The whole school day, Evan had the stupidest grin on his face. For his peace of mind, he decided to see school and home as two different dimensions in which he too was someone completely different. While he was the troubled son at home, he was Kieran Greene's secret boyfriend at school.
Of course, he couldn't keep it forever, and seeing North Hallson outside the bus windows was the perfect wake-up call. The corners of his mouth fell lower, taking the smile with it. He wasn't frowning, but there was no sign that he was excited about the outcome of the day either.
He went straight home as he promised his parents. His shoes tapped the road to the rhythm, and the sound brought him a kind of peace. For a minute, he felt like he had it all – his little pack (which he really needed to come up with a name for, as every cliché pack had one), his hidden courage, and his boyfriend. Boyfriend. He used to refer to him like that in his head, but being able to say it aloud was just something else.
And the stupid grin was back. Evan almost felt like singing in the rain, and he was the least romantic person he knew. Being with Kieran changed him. He felt that and didn't even try to deny it because he was sure that for once, it was a good change. It was something that he indirectly chose (or maybe it was the choice of his heart), so it made him even happier. He felt like he had his fate in his hands, right where it belonged in the first place. He knew his parents wouldn't agree, but that was another thing on his list he didn't care about. Or so he tried to convince himself. His parents, whatever they were, were a part of his life and identity, and on some late nights when he was up staring silently at the white ceiling of his room, he wished he had a better relationship with them.
Evan was brash, sarcastic, and frivolous, but he wasn't heartless.
Speaking of his parents, they were waiting for him in front of their front door. Apparently, their trust in their son was that bad.
"Hey," he greeted them, not asking why they were waiting for him outside. He was sure the answer would include words like irresponsible and ill-mannered, so he didn't even want to hear it.
"The meeting was rescheduled. We are going sooner," his mother told him instead of a greeting. Evan frowned. He was looking forward to taking a hot shower and something to eat after school, but he doubted he would make it now.
"When?" he questioned.
"Now, son. Why you think we're standing here? Not because of the weather," his dad replied to his apparently stupid question. Evan's frown deepened. He really hoped that he would at least have time to eat.
"Can I at least change?" He looked down at himself, judging the clothes he had in the school. There was nothing wrong with them, but he was sure that someone would definitely comment on how they smelled like humans. His pack wasn't exactly open to humans unless they were mates with one of their own.
"Go ahead, you have 10 minutes," his mother instructed him. He quickly went inside, throwing his bag on the floor next to his slightly dirty shoes.
He went straight to his room, picking some random black clothes as usual and quickly putting them on. Then he briskly brushed his hair, so it was less messy and headed back outside. There wasn't much more for him to do because he didn't have much time anyways.
"New record," his father commended right after he opened the door. Despite his words, he didn't seem in a bad mood, and Evan could have sworn he heard him humming a tune through the door a moment ago.
"You're acting like I'm a girl. I don't have to powder my nose." He rolled his eyes, and his father laughed. Evan thought it was really nice to hear since they weren't exactly on the best terms since the big fight months ago. Not that his father avoided him, but he didn't spend as much time with him as before, and certainly not in a light-hearted mood like he was right now.
"C'mon, we have to go," his mother shooed them, clearly nervous about them not being serious at the moment. One thing that could describe his mother perfectly was that she was always on time. She'd rather be somewhere half an hour early than be even a second late.
"We are not going to be late, love. Don't worry." His father put his hands on her shoulder, and she relaxed. Moments like these reminded Evan that his parents truly were each other's halves.
"Alright, just go."
The place where the pack used to meet wasn't far away. Just like the pack house, the meeting spot was also somehow in the middle of the Hills, so everyone could feel welcomed. It wasn't even 15 minutes from Bludds' house, so there wasn't really a reason for Evan's mom to stress about them being late. Even if the worst happened and they really couldn't make it, all they had to do was transform and they'd be there on all fours in no time.
In the end, they came among the first, so they still had time until the start. Evan's parents went to greet some of their friends, leaving their son alone, clearly expecting he was going to do the same. He looked around, seeing some faces from the middle school, but he didn't feel like chatting with any of them. He didn't think they would judge my decision about leaving for Marwell, but he still thought they didn't have much in common anyway. After all, he didn't keep in touch with any of them.
"Fancy seeing you here." Evidently not with everyone, although Evan did not voluntarily participate in this contact.
He turned around, facing the tall brunette with an annoying smile he hoped he wouldn't see today. Facing Michael without Angie was just annoying and without a hint of humour. At least one thing saved the situation and that was the fact that Michael was alone. No cousin by his side.
"Michael," Evan uttered his name, letting his voice show how displeased he was with his presence. Michael however acted as if he didn't notice and continued to show his teeth to him. Evan never understood how he could enjoy his presence so much when all they did was insult each other. They had never been friends, and Evan doubted that would ever change.
"Happy as always, I see," he didn't wait even for a minute to get on Evan's nerves which only confirmed that Evan's claim was true.
"Happy to see you, you see," he immediately corrected him with an ironic smile. The last thing he needed was for his parents to think they were friends. The sooner he escaped his presence, the better.
"I thought you'll be less rude without that friend of yours." Evan didn't have to do a lot of thinking to know he meant Angie.
"I guess you were wrong," he answered in a dull voice. This conversation headed nowhere, but for some reason, Michael kept going.
"Maybe you need a new one. Have you met my cousin? Ryan?" Even when Evan liked to think that he was at least a bit smart, he apparently wasn't smart enough to realize the last part of his sentence wasn't meant for him. He froze for a second when a tall raven-haired guy appeared at Michael's side. He was preparing himself that he might see his potential mate today, but he certainly wasn't ready to meet him eye to eye. Evan felt like he was about to have a panic attack at any moment.
"Hey." Ryan gave him a half-smile that looked somehow charming but also warmer than all those forced smiles Evan was exchanging with Michael. He mentally cursed himself for focusing on his smile for even a second.
"Hey," he replied to him, all the distaste suddenly gone from his voice. His voice was quiet and Evan himself was surprised by how it sounded. If he didn't know himself, he would say that he even sounded friendly. And Evan was anything but friendly.
Evan could feel how the corners of his mouth started to lift to match Ryan's expression, but luckily he quickly realized what he was trying to do and stopped. He had no idea what was going on with him. Was it possible that he was this strangely relaxed around him because of the mate thing? Evan didn't know the answer and that freaked him out even more.
"Are you alright?" Ryan asked him, looking at him with those dark chocolate eyes full of concern. In Evan's head, he could clearly hear the same question coming from Kieran. It was mixing in his mind, repeating the same words over again like a broken record. Two voices merging into one and haunting his subconscious.
"I'm fine, thanks," he said, still taken aback. He didn't even think about the answer and automatically spat out the first thing that came to mind.
"You made him shut up. That's new," Michael commented, and Ryan gave him a strange look, almost looking confused by his cousin's statement. It didn't last long, though, and Ryan's attention was quickly drawn back to Evan.
"I'm sorry, I'm not sure if I remember your name." His gaze was kind of apologetic, which Evan didn't quite understand since they have met like twice in their entire lives, so it wasn't unusual he didn't remember something so irrelevant as his name. The fact that Evan remembered his despite barely knowing him was purposely forgotten in his mind.
"I'm Evan, Evan Bludd," he introduced himself and even forced a smile. At least he tried to convince himself that it was forced. Evan beamed at him for absolutely no reason. He wasn't the only one though, as Ryan's half-smile turned into a soft but sincere one.
"I'm Ryan, Ryan Saunders. I'm glad we're meeting again, Evan."
Evan once read that people should use the name of the person in conversation, so it makes the person they are talking to feel acknowledged. It was also supposed to indicate that they were listening to them and wanted to talk to them more. Back then, he thought it was stupid. Right now? He just wanted to talk more. And talking was never his first choice when it came to people. Evan was horrified at his own thoughts.
"Yeah, me too," he answered honestly, confusion plainly showing in his voice, but he couldn't care less. He had bigger worries now.
"We should go, the meeting's starting."
Luckily, their conversation never continued since Michael decided to drag Ryan to the front. Evan finally blew out the breath he wasn't even aware he was holding. That was it. That was his first conversation with his mate. He wasn't sure how he felt about that, but he was more than sure that he was done thinking about it. At least for now. At the moment, he had to calm down his racing heart first.