Jaspers POV
Convincing Hattie to walk into the house was probably the best thing I could have ever done for her. Seeing her looking utterly defeated caused me heart to ache for her. Even though she would never know it. I knew I wasn't good enough for her, and I was okay with that.
"You know your way with words," Evan spoke up the moment that the door closed behind Hattie.
I looked over at him and shrugged. "What can I say? I have a way with the ladies."
Evan let out a laugh. "Sure you do," Evan said bitterly."
I nodded and looked back at the house. Knowing that Hattie was going to sit down and talk it out with everyone made me feel at ease. However, I really wanted to be in there with her when it all happened, but I knew I would have been stepping over the line.
I turned around to face Evan, who was leaning against the tree. His eyes were fixed on the ground in front of him, and his lips were pressed into a firm line. He looked as if he were thinking about something, and I knew what it had to be. Hattie had been the main focus for the both of us for the last few days for entirely different reasons.
With a sigh, I stepped in front of the swing and sat down. The ropes strained under my weight, but it remained in place. Noticing my sudden movement, Evan looked at me and scowled.
"If you think I'm going to push you, you have another thing coming."
I smirked as I looked up at him as I try to spin the conversation. "So how long have you liked Hattie?"
Evan sighed as he pushed himself off of the tree and then stared out to the road with his back turned to me. "Sophomore year."
I looked up at Evan with a confused look, but he didn't notice. "For two years? Really?"
Evan nodded and turned around. "But I was with Lizzie then, and I didn't even know if Hattie knew I existed. I thought that if I buried those feelings they would go away."
"And they didn't?" I asked.
Evan shook his head. "Lizzie and I broke up, and later that day I delivered to Hattie's house."
"So, it was fate?" I questioned as I started to get into the story.
Evan shrugged. "I don't know. I was sure she didn't even know who I was until I knocked on her door that night."
"Evan, I'm sure she knew who you were," I chuckle.
Evan cracked a smile, but it immediately flattered. "When her mom skipped out on her that night, I couldn't help but feel bad for her, you know?"
"I didn't know that happened," I said softly, suddenly feeling guilty that I wasn't there to comfort her, but at that moment that it all happened, I knew I had to be plotting new ways to torture her.
Evan sighed. "So I gave her my number, hoping that she would call me. Or at least send me a text. But nothing happened. A few days later I gathered up the courage to call her. Imagine my surprise when she told me she broke her leg."
"So you know, I did not mean for that to happen," I told him, knowing he knew it was all my fault that Hattie got hurt.
Evan nodded. "I know. If you knew she couldn't make it through the window you wouldn't have done it."
I let out a sigh of relief, but the memory of what happened that day ran through my head. Hattie climbing out the window. The fear in her eyes when she slipped. The crunch of bone breaking when she hit the ground. Even through all of that, I was still worried about being late to pick up the rest of the guys to go to the lake.
"What about you?" Evan asked me. I looked up at him in confusion. "How long have you liked her?"
I let out a sigh. "Does it matter? It's not like anything is going to happen between me and her anyway."
Evan shrugged as he looked up at the house. It was quiet outside, and the only sound that could be heard was birds chirping and the distant sound of a lawnmower.
"I guess not," Evan said as he nodded over to the house. "What do you think is going on in there?"
I turned out to look at the still house. "I have no idea, but hopefully everything will work itself out."
Evan nodded. "At least we both agree that she's not going back with her mom."
"Yeah, that's not happening," I say as I look back at him. "As long as she's happy, I'll be okay with what ever she decides."
"And what if she decides to stay here?"
"I'll have to live with it then, but I won't be happy about it."
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Hatties POV
"I'm sorry," I said the moment I stepped in the kitchen. When I walked in, no one noticed it was there. Both my grandparents held their heads in their hands, and Frank stood at the back window looking out. When I spoke up, all of them jumped and looked over at me.
Grandma was the first person to get up on her feet, and the moment she reached me, she wrapped me in a protective embrace. I was caught off guard at first, but after a few seconds I returned the hug.
Both grandpa and Frank were standing side by side in front of us as I looked up over my grandmothers shoulder. Both of their eyes were red, and I knew that had shed a few tears because of me. When I was released, I readjusted my crutches and stepped forward.
"I shouldn't have stormed out like that," I apologize as I looked up at everyone.
"You have every right to be angry," Frank said, his voice slightly cracking.
"I shouldn't have taken it out on you though," I sighed. "It's just I don't know what to believe anymore, and everything that had happened these last few days has taken a toll on me."
"We understand, kiddo," grandpa said.
I nodded. "I guess we should all sit down. Find out where to go from here?"
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Rain had just started to fall just as the three of us got into the car. The sound of water hitting the metal roof of the car was deafening to my ears. Both Jasper and Evan remained silent as everything happened. Neither one objected when I told them to get dressed so we could leave. They just obeyed, and when we left, they said their goodbyes and followed me out the door.
Neither one of them dared to talk as we drove towards the highway. Jasper was driving again, and Evan was in the passenger seat. The two of them exchanged the occasional glance, uncertain of what was going on.
"Um, Hattie?" Evan asked as he turned in his seat to face me. "Whats the plan now?"
I looked up at even and gave him a small smile. "Like I said, back to Haven."
"What about after that?" Jasper pressed on.
"Um, I called your mom earlier," I told Jasper. "I'm going to stay with you guys for a while."
"What about staying with your grandparents?" Evan asked. "I thought they wanted you to stay with them?"
"They did," I told them. "But it isn't as simple as I thought it would have been."
"What do you mean?" Jasper asked.
I let out a sigh. "When you guys were outside, my mom called. Apparently she finally realized I was gone."
"That's not good," Evan said as he gave a worryingly look at Jasper, who looked as equally nervous.
"It's not," she sighed. "She realized where I was, and threatened to call the police if I didn't go back."
"Shit," Jasper swore as he gripped the steering wheel.
"Jasper, it's okay. It's not like I'm going back in that house."
"Damn right, you aren't," Jasper said. "Who knows what will happen in there. Plus, that guy she brought with her could be some murderer who decided to go international."
"I don't think that's the case," I sighed. "He's gone."
"Good," Evan says, and the relief seemed to washed off him. At least, it did for a minute. "So how long are you going to stay at Jasper's place?"
"Until I can afford an apartment," I tell him. "Does that offer for that job still stand?"
"Of course," Evan told me.
Jasper looked at up in the rear view mirror and gave me a frown. "What job?"
"Um, I was supposed to work over at Bello's before my leg...you know."
"Oh," Jasper said as he started to turn onto the highway. "Sorry."
I shrugged. "It's okay. I am sorry though that I dragged everyone out here though."
"Don't be," Evan said. "I'm glad we did this."
"Really? This wasn't exactly the most exciting thing we could have done," I said.
"Well, it was exciting for us," Jasper said. "Besides, who doesn't love a road trip?"
"That's true, I guess," I sigh as I looked at Jasper.
A smirk suddenly appeared on Jasper's face, as if he suddenly realized something that I didn't. "Hey, is there a certain time that you have to be back?"
I shook my head. "No, she just said I had to be home by midnight. Why?"
"Do you trust me?"
I looked at him in confusion. "I guess. Why?"
"Trust me, then," Jasper said as he looked back on the road, but he still had a smug grin on his face. Evan turned to look at him, but he was just as confused as me.
What ever Jasper was thinking of, it couldn't be good.