Destined

Eleven

Evelyn

How many times do kids at school have to be absolutely infernal without realizing no one enjoys it? I didn't do anything to deserve what happened to me and I definitely don't deserve to be the only one in trouble right now. I think it's absolutely unacceptable that I'm being punished for standing up for myself.
I should not be sitting in the principal's office beside my enemy of choice for the past few days. "Both of your guardians will be coming down to hear why the two of you are in trouble. And at the end of it, you will both be leaving the premises for the day." I shake my head, this is unbelievable.
We have to wait ten minutes before either of our parents show up. Jake's are first and they are not thrilled he's landed himself in the office once again. As he goes to explain the situation, Principal Goodwin stops him telling Jake we have to wait until everyone's here.
That's when, almost on cue, Mr. Goodwin stands as the door opens. "Well, you sure took your sweet time Mr. Harris." The door closes swiftly before I slide down in the chair and a response was given making me pause.
"I'm not Mr. Harris but I was however asked to step in since he couldn't make it. Now, I want to know why Evelyn is in here." Alexander's voice rings throughout the room. My eyes widen a tad, quickly finding themselves their normal size.
"I cannot divulge that information to anyone but the parents."
"You're not serious Mr. Goodwin. We did not sit in here waiting on him only to not get to actually speak our sides." I exclaim.
"Evelyn quiet." Mr. Goodwin snaps at me.
"Don't you speak to her that way." Alexander defends. "Her parents couldn't make it so they sent me. That is good enough. Tell me why she's here." His hands hold the back of my chair. With his defense, I sit back up how I was before he showed up.
"I would very much like to know as well." Jake's mother says, his father quiet and unamused.
"These two were found fighting in the middle of the hall surrounded by a bunch of students who claim they saw Miss. Harris 'throwing fists'." Mr. Goodwin uses quotations with his fingers around his last two words. I roll my eyes, he has no clue what actually happened, this is ridiculous.
"And is that true or have you not asked them?" Alexander asks.
"He hasn't asked," I say.
"I want both of them off school property right now."
"I didn't do anything!" My voice raises in defense.
"Evelyn, what happened?" Alexander asks me, I swivel in my seat to meet his gaze but turn back quicker than waiting for butter to melt in the microwave.
"Jake has been acting like a dick towards me for the past few days and I've had enough so I stood up for myself but not once did I throw my fists at him. Look at him, he's perfectly fine. All I did was raise my voice and get in his face. But I don't deserve to be here. This is unbelievable. He acts terribly to me and I'm the one getting punished for it?" I scoff, "Of course I am, because people these days don't know how to properly discipline people who are in the wrong." I practically yell.
"Get out of my office and get out of the school." Mr. Goodwin demands.
"Why because I'm calling you on your shit and you don't like it? Because you know I'm right? Or because this makes everything easier for you." My chin quivers.
"Don't make me have to call security on you." He warns but I don't care.
"I-"
"Alright, that's enough," Alexander says before he lifts me up and tosses me over his shoulder. I say nothing, he'll put me down soon enough. "Mr. Goodwin was it? Get your shit together and figure out how to run your God damn school." And with that, I'm carried out of the institution and brought to Alexander's car. He places me down at the passenger door and glares at me. "What the fuck Evelyn?" I stay in place, trying to look anywhere else but at him. I sniff, my nose running because I'm almost in tears. The taste of iron flows on my tongue from biting down on my cheek so hard. I sniff once more before I speak.
"I didn't do anything wrong. If you think I did then I guess I'm just some silly girl who isn't allowed to defend herself when people are calling her names. Horrid and untrue names. Whatever you figure, I suppose." Without another word, I hop in the car and wait patiently to be brought home.
I'm so done with today and that might just be why when we walked through the front door, I ignored Alexander's attempts to speak to me and closed myself inside the four walls of my bedroom. There was nothing I could do and nothing I say to make things better. When mom and dad get home they're going to want to know what happened but I don't have the energy to explain it. I couldn't possibly tell them the names I've been getting called. Or tell them of the older boys that have been catcalling me because of what they've heard. The girls that have been giving me dirty looks thinking it's all true, but it's not. I'm not who they think I am, not then and not now. I wasn't the happy go lucky girl and now I'm not the girl who's been screwing everyone I possibly can.
I just lay on my bed in the fetal position while staring at the little trinkets placed throughout my room. What else can I really do? No one's going to believe me. Even my best friend, Lia, has asked me if it's all true but if she truly knew me then she'd know, without asking, it isn't.
My door opens and closes but my body doesn't move an inch. He whispers something way too quiet for me to hear but it was in French, probably something about me. Footsteps find their way to the foot of my bed before the mattress dips down then I hear an exhale be released. "What's going on at school?"
I say nothing.
"Evelyn, please talk to me. Is this why you were sad yesterday too?"
"It's not going to change anything. You already believe what you want." I tell him.
"I believe I haven't heard the full story."
"You wouldn't want to."
"I like stories."
"Not this kind. It'll be bad enough having to tell dad, it's too hard." A tear slips down my cheek. He moves closer to me and wipes it away.
"Hey," he hushes my cries, "hey, we don't have to tell him."
"He got the call, he's going to wonder what's up."
"He has no idea. The house was called and I picked up the phone, no one else was here." I sit up, crossing my legs.
"But you said-"
"I lied." I look at him for a moment too long before shaking my head.
"I just can't."
"I'm not going to judge you if that's what you think." His expression is soft.
"Why do you want to know so badly?"
"Because I picked you up from school and now you're upset."
"Of course I'm upset, I have a right to be. I'm being treated unfairly by everyone in that damn school. I don't want to be there anymore but I have no other choice."
"How is everyone treating you badly?" His hand rests on my knee so carefully if I couldn't see it, I wouldn't believe it was actually there.
I sigh shakily, hands rushing over my face and through my hair. "I'm being called a slut and a whore. Guys in the older class are catcalling me because of that and my friend group is distancing themselves because they believe it and haven't asked me. So unless I'm supposedly screwing someone, or everyone for that matter, no one but Lia will even come close to me."
"As far as I'm concerned, the only guy you're screwing is Daniel." My eyes shut, opening in a daze on his eyes that connect with mine.
"Thought you could tell when someone was lying. Please leave, I don't want to talk about this anymore."
"What?"
"I'd really like to not have to go through our stupid little antics today, so if you could just make this easy that'd be great." Tears rush to my waterline, making it difficult to see. I zoned in on my bedsheets so I didn't have to watch him leave. Hearing it was bad enough because for some reason, even though he and I have our issues, I didn't want him to leave. I'm upset so maybe it's just feeling like no matter our dynamics, having someone here is better than being alone.
I'm tired of being alone.
I could hear everyone come home and laugh about their days or at least whatever they were talking about. I didn't want to leave my room unless absolutely mandatory and to my parents, dinner was mandatory. I did everything I could to make sure the topic stayed off of school considering I'd like to not have to see the look on my dad's face when he hears the truth. Although, I don't necessarily have to be honest with him.
Just as I was almost in the clear and heading back up to the cave, I hear the words, "how was school?"
"Oh um, it was good. Nothing really happened. We had a pep rally all afternoon and the teachers did this dance. It was embarrassing." I tell him quickly, throwing in an eye roll so he'd believe me.
"You're sure?" My eyes divert to Alexander in less than a millisecond as my face goes blank.
"Of course! Why would I lie to you?" I plaster a grin on my face while my eyes meet his.
"No reason, I was just wondering I guess."
"Okay. Um, well I think I'm going to head to bed now. Goodnight, I love you." Dad responds as I'm already to the top of the stairs and rushing to my room.
I changed into my pajama shorts and a small top and then waited behind my door for ten minutes or so until I heard footsteps and they stop in front of my door. "Evelyn? Are you in bed?" The door swings open to my fault to which I glare at him. "You know one day you're going to have to not glare at me." He says quietly.
"Why are you being so hush, hush?" His eyes roll at me then suddenly I'm being dragged down the hall and to Alexander's room. He closes us in and tells me to do it. "Do what?"
"You think I told him about what happened and I didn't so just do your yelling. I don't know why he asked you about school. I don't have an answer but you don't seem impressed so say what you want." I watch as he glides in the room doing small things. Until he turns to me and pulls off his shirt in one fluent motion. "Are you going to say anything or just sit there?"
"Well." I have to rip my eyes away from his toned physique but when I look back he's smirking at me, left eyebrow raised and leaning against the dresser. Why's he doing that, what could possibly be so funny to him? "What are you smirking at?"
"Just you." He says simply.
"Me, why?" I say quickly.
"Because I can."
"Obviously that's not true so just tell me," I demand, standing two feet away from him. My arms cross so it looks like I'm serious.
"You were staring." He tells me.
"At what?" My eyebrows come together.
"What do you think, princess?" I gulp and huff.
"I beg your pardon."
"You were staring at me and I can only assume you liked the view." I'm informed. I want to deny it but I wasn't exactly being discreet, he just took me by surprise whipping his shirt off like that.
"I don't know what you think you're doing-"
"I'm not doing anything, you're the one getting distracted." My jaw drops but his hand swiftly moves it back to place. I hadn't even noticed us become closer. If someone were to put a small book between us, it wouldn't fall.
"I'm not distracted."
"Then what are you." His hand falls back down to his dresser, holding the edge instead of gently grazing under my chin.
"I'm... Well, I'm-" I was at a loss for words, no matter how much I wished and wished to come up with something I just couldn't.
"Distracted." He fills in the blank for me.
"Oh!" I gave him a little shove but am only to my surprise as I was lifted by my biceps and tossed lightly onto the bed then hovered over me. His breath was on my chest and his eyes burned into mine. That is until my lids fell closed and his lips had moved by my ear.
"You should probably head back to bed." He spoke, awakening me from my haze. He stood, helping me up and showing me the door.
Once I'm roaming in the darkness of my room, my mind can't help but wander. Why would he do that? I hope it wasn't because of the things I've been getting called and how I've been treated. If there was an actual reason maybe I wouldn't mind but I just don't think I hated being tossed around in that sense.
I was tossing and turning all night. The only conclusion I could come to was that Alexander was right. I was distracted, but what do you expect? I'm a teenage girl and he shouldn't just be peeling off his shirt like it's on the banana he's about to devour. Yet, at the thought of that, I realized that maybe yesterday's events was exactly the push I needed to get me out of bed and dressed and being the snarky little brat just like before.
All I've done since the breakup is sit around home moping and crying in my room (not like that's anything out of the ordinary) and I'm over it. Alexander acting the way he has to me has me feeling like I can't just sit and take it from him. I need to push. I need to do just as much acting as he if I want to get what I want; even if I'm not entirely sure what it is I want.