidewalk as he pulls me along, saying nothing.

What is he doing? Why is he suddenly acting this way? We've never even had a full conversation before now. And now this?

After a few moments of silence, he huffs and says gently, "Look, I'm sorry. You're not stupid, Angel."

I like how he calls me 'Angel', it warms me clear through.

"S**t, I'm stupid," he growls, sounding frustrated.

"No, you're not," I argue softly, peeking up at him through my lashes.

He freezes for a moment, looking back at me with a strange expression on his face. Before I can blink, he has me under one long, muscular arm, tucked against his warm body. He stares straight ahead, a small smile gracing his hansom face.

Shocked, I stiffen momentarily, before relaxing against him. This is nice.

For the rest of the walk, we stay in a comfortable silence, him glancing down at me every now and then and me trying to remain cool.

When we reach the school parking lot, he speaks. "You okay? You've been gone all week," his voice is gentle, and his eyes are so soft.

I nod, my face getting hot, "Yes, I'm fine. Thank you. And thank you for walking me."

"Anytime," he smiles warmly, "I think we'll be spending more time together from now on, yeah?"

"Y -yeah," I stammer, embarrassed, looking at my feet.

Chuckling, he places a hand on the small of my back, leading me to the school entrance. After walking through the doors, we make our way to the lockers. "Bye, Angel," he says, leaving me by mine.

"Bye," I say in reply, leaning against my locker breathlessly.

"Evie!"

I glance to my right as Noelle rushes up to me, a huge guy following closely behind her. "Hi."

I recognize the man as the guy who helped me last week when I was sick in school. What was his name again? Theodore?

Noelle crushes me in a bear hug, grinning ear to ear. "I'm so glad you're better! I missed you!"

Laughing at her antics, I reply, "I missed you too, Ellie."

She pulls back abruptly, gesturing to the big guy who stands, staring at her like she's the only girl in the world. "You guys were never properly introduced. This is Ted- I mean Theodore. And this is Evangeline, or we call her Evie."

"Pleasure meeting you," he glances at me for a second before he looks back at a beaming Noelle.

"Ditto," I say politely, glancing between the two suspiciously. 

Noelle looks up at him tenderly, a strange shimmer in her eyes. Oh, they are so getting together. "So...?" I gesture between them curiously.

Noelle blushes deeply, staring at me with wide eyes. Theodore blushes a bit too, but he grins proudly and mouths, 'soon.'

I chuckle at them, shaking my head as I turn to get some things out of my locker, "You guys are too cute."