➳ 𝐇𝐄 '𝐒 𝐑𝐄𝐂𝐊𝐋𝐄𝐒𝐒

⊰ 𝟚 ⊱

REWRITE ~

I WAS SO GOING TO REGRET THIS.

"Evie." Lyle's knocking at the door now. His voice sounds so soft from behind it. "Open the door, please," he says once more.

I exhale deeply and turn the cold water on to block out his voice. Lyle Carver's sudden spark of interest in me was beginning to suffocate me entirely with questions I couldn't seem to answer. I could comprehend in a way that he wanted to get to know me, the whole ideal still very unusual, but this, this was too much. The overprotective big brother act I wouldn't wrap my head around.

I turn the water off and open the door to find Lyle leaning against the wall with his arms folded.

"Were you waiting for me?" He's crowding me again. "Lyle, please, just give me some space." I back away from him.

"Evie, Listen to me." His hand brushes against my arm.

I'm scoffing, "What is with you? did Tyler ask you to do this?" My words come out harsher than I intended.

Lyle's spring clover eyes are searching mine, "Do what? what're you talking about?"

"You, I'm talking about you, Lyle!" I groan, my finger pressing against his chest.

Lyle clenches his jaw and runs his through his curly hair. A heavy sigh of frustration follows as his eyes drift from me to the girl walking towards us. Curiosity dripping on her ethereal face, from what I'm assuming is, overhearing Lyle's and I's conversation.

"Uh, not this shit again," Lyle mutters under his breath.

"Why are you ignoring my texts?." The girl asks. Her bare legs look like a mile long in her skin-tight dress.

Ex-girlfriend, I assume as my eyes scan over her body. She's tall, around five-nine. On the slimmer side, with straight honey-blond hair. There's no doubt in my mind that she's beautiful. But of course, she would be if she was Lyle's ex. Her eyes reminded me of a blue lagoon, very catlike and upturned. She had faint East Asian features.

Lyle tucks his tongue into his cheek, "Not now, Cora."

"Why?" She looks over at me, "Because of her? are you fucking her. is that what it is?" Her tone laced with annoyance.

I snort, not exactly knowing why. Maybe it's the serious look on her face, Or the mentioning of Lyle's and my name in the same sentence, doing that. The thought is so unreal it repulses me, and so I shove it to the back of my head.

Lyle's snickering, but there's no amusement on his face. He's probably thinking the same thing I am, absolutely not.

"Don't be fucking ridiculous," Lyle chastised, "That's Tyler's little sister, like I would fuck-" He pauses to look over at me like he's guilty of something, and I frown at him, not knowing of what exactly.

Cora begins to say something, and without warning, Lyle grabs ahold of my arm, waves her off, and shoves me into the bathroom.

I watch as he locks the door behind him, "What are you-" I begin.

"Look, you wanna argue with me, fine." He starts. he's bending down so our eyes are at level with another. "But while Tyler is elsewhere, I am responsible for you," he adds.

I repeat in a confused scoff, "Responsible?" Then I remember our conversation from earlier. "Lyle, you're barely a year older than me." I remind him.

"Doesn't matter," He shrugs. His face is so close to mine I can smell his strawberry bubble gum. Now I'm looking at his lips, shit. And now He's Noticing, double shit.