Delirium: Crash & Burn

Part XX

Evie's thoughts

You saunter in, your curly hair bouncing as you prance in.

You welcome yourself in without an invitation. You're comfortable in the house like it is your own. You glide your hands over the worktops feeling the curves of the counters and the smooth marble with your perfectly manicured and moisturized hand.

You flip your hair as you look back at his mom, smiling and nodding agreeing with her light airy jokes, polite and perfect in your actions. But that's it, they are all actions, it's all an act, you are an actress and a good one at that.

You swing your arms wrapping around his dad, embracing him like he was your own. I can tell you have issues with men like I do.

You look at me, your emerald eyes pierce through my skin cutting into my organs. You don't like me.

You look at him like you once owned him like you still own him? You're bashful with your words but laugh it off playfully.

I don't know how you do it, how you have become so numb to your feelings that you can act the way you do.

I should pity you, but rather I envy you, I am driven by my dislike for you. I don't know why I dislike you, I just do.

You ask me what my name was though we had never met.

You know who I am but you act aloof, but you and I are perfect strangers, connected by two people, Harrison and Cole.

You, Poppy are trouble and we all know that.

Evie

After what felt like years the dinner with Harrison's parents and the surprise guest, Poppy was finally over. My body was numb from acting and faking it all evening. We sat in silence in his car. I wanted to ask but I didn't want to hear more lies, I hear enough for those coming out of my own lips. 

I felt something when Poppy came in. There was a shift in the atmosphere, at first, I thought it was me, I thought she was unsettled by the fact I was now with Harrison and had broken up with her brother but it wasn't that. I could feel it was something else. My curious mind was ablaze I couldn't help but wonder why she came round, I couldn't help but think the worst. Me and Harrison sat in his car under the interrogation of the street lights.

"You haven't said a word all night, Ev-."

He paused as though he was going to say something else, he didn't. Rather he sighed, was he annoyed? Maybe. Probably. He began to shake his head.

"Evie if you want to know why don't you just ask?"

My breath hitched in my throat, my mouth watered in anticipation to ask him the question that was burning a hole in the pit of my stomach. I spoke almost too quickly it came out like a bark, a growl, a squawk.

"Are you sleeping with her?"

By now the whole street was silent and the only evidence of life was our breathing which for a moment, which for just a spilt second, stopped.

"Was, as in past tense, Evie."

Upon his confession my shoulders dropped out of relief or something that felt similar to that. My expectations of him fell and his stock plummeted. Though it was wrong of me as my own value had depreciated from the moment I was left in foster care, I still judged him. 

"Does, Cole. Does Cole know?"

My sentences were fragmented, chipped and somewhat disorientated. I didn't look at him but I felt him shake his head to signal that Cole was not aware of his and Poppy's relationship. I laughed in a way which was malicious.