Destined

Six

Alex

"Why is my daughter not coming down for dinner, Alex?" My best friend asks me in an assuming way.
"Andrew, her and I don't talk how you seem to think we do. Why would I know?" I respond.
"Go talk to her." He tells me.
"No," I respond after looking at him like he's crazy.
"Alex, I told you this when she was born, if you're going to stay here then you can help out. Go get my daughter." I groaned like usual and headed up to Evelyn's room, knocking before entering but entering before getting a response. Not that I would've gotten one anyways since her eyes are shut and her body is spread out beneath her blankets. She's gripping the pillow her head is resting on so tight that I want to wake her up just so her hands can relax. That can't possibly be comfortable.
I pull out my phone and send a newly taken photo to Andrew, explaining how she's obviously asleep and I really shouldn't wake her.
I find myself just standing in her room for another minute or two after that text. Not watching her sleep or anything, but just checking out the things within her room. I didn't get that chance the other night, I was too into the conversation being held. The items on the shelves and what's on her desk. Her things don't scream who she portrays herself to be. She's got cameras everywhere, polaroids strewn over by the window. It's fairly tidy in here but she comes across to me as a mess. Not to be rude but I just mean she doesn't seem like the type of person to have a clean room.
As I sit across from my best friend and his beloved wife, I stuff my face with the potato salad taking up the majority of my plate. It takes me a moment before realizing I was now the only one touching their food even though neither of them was anywhere close to being done. I glance over at Andrew who has his fingers interlocked and his eyes set on me. The potato salad in my mouth is gulped down so I'm able to bring attention to the weird atmosphere in the dining room.
"Can one of you please explain to me why I'm the only one eating? You two are staring at me like gargoyles."
"I see you and Evelyn were at the supermarket the other day," Andrew says in a questioning way.
"Briefly." My mouth speaks before I think.
"It's funny, I saw her on her own for a moment too long." I gulp, hoping it went unnoticed.
"I was catching up to her. She saw all the people and got so excited over it so she ran off." I hope this bullshit lie works. I can't afford to have him not be happy with me. "I didn't know you were there."
"Yes, I sent him there to get me some fresh fruit," Jolene interjects.
"Oh, well I-"
"Yes and when I saw Evelyn and then saw you run up behind her, you didn't look to be very pleased with her." Andrew cuts me off.
"Oh?" I question. "I guess when I fell it didn't-"
"Cut the crap Alex. What's going on?" I exhale deeply then meet his gaze.
"Evelyn and I had a little disagreement and she took off. You saw me running after her. We came back here right after that."
"What disagreement?" Jolene asks. I don't want to tell her. She won't be happy about it. "Alex?"
"Okay, she told me if I didn't take her for ice cream then she'd call and tell you two I was being mean to her. So when she called you, I lied and that's why I asked where the closest place was and then when we got there she dumped her not even close to finished ice cream on the ground."
"She what?" Jolene is shocked.
"I told her to clean it up and stay put so I could get napkins or something to clean it up, right, but she ran out when my back was turned."
"Did she actually do that?" She asks me to which I respond with a nod.
"That doesn't sound like her at all," Andrew says to himself, shaking his head.
"I'm sorry but it's true. Please feel free to tell me exactly what kind of a kid you've raised over the past few years because when we last talked, she wasn't like this at all." I direct to him.
"It just makes no sense."
"Maybe it's that Collins boy." Jolene suggests. My head jerked back a tab, eyebrows drawing together in complete confusion. What boy?
"No, he wouldn't change her like this. He's a good kid, you even said so yourself."
"I know but, sometimes things change."
"Jolene, you told me you were ecstatic when they started dating. That wouldn't just change because of her sudden act." Evelyn has a boyfriend? Since when did she get herself a boyfriend.
It's been three and a half hours since my conversation with Andrew and Jolene and I'm still trying to process the fact that not once was this kid-who is apparently dating Evelyn-brought up. I can understand not being told by my friends but not hearing Evelyn bring him up is confusing. Wouldn't she want to talk about her boyfriend like every other teenage girl? Brag about him and show him off? Maybe this generation is different when it comes to relationships but it's still odd.
I can hear she's up now and chatting away. Does she know she's being as loud as she is? I can't focus on my work when she's basically the previews at the movie theatre. Really not in the mood to deal with her but I need to get this done. My eyes roll as I groan, bringing myself to her door and letting myself in. I opened my mouth to speak but came to an abrupt stop to take in the scenery in front of me.
Evelyn was on her elbows and knees, her phone in her hand placed against her ear. Her ass was in the air and when she slowed her laughter, her bottom lip was pulled in with her teeth. The smile on her face was evident but immediately disappeared once her eyes found my feet and dragged up my body.
"What do you want?" She rudely asks me. "No, not you, he's here. Okay, I'll call you back." I didn't say anything, she didn't move except to hang up her phone and place it beside her. "I will ask you one more time; what do you want?"
"I'm trying to do my work so if you could quiet down a smidgen, that'd be great." Her eyebrows raise in my direction. "Thanks."
"Or I could not." She tests me.
"What, so you just have to be as loud as thunder while talking with your boyfriend so no one else can get anything done?" She removes herself from the bed and makes her way five steps away from me.
"Who told you about Daniel?" She sounded concerned with my new found knowledge. I can do something with this, I'll have to store it for later though.
"Doesn't matter. Lower your voice would you? Thanks, Princess." I pat the top of her head and leave the room, closing the door behind me.
Why would I pat her head and why would I call her princess? It seemed like such a good idea at the time but now, I can't explain how it feels. At least I left her speechless and haven't heard anything from her since and that's definitely helped me get every last bit of my work done.