Cliché

chapter 16. we've got no homework so let's go to an underground boxing ring

"Evan."

I breathe his name out as a sigh of relief, opening the door wider to invite him inside the house. After making a point to slowly take off his shoes in front of me, he strolls inside, scanning the front sitting room— obviously looking around for Brie.

"She's okay," I say reassuringly. "I was the one who texted you from her phone."

Evan nods, glancing down at the ground. I can tell he wants to say something, from the way he shifts from foot to foot and avoids contact with my eyes. Eventually, he speaks up, rather reluctantly, after moments of silence from my end. "So... Brandon came back for a bit?"

... Evan's been taking this hard, too. Even though you two never really liked the other, I know you both cared for each other. He's always asking if you're aware or not.

I nod, giving him a small smile. "Yeah."

"You need my help with Brie again?"

"No."

I pull out page 627 from my pocket, unfolding it for Evan to read. Anticipation wraps around me as I watch his eyes scan over the paper, but it's replaced by a sinking feeling once his eyebrows scrunch, his lips turn into a grimace, and he lets out a slow breath of dread. When he finally looks back up at me, he shakes his head.

"So? What does it mean?" I ask curiously.

"Devil's Club is a dance club downtown. Also where a lot of under-the-table transactions between gangs take place," he explains, rereading the paper as he does. "Right now, the Silver Swan Gang has Cayden's sister. This must be the ransom note."

I glance at the paper as well, looking over the specific demands written on it. With the deadline being 11pm on August 17th, I pull out my phone, checking for how much time we have left.

9:32. August 17th.

That leaves us roughly an hour and a half to drive to wherever the hell the Gang Leader is, give him the note, and for him to acquire a million dollars in order to bring to the Devil's Club downtown.

"We need to go," I state urgently, looking up at Evan. "Do you know where the Gang Leader is right now?"

He nods. "Cayden fights at an underground boxing ring, about ten minutes away. I can bring it to him."

"Aren't those places dangerous?" I ask hesitantly, frowning. "I'll come too."

"I can handle myself. You should stay with Brielle."

"She's sleeping. She won't even notice that I'm gone," I reassure him. "I can handle myself too, Evan. I don't want you to do this alone. I feel bad for dragging you into this."

"Iris, don't feel bad. It's not your fault," he sighs, shaking his head. I smile, knowing from the way his shoulders relax and he turns away from the door that he's already succumbed. "Fine. You can come."

"Yes!"

"But," he states, judgmentally glancing at me up and down, "you have to change. If you show up to an underground boxing ring like that, you'll get eaten alive."

A Dora the Explorer top and grey sweatpants— both of which I had changed into during Brie and my Barbie binge. I have to say, I don't disagree with Evan on that one.

"Fine. But you can't leave while I'm upstairs, or I'll beat you up at school tomorrow."

He grins, raising his hands up in surrender as I make my way towards the stairs. "Yes, ma'am."

In my room, I quickly change into an all black outfit so I can easily slip in and out through the crowd (without being noticed by any potential antagonists who'll try to either kidnap or assault me so my love interest can come and save me solely for relationship development— we all know it isn't past the author to fall back on that cliche). When I step out of my room, in Evan's leather jacket, black cargo pants, and (holding) Doc Martens (it's fiction— style over practicality, always), the door from the room across the halls opens as well.