The Dysfunction Of Evan: Books 1-3 Collection

64. Awkward Family Dinner

I pulled into my friends driveway around noon. As soon as I opened her front door, her dog, JC, came running towards me in excitement. I gave him a proper greeting, then smiled at Cheryl. 

"Hey stranger." I said, trying to calm down her dog. 

"I'd say I missed your face, but I see it everywhere." She joked with a smile. We weren't the hugging type of friends, but it had been five years since we'd seen each other. 

"Yeah, I know. I went and got famous." I said as she squeezed me. 

"Yeah, without me, you bitch." She said pulling away. I laughed with her. "How are you really doing?" 

"I'm really great, actually." I sat on the couch and she curled up on the other end. "It was rough for a while, I won't lie." 

"Didn't you and Tom almost get divorced?" She asked. 

"I moved out for a while after the twin's first birthday. I really just needed the space to collect myself and really figure things out. My life was a mess. I didn't know what I wanted, or even if I could even handle being a mother and wife." I told her. I sank into the cushions. "Tom was understanding about. We had a weekly date night and then every Saturday and Sunday I had the kids with me at my place. I did an intensive out patient therapy program, and I was home before Christmas." 

"That's good. I was worried. I tried not to pay attention to the media, fuckers never get shit right." She said. "I wanted to ask, but you've become so withdrawn since DOE, that I didn't think you'd want to talk about it." 

"I've been a pretty trash friend, I'm sorry." I said. "One of us has to be trash though, right?"

"Do you know how many people ask why you left your corner, you damn trash pile?" She joked. 

"I'm sorry. I just couldn't stand it anymore. That weird guy with the green teeth wouldn't leave me alone, even after you told him to fuck off." I retorted. 

"Yeah well, you should have just shoved a fist up his ass, that's all he wanted." Cheryl rolled her eyes. "I had to do it myself."

"So fucking nasty." I said as we burst into laughter. "I've missed you."

"Yeah, I'm pretty awesome." She said, and I started laughing again. 

Later, we were camped out on the couch watching Marvel shows on Disney Plus, surrounded by junk food. We were currently binging our way through The Falcon and Winter Solider when I turned to look at her with a huge grin on my face. 

"Sooooo, you know how my husband is a popular MCU actor?" I asked her. 

"Don't fucking remind me!" She said loudly, throwing a cheeto at me.

"Okay, I won't tell you then that I know Sebastian Stan."  I grinned. "And I won't tell you that he'll be in London for a visit while you're there." 

"Don't you fucking be lying to me!" She sprang up and stared at me. 

"Why would I lie about this?" I asked. 

"I don't know!" She fell back into her corner. 

Cheryl was one of my oldest friends. I'd known her for nearly fifteen years. We met my first night living in Sandusky, and have been close ever since. Our time together was usually spend being sarcastic and poking fun at each other, but we also got real. I trusted her with my life.  

"Dude, so listen to this." I said the next morning. We were sitting on her front porch drinking coffee. I was scrolling through Facebook. "Apparently, Lucy and Boyd are actually Tom Holland's kids. We've been having an affair since before I moved to London, and that was really why I moved out."