Alcohol can be found just about anywhere. You can get a glass of Chardonnay at your favorite restaurant, a beer at your neighborhood barbeque or a shot at the bar around the corner. For a substance that can be found virtually anywhere it carries dangerous consequences upon consumption. It makes us feel invincible, makes us do things we know we shouldn't and makes us say things… we really don't mean.
Evelyn paced back and forth anxiously waiting. It had been two days since the last time that she saw John and she could honestly say she was nervous about seeing him again. She didn't have the slightest idea as to what she was thinking when she asked him to take her with them on their tour, she just knew that she couldn't stay in Florida. She sat down on the bed and checked her watch again, 1:35 am. John was late and Evelyn was worried. Then all of a sudden her anxiety faded when she heard a sound outside her window. "Kawwww Kawww" she heard followed by a hearty laugh. She smiled and walked over to the window where John was standing outside laughing. "Shut up, you're gonna wake them up" Evelyn said smiling. "You didn't like my bird impression?" he whispered as he held his arms out. Evelyn gracefully tossed the large suitcase out the window, nearly knocking John over in the process. "Watch out, that suitcase is heavy". John rolled his eyes and set it on the ground, "You tell me that now". Evelyn turned around and grabbed her purse. She didn't look back. She wasn't about to stop and give herself time to rethink her decision. "Hurry up Evelyn I think I just saw a light turn on". She quickly crawled down the trellis and jumped onto the ground. John picked up the suitcase and walked around the big oak tree where John had a motorcycle propped up against it. "A motorcycle?" she asked in disbelief.
"Well I am sorry that our only other choice of a getaway car was a bus". Evelyn turned around and saw Phyllis walking down the stairs through the window above the front door. "Oh shit" she screamed motioning for John to hurry up. He quickly strapped the suitcase onto the back of the bike.
"Evelyn! Evelyn! Where are you going?" Phyllis yelled as she ran down the front steps. John jumped on the bike and tossed Evelyn a helmet. She put it on and wrapped one arm around John not even taking the time to buckle it up.
"Go, go, go!" she yelled just before Phyllis could get to her and they were gone. She clung tight to his waist as they blazed out of the neighborhood and weaved in and out of traffic. Evelyn was more than relieved when John pulled up to the large bus parked out by the pub. She pulled the helmet off letting her long red hair fall and jumped off the back of the bike. "That's what you were scared of?" John asked smiling as he too got off the motorcycle. "I didn't say I was scared, I just said that I didn't want to stay there." John walked up and put his arm around her shoulders as they headed to the bus. "You could have taken her; you're like twice as tall as she is".
"She has probably called the cops by now" Evelyn said seriously. "Ah no worries, you're over 18 and we have a meeting before our show tomorrow night so were leaving for North Carolina tonight". Evelyn stopped as they reached the doors of the bus. "Are you sure about this John? I mean what about the band? I am sure they are thrilled about me ruining the permanent bachelor party you all have going on".
"I promise you, they aren't upset. They love you." he said opening the door and gesturing for her to enter. She hesitantly stepped onto the bus and was immediately picked up by two huge arms. "Evelyn!" Tommy exclaimed as he picked her up and whipped her around in the small makeshift living room. "It's so good to see you" he said genuinely. Both sides of the bus were lined with small couches. Further on down was a small kitchen on the right and a bathroom on the left. There were two beds that reminded Evelyn of cubby holes on each side of the wall and then a bedroom in the back. "Hey Evelyn" Emmett said raising his beer from the couch. "I am so glad I am finally able to meet you" an older man said jumping out from one of the beds. His face looked worn but his blue eyes were soft as can be. "I am Marc, I didn't get to see you when they were in California but I've heard a lot about you. It's nice to meet you" he said hugging her. "Thank you, it's nice to meet you too".
"Rick is asleep up here" John said rolling his eyes and pointing to one of the beds on the wall. "I think he had one too many drinks with Danielle".
"You can just set your stuff down in here". Evelyn walked into John's room and sighed dropping her bags in the corner. "You can have the most comfortable bed on the bus, and I'll take the couch".
"No way, I'll take the couch and you sleep here, I'm not taking your bed." Evelyn said picking up her bags. "It's really okay. We will be in North Carolina in about 10 hours; the guys probably aren't going to go to sleep anytime soon. Plus its only for one night because Marc got us a great beach house for the week we will be there". Evelyn just looked at him wearily. "You look exhausted Evelyn. Just get some sleep tonight and we can talk in the morning."
"Thank you John, for everything". John took a moment to just look at her before he kissed her on the cheek and walked out of the room, softly closing the door behind him. She went and sat on the bed and thought about what she'd just done. Her stomach started to tighten and she felt like throwing up. She knew John still loved her and yet she had used him to get out of Florida as fast as possible. She didn't know how everything had gotten so screwed up. She really did care about John, at one point she actually thought she had fallen in love with him but when he left she let all the feelings she had for him go, he really didn't give her a choice. She quickly changed her clothes and took in a deep breath before she collapsed on top of John's bed. She didn't even pull back the covers before she closed her eyes and quickly fell asleep.
Evelyn woke up to the smell of sand and saltwater. She quickly sat up and saw a note taped to the wall. "Got here early and didn't want to wake you. Meeting at 9:00 then were going to unpack the bus. House is unlocked if you wake up before we get back-John". She at up and stretched out her arms, they felt stiff from the way she had slept. She quickly threw on a pair of jeans and a t-shirt and walked outside. The bus was vastly out of place in the small beachside neighborhood. She stepped down and couldn't help but feel better, lighter almost, as if the atmosphere had already cured her of all her stress. The wind blew through her hair and she finally felt her body relax. She walked out from behind the bus to find an old two storied house right on the beach. It looked worn and weathered but cozy at the same time. She checked her watch and notice is was only 10:00. She guessed that John and the guys were still in their meeting and decided that she would take a walk before they got back. She walked around the outside of the house and kicked off her shoes and carried them before her feet sunk into the cold sand. She walked down towards the ocean and leaned down and let the cold water run over her feet and around her hands. She would have loved to have had the kids here to enjoy this with her and she suddenly missed them more than she realized. She walked down the beach for a while before she came upon a restaurant with a deck that ran down over the water. It was closed this early in the morning but she made a mental note that she would return while she was here. Up past the restaurant was what looked like a row of shops and out of the corner of her eye she caught a payphone. It was then that she realized she hadn't even called her mother; she panicked and quickly ran to the phone nearly tripping as she tried to put her shoes back on. Detective Shepherd had thought it would be a good idea to get rid of her cell phone so she hadn't remembered to call. She was sure her mom had been woken up by the call that her daughter had run off in the middle of the night.
Evelyn couldn't have been more right. Lynette and Tom sat at the kitchen table and started on their fourth or maybe fifth cup of coffee, they both had lost track by now. Lynette's heart immediately dropped when the phone rang at 2:00 that morning. She had to get Phyllis to repeat the story two or three times before she could calm down enough to understand her. It took her a while to convince herself she hadn't been caught in some horrible nightmare. First Vincent, then the snakes and then shipping her daughter off to Florida. She was convinced that God was playing a horrible trick on her. Lynette quickly snapped out of it though when the phone rang and Tom jumped out of the chair to answer it. "Tom?" Evelyn asked from the other end of the line.
"Evelyn? Where the hell are you? Do you have any idea how worried your mother and I were when we got a call this morning that you had run off with some guy on a motorcycle?" Evelyn knew how frustrated her parents were with her so she just sat silently and listened as Tom vented. "Let me talk to her" she heard a small voice say in the background. "Your mother is so sick today and I am sure the stress isn't making her feel any better".
"Don't tell her that Tom, now give me the damn phone" Lynette asked with much less patience than the first time. "All I am saying is that you should have let us know what was going on". The whole time she was running she never once stopped to think about the physical effect it would have on her mother. "Hi baby" she heard her mother say, snapping her out her daze. "Hey Mom" she said already starting to tear up. "Don't listen to Tom, he was just worried about you, we all were".
"I know mom I am sorry. I really didn't mean to run off and scare you it's just I was suffocating there and John had a show and he offered me a ride, it was just perfect timing".
"You're with John?" Lynette asked incredulously. "He was playing in a bar and he offered me a ride to North Carolina".
"Are you both okay with each other, I mean are you really okay? Evelyn sighed and for one second she desperately wanted to beg her mother to come and get her. "Yes we are fine and I am fine. I think it will be good for me to stay away for a little while. Clear my head you know?" Lynette did her best to hide her disappointment; she didn't feel as if her daughter was truly safe unless she was at home to keep an eye on her. "Yeah I know". There was a short silence between them and then Lynette spoke up. "I miss you Evelyn". Evelyn closed her eyes and then looked back towards the water. "I miss you too Mom, more than you know". Evelyn truly believed that there wasn't a more intense, complicated and love filled relationship in the whole world more than that between her and her mother. No one could push her buttons or pull her heartstrings more than her own mother. "Detective Shepherd wants to talk to you before I hang up, I love you".
"I love you too mom" Evelyn said then waited for the Detective to get on the phone. For the next fifteen minutes she lost four quarters to the payphone and gained a heavy lecture from Detective Shepherd. He allowed her to stay with John, not that he really had a choice, but Evelyn let him believe he did. He also banned her from making contact with anyone, other than checking in with him everyday, but she convinced him to at least let Mike know that she was okay. She made her way back to the beach house opting for the road this time rather than the beach and got there just in time to catch the guys getting out of the car. "How'd the meeting go?" she yelled across the yard. "Great!" John called back as the guys started grabbing bags out of the car.
"Dibbs on the Master bedroom" Rick said grabbing a handful of bags and running into the house. "Yeah okay let me see the receipt for your contribution" Marc said laughing and heading following him in.
"We better get in there before we both end up sleeping on the floor" Evelyn smiled and John put his arm around her neck as they headed up to the house. After the fight over beds continued for the next twenty minutes: Marc ended up in the master bedroom, Tommy and Rick ended up in one room, Emmett on the couch and Evelyn and John ended up sharing a room with two double beds. Marc tried to trade with Evelyn but she insisted she wasn't going to inconvenience him on his vacation. "Attention! Can I have your attention please" Tommy called from the living room. Evelyn headed downstairs with John to find Tommy in the middle of the living room with a plate full of shot glasses. He began to pass them around and set the tray down before grabbing his own. "Oh here we go" Rick commented before being punched in the arm by Marc.
"Seriously, I would like to make a toast to all of you. First off for getting a week here in Carolina and then heading to Texas to visit family". Evelyn looked at John and John leaned down and whispered in her ear. "New York got pushed back a week, we are going to El Paso to visit Marc and Emmett's family". Evelyn nodded; she had never been to Texas. "To John for kidnapping Evelyn and bringing her here, it will be nice to have some estrogen around" he said winking at her then laughing. "And finally to New York City, this meeting with the record label is going to change our lives, I can feel it. To the band".
"To the band" Everyone said in unison and then threw back the large tequila shots. Little did Evelyn know that was only the beginning of the drinking that would occur that week in Carolina. The guys headed back to their rooms to change into their body suits for surfing and John and Evelyn were left in the living room. "Do you want to go for a walk?" John asked Evelyn.
"I think that's a good idea" she added. "Let me get out of these dress clothes" he said running into the bedroom. Evelyn walked out onto the back porch and took a deep breath as she leaned up against the porch railing. A couple seconds later John slowly made his way to the back porch. Evelyn looked up in time to catch him coming out of the screen door. He was dressed in a pair of jeans and a long sleeve shirt and he looked good. His skin had gotten darker and his muscles had gotten bigger since the last time she had seen him. They headed down the beach in silence until John took the initiative to break it.
"You look tired" John said and he playfully nudged her arm. "I am tired" she said, her voice catching in her throat. John stopped and lightly grabbed her arm. "Evelyn what's going on?" he asked seriously. "Sit down" she said and John walked over and sat down on a large rock near the beach dunes. Evelyn sat down beside him and began to tell him her story. John's face dropped when she informed him about watching her father shoot Joey and finding the snakes in her bed. She recognized the look of pity in his eyes and it immediately angered her. "Oh no you don't" she said as she stood up and pulled him off the rock dragging him towards the house. "I just wanted to let you know what was going on and I wanted you to understand that those guys are probably looking for me and if you want me to go I will but I don't want your pity John and I don't want to dwell on what happened the whole time we are here. I asked you to bring me to forget about it and that's what I have to do or else I am going to lose it".
"Are you ever going to deal with it?" he asked. His comment caused Evelyn to stop in her tracks, she turned around and looked at him with pleading eyes. " I have been dealing with it " she said beginning to cry. "I have been dealing with it but I can't take it anymore. I am not Evelyn Scavo anymore when I leave my house. I am the girl who got the hell beat out of her, I'm the girl who found the snakes in her bed, I am the girl everyone feels sorry for and I don't want to be her anymore. You know me John, you know me so please just look at me and see me please". John walked towards her and pulled her towards his chest quickly wrapping his arms around her. " I see you if. If there is anything I see when I look at you it's you. ".
Evelyn let out what she was sure were the few remaining tears left in her body and looked up at him. "Can I stay?" she asked. "Did you trick me into springing from your Florida retirement home lockdown?" Evelyn smiled and nearly knocked him over with a hug. "Thank you, Thank you, Thank you" she whispered. "Do you mind not telling the guys about all of this mess?"
"And giving them something else to gossip about? Think not they are worse than a bunch of women". Evelyn smiled thankful that he understood. Deep down she knew he really wanted to talk about things but for now she was thankful for his constant joking.
The next two days passed quickly. The afternoons were spent drinking and shopping and watching the guys surf on the beach and the nights were spent playing cards and listing to music and drinking some more. Evelyn didn't think she had ever seen so many guys put away so many bottles of alcohol. John assured her it was just because they were on vacation but they looked like seasoned pro's. Evelyn had consumed more than her fair share as well. It turned out that tequila took the edge off a little better than red wine. She was thoroughly embarrassed though when she woke up that third morning in a lawn chair on the back porch. She quickly sat up and looked down to see Emmett laying in a lawn chair across from her covered in a blanket. Cursing her stupidity she quickly got up and ran towards the house. It wasn't until she closed the sliding glass door that she realized just how cold she was. Even with the heat on in the house she felt like she had been thrown into a bathtub of ice. She crept into her room and closed the door behind her. She tip toed over to the side of the bed only to realize that the blanket that Emmett was wrapped up in on the porch must have been hers. There wasn't anything on the bed other than a tiny thin sheet. "Shit" she whispered. She walked over to her suitcase and began rummaging through her clothes and found her Northwestern sweatshirt and threw it over her head. "Come here" she heard a voice say from behind her. She turned around to see a groggy and disheveled John sitting up in bed with the blanket pulled away from him. She looked at him like a deer in the headlights. "I'm not asking you to have sex with me Evelyn". Evelyn just rolled her eyes and quickly jumped into bed with John. She slightly tensed as he moved closer towards her and began to run his hands up and down her arms. She suddenly was hit with a pang of guilt and immediately Mikes face flashed across her mind. John leaned in lifting up her hair, she could feel his warm breath on the back of her neck. His lips graced the top of her ear. "You know what?" he asked her. She couldn't even speak, she just deeply inhaled. "Your breath smells like tequila". Evelyn quickly sat up and smacked him with a pillow. "I'm going back to sleep on the porch" Evelyn teased jumping up out of bed only to be snagged back in by John. She quickly pulled the covers back over her though and curled up in a little ball, once again hit by a wave of coldness. John wrapped his arms around her and in minutes they were both asleep.
Alcohol makes us feel invincible, makes us do things we know we shouldn't and makes us say things we really don't mean. However when we make that choice to drink consistently, it changes us physically and released the demons that we carry deep down inside of us.