bitter | e.d

| nine

"you got home awfully late last night," andrew starts, and my stomach drops. when I got home last night, all the lights were off and he and my mom were nowhere to be seen. asleep, I assumed. I hoped I had gotten away with getting home past midnight but I guess not.

he uses a fork to break off a piece of egg, waiting for me to respond with something. "and?" I ask, not sure of what he wants to hear.

he shakes his head slowly. "that's all you have to say for yourself?" he pauses for emphasis. "nothing but and?"

I swallow the lump in my throat and shrug my shoulders. "I don't know what it is you want me to say." I lean back in my chair, maintaining eye contact with him.

"how about you start with why the hell you look like that?" he looks me up and down, almost like he's disgusted. I become acutely aware then of my horrible appearance from looking in the mirror just before this. but still, it really isn't any of his concern.

"I don't have to explain myself to you," I tell him matter-of-factly. until my mom is the one to ask me these questions, I don't need to explain myself to anyone. especially not andrew.

he seems to be getting irritated. "your mother asked me to speak with you. she's very busy at work and won't be able to herself so stop being a little brat and fucking explain why you couldn't obey us and get home before midnight?" the vein in his neck is practically bulging from the strain of him strangling that out. like he's fed up with me.

I feel myself biting my tongue, wanting so badly to tell him off. but I'm only ballsy enough to do that when it isn't just us two.

"I didn't drink, if that's what you're wondering." right off the bat, I want to make that clear because I know that's what he's assuming.

"okay," he replies with a suddenly calm voice. he chews another bite of egg, then puts down the fork and puts his full attention on me. he swallows. "what were you doing that caused you to get home late?" he asks again, noticing me avoiding the question.

the honest answer: reese drank so much alcohol that she could barely stand straight. would I have joined her, hell yes. but since I was driving, I was smart enough not to. but reese refused to leave until she was puking literally everything she had in her. it wasn't until then that she let me drive her and julian home. I couldn't just leave her, so I ended up getting home way later than I had intended.

am I going to tell all this to andrew? no. I can't. even if it'll save my ass. because then he'll never let me see them again.

I stare down at the table to avoid his glare. "I was literally just hanging out with reese and julian. and then we lost track of time, that's al-"

"why do you smell like men's cologne then?" he raises his voice and pounds his fist on the table, startling me. even harley who's laying on the floor next to us jumps. his sudden outburst makes my heart race in my chest until I feel it in my pulse.

having gotten used to the smell of him already, it takes me a moment to understand what he's talking about. but then I realize that he must think I fucked a guy last night. in reality, it's just the cologne on ethan's shirt.

I start shaking my head no, since he has the wrong idea. "nothing like that happened, I swea-"

"that's not your shirt, is it?" he cuts me off. his entire stance is rigid and tense, like he's restraining himself from bursting out of anger. "who's fucking shirt is that, evie?"

"stop cutting me off!" I shout and stand up from my chair so I'm taller than him, trying to assert some sort of dominance so he'll listen to me. "not that it's any of your business but it's a friends. he was just helping me out because mine got ruined."