Look out for the <>!!!
That night I sat on the couch, listening to music, passing time, hoping sleepiness would come. Dad and mom had already called it a night, leaving me downstairs alone in the dark of night.
Just as I was about to watch a YouTube video, the screen lit up with an incoming call from Tad. I answered it almost instantly, wondering why he would call at 11 at night. "Hello?"
"Hey, Nora, are you free?" Tad's voice rang out.
I frowned, wanting nothing to do with going out at this late hour. I braced myself to tell him no. But stopped when something in his voice told me that this was important. "Sure, what's up?"
"Everett, he's pretty messed up. Can you come? He's only asking for you."
The memories of this morning came back into my mind. We fought and I left him on the street. How could he ask for my help? Unless this was just a play to get me to the party...
My mind went a million miles an hour as I stood up from the couch, dropping the blanket to the ground. "Are you sure?" I asked, just to make sure.
"Hell, Nora, I wouldn't make this up."
I nodded as I slipped my shoes on.
"I'll text you the address."
"I'll be there in ten."
"Ok, I'll see you then."
In a matter of minutes, I arrived at house close to campus.
I sat in my car for a moment as my face twisted up, watching people laugh in the front yard. If this was just a joke, I would quit being the intern, convinced that these boys would be the death of me.
As I got out of the car, I spotted Tad, who sat on the front porch with an almost unrecognizable bloodied Everett. The sight caused my breath to catch in my throat as I walked up to them. "Hey."
Tad looked up from his phone and got up from the porch. "You came quick."
"I told you I would." My eyes drifted to the blood running down the side of Everett's face and a split lip didn't help anything, either. I had so many questions, but figured this wasn't the time for them.
"He's only been asking for you."
"Are you ok?" I asked Everett as I placed my hand on his shoulder.
He nodded silently as he stared at the ground, refusing to make eye contact.
I turned to Tad and Elle as I tried to get more information from them. It was 11 at night, nothing should happen at this time. So what did Everett do to get in the shape he was in? "What happened to him?"
"Charles came to the party, and they fought," Tad said with a frown. "I broke it up just in time."
I sighed as I looked over at Everett again. "How drunk is he?"
Tad shrugged. "I'm not sure. Maybe a little."
"Ok," I said as I closed the gap between Everett and I. Softly, I place my hand on his shoulder, causing him to look at me. "Ok, Everett, I am here. Where do you want to go?"
"Home."
"I just sent you his address," Tad said as I helped Everett up from the porch.
My phone buzzed signaling the text Tad just sent that held the address. "I'll see you guys later."
As Everett got into my passenger side of the car, Tad pulled me aside with concern.
"Thanks for doing this, Nora. He's been hard to talk to since I broke up the fight, but he hasn't stopped asking for you."
The last conversation I had with him floated in my mind like a cloud. Maybe we had report, but I wouldn't say we were close enough for that kind of reaction.
"I think out of everyone here, he trusts you the most."
I scoffed. If he trusted me the most, the one that constantly fought with him, then what did that say about all of his teammates? Once again, it showed me this team was broken beyond anyone's realization.
"No problem, Tad." I pulled out my phone and clicked on the address Tad sent, which was close to here.
With that, I got into the car and drove off to his apartment.
I did not say anything to Everett on the drive. But I did occasionally glance over at him, making sure he was alright. He never laid eyes on me, instead, he looked at his slightly bloodied hands.
I wondered if it was his blood that was on them.
As I parked in front of one fancy apartment complex on high street, I sighed. "We are here," I said as I opened the door.
He nodded as he unbuckled his seat belt and got out of the car without a word.
"Have a good night." I started to get back into the car but stopped when I noticed as he struggled to open the front door. I bit my lip as I watched. As much as I wanted to go back home, I should at least get him to his apartment safely.
With a sigh, I locked my car and followed him to the door. "I'll just make sure you get in safely."
He nodded in silence as he unlocked the door and walked into the apartment lobby. We walked through the hall and up a set of stairs to the second floor where he walked down the hall and ended up in front of a wooden door.
<>
He fumbled with the keys but eventually, the door opened, and he walked in. I followed suit into his apartment as if his ghost. I didn't know why I walked in when I knew he was alright. Maybe it was to make sure he made it to bed safely. Or maybe it was the curiosity of stepping into his space, to see if I could understand more of him.
He kicked off his shoes then closed the door behind him, not shooing me away.
"Want me to help clean your face up?" I asked before letting my eyes sweep around the lightly furnished place.
It was tidy, tidier than I would have thought it to be. There was also a lack of personal touch to it. It was as if he just grabbed what was essential for sustaining life and left everything else.
"Thanks," he mumbled, and made his way to the couch.
I followed him and spotted the open floor plan kitchen. "Towels are there?" I asked, pointing towards the kitchen.
"Yeah."
I walked into the kitchen and quickly found the paper towels by the stove and wetted a few of them down, then walked back over to him. Silently, I knelt down to stare at his bruised glistening blue eyes. My heart sped up the longer I stared at him. For this second, neither of us were fighting or arguing.
For the first time, I didn't look at him with anger, instead, I wanted to understand him. Behind his blue eyes, said something I couldn't quiet grasp. Maybe it was fear? Maybe it was a mix of emotions. Whatever it was, I wanted to know what he was thinking.
With a sigh, I placed the paper towel on his face. He flinched away instantly, swearing under his breath.
My cheeks turned hot. "Sorry," I mumbled.
"It's fine, it's just, your hands are freezing."
I smirked as I continued to dab again. His face looked like he just left a fight club, but yet he only commented about my hands. Did he not even feel the pain in his face? "It's my curse."
"It's a rough curse."
"Except in the summer when everyone wants to hold ice cubes."
He smiled. "You have a point there."
The conversation died out, but the silence wasn't awkward. In fact, I was fine with it, finding it relaxing.
The more I dabbed away at the dried blood the better I was able to see the state of his wound. "I don't think you'll need stitches. It's not that deep or long. The thing is head wounds bleed a lot. They look worse than they actually are," I said, finally breaking the silence.
"That's good. You seem to know a lot."
I smiled. "That's what I get for having an accident-prone sister. I learn a thing or two with her."
"Vera? Right?"
I nodded, surprised he remembered since Vera said she only met him a few times. "Yeah. Excellent memory."
"I haven't seen her all season."
"That's because she is in Japan with the Air Force."
"And you miss her?"
Memories of hanging out in her room in the early hours of the morning just talking filled my mind, causing a lump to form in my throat. "She's my best friend. Of course, I miss her."
"She's lucky to have you as a sister. Just like the entire team is lucky to have you."
I pulled back so I could read his face better. I don't think he had ever complimented me. I wasn't sure if he meant it or was just being nice to me since I did something nice to for him. Regardless of the reasons, I wasn't sure how I felt about it.
I put the now bloodied towel on the coffee table beside us. "Your face should heal quickly, which is good because this is the last thing you need with the start of the season. People need to see that pretty face of yours. I'm sure you have a large fan club."
He chuckled but said nothing as I lightly touched his split lip.
"So, Charles did this?"
Almost instantly his face twisted as if he ate something sour. "I don't want to talk about it."
I stared at him with a frown. I was trying to help, but I wanted answers. I thought back to what dad said about him abusing Everett. It made me wonder what damage Charles actually did since dad wouldn't share. "What did he do to you?"
He clenched his jaw as he recoiled on the couch. He then took a deep breath then pointed to the door. "Get out."
I looked at the door then to him, making sure he meant it. He did not drop his hand. I mentally swore, wishing I never brought it up. Why did I just leave it be? I felt like I was finally building something with him, and I just had to open my mouth. "Everett..."
"Get out Nora. Thanks for your help but this is none of your business."
I stood up from the ground and brushed myself off. He wanted me out, and I would not fight him on it. "Ok. I'll talk to you later." With that, I left his apartment.
As I got into the car, I hit the steering wheel in frustration. I thought I was getting closer to something but I just messed that up. He was probably the most infuriating person I knew. He was suffering but refused to let me in. Tad said he trusted me but if he trusted me, he would share. What we had wasn't trust. The thing was, I didn't understand why I kept falling for it and expecting something different.
Within a few minutes, I was back home, pulling into the garage.
Knowing my parents were asleep, I quietly shut the car off and walked into the house. As I got out of the mudroom, the light turned on instantly, as if someone was waiting for me.
I held my hand up to shield my eyes from the light.
"Where did you go?" dad's voice rang out.
I frowned as I slowly put my hand down, letting my eyes adjust. "I thought you were asleep."
He shook his head, looking serious. "Nope. How can I sleep when my mind runs thousands of miles an hour when I hear the car leave the garage? So where did you go?"
Busted and caught red-handed. Even though I was doing a favor, I couldn't help but feel guilty about it. "Tad called me and asked me to take Everett home after he fought Charles at some party."
Dad frowned. "Ok."
"If Charles is this much of a problem, isn't there something the school can do?"
He shrugged. "I don't know if there is anything I can do."
That wasn't the answer I was hoping for. I expected something more from my dad who never seemed to give up. "Look, just kicking him off the team doesn't mean the problem is solved. The school only fixed half of the problem."
"I know."
I stayed silent for a moment as I waited for him to say something else however, he stayed silent. He knew this was a problem just as much as I did, but I wasn't sure if he knew how to fix it. Maybe there wasn't a way to fix it.