Once Upon a Plot Twist

Intertwined

Gwen

  Elephants. Running rapid in my head. I want to die. Or at least go back to sleep, but I can't. Not with this headache. All of my senses are heavy, except my hearing. That's amplified, so imagine my fear when I hear breathing that's not mine. I flinch when I realize that I didn't spend the night alone. 

  His body inhales and exhales rhythmically; he's deep, deep, deep asleep. I wonder if he drank more than I did. I can't remember a thing. I push the hair off his eyes with a feather touch and nearly jump out of bed when I realize who it is.

  Evan frickin' Matthews.

  Michael would decapitate me and throw me in a ditch. That is, if he ever found out. And oh, I can only imagine how livid Stephawn would get. I slept with a Matthews. 

  He lets out a quiet groan, and his eyes flutter open. He sits up, holding his head in one hand and holding himself up with the other. The blanket slips off his torso, leaving his bare upper body in the open. Could my face get any redder? I was already stark naked in a bed next to the last guy I was ever supposed to sleep with. I could feel the blood rushing in my ears.

  He takes in Steph's extravagant guest room, the one I usually stay in when I visit his mansion. And when his eyes finally land on me, Evan's eyebrows scrunch together. Then his eyes widen. Just as mine do.

  He sighs and holds his head in both hands now. "Shit," he mutters. "Shit, shit, shit. It actually happened. I thought I was crazy and had some sick dream, but it really happened."

  I gape like a fish. What am I supposed to say? I hold the blanket to my chest and switch on my phone.

 12:37.

  Shit.

  "You have to go!" I all but yell. I clear my throat and calm down as much as possible. " You have to go," I repeat. "Stephawn will wake up at any moment, and if he finds you here, he'll—"

  "Yeah, yeah. I'm aware he's fucking crazy. I'll be out of your hair, but can you give me five minutes? I'm hungover and contemplating who will be getting what when I write my will. God knows where I'll be when Joe and Ryan find out," he sighs.

  He swings his legs to the side of the bed, and I focus as much as I can on the 18 unread messages and 42 missed calls on my phone. Why I had so many, I don't know. It's not like I'd go anywhere else if my cousin's party was at his own house...

  Still, I sneak a glance towards Evan because, let's face it, he's beautiful. From what I saw before he woke up, every feature of his is sharp and strong. The only delicate thing about him are his girlish eyelashes and his quiet persona. He catches my eyes when I look at him, and he gives me a tired, side-mouthed smile.

  He pulls his shirt over his head in a quick motion and finds his shoes on different sides of the room. Evan puts his hand on the doorknob and stops, giving me a smile over his shoulder. "Thanks for helping me forget," he says. Then he quietly shuts the door behind him.

-_-

  Michael and I walk into a warzone— oh, excuse me— our home after getting ready at Stephawn's. Mom and Dad are at it again. I used to think it was normal; human beings argued all the time. But they got into screaming matches constantly, whether it be about politics or the weather. They used to be so in love; now the only way they can tolerate each other is if no one talks at all.

  "No, Anna, I'm done! I can't sit around here and pretend I love you anymore when I can't stand you!" Dad yells. "It's unhealthy for us, and it's unhealthy for the kids."