"Hey, shortstack!"
"You know, one of these days I'm going to grow. Then what are you going to do?"
"I sincerely doubt that shorty."
I roll my eyes as Stee drops down next to me. He had become something of an ineradicable present. Now that's not to say that I didn't want him around; I did, it's just he seemed to always be there to jump out of nowhere but never anywhere else. Not once have I seen him loitering around town or lingering outside school. It was as if he showed up to talk to me and then disappeared. He was everywhere and nowhere at the same time.
"What do you want?" a look of feigned hurt crosses his features.
"Now, is that anyway to speak to your friend?"
"Oh, I'm ever so sorry. What do you want, friend?" I throw a sickly sweet smile in his direction, which is met with a simple roll of the eyes.
"Moving on," he starts, casually slipping a cigarette into the corner of his mouth, "Where's lover boy?"
"There is no lover boy, there's Nick," I lean back on my elbows in the grass and raise my eyebrows, "And you still can't do that here." I watch as the offending smoke drifts between us, before Stee wafts it away with a tight sarcastic smile.
"Noted." He pauses for another drag. "Now answer the question." I tip my head back, letting the may sun warm my face.
"Take a wild guess."
"He's still not out?"
"Nope." I hadn't heard from Nick at all since he got dragged into the Principles office. Not even a phone call. Apparently, Danny's father was adamant that his son was the victim in the whole ordeal and insisted on pressing charges against Nick. Hence why he's been sat in the police station for almost a week, waiting on his dad to bail him out.
"Well, I can't imagine why. What with all the people dying to have him back on the streets as free as a bird." He takes a swig of water from his bottle, catching my glare as he does. "Oh, yeah, I guess 'dying' wasn't a great adjective to use huh? All things considered."
"So who told you?" I get to my feet and lean against the wall, watching as Stee does the same.
"I think who didn't tell me would be a better question. It's all anyone talks about around here. How did you not know for so long?"
"I don't listen to rumours." I shrug my shoulders non-committing, I knew some of the rumours people had made up about me back in Boston. I know to not always believe what you hear.
"It's one hell of an elaborate rumour." I roll my eyes and push away from the wall.
"Shut up." I sigh grabbing the water bottle from his hand and quickly taking a gulp. Immediately, I regret it. My throat burns as soon as the drink touches it, making me think I've just taken a shot of liquid fire. Almost instantly I cough, trying to get as much of the offending liquid out of my mouth as fast as possible. Finally I recover to find Stee just looking at me with an even expression. "What the hell?! I thought that was water?"
"Clearly, you were wrong," he chuckles. "Its vodka. And not the cheap stuff either so don't just go throwing it around." He points at me with raised eyebrows, whilst I just stare in shock. Stee's been walking around with a bottle full of vodka. At school. And he's been taking swigs of it all day like its water. At school. Yet he's stood there acting like it's nothing, joking about it even.
"What. The. Hell! You're drunk right now?"
"Hardly," he chuckles, yet again acting like this is nothing. "I'm used to it. I mean to me it's basically water."
"Well to me it's basically illegal." Stee doesn't look fazed and instead raises his eyebrow at me.
"You know, I never pegged you as being so legally moral. I guess having a boyfriend in jail waiting to be charged for murder makes people think otherwise."
"Nick is not my boyfriend."
"Yeah, sure he's not," he rolls his eyes before holding a hand out, "come on, hand it over." I look from his hand to the bottle, before lurching back incredulously.
"No way! I'm not going to give this you so that you can get wasted at school. It's stupid, it's pathetic and it's illegal." I catch Stee rolling his eyes at that last comment as I turn to my bag, quickly shoving the offending bottle inside. Behind me I hear Stee whistle and I turn to find him still leaning nonchalantly against the art building.
"I guess what they say is true. Dynamite does come in small packages."
#
Excluding the situation with Stee, school flew by uneventfully and soon I was walking the familiar route to the book store ready to open up. With Nick being at the police station and Luke away for a long weekend, I was left to run the store myself. Great.
After unlocking the door, I head into the staffroom to get everything ready for opening. I'm halfway through taking inventory when I hear the soft tinkle of the bell above the door.
"Sorry we're not open yet." I call out without turning my back.
"I know." The voice is unfamiliar. My mind immediately goes back to the notes that no longer seemed so moronically cliché. Thinking of the threats that I so arrogantly brushed off send me into a panic. My thoughts jumble, whizzing past each other, morphing into incomprehensible thoughts. I quickly try to think of my next move. There's a fire exit at the back of the building, but in order to get there I'd have to pass the front door, which is where the reason for my panicked escape stands.
The familiar hold of fear folds around me. It rises in my throat, constricting it, making it hard to breathe. My breath comes out in short pants as I try to lower my heart rate, my knuckles turn white as I grip the old oak table. I squeeze my eyes shut, desperately trying to stop the onslaught of useless, blurred images that haunt my subconscious. I hear a noise by the door. My body whips around so fast my hair flies over my face and I stumble into a cupboard.
Through my panic, I manage to see a hazy figure, tall and dark haired, stood by my only escape. I try to calm myself faster and as I do, more features become distinguishable. Light blue eyes. A hooked nose. Furrowed brows. Moving lips. I realise the person is talking to me and will myself to listen.
"What?"
"Are you okay? You look like you're having a panic attack." The boy tries a step forward.
"I'm- I'm fine." I cringe at the stutter in my own voice. "You're not supposed to be here. We're closed."
"I thought you knew I was coming?" Once again my mind flashes back to the notes plaguing my life. We're coming. I don't answer. The boy seems to realise he wasn't getting an answer. "So my Uncle did forget to tell you in the end? Typical."
Uncle? Then it all makes sense. The dark hair, the blue eyes, the fact of even being here.
"You're Alex? Luke's nephew?" the boy grinned.
"The one and only." A sigh of relief escapes body as I slump against the wall.
"Right. No, Luke didn't mention you were coming." Alex nods, looking slightly uncomfortable.
"Look I'm sorry for freaking out there. I don't know what got into me." I could now feel my heart rate lowering back to normal.
"You sure? Because you looked pretty freaked out. I didn't mean to scare you or anything."
"Yeah, yeah. I'm fine now. I just… I just thought it was someone else."
"Nick?" Shocked, I turned to Alex. All features of concern had melted from his face and had now morphed into something new. Two steely blue eyes. A jaw clenched in anger. Arms folded and shoulders pushed back. For a moment I'm surprised at the change in body language before a realise something. I'd seen this before. Months ago when I came in here looking for a job. Back then, Luke had thought I was doing it to get to Nick, and his reaction had been almost identical to Alex's reaction now. "I wouldn't have reacted like that to Nick."
"Really? Because you seemed pretty afraid." I look at Alex levelly as I feel my own frustration building.
"Well, I'm not afraid of Nick." I squeeze past the small gap available in the doorway, and busy myself with organising books.
"Last I checked everyone in this town was afraid of Nick." I throw Alex a look over my shoulder.
"I'm not everyone."
#
"So you really are worried about Nick?" I roll my eyes exasperatedly, I was still organising books but my main task was convincing Alex that I actually care about what happens to Nick.
"For the millionth time, yes. I haven't heard anything about when he's getting bailed out or if he even is getting bailed out. You know, speaking of which why hasn't his dad bailed him out already?"
"He's out of town for business. Couldn't afford to cut time out of his busy schedule for his own son." I see Alex's jaw tighten again.
"You don't like Nick's dad?"
"After what happened with Nick's mom, he kind of turned into a dick." I'm tempted to ask what happened with Nick's mom, after all I had only heard him talk about her briefly. However I never get the chance. "Anyway, he worked something out with the station. He transferred the money for the bail but they can't release him without an adult there. So it was pretty pointless."
"So everything's done, he just needs an adult there to sign for him?"
"Yeah, but besides my Uncle, what adult would be willing to do that?"
"That's a good point."
#
It was close to sunset by the time I got home. After my conversation with Alex, I can't help but try and think of ways to get Nick released; but Alex was right. Without an adult there was no way of getting Nick out, and besides Luke or his father who was going to do that?
"I'm back." I swing my bag up onto the counter, before turning to the fridge.
"Hey, Pixie!" I see Brennan's looming figure lumbering towards me just seconds before my hair is made ruffled mess; I slap his hand away and attempt to tame the now tangled curls.
"Brennan, let the poor girl be." I hear Ella's chuckled words as she enters the kitchen.
"Wow, Ella you look beautiful." And she did, her caramel hair was swept into an elaborate up-do, with odd curls framing her face touched up with the perfect amount of makeup. She wore a long, red dress that seemed to make her skin glow and - judging from the increase in height- I'd take a guess that she was wearing quite high heels underneath.
"Thankyou sweetie," she smiles as she secures her earrings in place. "Edward and I have been invited to some fancy dinner with some of his colleagues. It's up in Eugene, so we've decided to just spend the night there. It's just you guys for tonight, is that alright?"
I'm about to answer when I hear I string of coughs and sputters behind me; I spin around to see Brennan with his hand over his mouth and his cheeks flushed as he takes a few deep breaths. I frown slightly in concern as Ella peers over my shoulder to look at him.
"Brennan, are you alright sweetie?" Brennan lets out one last cough before straightening up and pulling his lips into his signature grin.
"Fine Mom, just er… went down the wrong pipe." He sheepishly holds up a water bottle. Out the corner of my eye I see Ella shake her head slightly, and I'm about to do the same but then I notice something. Well two things actually; firstly, my bag open on the kitchen table. Secondly, Brennan holding a water bottle: Stee's water bottle. Crap.
#
"I'll see you guys tomorrow morning. There's plenty of food in the fridge, but I left some money on the counter if you want to get takeout."
"Thanks Ella, you two have a great night."
"See you later Mom." Brennan and I stand by the door until the last of the car's headlights fade, we then back inside and I close the door behind us. I turn to go up the stairs but walk into a blockade.
"Oops, sorry, bren," I move to go around him but I'm once again blocked.
"We need to talk." He looks down at me with an unreadable expression: something that is quite unnerving coming from Brennan. I roll my eyes in frustration and move to the living room.
"About what?"
"Oh, I don't know, let's start with this." As he follows me into the room he holds up Stee's water bottle; I roll my eyes once again but this time he catches me. "Look Evie, I'm not going to lecture you about drinking or anything; I can't. I do it. You're a teenager, you can go out to parties and get drunk and do whatever you want. I get that. But this was in your school bag, Evie. I get that drinking's fun, but it's not worth throwing your life away by getting drunk at school-"
"I wasn't getting drunk at school!"
"Then what are you doing with this?"
"It isn't mine, Brennan." He shrugs as if expecting this answer.
"Alright, then whose is it?" this makes me hesitate – which I know is a mistake – I can't tell Brennan about it being Stee's. He may be laid back but I don't think he'll be too happy about me spending my free periods with the new class-skipping drunk smoker kid.
"A friend." I eventually answer; to which he raises an eyebrow sarcastically.
"Really? So which friend of yours is waltzing around school with bottles of vodka?" I'm saved from having to answer when a voice interrupts but then I realise that the situation is now ten times worse.
"Was it Nick?" from my position I can see Brennans brow crease slightly in confusion.
"Wait, a minute Nick? Nick who?" I ignore Brennan's question and scoff as I turn around to face the voice.
"You know, I thought we were passed this Logan."
"Look, I know Evie. I just, I have to ask." I look up at his face: it's etched with lines far beyond his years and the shadows below his eyes express his exhaustion. He doesn't want to fight any more than I do. I let out a tired sigh and let my shoulders sag.
"No. It wasn't Nick." He simply nods in response. An awkward silence hangs uncomfortably in the air for a few unbearable moments before it is broken.
"Is anyone planning on answering my question anytime soon? Nick who?"
"Nick Collins, Bren." Brennan looks perplexed by this answer.
"Nick Collins? Since when were you friends with Nick Collins?" I simply wave him off, it seems like all I've done today is ask and/or answer questions about Nick.
"It couldn't have been Nick anyway," I start slumping down on the couch. "He's still at the station."
"For what exactly?" Brennan comes and joins me and soon I'm sandwiched on the couch between him and Logan.
"That fight he had with Danny last week." I fold my arm and let out an exasperated sigh. "His dad's paid his bail but he's away on business, and the station won't release him unless there's an adult there to sign him out." I see them both nod out of my peripheral vision and another awkward silence fills the air accompanied by a wonderfully unnerving tension.
"Well," Brennan grabs mine and Logan's attention. "This is depressing." He gets up from the couch and moves behind us, his gigantic arms stretching over our shoulders. "I have some errands to run, so how about I pick up a couple of pizzas on the way back and we can have a movie night?"
"That sounds like a great idea Brennan."
#
"Honeys I'm home!"
"Thank God, Brennan you were gone for nearly two hours! We're starving here!" I see him walk into the kitchen and lean against the doorframe: his lumbering form almost fills it completely.
"Sorry the errand took a bit longer than I thought. But don't worry I brought company." I frown slightly in confusion but before I can ask, he moves away from the door, revealing the last person I expected to see.
"Nick?"