Bad Things
(Day 61: Thursday Afternoon)
What are we going to do if Mal is found guilty? Ben glances at Evie, who sits the next desk over, before he places his pen to the paper. At that point it's probably better to transfer her back to the Isle of the Lost. She would at least have a chance of surviving there, but then again, she wouldn't be able to be let go early for good behavior because of the lack of security. He folds the note back up and passes it back to Evie.
After she writes her response she hands it back to him. How long will she get if she's guilty? Ben takes a moment to think. Attempted assault is three months in jail. I don't know what the difference is for attempted sexual assault. If she's found guilty of the crime itself, then she could get a year in jail. Since she used her hypnotism to restrain Audrey, it could be classified as aggravated assault by use of magic. If she gets that, then she may very well get several years in prison. He pauses. She's also a hybrid, which doesn't do her any favors. They may see her as more of a threat than a human and make her sentence longer. He hands the paper back to Evie, but as she finishes reading it the teacher approaches them.
The woman with brown, curly hair looks down at Evie, "Give me the note." and with only slight reluctance she hands it to her. The teacher moves her glasses as she reads it, "Yes. I'm sure everyone will find this very informative."
"What?" Evie questions.
"Notes passed around in my class get hung up on the wall," the grey eyed instructor informs, before she glances down at Ben. "And yet you did it anyway." Ben doesn't respond. "In the future, please discuss your girlfriend outside of my classroom."
"We only did it for a couple minutes," Ben excuses.
"Of course," she slightly smiles. "Then you won't mind giving a guess as to what the next vocab word means."
Ben looks at the board, "Bruit?" before he gives a questioning look to the teacher. "Isn't that just some grumpy, old man?"
"No," she disapprovingly states. "It isn't." Ben sighs. "Brute, the noun with an E at the end, loosely means a violent animal, but that's not an old, grumpy man either." She observes him for a second, "Can you guess what bruit, the verb, means?"
He lets out a breath of annoyance, "Come on. This isn't fair. With English you always spell the same word twenty different ways and then give it a different meaning. I bet no one else here knows what bruit with a U and an I means either."
"It means to spread rumors," Evie quietly answers.
The teacher smiles at her, "Very good." before she turns back to Ben. "Looks like some people know it after all."
"She used to read the dictionary for fun," Ben exclaims. "Of course, she knows what it means." He raises his eyebrows, "Plus, she grew up speaking English. She has an advantage."
The instructor widens her eyes at Ben, "I've had enough of your excuses and complaints. You grew up bilingual, and studies show that when people learn another language they get a better understanding of their own. That makes it so that you have the advantage." Ben glares at her. "As far as your dislike for English, take it up with your parents. They're the ones that made it the official language of this country."
"They only did that, because more people spoke it than French." He huffs, "They hardly ever even speak any English themselves."
"Maybe not," she accepts, "but they've learned it to the point where they speak it very well, and I suggest that you do same by paying attention in my class rather than passing notes or working on homework from other classes." His expression softens, before she turns back to Evie. "You got the definition correct. Go up to the board and write it in a sentence."
Evie tiredly looks at the distance between her seat and the board, "Do I have to?"
"You could use the participation points," the teacher advises.
"Okay," Evie breathes, before she presses down on the desk to lift herself from her seat, and the teacher moves out of the way so that Evie can walk down the aisle to the board. She slowly reaches for the blue marker and takes the cap off; however, with her arm in the air she glances over as she watches the instructor write the definition next to the word on the other board. Evie looks back in front of her. Bruit. Spread rumors. She shuts her eyes and mouths, "Mal." before she opens her eyes again and places the marker's point onto the board. She writes, "Students often brui—" but then she stops, as her eyes cross and her vision blurs. She blinks, takes in a large breath, and shifts her stance; however, the world turns to bright white as her eyes cross again and she collapses to the floor, the marker rolling out of her hand and across the room.
Ben runs over to her and lifts her back off of the ground, "Evie." as the teacher hovers over them in worry.
"Is she okay?"
"She's fine," he hurriedly states. "She just hasn't—" He huffs, "Eaten." as he lightly shakes her. "Evie."
Her eyes squint open, "Mal?"
"No," Ben frowns.
"Ben?" She sits up and places a hand to her head, "I'm sorry. I—"
"Can you stand?" he interrupts.
"Yeah." She slowly stands to her feet, holding onto the metal ledge of the whiteboard for a moment before staring at her unfinished sentence.
The teacher comments, "Evie. I want you to go to the nurse's office."
"Why?" she questions as she finishes writing the sentence on the board. "I'm fine."
"You fainted," she counters.
Evie turns to her and mumbles, "It happens."
When the teacher doesn't respond Ben speaks, "With all due respect, Evie's been sent to the nurse before, and it didn't help. With your permission, I'd like to take her to the kitchen instead and make sure she gets something to eat."
"No," Evie objects.
"Yes," Ben widens his eyes at her, before he turns back to the instructor and pleads, "Please."
"School policy is to send her to the nurse," she evenly informs.
"We already know what the problem is." Ben persuades her, "Wouldn't it be more productive to solve the problem instead of being retold what it is?"
She's quiet for a minute, observing the two of them, "Given your grades, I will allow it."
"Thank you," Ben breathes.
"However," she raises a finger, "I want you back here before the end of the hour. If you aren't, I will inform Fairy Godmother that you've skipped the class."
"Of course," Ben nods, before he tugs Evie towards the door. "Come on."
When they make it outside of the classroom Evie pulls away, and Ben turns towards her. "I won't eat. You can't make me."
Her voice is ridged, filled with defensive insecurity, and Ben can see the fear in her dark brown eyes. "Evie." He takes a step forward, and then she takes a step back. He sighs, "You don't need to worry. I'm not going to make you eat."
She looks at him in unsureness, "But you told her—"
"I know what I told her," he softly responds, before he shakes his head. "But this problem you have with eating isn't going to go away, unless you choose to do it on your own accord." She stands her ground, not moving an inch. Ben outstretches an arm, "Don't you trust me?"
She darts her eyes between his hand and him, "I don't know. Can I?"
"You can trust me," he reassures. "I would never do anything to hurt you." He sees her glance at his hand again. "That includes your mind and pushing you into your fears."
Evie lets out a breath as she takes his hand, "Okay."
Evie watches as Ben places the large cup of water into the microwave, "If you're not making me eat, then what are you doing?" before she sees him take out the carton of egg whites.
"The water needs to be hot for when I add the honey."
She watches him take out a pan and measure out the egg whites, "And that?"
"Two cups," he informs her. "That's two hundred and fifty-two calories."
"I thought you said you weren't going to make me eat?" she irritably responds.
When Ben turns around and sees her arms crossed he partly smiles, "The eggs are your choice. It's low enough in calories where it shouldn't bother you, but if it's still too much for you, then I won't make you." She stays quiet, before he steps away from the pan and takes the plastic glass out of the microwave. "This, however…" He finds a tablespoon and puts two servings into the water, eating the remaining honey from the measuring spoon before placing it into the sink.
"However, what?" Evie prompts as she watches him check on the eggs and then find a straw for the glass.
He stirs the honey into the hot water, "Two tablespoons is a hundred and twenty calories. That may sound like a lot, but it will help increase energy levels and provide nutrients. So, it's worth it." She doesn't speak, as she watches him place the eggs onto a plate.
When he serves the items to her she questions, "What's the red stuff?"
"Cayenne pepper," Ben answers. "It helps with digestion." He watches her stare at the eggs skeptically, "It also helps curb appetite, boost metabolism, and burn fat."
Evie looks up at him with narrowed eyes, "How the hell do you know all this shit?"
"Funny," Ben evenly responds. "You don't strike me as the kind of girl that would swear twice in the same sentence."
"Funny," Evie says back to him. "You said you don't count calories, and I didn't see you look at the labels."
It takes a moment for Ben to assert, "I said it would be impractical for me to count calories. I didn't say I never did it." He looks away for a second, "The fact of the matter is I know all of this from when I was in sports. As far as the calorie counting goes…" He shakes his head, "Even though it was impractical for me to do it because the school and Mrs. Potts don't give out nutritional information about the food served, it made me feel good to see the progress or whatever I was making." He lifts a shoulder, "And, I guess, it just became a habit."
"How can I trust that the calories in this is what you say it is?" she disbelieves.
Ben frowns, "Because." before he pulls out his phone. "I just had it this morning." He goes to the app and shows it to Evie. "See that? Two cups egg whites: two hundred and fifty-two calories."
"Yeah," she comments in disgust. "Right next to the ham steak." She opens her mouth in shock, "And ten protein bars." before she gives Ben a look. "When the hell did you have the time to eat all of those?"
"I didn't sleep last night," Ben mumbles, before he hurriedly exits the app and puts his phone back into his pocket; however, when he looks back at Evie she's still giving him the same shocked look. "Yeah. I know. Over a thousand calories before the day even started. Why don't you focus a little less on my eating habits and a little more on the fact that I didn't lie to you?"
Evie looks down at the meal presented to her, "Do I have to have this?"
"I want you to at least drink the water," Ben confirms. "You need something."
"A hundred and twenty calories," Evie remembers, placing a hand to her head. "Ben. I'm sorry, but I don't think I can do this."
"Yes, you can."
"No. I can't," she whispers, and when she looks up at him Ben can see the tears in her eyes. "I just— I can't."
"You can," he assures.
"No. I can't," she sternly responds, before breaking into tears. "You don't understand. I can't." She cries, "I ca— I."
"No. I do understand." He waits for her to look back at him. "You think that if you break the rules you've set for yourself, then something bad will happen." He places a hand onto her arm, "But I'm here to tell you nothing will."
"You can't know that," she softly denies.
"No. I can," he affirms. "Your mother can't harm you here, and the calorie amount is not anywhere near enough to have an impact on your body's shape."
"It's not me I'm worried about," Evie whispers. "It's Mal."
Ben's mouth gapes open, but it takes a minute for him to speak, "You mean that you're just so worried that you can't think about eating. You can't honestly believe that if you eat, it's going to hurt Mal." She looks away, and Ben sighs, "Evie. Whatever is going on with Mal, it has nothing to do with whether you eat or not."
"Something bad always happens when I eat," Evie denies.
"No," Ben sternly states, and then she stares back up at him in surprise. "Evie," he breathes as he shakes his head. "It's a messed up world. Bad things happen." He points to himself, "They happen to me too, and believe me: it has nothing to do with whether someone is eating or not. Bad things just happen. Nothing's going to stop that." He sees her glance back down at the meal, "Not even not eating."
She slightly shakes her head, "I wish I could believe that."
Ben's quiet for a minute, "Look." before he rests a hand on her arm and she looks up again. "Just drink the water. You're allowed to have water, aren't you?"
"But there's honey in the water," Evie worries.
"There's a lot of things in water." Ben gestures as he reasons. "Bacteria and microbes. Chemicals for purification." He tries to smile, "That honey is honestly probably the healthiest thing you're going to find in that water."
She eyes the glass, "It's going to make me fat."
"No. It won't," Ben promises, but she looks at him with skepticism. "How about I join you? I can make myself a glass of it too. I can even double the amount of honey in mine if it makes you feel better about how much is in yours."
"You would do that for me?" Evie's eyes widen in disbelief.
He shrugs, "I've probably already gone over my calorie intake for the day. What's three hundred more?"
She shuts her eyes for a moment, "You shouldn't have to sacrifice your appearance just to make me feel better."
"I'm not," he reassures. "That's just how confident I am that this honey is not going to have any negative impact on you."
Evie hesitates before nodding, "Alright. So long as you're that confident."
Ben's smile widens, "Okay. Just give me a minute." before he stands from his seat and goes to grab another glass. There's silence until Ben sits back down, and he makes a face as he sips through the straw.
"You okay?" Evie questions.
"Yeah," Ben answers. "It's just that there's so much honey in mine that there's an entire layer on the bottom to get through."
"Sorry," she apologizes.
He shakes his head, "Don't worry about it. I make horrible mistakes like this all of the time." before he nods down to her drink. "Your turn."
Evie takes a sip of her own, "It is really sweet." before she puts her mouth to the straw again. She watches as Ben continues his own, "Thank you." and as he stares back she explains. "For not making me eat. It's nice to have someone who—" She glances down for a second, "Someone who can claim they understand." before she meets his eyes again. "A lot of people just tell me that I'm being ridiculous, and they make a big thing of why I can't just do it, as if it's just so easy and simple."
"Food is anything but simple," Ben frowns in response. "Every athlete knows that." He drinks from the cup, "Mix too many carbs with protein, it turns into fat. Don't get enough carbs and you don't have the energy to play." He attempts to smile, "I completely get it." before he lifts a shoulder. "Or, at least as well as anyone can. I know it must be a lot harder for someone with an eating disorder." He sees her shut her eyes at the term, "It is what you have, you know. Your fear of weight gain and food and your calorie restriction are all signs of anorexia."
"I don't need to gain weight," Evie irritably responds. "I'm already fat enough."
Ben hears the disgust in her tone, "Evie. You're not fat." and he moves his eyes away as she gives him a doubtful look. "And I know you're not going to believe me." He pauses as he meets her eyes, "But you're thin enough. Too thin, actually. Girls are supposed to be a little curvy. It means that you're healthy enough to carry a child, and there are studies that show guys have a biological response to that and are more likely to go for a girl like that." She doesn't speak, and he lets out a breath, "Your ability to get ahead in life or date whoever is not dependent on how thin you are. It's dependent on how healthy you are." She shakes her head and looks away from him. "You hear me? Just because you can pinch something, that does not mean it's not supposed to be there."
Evie gives him a look, "I hear you. I just don't believe you." and then Ben sighs before silencing. "You're a guy. You couldn't possibly understand what expectations a girl has or what we're supposed to look like, even with all your fancy studies."
Ben is quiet for a moment, glancing down for a second, before he calmly comments, "You're right. I don't know." and he watches as Evie slowly uncrosses her arms in unsureness. "What I do know is that Doug worries about you— Mal worries about you— and you can't survive like this forever. If you want to carry on a life with those you care about, then you need to care a little more about yourself and a little less of how you think people may perceive you." She quietens, staring down in thought. "And I'm not trying to scare you. I'm just telling you that this isn't good, and it will lead somewhere bad."
She frowns up at him, "What? Did your studies tell you that?"
"No," Ben frowns with sad eyes. "You did. You've fainted twice in class since you've gotten here, and each time you carried on as though everything was fine." He shakes his head, eyeing his drink for a moment, "Don't get me wrong, I've ignored problems with my own health, and I'm not one to give advice…" He looks up at her again, "But if you don't get help, both the short and long-term effects can be fatal, and eventually they will catch up to you."
"No," Evie denies. "I'm different. It will be different for me."
"What makes you think that?" Evie stays silent. "You're human, Evie. You can't live like this forever."
"I'm a witch, actually," she mumbles.
Ben shakes his head, "Witch, human, hybrid, or whatever." He stresses, "We all still need to eat to survive. If merpeople can't live off of water alone, then don't think you can either." He lets out a calming breath. "I'm sorry It's just, people care about you— I care about you. You know that, don't you?"
"I know," Evie whispers.
Ben nods and then checks his watch, "We need to get back to class soon." before he lifts up his drink and attempts to smile. "Cheers?"
Evie almost smiles herself, "Cheers." before their glasses clank and she finishes drinking the honey water.
- You guys have been quiet the last couple weeks. It's getting me a little paranoid. My writing isn't that horribly terrible, is it?