✓ 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐎𝐍𝐄 𝐓𝐇𝐀𝐓 𝐆𝐎𝐓 𝐀𝐖𝐀𝐘, guy germaine

07. true north

❛ ━━･❪ ❁ ❫ ･━━ ❜
chapter seven: true north

tw(s): LOTS of emotion. let's leave it at that.
━━━

━━━ "WHAT'S THE DEAL WITH YOU and Germaine?" Nick asks Evie after English class, fumbling with his books as he struggles to continue walking alongside her.

"Deal?" Evie snorts incredulously. "There's no deal. We don't talk."

Nick's eyes go wide, and purses his lips. "So there is a deal." Evie sends him a dirty look, as if to say, 'stop pushing it,' but he continues and says, "Clearly, there is a deal. You're pressing your lips together and looking up at the ceiling."

"What? How do you-" Evie yelps, averting her gaze back forward.

"It's the most obvious sign of discomfort or dishonesty. You might as well be a Saturday morning cartoon character," Nick answers. "Now, let me figure it out. Childhood best friends, but then you- no, what he said doesn't give off friends-"

"Wait, Nick? What do you mean what he said? What did he say?" Evie persists, peppering Nick with questions. I swear, Guy is going to be the death of me.

Nigh sighs, squinting up at the white fluorescent lights above to avoid Evie's gaze. "Don't tell him I told you, because he'll probably corner me in a dark alley after school and tear me limb from limb, but he basically warned me. He asked me if it was alright if he asked you out, and said something about how it sucks to have a newcomer take what's yours."

"Oh, my God, he didn't."

"I don't know, Evie, I think he likes you," Nick remarks, drumming his fingers against his plastic binder. "Do you guys have some kind of history?"

"You could say that."

━━━ AFTER SCHOOL, EVIE MAKES HER WAY way to the racks, where her bike is leaning on its kickstand. She swings her legs over it, pushes on the pedal, and...

A serpent's hiss sounds from underneath her, and her bike goes stiff. "Shit," Evie curses. "This cannot be happening. Shit, shit, shit, shit-"

"And, let me guess, 'shit?'" a voice says humorously from behind her. Evie whips around, her eyes narrowing when she catches sight of Guy, his face impossibly smug, and his arm hanging out the window of his dad's beat up pickup truck. If she's being honest, it's likely just as inoperative as her bike. 

It could be really unsafe for Guy to drive it, actually. What if the brakes go out on him and he-

What? It's not like she cares.

"You need a little help there, Eve?" Guy laughs, his car still waiting by the curb.

"I'm fine, Guy," she replies, staring at her deflated tire. She really isn't fine, but she's hoping she can wait it out; maybe a handyman who happens to have a spare bicycle tire in his Mary Poppins bag can help her. One can hope...

"You don't look fine," Guy says. "Come on, let me give you a ride home."

"Why do you care?" Evie asks suspiciously, crossing her arms over her chest and tilting her head, squinting at him as if she's trying to search for some kind of hidden freckle on his cheek, or some kind of flicker of an ulterior motive behind his eyes.