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Chapter 3

Chapter Three: Evelyn

I watch Trey and Drew get on the bus while I wait for Michael. Trey's hair looked extra sexy today, tussled and slightly curly. I finally get a chance to be with him, I don't know what I'll say to him tomorrow but I can't wait. The last sight of his worn jeans and gorgeous hair disappear into the yellow bus so I'm left standing in reality.

Michael pulls up looking worn and tired, which has become a regular thing. I open the door to his run down red car and slump in. The last month has been really intense and just really an ongoing bad dream. Mom has been in a serious-but-not-fatal phase of cancer for a while, the doctor's say she'll most likely be fine but the results aren't coming like they should. I sigh and dig my fingernail into the ripped seat cushion.

"You're making that face."Michael says his eyes on the road.

"Hmm, what?" I look over at him.

"You know, where you pinch your nose and bite your lip. That face."

I realize that's exactly what I was doing.

"Oh. Yeah." It's silent for a minute.

"Diana's coming over for dinner around seven." He says and makes a left into our neighborhood.

"Ok, she's over almost every night; you don't have to tell me." I say it and once I do I realize it might have sounded rude.

"Is it alright with you? I mean her being around so much?" Michael looks over this time as he asks.

"Yeah, you know I love Diana." I accidentally rip out some of the chair foam, so I flick it in between the seats.

"Alright."

Michael pulls into our drive way and it's time to face what's become my daily life.

I go up the porch steps and walk into the foyer. No one's around so I head upstairs. My room is the only place I can forget about constant dramas, but they always find their way back. I drop my backpack by my bed and look around. My style has become darker, nothing's like it used to be. Well except for how much I want Trey, I doubt that can ever change. Actually it did change because I want him more than ever now, I've never fell so badly for anyone. I wish I knew what he thought about me, I've never been able to tell. I'm staring into space picturing his face and probably smiling, but something breaks the peace.

My door is closed but a dark figure darts to the other side of my room.

I scream out in horror and the sound bounces off the walls, screaming back at me.

My heart pounds but I'm still in shock when I notice it's just Puff. My kitty.

"Puff! My god you scared me!" I laugh and plop down on my gray and dark blue comforter. My fat black cat with a streak of eccentric white comes to snuggle with me. I wish things could go back to simple doing homework, hanging out, and petting my cat with no worries. Back to no cancer, no trips to the hospital, no dinner on your own, and family complications. Hopefully like Dr. West says, the daily treatments will steadily kill off the cancer, but never completely.

"EV!" Ava's voice travels up the stairs and she sounds like she's in a rush.

"What??" I yell back.

"We gotta go! The baby's coming!" she slams the door and I can tell she's done with this conversation. An anchor drops in my stomach.

The rest from here is unpredictable.

SIXTEEN HOURS LATER

Tussled light brown hair and intense green eyes with a honey voice sits by me. Mr. Lopreto is telling us to do something from the front of the bus, something about review and shrubbery but it's hard to tell with this huge distraction next to me. I look at Trey's hands as he runs his fingers through his hair and looks down at the packet we were given.

"So two hours." He says to me. I almost don't notice.

"Yeah, I'll probably get sick." Why did I say that?!

"Wh.. why would you get sick? I mean,... and even if you did..." he stammers.

"Oh I uh...get really car sick sometimes...but you know... not...all the time." I stammer back.

I suddenly notice someone calling my name.

"Ev! EV"

"Huh what?" I snap out of it. The person taps me from the side and finally stops calling. It's Hally, we used to hang out a lot more before things became different in my life. Now we talk once in a while. She stares at me because I probably blanked out again but finally I respond.

  "Yeah?" She pops her gum and looks around as if to make sure no one's listening, then she tells me to come closer.

"I hear," she pops it right in my ear, "that Rivers here, has a HUGE crush on you." She smacks her gum and raises her eyebrows. I always found her New Jersey accent kind of annoying but this time I'm glad to hear it.

"What? Why do you think that?" I try not to act excited, poker face.

"Leah and I sucked some info outta Drew." She raises her eyebrows again.  "Baby, I tell ya this boy is head ova heels."

Someone calls Hally's name and her attention is no longer on me. I'm left wondering and with little sparks of hope shooting all around me. I turn to Trey and his face is pink. Oh my god is it always like that? No. Did he hear Hally? I look at my thumbs and start sweating more than usual. I can't find out the reason of his blushing so I try not to pay attention.

"So we should review now, so we don't...uh...have to worry about it later." Trey says without looking up. His cheeks are still burning. He is so cute.

"Yeah, okay." The rest of the ride is awkward.

1 HOUR AND THIRTY EIGHT MINUTES LATER

Mr. Loreto claps his hands like this day is something exciting. It's only exciting because Trey is my partner. He claps again and rubs his hands together.

"Alright people, make sure you're close to your partner." I look over and instantly blush.

"Half of the class is going to begin the tour on the west wing, that group will come with me." He pauses and points at Mrs. Hill. "The rest of you will be touring the museum with Mrs. Hill on the east end. We'll meet sometime later for lunch, and venture to the other ends to complete our packets."

Everyone shuffles around; I stay by Trey because he hasn't broken us into the groups yet.

Mr. Loreto claps, of course he does.

"Okay, these groups come with me:

Drew and Jared

Chelsea and Sam

Evelyn and Trey

Hally and Vicky"

He calls out four other groups and moves on to the other half. While he informs us, Trey whispers something to me. I look up and he's looking right into my eyes.

"Oh what?" he's saying something about the packet. Trey's finger traces the map slowly, showing me the best route to find everything. I put my finger on the map to show him my favorite section, his hand brushes mine. My heart stops, that's the first time I've touched him. Trey pulls away; the pink is back in his face.

"Oh uh, we should go." Mr. Loreto is leading our group through the entrance of the west wing.

I look up at his striking face and smile. He smiles back.