The rest of his week went the same way. He barely got up, ate only what his mother pushed into him, and most of the time cried so long and hard that he fell asleep. He knew that he couldn't go on like this forever and that his mom couldn't take so much time off work, so he miraculously decided to go back to school on Friday.
Angie kept him updated throughout the week, so he knew what was going on at school in his absence. He knew that his friends were angry and that Kieran was in bad shape. And of course, he knew it was his fault.
He tried to get ready in the morning, but no matter how hard he tried, he was still pale, the circles under his eyes looked deadly, and his hair didn't cooperate. He didn't know if it was good or bad or if he could even afford to look hurt when he caused this situation.
His phone was flooded with missed calls and messages that he didn't answer even though he read them. His friends first questioned him, then began to demand, and eventually their cautious words turned into cruel ones. Not that Evan didn't deserve it. He was honestly surprised they still let him in their group chat.
The only one who was on his side was Angie. Or rather, she was on both sides. She was the only one who knew why he did what he did, and Evan was afraid that it would make their friends uncomfortable with her as well. That's exactly why he forbade her to stand up for him.
Rory's reaction was also different. He could debate whether it was because he wasn't there in person and didn't want to be drawn into the conflict, or he figured there would be something supernatural involved in the problem and was waiting to see if Evan would confide in him again. And he thought about calling him so he could at least explain his reasons to someone, but since his parents were home with him all the time, it wasn't a phone call he could make within their earshot.
No one knew that he was going back to school today. At least not anyone from Marwell. Angie decided to pick him up so they could go to the bus stop together. He was just waiting for her in front of his house, but it looked like she was late.
"Sorry! Sorry!" He heard her voice before he saw her. A petite brunette ran towards him, her long hair flowing behind her.
"It's cool." Evan shrugged and decided to move closer to her so that she wouldn't have to return the same way unnecessarily. But Angie didn't stop and ran straight to him to take him in her arms.
"I'll protect you," she murmured into his shoulder, squeezing him in a hug. It was a nice gesture from her, but Evan couldn't appreciate it. He didn't want to ruin her relationship with her friends and this way that would be exactly what would happen.
"I love you, but please be there for Kieran," he spoke his thoughts out loud. Evan was well aware that he and Kieran were in a different positions. Although both were heartbroken, Evan's soul still had its other half in reserve. He was always promised a happy ending, he just didn't want to accept it right away. No one in their right mind would enter into a relationship with someone while in love with someone else.
"I'll be there for you both," she promised, and he didn't protest this time.
...
His hands were shaking the entire bus ride despite Angie holding them. When they got off, he immediately let her go and subconsciously took a step back from her so she wouldn't be too close to him. And although at first, she looked like she wanted to protest, in the end she didn't say anything. They entered the school together and walked down the halls toward their lockers. They hadn't met any of their friends yet, and Evan suspected he was just delaying the inevitable.
He put his things in his locker and picked out textbooks for the first class. He did it automatically, as he was used to it, so he could immerse himself in his thoughts. It was not a smart move, as it caused him to fail to notice his friends, who were walking towards him with vigorous steps.
"Ahem," someone cleared their throat behind him. Evan closed his eyes for a second, preparing for the confrontation, and he recognized from the smell that not only Aiden was behind him but also Lola.
His grip on the locker door tightened, and he slammed it shut with more force than was necessary. Aiden still didn't say anything else, waiting for his reaction so he mustered the last of his courage and turned to face his friends.
"Hey," he greeted them in almost a whisper, looking at them for a few seconds before lowering his gaze to the floor.
"Great, the greetings are over. Now it's time for an explanation." Evan winced at Aiden's tone. He knew he was upset with him, but he never expected him to address him in such disgust.
"We just want to understand, E," Lola's voice was caring in contrast to his, and Evan thought it sounded like a crime movie where one played the good cop and the other played the bad one.
"I know," he sighed. He decided not to be a coward and looked up. Their expressions were the same as their tones. Aiden was frowning with his arms crossed over his chest while Lola looked like she wanted to hug him but was struggling at the same time.
"So?" Aiden offered him another chance to speak.
"I have nothing to tell you, Aiden. I'm sorry. Everything I could tell you, I already did." It sounded more like whining than speaking.
Before the blond could yell at him again, Lola intervened. "You didn't explain anything to me."
Evan's brown eyes turned to her and looking at her sincere expression, he had no idea what to do. He didn't want to lose her too, but obviously, he had no choice. He could only hope that he could win her back in the future.
"It's complicated. I know you all want answers, but I don't have them. I'm really sorry," he said. It was no more than what he had told Kieran and still not enough to calm them down.
"Something happened on Saturday after we went back to the club, didn't it?" Lola obviously wasn't going to slander him but decided to use deduction. Evan had to admit that she wasn't far from the truth. Saturday was the last step to his imaginary grave.
Evan sighed again. On the one hand, he didn't want to lie, but on the other, he wasn't sure if admitting she was right was a good choice.
His friends understood his silence in their own way. "So it's true." It wasn't just Aiden who was frowning anymore. Lola looked like she had thousands of scenarios running through her head of what could have happened, and she couldn't figure out which one was right.
"I don't want to talk about it," he cut her off before she could ask more.
"I'm sure at least Kieran would like to hear it," Aiden commented and Evan, not expecting his comment, winced. Lola put her hand on his shoulder as if trying to tell him that he was being too cruel, but Aiden ignored it.
"You had no problem leading him by the nose, the least you can do is give him an explanation." Evan wanted to protest that it wasn't true and that he genuinely cared about Kieran, but he thought that would only make things worse.
"I don't think Evan lied about his feelings for Kieran," Lola protested before turning to Evan, "I know you care about him, E. Only a fool would think you don't. That's why I don't understand why you broke his heart."
"We just want to understand," Aiden's tone softened after Lola's words.
He knew he had an opportunity to at least give them some explanation. But whatever he could tell them would have to be half a lie and he was done lying. And so he just repeated the same thing as before, "I'm sorry."
Aiden's lips locked into a tight line. Lola looked like she wanted to say something more about that, but Aiden stopped her with a shake of his head, grabbing her forearm and pulling her towards the hallway, indicating that it was time to go.
She didn't protest, but before they disappeared from Evan's line of sight, she gave him one last sympathetic look.
"We should go to class. Come on." Evan didn't even realize that he was left staring frozen in the direction where his friends had gone. Angie carefully took his hand, entwining her fingers with his, and gave him a gentle tug to snap him out of his thoughts.
"Come on," she repeated, and this time he moved with her.
...
Half the day had passed, and Evan was successfully avoiding Josh and Kieran. And maybe they avoided him. The group chat was quiet, so he didn't have a chance to find out anything new except what Angie told him.
She spent every free moment with him and did not leave him alone in the corridor for even a second, as if someone should ambush him at any moment.
Lola joined them a couple of times, but she never said a word. Evan was in no mood to talk, and Angie obviously had no idea what to do in this situation, so their breaks were silent.
Of course, it couldn't go on like this forever, and they were bound to meet.
The last hour before lunch had just ended, and even though Evan had no appetite at all, he walked by Angie's side. They turned a corner and that's when Evan's eyes met a hateful look that froze his soul. But it wasn't the blue eyes he was expecting, but his best friend's.
Josh stared at him so hard that he stopped in place. He was a werewolf, he wasn't really afraid of him, but he still wanted to show him the respect he deserved. He was just protecting his best friend. His best friend, who was standing right behind him.
He looked terrible. Honestly, he looked just like Evan. He was just as pale, just as tired, and just as devastated. It was like looking into a mirror.
He hasn't noticed Evan yet, and thanks to Josh, he wouldn't at all. He turned to him and helped him weave through the students heading towards the school cafeteria so that his gaze never rested on Evan's direction for even a second.
Evan felt like someone was ripping his heart out of his chest over and over. Everywhere he looked, he was reminded of Kieran and everything he had lost because of his own stupidity. Aiden barely looked at him, letting him know with every move that he was done with him. Lola had no idea if she could even talk in his presence. Millie and Clara were clearly avoiding him. And he had no doubt about Josh's opinion.
On the one hand, he was glad that Kieran had such good friends, and he was glad that they were all there for him, but on the other hand, he missed them. They were his little pack. His home, to which he could always return and hide in it from the stereotypes of the supernatural world. But apparently, he became an omega. A wolf without a pack.