I laughed exuberantly as my best friend Katie and I walked into the movie theater.
"Well, it's not like it matters anyway. Finals are over, and spring break starts in two weeks!!!" I smiled as She talked so quickly. Sometimes, no one but me could understand her.
"FINALLY. This year could not have gone by any slower...what?" I asked her. Her expression was shocked as She stared painfully over my shoulder. I kept eye contact with her while I turned around to see what She was staring at.
And I wished I hadn't looked.
My boyfriend of a year and a half, Andrew, had his stupid, strong arms twined around some girls waist, her stupid, skinny arms wrapped around his neck. And their lips looked like they were freaking SUPERGLUED TOGETHER. I must have made some sort of sound, because Katie asked me what I had said. I shook my head.
"You've got to be kidding me." I said. Andrew broke away from her and looked at me.
"Evelyn..." He reached his hand out to me, but I shook my head.
"I don't want to hear it." I tried to keep my voice strong, but it betrayed me. Each time my voice cracked, Andrew's face twisted in what looked like agony. He began to say something, but I held up one hand. "Andrew, just give it up." I felt tears falling from my eyes.
"Evelyn Slade, you're pathetic." The girl who had a seemingly permanent physical attachment to my boyfriend sneered at me.
"Sam, stop it." Andrew growled at her. I remembered her now. Samantha Cobalt. She was in mine and Andrew's math class. I shook my head.
"No, Andrew, She's right. I am pathetic. You know why? Because I've known for a year and a half that you can't be trusted, but I trusted you anyways. I've known your reputation, but you know what? For some stupid, pathetic reason, I felt lucky. I fell in love with you anyways. Andrew, have a nice life. Just please, god, PLEASE leave me out of it." I whispered, then I turned around and began to walk away. I felt his strong arm on mine.
"Evie, don't leave. not now. not like this. I love you." He whispered into my ear. For the last time, I felt his lips softly brush my ear, his hot breath on my neck. I shook my head again, and pulled his hand into mine.
"Well, doesnt that suck." I tugged at the tiffany silver heart necklace he had bought me for our one year anniversary, and it came off easily into my furious hands. I pressed it into his palm, and it felt oddly cold. "Goodbye, Andrew." I looked into his eyes quickly, and they were full of grief and pain. I cried silently and turned away. I heard a sharp cracking noise, and I knew that Katie, always my best friend, had slapped him.
"How dare you." She spat, then one of her hands was on my waist and one was on the door, pushing it open and out of our way. The cool air was refreshing as I stared blankly forward, refusing to break down. My heart was threatening to crack into tinier pieces that it already was, and I couldn't let it. Oh, shit. too late. I collapsed.
"Evelyn!" Katie cried out, pulling me up. I smiled like an idiot.
"no, Katie, let me fall." I whispered. She shook her head.
"Evelyn slade, don't you think like that! I'm not letting you fall, and if youre going down, you KNOW I'm going down with you!" She nearly yelled at me. I looked at her, eyes wide with either fear, or admiration. or maybe both.
"Katie, let me walk home tonight, okay? I need time to think." She looked at me like I was insane. which, at the moment, was probably true. "please?" I widened my eyes, silently begging. She sighed.
"fine. but you CALL me if anything happens at all. AT ALL." She emphasized. I nodded weakly, and She helped me up and gave me a big hug. "I love you Evie, even if Andrew is a FUCKING JERK." She yelled the last part towards where Andrew and his "date" were fighting quietly right outside the doors. Andrew looked over at us, his expression pained once more. I sighed.
"maybe I should try talking to him." I offered hopefully. Katie threw me a death glance. "or not." I murmured. I looked over at Andrew again, who was lighting up a cigarette. I sighed.
"okay, forget it. I'm taking you home." She said, pulling me up again.
"no, I'm okay. really, I am." I had always been a fantastic liar. She looked at me, and I knew She knew I was lying, but She swallowed and nodded.
"okay. but you WiLL call me if you run into trouble." Katie said. I nodded.
"of course."
"be careful Ev. love you." She hugged me again.
"you too kay. see you tomorrow." I tried to smile, but it didn't quite work out. I set off in the opposite direction of Katie, which meant I had to walk past Andrew. He caught my arm.
"Evelyn, will you just listen to me?" He asked me desperatley. I wanted to say no. wanted it more than anything else in the world. but I was silent. I said nothing as I stared into his silver eyes. He began to say something, and then I was sure I didn't want to hear.
"no, Andrew. I don't think I will." I whispered, and I kept walking. I walked and walked and walked, and then I realized that I was by the train tracks. I was already half way home. funny. it had taken no time at all, or so it seemed. I opened my cell phone to check the time. twelve missed calls, seven from Andrew, four from Katie, and...what? one from Sam? Oh jesus. this is bad news. I only had one new voicemail. I dialed my own number, and listened.
"Evelyn, it's samantha. I just wanted to call and tell you to stop being clingy and pathetic with MY boyfriend. He doesnt want you, can't you see that? He wants ME. youre too weak for him. He needs a real-" then her voice became panicked and faded somewhat. "no, Andrew, give me the phone back! Andrew!" then it was Andrew's voice on the message. "Evie, please think about this. I love you so much, and this is just all a mistake. samantha was a mistake, and I love you. please come back to me. you know where to find me. I love you, Evie. I do." then he hung up. by the time the message was over, I was sobbing.
"fuck you." I swore at my cell phone for delivering that message.
"pardon me?" someone said from behind me. I turned around, too quickly, and fell. searing pain immediatley registered in my brain, and I looked down to my stomach. there were jagged edges of glass sticking through the front, tipped with a ruby liquid that I knew immediatley as blood.
shit, the broken glass had gone right through me.
"Oh!" I gasped, then quit talking when I felt the pain get worse.
"Oh, god." the voice was the same as before, but it was strained, like the person was trying not to breathe.
"help me." I breathed, and I lost consciousness.
but not for long. I felt something even sharper than the glass cut into my neck, and I screamed.
"shh, ive got you, don't worry." said that same soothing voice. I opened my eyes to search for him, for this mystery stranger who was staying with me where anyone else but Katie wouldve bailed. I found him, and I smiled and whimpered. He had a single drop of crimson blood on his lip, and he quickly wiped it. his lips and skin were pale, and his long, curly, brown hair fell over his gold eyes as he leaned over me. but thats not why I wouldn't, no, couldn't look away from him.
it's because he was far too perfect. there was absolutely nothing wrong with him. He was wearing a plain white button down shirt, but I saw his muscles and strength through the thin, pale fabric. it felt like I was falling in love with him, although I had just seen him. He looked at me with a kind of lost passion, like he wanted to say something comforting but couldn't.
but nothing couldve helped me then.
that was when the pain started.
someone was holding a torch to my neck, trying to burn me alive. and this beautiful stranger was just LETTING them! how dare he! the fire...no, it wasnt on my skin. it was iNSiDE me. inside my veins. I frantically waved my arms around my neck, but something cold immediatley held them down.
"don't move." He murmured, and I opened my eyes again. He bent down and pushed his lips to the searing pain in my neck, and the fire got worse. He had put some cold liquid into my neck! Oh, the fire got so much worse.
"what did you do to me?" I asked, my voice weakening. He wrapped his cold arms around me, and pulled me up. the pain in my stomach was unbearable as he removed me from the pieces of shattered mirror, and I screamed. my conciousness waned, then finally, was lost.