Hey, I'm back! :D And, this chapter should set off all of your emotions. This should be good. :3
This is dedicated to InsaneXO because she's brilliant and so nice! <3
"Time is Ticking"
Chapter Nine
♥♪♫Evan♥♪♫
What was that? Oh right, the sound of my heart cracking. I don’t know why, but him walking away from me, it cut really deep. I felt like a part of me was leaving, and I don’t understand, I’ve only known him for what? Three days, and he’s already something so important to me, and I don’t know what to do.
I sighed and kicked my feet as I found a route home to get on this project.
Friday come and gone and I’d never felt so, lost. Luka was there, but he was pinned to his sister’s side. He was as quiet as usual, not making eye contact and nodding occasionally to questions that I imaged where carefully asked. We’d catch each other’s gazes every once and a while, I’d look at him with hope and all he did was look away from me and then move even farther away then he’d been before.
I didn’t know what this is, but the urge to just walk up to him and talk to him was almost unbearable, but I contained myself, knowing that if there was any chance of fixing what is broken, that’s not the way to go about it.
So I kept my respectful distance, it seemed that’s all he wanted right now, so I was going to give it to him. Though, I was always watching him, his facial expression consisted of boredom and exhaustion. His body language said ‘uncomfortable’ boldly. He looked to be loosening up though, slowly, but surely.
Oh wait, I’m sorry, nothing good can happen without all hell breaking lose can it?
What am I referring to?
Let’s rewind then shall we?
***
I was hovering over the very inviting table over flowing with treats and sweets. My eyes were locked on the red velvet cake in the corner and the chocolate truffles in the center of the table, trying to make the correct decision of one or the other, or perhaps both. One would melt me away into a wonderland of creamy, moist goodness, whereas the other would distract me from the impossibly irritating predicament I was in, but both of them, could quench my inner child, yet also place me into the hospital.
This choice was brutal.
“I can’t believe you threw a party without me!” I was about to plunge the knife into the cake and grab a huge slice when the voice made me freeze.
The yard was silent and all attention was drawn to the gate to the yard. There stood the drunken air of a man who I can honestly say I hated more than my father that abandoned my mom and me. With an unshaven face, wild hair, a white t-shirt and holey blue jeans he stepped into the yard, a brown paper bag enclosing the beer bottle in his hand.
“Curtis, what are you doing here?” My mom asked shakily, slowly making her way over to her fuck-up brother of whom I hoped went away and was never to be found again, and if he was, he’d better be dead.
“Why sis, I live here too don’t I? Aren’t I welcome here?” My mom’s usually warm, soft brown eyes so similar to mine turned cold.
“Now Curtis, we talked about this…” She looked at him hard and stood her ground in front of him and I put down my still bare paper plate and made my way over by her side.
“Aw, sis, come on. I’m your brother; you can’t just abandon me like this.” He pleaded, opening up his arms.
“That’s funny, but seriously Curtis, you need to leave, now.” I was proud of the finality in my mom’s voice and the authority in her stance. Curtis frowned at her, and suddenly took interest in my presence.
“Evan! Boy you’ve turned into something of a man have you?” He smiled. “How’s my favorite nephew?” I kept my expression blank.
“Like mom said, you need to leave.” I said, “And it’d be preferred if you didn’t come back.”
“Don’t talk to me that way boy.” He growled. I sneered at him and held my head up high.
“What’ll you do about it?” He stood up straighter and I immediately felt like I was being challenged, and for a moment my mind wandered to the acknowledgement that I thought I might’ve been a dominant alpha of a pack in a past life.
“Are you challenging me boy?” I shrugged. “Well then I might just—”
“Is everything alright Tori?” Luka’s mom wandered up and touched my mom’s shoulder and it was then I noticed that she was chewing on her lip nervously, rubbing her arm as she did as she calculated situations.
I swallowed as Laurie and Luka came up behind her. It was best they not get in the middle of this, Curtis was a dangerous person, and I was hoping that one of the older guys would step up and get him the fuck away from here. I don’t care if they had to chase after him until he crossed the border to Canada; I wanted him away from my mom and my house, and Luka.
That’s all that mattered to me.
“And who might this be sis?” My mom’s eyes grew wide as she touched Linda in warning.
“She’s just a friend.” My mom said crossly, and I could tell she was very irritated.
“Well, she’s mighty pretty ain’t she?” Curtis hiccupped. “Why don’t you come this was and introduce—uh?” As Curtis reached over towards Luka’s mom, before I could never move his hand was slapped away rather harshly. We all turned to look at Luka in surprise.
He’d squared his shoulders and stepped protectively in between his mom and Curtis, who was getting considerably red in the face.
Faster than I ever remembered him moving, Curtis snatched Luka up by the collar. His mom gasped in surprise and Laurie grunted in disbelief and protest. My body tensed and I curled my hands into ready fists. Though, Luka just stood there unblinking as Curtis huffed in his face.
“Where is your manners boy?” Curtis hissed. Luka blinked at him and I could see the smirk that was playing on his lips, like this whole thing was just a game to him. Curtis shook him hard. “Answer me!”
“Curtis!” My mom exclaimed. I closed my hand hard on his arm that had Luka in his grip. He glared at me and I returned his gaze with equal, if not more intense hatred. “Curtis, stop this right now and get off my damn property!” My mom yelled. She was shaking and I knew that was her way of trying to sustain her itch to reach out and land a good one on his face.
Looking around I noticed that some of the older men had gathered around and were ready to step in if they sensed we needed their aid. Even old Mr. Johnson on his walker was in the front line, a frown creasing his already wrinkled face.
“You heard her, let him go, and I won’t say that again.” I growled. “Don’t you underestimate me; it’ll be a big mistake.” I warned.
Curtis glanced around and finally set his gaze on Luka, who was just as silent as always, looking as unfazed as ever. “You’re just a worthless fuck up anyway.” He grumbled. “Not worth my time.”
“You hypocritical mother—humph.” We all snapped our heads to see Laurie jerk a hand over her mother’s mouth. Though, you could still make out the words that were flowing out of her mouth in swarms.
Curtis smirked and loosened his grip on Luka slightly before he pushed him suddenly and he lost his balance and fell down. He shook my hand off of him and took a swig of his beer. “I’ll be back one day Tori, you just wait.” I muttered and then shuffled off the way he’d come.
However, there was still a tension in the air as Luka just sit there on the ground, head down and his shoulders shaking. He fisted grass in his hands until his knuckles turned white.
“Luka are you—wait!” His mom touched his shoulder and he roughly shrugged it off, bolting from his spot and sprinting from the yard. I caught a glimpse of his face and he was red, his face a combination of painful and angry emotions.
***
After that Linda and Laurie apologized and then went after him, and he hasn’t been to school since then.
I was worried about him, and till this moment, I don’t know why it bothers me so. This feeling I get when I think about him, or when I look at him. This clingy, needy feeling a get, it’s annoying and it pisses me off. Only, at the same time, I feel like it is only natural, like it’s supposed to be there, like it is right.
“Evan honey, have you seen or heard from Luka?” My mom poked her head into my room, her hand covering the speaker on the phone.
“Well, obviously not mom, if you’ve forgotten, he’s not a loud type of person, therefore if he doesn’t want to be seen, he won’t.” I reminded her.
“Evan, Linda hasn’t seen him since Friday, five days ago, and she’s is mother.” My mom said. “She has no way of knowing if he goes to school because she works so much, and by the time she gets home, he’s asleep.”
“Well mom, I dunno what to tell you. I’m not going to say something that I’m not sure of myself.”
“Well, I just thought I’d try. She’s so worried about him. She said that he’s been distant, but this is the worst.” She looked at me pointedly. “I just thought you should know.”
“Why are you looking at me like that?” I asked. “It’s like you’re suggestive.” She put the phone behind her and leaned in my room, a smile on her face.
“Well, because I like him.” She winked at me and I don’t think I’ve ever been so mortified in my life. It was scary enough telling her that I liked guys, but now she’s… I can’t even say it, it’s too disturbing.
“Oh my—what—mom! No stop talking, please!” I yelled, dropping the pencil in my hand.
“What? Oh, did I over step my place?” I glared at her. “Oh, Evan I’m sorry, I thought.”
“Mom…” I mumbled.
“Well, no, I’m not sorry; I know what I’m talking about. You boys are just so damn stubborn. Mark my words; I’ll get to say I told you so someday. I promise you that.” She bragged.
“Mom, you’re so embarrassing!” I called as she left the room, singing into the phone about her intuition. “Women…” I muttered under my breath.
See, with a guy, there are no real mysteries, because I’m a guy myself. However, with a girl, she doesn’t have a penis, therefore I’ll never know what’s going through a girls mind, and that scares me.
“I’m going to bed, don’t stay up too late, you still have to go to school tomorrow.” She warned.
“It’s only eight o’clock mom.” I said. “Are you alright?”
“Of course I am, I just have something to do in the morning, and I don’t want to be tired.” She yawned. I laughed.
“Alright mom, you go get some rest then.” She nodded and closed my door behind her as she left.
I closed my English textbook and shoved it into my backpack. I’d been doing homework absentmindedly since my mom came in earlier with the questions about Luka. As if I hadn’t been worried enough that small little detail just worried me even more.
I found myself laying my bed, lights off, music at a dull roar through the room. It was the perfect setting of which I normally fall asleep, but here I find myself restless. I looked at my clock, it was only nine.
There was one thing on my mind though, and I was growing ever more paranoid.
I bolted up, jumping out of bed and shoving on pants and socks. I pushed my feet into my shoes and bounded down the stairs.
Something didn’t feel right, and I couldn’t shake the feeling.
So uhm, let me know how bad you want the next chapter. :3