Tongue Tied
chapter four
The autumn nights still had a summer breeze to them. There was still a hot and sticky sensation on Evangelines back, that may have been from the effects of having a bottle of vodka only minutes prior but she would say it was due to the night heat.
Hawk had taken two bottles of water from the party before they actually started their walk, drinking from one and making Evangeline drink from the other to calm herself down. He had become really concerned from her actions earlier and only worried for her bodies well being after what she had done.
The two walked through the nighttime, most the time they were in silence. Until Evangeline pointed out that there was a bunny, then they fell back into a weird silence. It was comfortable, nor was it unbearable. It sat on the line inbetween.
"So. . . Cobra Kai?"
Hawk looked up from the pavement. He nodded his head "karate dojo."
"I know that, tell me more about it." Evangeline kicked a small rock, watching it bounce across the pavement. "Also what made you want to change how you look?"
Hawk shrugged "I was just over how I looked."
"If we all had the choice we would look like a different person, tell me the actual reason" Evangeline replied.
"That was the actual reason, I hated the way I looked. The more people pointed out how ugly it is, the more insecure and belittled I felt. When my sensei noticed it, he wasn't exactly nice about it. He told us to flip the script, and I did that." Hawk explained "The Mohawk draws the attention way from it."
Evangeline nodded "I'm sure you hear this a lot from Demetri and your family, but the scar is actually pretty."
Hawk scoffed "you're only saying that because you pity me."
"No i don't" Evangeline shook her head "maybe I did at first, but I never pitied you because of your scar. I pitied the way everyone treated you because of it."
"That's great to know" Hawk grumbled, clearly hurt to find out that she actually pitied him.
"We all have scars, Hawk. Some can be seen everyday and some are hidden, but we all have our scars. They tell us a story without actually telling it." Evangeline continued "I hated the way people treated you because your scar was out there."
"My little brother used to get bullied all the time because he had a scar that ran across his forehead" Evangeline admitted "the two of us and our sister were playing around in our garage when he had fallen and cut his forehead open on a blade our father had in there because he was cutting pieces of wood."
"He was bullied for it everyday, I felt so guilty, because if I hadn't forced him and my sister to play tag with me then he wouldn't have fallen into it. I also hated myself for not defending him. Ever. I was a shitty sister who let her little brother suffer because she was too scared to speak up"
"He moved schools, and I can't defend him anymore. But I could defend you. I found a voice and I used it. I don't see you as my brother, but I needed to help you. I felt like it was my responsibility." She finished with a small frown on her face.
"It's not your fault the worlds so mean." Hawk whispered "I have always thanked you for what you've done for me. Even when I knew it was because you felt sympathic for what was happening. Everyone pitied me but no one actually did anything about it, you did. You always defended me against everyone."
"Someone needed to" she uttered, speaking too loud would cause her to form a pounding headache, she kept her voice at a soft tone.
"Thank you." Hawk looked at her, a smile pulling at the ends of his lips "I tried to tell people that you aren't the actual bitchest bitch in the wicked west, no one believed me though" he mumbled the ending "I don't think you're mean, Evangeline. I think you're doing what I'm doing, covering up the little things that destroy us by false confidence and the ability to strike back. If it's physically like me, or mentally like you. I don't know Evangeline Moracle, but I know Evangeline. You're not a bad person."
