For the rest of the day, Eva oddly found herself sneaking glances at Jessalyn who was on the leftmost side of the classroom.
What is the matter with me? Eva thought sulkily. Something didn't feel right with her. She felt... she felt sorry for yelling at Jessalyn— she felt like she needed to say sorry. But the thought of it was just ridiculous.
It was Eva herself who wanted nothing to do with the girl but now that she'd done what she had, there was a strong urge in her to make amends for it. It surprised her just how forceful this new feeling was—how it seemed as if she couldn't stay still and comfortable until she saw Jessalyn smile again.
Eva thought it made herself seem rather stupid.
"Why do you keep looking over there?" Terrence's voice startled her, reminding Eva that she was still in the classroom and everyone was doing an activity that their teacher was just showing them how to do.
Eva merely shook her head.
She'd successfully avoided all attempts of his to make conversation for the past week and she was satisfied with herself for it.
"Well, tell me," he persisted.
Eva scowled at him, wondering how on earth of all people she had to end up with him next to her. The class had desks grouped into pairs, so their adjoined tables didn't allow her to move five feet away from him as she so desperately wished.
"Jessalyn," she muttered, annoyed now.
"Jessie?" he blinked in surprise. "What are you looking at her for?"
"None of your business."
"Fine then, I'll just ask her," he countered.
Eva glared at the boy. "She doesn't know I've been looking at her!"
"Then you'll just have to tell me yourself," he smiled but Eva didn't return the gesture. Oh, how she loathed him.
"She is upset," Eva stated matter-of-factly, as if she was reading a newspaper clipping.
Terrence raised his eyebrows, "and why are you worried about her?"
Eva's cheeks grew hot. "I AM NOT WORRIED ABOUT HER!" she exclaimed, causing everybody, including Jessalyn, to look at her in surprise.
"Is everything alright there?" their teacher asked, from where she was crouched over Jimmy Stratton's desk, explaining something to him.
"Yes," Terrence quickly spoke up, "I'm sorry, it was my fault, miss. I was bothering her. Won't happen again." He grinned at the end and Eva noticed her teacher's face soften and a smile take over.
"Get on with your activities then everybody, go on." And with that, she turned back to chubby Jimmy and resumed her explanation.
Eva couldn't stop staring at Terrence, bewildered by what he just did.
"You're welcome," he said in the same tone he used on their first day when he'd offered Eva his lunch thinking she hadn't any.
"For what?" she asked, her tone no longer robotic but very curious.
"For not ratting you out," he said, squaring his bony shoulders.
Eva's mouth twitched, wanting to laugh because she found the phrase funny. "Ratting me out?" she repeated, holding back her amusement.
"Yeah, ratting you out," he paused, as if waiting for her to understand something. When she continued to stare at him blankly, he spoke: "don't you watch cop shows?"
"Cop shows?"
"Yeah," he nodded, seeming excited, "you know where they carry guns and shoot the bad guys."
Eva slowly shook her head, "I don't watch cop shows."
"What do you watch then?" he asked, his eyebrows pulling together, but seeming happy that she was speaking to him without it being an argument.
"I don't watch anything," she shrugged.
"No?" he looked thoroughly surprised now, "what do you do at home all day then?"
Eva struggled to find an answer for that. All she could think of... all that ran through her head was a set of three words—
I'll never tell. I'll never tell. I'll never tell . . .
And so Eva didn't.
"Nothing," Eva was back to using the toneless voice.
"Well there must be something—"
"Stop talking," she snapped, "you heard the teacher. She wanted us to do this, so stop bothering me and let me do what we were asked."
"Dad was right," he mumbled under his breath after a few seconds but Eva heard him.
"What?" she asked, wishing he'd just shut up.
"That girls change their moods faster than Usain Bolt can run."
---
Eva didn't say so much as a word to Terrence later that day and was thankful when the final bell rang and she was good to leave the school.
"Had a good day?" Benjie asked as he opened the door of the car for her.
Eva looked up at him, using her hand to shield her eyes from the sun. She nodded quickly, then scrambled into the vehicle, slamming the door shut behind her before he could so that she'd avoid him asking her anything else.
"Made any friends yet?" the old driver asked as the car entered a more private part of the neighbourhood where each house had a good distance between them considering the massive sizes of the gardens and backyards.
Eva only shrugged in response.
"My granddaughter is around your age, she goes to this school too," he went on though Eva had no wish to hear him speak. He'd ask her questions every day when he picked her up and each day, she never responded.
"I don't suppose you've met her," he swiped a card in front of the small silver box with two tiny bulbs on it that was attached to the wall surrounding the perimeter of the Carter household. One of the tiny bulbs flashed green and the huge white gates suddenly opened, allowing Benjie to drive the car in.
"There is more than one class for your grade, isn't there? Maybe little Alice isn't in your cla—"
Eva didn't wait to hear more. As soon as the car stopped, she swung the door open and jumped out, taking quick strides towards the familiar mahogany double doors.
Who knew what was in store for her at home today?
---
It was when Eva had changed and hung her towel on the rack in her room that she saw it.
A brand new television box by the corner of her room, right next to the windows. It was placed on a grey TV stand that looked new too.
"Like it?" she heard her mum's voice from behind her. Eva turned around to see ma standing by the room door.
"Yeah," Eva smiled but then remembered something, "I mean yes—Mrs Carol says yes is a better word to use."
"Did she now?" ma smiled back, walking towards Eva's bed and seating herself on it. "I just feel bad leaving you alone all the time and I told Logan that so I think that's why he bought the TV for you. So you don't have to feel bored whenever you're alone."
Something in Eva clenched tightly. "Does that mean you'll leave me alone a lot?" she asked in a small voice.
Her mother's face fell and a sad look took over. She shut her eyes for a few seconds, shaking her head. When she opened them, they looked so full of something Eva couldn't understand. "No, love," ma said quietly. "I promise I'm not leaving you ever again, okay? We're going to be fine, don't worry. We're getting out of her soon."
Getting out of here? "What do you mean, ma? We're leaving? Are we changing houses again?" Eva sounded close to horrified. She couldn't bear the thought of moving somewhere new again. She hated new places and new people.
"Something like that—listen, sweetie, I know you probably don't like the idea but—"
"Why does Logan want to keep moving us?!" Eva was close to tears, anger seeping into her voice at the same time along with misery. "I don't want—"
"Shh!" Ma hissed, her eyes widening in warning. Eva was about to ask her why when she heard the main doors close and then Logan's voice.
"Honey, I'm home," his voice echoed around the house void of any life other than the three of theirs.
"Be right back down, sweetheart!" ma yelled back. She then turned back around to Eva and wrapped her fingers around Eva's forearms tightly. "Listen, Eva, you need to keep quiet about this, okay? Logan—Logan doesn't know anything... He, uh, he isn't coming with us, okay? You can't say—"
"What's going on?"
Both Eva and her mother jumped back, alarmed at Logan's sudden appearance.
"Oh!" Ma put her hand to her chest, "Jesus, Logan! You scared me..." she laughed weakly.
Logan's eyes strayed to Eva and he narrowed them as if he was thinking something deeply.
Eva stared right back, unflinching.
"Did you like the gift then?" he finally asked, leaning one of his shoulders on the doorframe.
Eva raised her chin up, jutting it out pointedly at him, feeling defiant for some reason. "Yeah," she said curtly. If Mrs Carol was right about the word yes rather than yeah being used to respect older people, then Eva was definitely not going to use it when answering Logan.
"Eva..." she heard her mum whisper warningly but there was no point in it-Eva had already spoken.
"That's great," Logan smiled as if he hadn't noticed her tone at all. "Dinner in an hour, yes?"
"Sure, hun," ma said, moving away from Eva and towards her husband. She wrapper her arms around his neck and leant up to press her lips against his.
Eva averted her eyes, clenching her fists together, that her nails dug painfully into her palms. So painfully that her eyes welled up with tears but she didn't dare let any spill.
When her mother finally pulled away from Logan, he ran his thumb over her cheek and turned away, pulling ma along with him as they left the room. However, her mum threw one last glance at Eva over her shoulder and maybe Eva was still too young to see it, but the fear in Caroline Monroe's eyes could have made the bravest of hearts tremble in apprehension.
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Written; 31st July 2016
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A little warning ⚠ next chapter might possibly break your heart so yeah.
Do not hate me.