Acid

"Eva how could you?"

chapter 17

Ashley drove Eva home. They hung out in her living room with Tessa playing charades. Iris would've been here but she was hanging out with her new boy toy, Isaac, that night.

The next day Eva and her parents had lunch with Iris' parents at the country club. Eva wore a white tennis skirt and pink cashmere sweater, Iris wore a black mini skirt with a black halter top and black boots.

"Hey, hold onto these for me, Eve's," Iris said stuffing her box of cigarettes into Eva's white bag.

"Why'd you bring them?" she questioned.

"They were in the pocket of my skirt-I can't get caught with them."

Eva and Iris sat next to each other at the picnic table where they ate. Their parents talked while Eva spilled all the details about her and Ashley's date last night to Iris.

"Oh my god I can't believe your parents went to the same restaurant as you!" Iris whispered. Eva chuckled and blushed. Iris shook her head and giggled. Iris' eyelids were painted with black eyeshadow. Eva knew she was way too shy to wear the makeup that Iris wears so she just wears mascara now.

Eva cleaned her glasses on her tennis skirt.

"Believe it! It was a close one, I had to tell them that I was on a date with Nicholas." Eva drawled. Iris took a sip of her iced tea and giggled.

"But he's gay?" Iris questioned.

"Nobody knows that, especially our parents," Eva whispered. They nibbled on their salads and Iris gushed about her rendezvous with Isaac.

"Okay so we went to go play mini golf and of course I pretended like I didn't know how to play and he taught me and he put his arms around me and he was just so sweet," Iris blushed crimson. The girls giggled about their blooming romances.

"Shall we go play some golf?" Iris' dad, Marcus, asked. All of their parents nodded and rose from the table. Iris and Eva stood to walk to the golf course, Eva slipped her purse onto her shoulder. Being her usually clumsy self she tripped over her feet and fell face first into the freshly-trimmed grass, inhaling the fertilizer and spilling the contents of her bag onto the ground. Eva laughed and felt a little embarrassed as Iris, Iris' mom and her dad helped her to her feet. They all laughed at Eva having two left feet.

"I guess I must've forgotten how to walk," Eva joked as she brushed grass off of her skirt. She examined her now cracked black rimmed glasses.

"I guess it's time to get contacts," her dad teased. They all chuckled. Eva's mom helped her pick up her things off of the ground and put them back in her purse. All of the joking and laughing screeched to a halt when Eva's mom held up a box of Marlboro 100's cigarettes.

"Evangeline Hyde, you're smoking?" Her mother asked completely bewildered. She rose to her feet and Eva quickly followed. A bright red blush spread across Eva's face.

"Those aren't mine," Eva defended.

"Evangeline, they were in your purse!" her mother exclaimed. Her mood changed from shocked to angry.

"Katherine," Eva's father said, putting a hand on her mother's shoulder. She swatted it away.

"Ronald! Our daughter is smoking!" Her mother shouted in his face. He sighed deeply.

"Eva if they aren't yours then who's are they? And why do you have them?" he asked calmly. Eva bit her lip and glanced at Iris' parents who were watching quietly, she turned to her left and glanced at Iris behind her, not saying a word.

"They're Iris'..." Eva croaked.

"Who's?" her dad asked.

"The cigarettes. They belong to Iris," Eva said a little louder. Iris' mother gasped and covered her mouth with her hands. Iris' father just looked down at the floor and shook his head. Eva's parents gaped at her.

"Eva how could you?" Iris whispered.

"Iris they are yours, not mine." Eva barely whispered. She was telling the truth.

"Iris Paige Leonard, is this true?" Brandi, her mother, asked.

"Um, I'll call you tomorrow, Brandi." Eva's mother awkwardly told Iris' mother.

"Thank you, Katherine. I'll see you all soon," She said dryly, not taking her eyes off of a pitiful Iris standing awkwardly with her arms crossed. Eva's dad, Ronald, quickly led them to their car and to let the Leonard's have some time to talk alone. Eva's parents murmured to each other on the way back to their house. Eva remained silent, staring out the car window, fully aware that she just lost one of the most important people in her life.

Back at her house Eva paced around her bedroom talking on the phone with Ashley about what happened with Iris at the country club.

"I feel awful for ratting her out like that but what was I supposed to do?! Say they were mine?! I would do a lot for Iris but break my parents heart to cover for her is not one." Eva stated.

"It wasn't your fault, babe. They would've found out about her bad habits one day-you didn't do anything wrong," Ashley calmly said on the other side of the phone.

"She's never going to talk to me again," she sadly drawled and flopped onto her back on her bed.

"Do you want me to pick you up? You can stay at my place tonight. I hate it when you're sad-I can cheer you up," Ashley proposed.

Eva bit her lip and nodded, forgetting that Ashley can't see her.

"Yes, please," Eva croaked. Ashley hung up and Eva packed a few clothes for the night. She put them in her little Gucci bag and crept down her staircase. Her parents were seated in the parlor whispering amongst each other.

"I'm going to Iris' house for the night." Eva softly spoke.

"Okay...have fun," her mother dryly said. Her mother had a tired face, what had they been doing last night? Perhaps her mother had a bit of paper work to sort through. It was 4:00 in the afternoon when Ashley picked Eva up from Tessa's house. Tessa seemed completely normal with Eva, perhaps Iris hadn't told her what happened yesterday at the country club. Who knows who's side Tessa would take, or would she remain neutral? Eva was racking her confused brain in the car. Ashley noticed something was bothering her.

"Hey," he began, pulling Eva away from her thoughts, "what's wrong, kid?"

"Ugh. It's this whole thing with Iris. She's my best friend and now I feel like me and her won't ever be friends again," she confided. Ashley stroked his stubbly chin in thought. Eva looked at his distorted profile; she broke her glasses yesterday when she tripped at the country club so everything was blurry.

Ashley took her soft hand into his calloused and rough hand. His bass playing left rough and hard spots on his fingers.

"She'll come around, babe. Give her time," he assured her. Eva gave a weak smile and looked at all the blurry trees passing by.

"Where are we even going?" she asked.

"I have band practice so that's where we are going." he answered her with a sly smile. What's that for? Eva's heart sunk deep into her chest and the muscles in her rib cage seemed to fall apart. I'm going to a Black Veil Brides band rehearsal! They are Iris' favorite band in the entire world of bands.

Eva was discontent in the fact that Iris wasn't here to share this day. Iris would love to see them rehearse! She was conflicted on wether or not to text Iris to come see it. Ashley pulled into a compact parking space in front of a freshly painted music studio building. Ashley opened Eva's door and helped her step out. As they walked up the concrete steps into the building Ashley must've noticed Eva's blue mini skirt because in one swift and breath-taking move he pushed Eva against a marble column outside the studio and kissed her hard and deep. The surprise attack threw Eva's mind into a whirlwind of emotions. Ashley cupped her neck and her cheek and deepened the kiss. Eva tenderly kissed him back and suddenly Ashley remembered that they were on the steps of a public building; he broke the kiss and rested his forehead against Eva's. Eva shyly smiled. Ashley grinned back his beautiful boy-next-door smile. Ashley nervously chuckled and took Eva's hand. He led her into the studio.