Best For Last || Evan Peters AU

mastermind

      It wasn't until two months after prom that you'd actually give all you had to each other: and it started with a lie.

   "Really, your parents are letting you go out at 8pm?" you asked Evan over the phone.

   He'd just told you about the plans he had tonight with Dante and Marina, and their new tag-along she'd introduced to everyone, her cousin Sid. He was having trouble fitting into his new school. His usually unkempt hair, tendency to be stay silent, and towering size made him a little unapproachable. At only 17 years old he stood 6 feet tall, well above the other four of you. His broad shoulders didn't help his case; though once you got to know him, he was the stereotype of being a giant teddy bear.

   "Yeah, I mean I'm gonna be 18 in like 6 months," he reminded you nicely.

   "Right," you remembered, and felt silly for asking. "Okay, so, cool. What are we doing?"

   "I found a cool spot by the river," he informed you proudly. "I wanna show you."

   You couldn't fight the half smile that formed at the thought of him finding something interesting and thinking of wanting to show you. "Yeah, okay. So when should I tell my mom you guys will be here?"

   He paused for a moment, then decided on 8:15. You told him you couldn't wait, and he agreed that he couldn't either. As soon as you guys hung up, you did a short happy dance in your room, then raced down the steps to your mother.
   She sat in the same spot she always did, at the table facing the tiny television on you guys' ice box. A lot of people thought it odd that you had a TV in our kitchen, but it was something you'd grown up with and didn't even think twice about it. She puffed her cigarette while waiting for her turn to talk on the phone. You could only hope your hair would somehow get as long as hers someday: it was a faded orange that went all the way down to her waist. She always kept it up in a scrunchie or claw clip.

   "Mom," you interrupted her call, and she held up 1 finger to signal for you to wait. You paced impatiently for the few minutes it took her to say goodbye to whatever friend she'd been catching up with. Finally, you could continue, "Evan wants to pick me up tonight around 8. Me, him, Dante, Marina, and Sid wanna go see this cool spot."

   "What cool spot? Who's Sid?"

   "Marina's cousin. He's kind of new around here and doesn't have any friends so we're inviting him," you said pitifully, attempting to soften her up. "And he didn't tell me exactly where, I think it's a surprise. But you have my location."

   She puffed her cigarette again skeptically. Sometimes she loved you so much she became unreasonably overprotective; you hoped this wasn't one of those times.

   "Text me when you're there, and wake me when you're home," she requested. You let a celebratory little eek out, and rushed to hug her.

//

      Right on time, Evan was knocking on the door. You looked excitedly to your mother, who got up to answer it. Your heart rate increased when you saw him on the other side of the now open door. He greeted her politely, and she stepped to the side to let you out. Evan's white Pontiac was sitting with its flashers on in the middle of the road, the windows so tinted you couldn't see any of the three people you knew were in the backseat. You assured your mother one last time that you'd text her once you guys were there, and headed out the door hand in hand with Evan. The street lights were on and the muggy air hit you immediately, but there was still the pleasant smell of honeysuckles carried from a few houses down.

   You were a few feet from the car when he dropped your hand and said, "Don't say anything. Act normal."

   Your brows drew together, but you quickly undid them and retained an innocent smile as your mother watched from the front door. Evan waved at her one last time with his other hand on the door, and you both got in at the same time. You had to fight the urge to whip around and face the backseat. The empty backseat. You looked at your mom again, and blew a kiss as Evan took off.

   "What the fuck?" you immediately asked once you knew she couldn't see you guys anymore. "Did they bail?"

   He was absolutely beaming, dimples out in full force, "No, everything worked out perfectly."

   You narrowed your eyes and waited for him to explain, and he did.

   "So, I knew my parents wouldn't let me have just you and me out this late. I might be 18 soon, but not yet. And until then I have to follow their rules. I told them the whole 'we're going out with a group' story, and because I know my darling girlfriend isn't the best liar," he teased, "I told you the same thing, so you'd fully believe it when you asked Sally to go. And it worked."

   Your jaw was dropped by then, "You are an evil genius."

   He winked at you and placed a hand on your knee; you scooted it closer. "Hopefully they don't want pictures," he added with a careless shrug. You let out a giggle, feeling rebelliously triumphant-- even though you'd had nothing to do with the mastermind planning of it all.

   "So, where are we really going?"

   "That part was true," he moved his left hand casually down the steering wheel, glancing at you only for a second before returning his eyes to the road. "We really are going to a cool spot by the river."

   "Alright," you said contentedly. "Well, I can't wait to see it."

   As you went along, houses became fewer and farther between. There were only spaced out barns, abandoned sheds, or a few fields of livestock as we got further from town. You looked to Evan a little unsure, but he squeezed your knee and told you you guys would be there in just a few minutes. And you were. He pressed the button on his key ring to lock his car when you guys got out, and you were in such a remote area that the confirmation honk echoed against the wall of trees around you. You could see ripples of water through the bottom edge of the balsam fir, and upon seeing it, could then hear the river rushing.

   "Ready?" He seemed peculiarly timorous, but you didn't ask why. You assumed it was because you two had pulled something so secretive off, and took his hand when he offered it to you.

   You walked silently hand in hand toward the river bank, and knots formed in your stomach again as it dawned on you how entirely alone you two were.