I went an entirely different direction than I normally go with an epilogue. It might seem like I've lost my mind, but I had a VISION! Lol. 12 years ago, this idea hit me, and it never left. (I'll give a better breakdown at the end!)
Fun fact: The outline for this chapter was concocted when Olly Murs released the song "Troublemaker" in 2012 (thus the chapter title). It was a BOP, I tell ya! lmao
Also, this chapter is entirely in third person. It calls for it!
** Someday, in the suburbs of Hillwood **
The scene was like something out of teenage comedy; a boy and a girl, hanging out together in the dead of night, working on her special 'project'. Truthfully, she was up to no good, like usual. Her nervous friend was practically sweating bullets and praying nobody would walk up on them with guns raised. How long was she going to take? More importantly, how on earth did she manage to wrangle him into her madness? She paid no mind to his hemming and hawing, knowing all too well about his weak constitution when it came to mischief.
"This is the worst idea you've had so far! What are we gonna do if we get caught!? Do you ever think about the consequences? You're insane-" he clammed up when she glared at him from the corner of her eye. There was a zero-tolerance policy for whining in her presence.
"I'm almost done. I just need to add one more touch!" she dug through her backpack to retrieve a… potato?
"What the hell is that for!?"
"Vengeance." A wicked grin spread across her lips. "This baby is going right in the tailpipe!" She brushed by him to get to rear of the car, squatting down next to her intended target. "This is my thanks for two weeks of detention, Vice Principal Foster!" She gave the potato a kiss before shoving in harshly into the tailpipe, completely clogging the hole and making it nearly impossible to remove easily.
"That won't make his car explode or something, will it?"
"No, stupid!" her eyes rolled. "At least I don't think so."
"OH MY GOD-"
"I'm messing with you, chill!" She took him by the wrist and practically had to drag him away from the vehicle while he continued to fret. Once they rounded the corner to the safety of the city sidewalk, she peeked back one last time to admire her handiwork. The car was covered in splattered eggs and toilet paper, and on the side of the car in bold lettering was written 'I'M AN ASSHOLE!' even she had to admit she'd outdone herself. "Beautiful!"
Enough was enough! He wasn't sticking around for her premature celebration. This time he was the one dragging her away. "Let's get out of here, you weirdo!" Normally she would scream at him for getting so pushy with her, but she didn't mind having him hold her hand as he led them away from the scene of their crime… Even though it felt like he was crushing every bone in her couldn't help but wonder when his hand had gotten so much bigger than hers. How did she miss that one? Another symptom of that pesky thing they call puberty. They were fifteen now, and the clock was ticking down to its inevitable end. She's known that for a while now.
Their friendship was on borrowed time.
"Hey, Charlie!" One of his basketball teammates clapped him on the shoulder to pull his attention away from the book in his lap. He pointed across the campus, "That's the freshman, isn't it? The one who almost got expelled? The whole school has been buzzing about her since she came back on Monday!"
Charlie wasn't fond of the gossip mill of Hillwood High School. He preferred to ignore it entirely, if possible. However, this incident was hard to turn a blind eye to. "She's just a girl." He shrugged. "I don't see why everyone is so invested in whatever she does."
"I was expecting her to look like a delinquent or something." He let out a low whistle of appreciation when she turned her back to them as she headed towards the cafeteria. "She's kinda hot. Damn."
That finally got his attention away from his book. He gave his friend a pointed look, "You're going to start going after the freshman girls now? How the mighty have fallen."
"A guy can look, can't he?" He chuckled, but his smile quickly faded. "Who's that dude that follows her around though? He's like her own personal lapdog!" The boy in question was currently trailing behind her, seemingly distracted by the magazine he was reading while walking. "I wonder if they're dating or something?"
"They're not." Charlie pursed his lips, realizing he said that out loud. "I mean, I don't think they are. Does it look like they're dating? Come on! You said it yourself; he's her follower." He hoped he sounded convincing enough. The last thing he wanted was to be questioned.
"Do you know them or something?" his brow quirked up.
Fuck. "Kinda. But not enough to tell you anything interesting." It was times like these he wished he possessed his father's silver tongue. "Anyway!" he hastily grabbed his stuff from the bench he'd been sitting on. "I gotta go. I'll see you around!" There wasn't enough dead air between them for his friend to question him any further. He took off with incredible speed, refusing to look back. Charlie had managed to avoid this conundrum for almost an entire school year, but now things were complicated, no thanks to her.
He knew exactly where to find the pair. They had their lunch in the same spot every day, weather permitting. It annoyed him to no end that he even knew their schedules. Just as he suspected, the two of them were sitting shoulder to shoulder beneath an old oak tree with their lunches. She was the first one to notice him approaching. "Oh my! Do my eyes deceive me? Is that Charles, stepping down from his almighty pedestal to mingle with the commoners?"
"Shut up, Victoria." He scowled, knowing how much they both hated using their full names. "And you!" He turned his attention to her cohort. "Grow a backbone already. People are starting to call you her lapdog. You're in high school now, people talk."
"Lapdog!?" She doubled over with laughter, knocking the magazine from his lap. "That's great! Maybe I'll get you a custom dog tag with 'Evan' on it! Ooh, and a matching leash!"
Evan was less than amused by her enjoyment from this developing rumor. "It's not funny, Tori." His eyes narrowed as she continued to laugh. "Fine, keep laughing all you want. I'm leaving." He put the magazine in his backpack and grabbed his lunch, throwing a glare at Charlie as well.
"Don't shoot the messenger, dude. I'm just letting you know what's been going around. That thing over there-" he motioned to Tori, "Is a menace. You're better off hanging out with someone else."
"So, I'm a thing now, Charlie? How nice of you." She casually leaned against the trunk of the tree, crossing her legs in front of her. "And don't let him get your panties in a twist, Evan. This bozo doesn't even have the balls to acknowledge us at school unless it suits his needs. Now sit down and eat your lunch!"
Maybe Charlie has a point. "I'm not a dog. I won't sit when you tell me to!" He turned on his heel, leaving without another word.
Tori was shocked by his sudden shift in attitude. Less than ten minutes ago they were talking about going to Dinoland this weekend, and now he's pissed off at her because of whatever nonsense Charlie was spewing? "What the hell?" she glowered at him. "Thanks a lot, jerk!"
"I was just trying to help him-"
"By screwing me over!?" He didn't expect her to get so worked up over this. She and Evan weren't kids anymore, wasn't it natural to separate a little? The rumors were only going to continue if they stay attached at the hip.
"Are you… okay?" She looked near tears, which was completely out of character for her.
"Everything is changing, and you're making it worse!" she pulled her knees to her chest, balling herself up.
"Changing?" His brow furrowed. "What do you mean?"
"Evan! He's…" She averted her gaze from his. "Growing up, I guess. First his voice changed, now he's gotten taller and… some other stuff."
Like the fact she can't stop thinking about him.
"Tori-"
"One day he'll realize he doesn't need me anymore! I don't know what to do… I can't stop it." The thought of Evan befriending someone else or God forbid, dating someone broke her heart. They've been a duo for a long time. She couldn't handle losing him.
"Oh geez." He sighed, sitting next to her. "You two are something else, you know that?" This was about to get really awkward for him, given his own longstanding, confusing feelings towards her. "Do you still not realize you're not a little girl anymore? You've… grown up, too." His eyes subtly flicked to her chest for a moment. "I don't know if Evan realizes it yet, but other people have. You need to start being more aware of yourself. Boys are… looking, you know? Every guy isn't as nice as him. Evan is a special brand of stupid."
She was perplexed at the idea of anyone noticing her beyond the rumors surrounding her misdeeds. Boys were typically scared of her, and girls thought she was a nutcase. "Who's looking at me, exactly? And why do you care!?"
"That's not important right now, Tori! My god. Look… I'm sorry about starting a fight between you two. It wasn't my intention. I just… worry about you getting hurt." A subtle blush crept up his cheeks. Thankfully she didn't seem to notice. "There's nothing wrong with a guy and a girl being friends. It's not like you're actually into each other, so it's not a problem."
"Welcome to the modern world, doofus." Her eyes rolled, but internally she was sweating. Did he know? "I'd love to stick around and chat about whatever insecurities towards the opposite sex you're trying to push on me, but I have a temperamental teenage boy to deal with." She playfully slapped his cheek as she stood up to leave. "Later, Mr. Big Shot!"
"… Guess I missed my chance already." He sighed to himself. It was painfully obvious to him what was happening between the two clueless freshmen. It was up to them to figure it out, no matter how much it stung him.
Evan managed to avoid Tori the rest of the day, despite her best efforts to ambush him between classes. He even went as far as going home a different route to throw her off his scent. She probably wanted to lecture him about ditching her, and he wasn't in the mood to hear it. Having Charlie appear out of nowhere and dropping a bombshell wasn't how he pictured his Friday going. Why were people starting rumors about their friendship anyway? When Tori was suspended last month, nobody even knew about his involvement in the vandalizing scandal. She wouldn't let him admit his guilt and took the fall for both of them. It made him feel weak when she tried to protect him. Sure, his mom would have grounded him until college if she found out, but at least Tori wouldn't have to face the criticism of their peers alone. They'd both be labeled 'troublemakers'
"Gotcha!" Tori grabbed him from behind, covering his mouth to muffle his scream. "You little brat. Get over here!" She dragged him (literally) kicking and screaming into the alley. He nearly stumbled into a trashcan when she roughly released him. She was mad, or at least, it looked like she was. Her face was flushed, and she was breathless from chasing him. "One of Charlie's stupid teammates almost made me miss you!" she doubled over to catch her breath. "He grabbed me out of nowhere!"
"I know the feeling." He scoffed. "Wait… what do you mean he grabbed you?"
"Like this!" She took him by the shoulders and backed him against the brick wall, caging him on either side of his head with her arms. "It was freakin weird, dude! He kept going on and on about going to a movie or something, I don't know. I ducked outta there and ran after you." Tori's adrenaline from her unwanted encounter was finally calming down, making her acutely aware of the position she had just put them in. She lowered her arms and took a few steps back, trying to look casual about the whole thing.
Evan seemed to be processing her description of the experience, rather than the reenactment of it. "He didn't… do anything else, right?"
"What? No! He only grabbed my shoulders." It dawned on her why Evan was asking. Charlie warned her about it only a few hours ago, 'Every guy isn't as nice as him.' Meaning some guys have different intentions and might use force. "Oh, gross! Was he trying to ask me out!?"
"It seems that way." He looked away with a frown etched on his face. The guilt he was feeling was immeasurable. "It wouldn't have happened if I was with you. I'm sorry."
"No, I'm sorry. I was trying to tell you all day, but you kept sneaking away!" She sighed, preparing herself. "You aren't my lapdog, Evan. You're my best friend. Let people say what they want to say about us! It doesn't matter. I don't want to drift apart because of stupid rumors!" The blush on her face was obvious, but to Evan's credit, he didn't comment on it.
"Apology accepted." He smiled, reaching out and setting his hand on her shoulder, making Tori's stomach do backflips. "You've been by my side for as long as I can remember, watching over me. I feel like a failure as a friend sometimes, because what have I been able to do for you?"
"You don't have to do anything Evan. Friendship doesn't work that way." Her palms were sweating profusely. This wasn't the conversation she was expecting with him! She thought they would exchange a few words and walk home together like they did every day. "You aren't a failure."
"What if that guy had done something worse?" He whispered. "I'd never forgive myself! This whole situation is backwards. I'm… supposed to be the one protecting you-" She roughly pushed him back against the brick wall once again, her sanity long gone.
And just like that, they were kissing.
** One Week Later **
"Please don't make me go in there, dad! I'm old enough to stay home! I'm seventeen!" Charlie angrily kicked his foot on the tire of his dad's car, wincing afterward. "Why do I have to go to an old people party anyway!?"
"If Helga hears you say that, then your seventeenth birthday will be your last." His dad was casually leaning against the car door, watching his son throw a tantrum that was fit for a toddler. "Maybe I should have put you down for a nap first, hm?"
"Dad!" he groaned. "I have my reasons. Please don't make me talk about it!" There was zero chance he would admit that he was avoiding his childhood friends. The questioning would be endless, and embarrassing.
"Sometimes we have to do things we don't want to do, it's an important life lesson, my bambino!" He grabbed him by his shoulders and steered him towards the house. "Now move your butt before I drag you in there in front of everyone and embarrass the hell out of you. Capiche?" What could he do? He had no other choice but to face his demons.
"Hellooooo!" His dad entered without knocking, further adding to his son's embarrassment. He wanted to make a grand entrance to 'surprise' everyone. They were under the impression he was in Florida for the next week for his job.
"Uncle Danny!" A girl with brown pigtails whipped her head around, jumping from the couch to greet him with a hug.
"Hey Maya! I missed you!" He lifted her up and gave her a twirl. "How's my favorite munchkin?"
"I'm good!" She beamed. "I only got detention twice this week!" Charlie had never met a more confusing nine-year-old than Maya.
"No way! It can't be!" Gerald popped his head out from the kitchen. "You sly dog. Why didn't you tell us you were coming?"
"What, and ruin the surprise?" The two exchanged a quick hug. "I rescheduled my meeting so I could be here for Helga's birthday!" Charlie always felt awkward during their 'frat brother' reunions. His dad traveled a lot for work, which meant he didn't get to pop in for parties and gatherings very often, so everyone was always excited when he could come.
"Is Sam around?" Charlie needed any excuse to get out of there.
"He's out back, shooting hoops."
"Thanks." The two men watched him drag his feet all the way to the back door before exiting.
"Is he good?" Gerald laughed.
"He threw a temper tantrum the entire drive over here. I don't know what got him all bent out of shape. You'd never guess he was turning eighteen in a few months with that attitude."
"Teenagers are a different breed, man. Just the other day Sam was telling Phoebe he didn't want her homemade bento boxes anymore because he was embarrassed! She practically cried herself to sleep that night!"
"I certainly did not!" Phoebe stood in the doorway with her hands on her hips. Helga stood beside her, watching in amusement.
"There's the birthday girl!" Danny opened his arms as an invitation. Helga waited for a beat before hugging him. "Happy birthday!"
"Thanks. I'm glad you were able to come! Arnold had a hunch you might show up."
"As perceptive as ever, I see." He chuckled. "Wait… where's the dynamic duo?"
"It's just uno." Tori sat up from her reclining position on the couch, looking awfully tired. Since when did she hang out with Maya and watch cartoons?
"Evan wasn't feeling well." Helga looked towards the stairs. "Phoebe offered to check him out, but he insisted he was fine."
Tori had a sneaking suspicion he wasn't in his bedroom, nor was he sick. He was absolutely avoiding her like the plague. "I can go check-"
"DANNY!" Louis came in from the backyard, barreling towards his best friend for a bear hug. "I thought your wife dropped Charlie off! I had no idea you were here!"
"Louis, indoor voice." Liz joined the growing congregation in the living room, wielding an apple in one hand and a peeler in the other. She had clearly been distracted from her food preparation with all the commotion going on. "It's good to see you, Danny."
"You too." He smiled.
A door opened and closed upstairs, prompting everyone to turn and look. "Uh… hi?" Arnold stood at the banister, peering down at the unusually large gathering in their living room. "I heard Louis shouting. Is everything alright?"
"Uncle Danny is here!" Maya hung her head off the back of the couch, craning her neck to look at her dad. "Uncle Louis was excited."
"Clearly." He mused.
The crowd dispersed once Arnold joined them downstairs, leaving Maya and Tori alone once again. "He's not sick, you know." Maya glanced at her from the corner of her eye. "I heard him talking to Sam earlier."
"What'd he say?" She was very interested to know what Evan was saying about the incident, if anything.
"Not much. Just that he doesn't know what to say to you."
She cringed at that. "He's in the office, isn't he?" Maya nodded. "Thanks, kiddo." She ruffled her hair.
Tori needed to sort this out before it got out of hand.
The office was the last room at the end of the hallway. The door was closed, which meant someone was inside. Knowing it was Evan hiding away in there, Tori didn't knock before entering. At first glance, nobody seemed to be there. She eyed the desk on the opposite side of the room. There was an open book sitting atop, and the chair was spinning in slow circles. Was he seriously attempting to play his lame version of hide and seek? She shut the door behind herself, sighing loud enough to let Evan know she hadn't left.
Arnold's office décor never ceased to amaze her. The walls were covered with a myriad of photographs taken over the years; Helga standing on the Great Wall of China, Arnold and Helga at the Taj Mahal, in the jungles of San Lorenzo, posing in front of Mount Fuji, lounging on the beaches of Rio De Janeiro, riding a gondola in Venice… even his proposal to Helga at the Eiffel Tower was photographed. Her favorite photo of all was baby Evan sitting on Arnold's shoulders in front of the Great Sphinx of Giza. It was an annual tradition for their family to travel abroad during the summer, to coincide with Arnold's work trips. They've quite literally seen the world. The extent of Tori's traveling was Disney World.
She waited several minutes for him to make his presence known, but she was growing tired of waiting. "Alright, enough!" She slammed her fist on the top of the desk, rattling the 'Doctor Arnold Shortman' nameplate his wife had given him when he earned his PhD. Evan gasped, banging his head from his hiding spot. "You always lost at hide and seek for a reason, dumbass." She rounded the corner of the desk. Their eyes finally met. He looked terrified. "Talk to me. Please."
"So now you want to talk?" His gaze flicked away from hers. "You're the one who… kissed me and ran away."
"I'll talk, okay? Just get out of there! It's too weird to have a serious conversation under a desk." He slowly crawled out from underneath, making sure to keep a fair amount of distance from her. "I feel like I've had to say, 'I'm sorry' a lot lately." She sighed. "And I am sorry. I shouldn't have done what I did to you. My brain is a giant mess these days, and I don't know how to fix it. I'm frustrated!"
"Why did you kiss me?"
It was a loaded question. Tori wanted to give a proper answer. He deserved that much from her. "I think… I… love you? A little bit. Maybe." She was known for being blunt, but he'd never heard her be this blunt before. "B- but it's probably just a phase! Hormones and all that crap. So, we can move along from this indiscretion and forget it ever happened! I just need to get my head on straight."
"A phase?" his brow furrowed. "How is loving someone a phase, Tori!? Do you hear yourself?"
"I'm sorry!" She sat on the edge of the desk, looking away from his questioning glare. "I didn't want to feel this way. It started out with a… flutter. It seemed insignificant, really. How was I supposed to know it would only get more intense over time!? I feel like an absolute idiot for kissing you! It's not your fault that I've lost my mind-"
"I felt it." He whispered.
"What?" Tori's head was still a mess, and she had no idea what he meant by that.
"When you kissed me. I felt it… a flutter." Their eyes met once again, despite their mutual embarrassment. "How do I know if it's the same thing you're feeling or not?" Neither teen had experience with romantic relationships, let alone the knowledge of what to do with their current situation.
She felt a sense of boldness come over her. "We could kiss again… for real this time, if you want." He didn't outright reject her proposal like she thought he would, he seemed to be contemplating the idea. This wouldn't be the first time she'd convinced Evan to do something beyond his comfort zone. But was he willing to go that far with her?
"… Alright." He moved from his side of the desk to hers before he lost his nerve. "But I don't really know how-"
She grabbed the sides of his face and pulled him within striking distance, refusing to let herself overthink everything. "Don't think. Just do." His entire body froze when their lips met for the second time. She pulled away after a few moments, "You aren't kissing me."
He audibly gulped, "Sorry. I'm nervous." Don't think, just do. He reminded himself, closing the gap between them and kissing her on his own for the first time. She let out a contented sighed, seemingly satisfied with his participation. "Better?" he sought confirmation. Her response was instantaneous: another kiss, longer and deeper, but still somewhat tentative. His hands eventually made their way to her waist, anchoring himself in place so he wouldn't fall over. She felt so soft beneath his hands. It dawned on him that he'd never held her before, not since childhood, anyway. Her body had curves now, which he was currently running his hands over with newfound appreciation. A jolt ran through his entire body when her tongue touched his bottom lip. So, this is why people are so obsessed with kissing? The pounding of his heart was almost unbearably fast. Feeling her against him was both terrifying and exhilarating. Was this what she was trying to explain to him before? He didn't want to stop.
"Evan, sweetheart? You weren't in your room- OH MY GOD!" They both froze, slowly turning their heads towards the door. Helga was standing in the doorway; her face was as white as a sheet. Her eyes rolled back, followed by a thud when she hit the floor.
"Mom!" Evan was quickly brought back to his senses, rushing over to her aid. "Get my dad and Phoebe, Tori!"
"R- right!" She sprang into action, carefully stepping over his mom on her way out of the office.
A short while later, Evan and Tori were both pacing outside Arnold and Helga's bedroom while Phoebe checked on Helga to make sure she wasn't injured when she fainted. Louis and Arnold were both leaning against the wall, looking at their children with disapproval. Neither of them had confessed the reason why Helga fainted. They didn't know how to tell them, because the two teens hadn't gotten a chance to discuss the event amongst themselves. What were they now? Were they anything?
"THEY WERE KISSING AND GROPING ON ARNOLD'S DESK!" Helga wailed from the other side of the door.
Arnold's eyes widened. "Oh GOD!" he looked over to Louis, who was starting to turn a dark shade of red. "Hold on a sec-"
"YOU DID WHAT TO MY BABY!?"
"Dad! Stop, please!" Tori stood in front of him, attempting to calm him down. "Don't get mad at him for this!"
Evan could tell where this was heading; she was going to take the fall again. "I'm sorry, Mr. Ross. I behaved inappropriately. This is my fault! I talked her into it."
"Evan!" Arnold gasped, looking horrified by his son's admission.
"I'm sorry, dad." He hung his head.
"Evan." She desperately wanted to reach out and comfort him but knowing her dad was currently a ticking time-bomb, she decided against it for now.
She was shaken from her thoughts by her dad's grip on her shoulders. "I thought we raised you better than this, Victoria!? How could you let him paw at you? God!" He released her with a dramatic cry. "That's it! Catholic school! It's the only solution!"
"What?" She scoffed. "Dad… We aren't Catholic! You're being ridiculous."
Liz appeared at the top of the stairs, watching her husband have a full-blown mental breakdown. She heard enough of the conversation to know what happened. "Louis, darling. Victoria isn't going to Catholic school, and you're both insane if you think Evan pushed her into anything." She gave her daughter a pointed look. "Am I right, Tori?"
"MOM!" She motioned for her to go away.
"That's even WORSE!" Louis wailed.
"Alright. It looks like it's time to bring in the big guns." Liz pulled out her cellphone, going downstairs to make a phone call. Tori had a sinking feeling in her gut. Around 15 minutes later, a familiar voice rang through the house.
"Aw, shit." Tori whispered to herself.
There was Della; the most humble, kind, and brilliant 22-year-old to ever exist, at least, according to their dad. It made Tori sick. "Oh, dad." She knelt next to him, patting his head. "We've talked about this before! Tori isn't a baby anymore. You can't stop her from growing up and falling in love." She glanced up at the two guilty parties, grinning from ear to ear. "And damn, Evan! Who knew you had it in you?"
"DELLA!" Everyone shouted in unison.
Being back in Arnold's office was super uncomfortable. Evan sat in silence on the couch, mainly due to his mom sitting stiffly on the other end, glaring intensely at him. He didn't think he'd ever seen her this upset with him. His dad sat in his office chair with his arms still crossed in front of himself. They were waiting for Evan to plead his case.
"I'm sorry for ruining your party." He offered lamely. Getting in trouble was a rarity for him, so he didn't have an arsenal of apologies and excuses like Tori did.
"Forget the party for now! I want to know when my child became sexually active with his best friend!?" Helga was in no mood to tiptoe around the question.
"What!?" He balked. "We're not! I mean… W- we… We haven't done anything like that! Just a kiss. I swear-"
"You had your hands on her, Evan!"
"Helga." Arnold's voice was stern. "Remember the five second rule? Five seconds, then respond." He focused on Evan next, "Help your mother and I understand. This isn't like you, Evan. We're listening, right, Helga?"
She waited for her allotted five seconds, clearly annoyed at Arnold for enforcing the household 'argument rules' on her. "Yes, I'm listening."
Was he supposed to tell them everything? The lines were blurry for him. "I was the one who chopped off Maya's hair when she was two, not Tori." He couldn't stop himself once he started, "Tori didn't spill water on your computer, I did! And… I was the one who threw eggs at the vice principal's car! I helped her with the whole thing!" He took a deep breath, "You have an incorrect image of me. I'm not some perfect little angel. I'm stupid and reckless, and I let Tori talk me into some crazy schemes… But it's ultimately my choice to participate! She's always trying to cover for me. I hate that everyone thinks she's some kind of twisted puppet master. I can be just as bad as she is!" The silence that followed extended well beyond the five second rule. "I don't know what's going on between us right now. I can't answer that until I've talked to her. It's… new." Arnold and Helga exchanged worried glances.
She placed her hand on his shoulder, "I'm sorry, Evan."
His eyes widened. "Huh?"
"Were you uncomfortable telling us the truth back then? Or… Me, I guess." Her hand trembled slightly. This was one of her biggest fears; her children being afraid of her.
"What? No. Of course not. I was afraid of Tori!" He laughed. "She threatened to remove my kidneys if I made her suffer for nothing." Helga let out a long sigh of relief. Thank God. "I know you're upset about what happened earlier, and I'm really, really sorry you had to see it. I wasn't thinking straight." He glanced over at Arnold. "I'll take whatever punishment you see fit. I deserve it."
"My baby!" Helga grabbed his cheeks, relentlessly nuzzling and kissing the top of his head. "Dad can deal with that part. I couldn't punish you if I tried!"
"Good lord, Helga." He mumbled. "You're grounded for a month, Evan. No friends over, no cell phone, no TV, no internet unless it's for school, and absolutely zero sneaking around with Tori. Understood?"
"Yes dad." He could barely speak with his cheeks squished between his mom's palms.
"Helga! Can you please release our son?" When she finally let him go, Arnold held out his hand, "Phone. Now."
"I know." He handed it over without protest. "Can I go to my room now?" Arnold nodded, and Evan took off before they had a chance to reconsider the punishment. I didn't even touch the tip of the iceberg. Tori's gonna be proud! He giggled to himself.
"What the fuck, Helga!?" Arnold raised his hands in frustration. "Seriously? 'I couldn't punish you if I tried!' Are you trying to throw me under the bus?"
"You know I can't do it! He's so freakin sweet-"
"He defiled my desk!"
"Hey! Five second rule!" She mocked, sticking her tongue out at him. "Besides…" She got up from the couch and pulled Arnold away from his desk so she could straddle his lap. "I'm pretty sure we defiled this desk the day it was delivered. In fact, I think Maya was conceived here." Her lips brushed against his ear, "Or was it the couch?"
"Is Maya in bed already?" Arnold was gripping her hips hard enough to turn his knuckles white.
"You better fuckin believe it, football head."
Evan and Tori were born exactly ten days apart. Evan being the 'oldest' of the two. There was even a photograph of the newborns together on the day she was born. It wasn't an exaggeration to say they've known each other their entire lives. They experienced nearly every first together while growing up. Evan never imagined that kissing would be on their list of firsts, but here they were, delving into territory that was completely foreign. This wasn't like falling off your bike for the first time. This had much higher stakes. What did it mean to fall in love with someone? Was there a set of rules when it came to this? The world is a confusing place, and throwing love and relationships into the mix made it downright chaotic.
"She loves me." Evan sat in his computer chair with his head craned back, staring at the glow in the dark stars on his ceiling. He loved her too, of course… But was it the same kind of love she was feeling? The last thing he wanted was to say the wrong thing and hurt her. He kept touching his pocket, wishing his phone was inside so he could call her. Would she even want to talk to him after the chaos that unfolded earlier? His attempt to take the fall and protect her had failed miserably. It was humiliating, mainly because it happened right in front of her.
Then there was the kiss to think about. They actually kissed, not a little peck, but a full-on open mouth and hands wandering kiss. He's seen people kiss like that before in movies, and on TV. He never fully understood the appeal of squishing your mouth on someone else's… until now. He liked kissing Tori, which only added to his confusion.
"Evan! Open the fucking- AGH- window!" His head whipped over to his window.
He was gob smacked. She climbed the trellis on the side of the house. "Tori! What the hell!?" He wasted no time opening the window to get her inside. God forbid she broke her neck in their backyard. "Why did you come back? Your parents are gonna kill you! Wait… How did you get here anyway?" It was nearing one in the morning. The thought of Tori slinking around Hillwood by herself in the middle of the night disturbed him, especially after she was almost assaulted by another student in broad daylight.
She slipped her shoes off and sat on his bed like it was her own. "Della brought me. She's a hopeless romantic."
From the moment she sat down, he remembered his dad's rules 'absolutely zero sneaking around with Tori.' If they caught them together, it'd be a disaster. But on the other hand, it was thrilling to defy them a tiny bit. He didn't sneak anywhere, technically.
He sat across from her on the bed, their knees almost touching. "Did your parents ground you?"
"No shit. My dad is a mess! But there's no way in hell I was going to be able to sleep tonight, not until I could talk to you." The same awkwardness from earlier began creeping up. "I'm sorry I got you in trouble. I feel terrible about it. None of this would have happened if it wasn't for me-"
He cut her off with a kiss. "Now we're both guilty."
Their noses were close enough to almost touch, and her heart wouldn't stop pounding. "I really like you. I can't make myself stop feeling this way, especially when you're looking at me like THAT." He hadn't realized he was watching her with half lidded eyes, eerily similar to the way his dad looked at his mom when they were being lovey dovey.
"You got a head start on this whole 'love' thing." He placed his hand on hers. "I'll catch up to you… I always do." The gap between them closed once again.
"And I'll be waiting… Like I always have, and always will."
.
.
.
.
"So, are we grounding him for another month?" Arnold was adjusting his pants and buttoning up his shirt. "Tori won't be winning any awards for her stealth techniques." They had just finished their activities when they heard Tori fumbling around outside, climbing up the side of the house to Evan's room with the grace of an elephant.
"She was going to see him no matter what any of us did to stop them. I know the feeling." Helga was still sprawled across the desk, catching her breath. "He doesn't need another month."
"Fine, but the trellis is coming down." He grabbed her hands and helped pull her up. "Feel better yet?"
She took stock of the room. All the contents of his desk were scattered on the floor, and Helga's bra was hanging from the lamp, and she was certain her back was going to be sore tomorrow. "What do you think?" she grinned. "I'm actually feeling inspired. Maybe my next novel will be about childhood friends who are too stupid to realize they are in love with each other. That shit will sell like hotcakes!"
"Why does that scenario sound so familiar?" He cocked his head to the side.
She gripped the front of his shirt and kissed him. "You tell me, bucko."
THE END. My god. Lol.
There's SO much I want to divulge about this ending, but it would require an essay. I'll give a summary of what my notes consisted of (family tree, etc.) in case anyone was curious.
*Arnold and Helga were the first to marry, but last to have children. Evan was born when they were 30. Maya was born when they were 36 (us millennials have kids later, okayyy?) The kids are 15 and 9 – Freshman and fourth grade. Evan takes after Helga in looks, Arnold in personality (but he DOES have a splash of his mom's spiciness). Maya looks like Stella (I mentioned brown pigtails!) and homegirl is an absolute terrorist. LOL. She's mini-Helga on steroids.
*Arnold received his PhD in anthropology. Helga is a novelist! They got to travel the world together, just like they dreamed they would. They even take the kids with them! I imagine he only travels for work in the summer, so his family can be with him, too. I think it'd be weird for him to leave them behind like his parents had to do with him.
(Fun fact: Maya was named after Maya Angelou, which Arnold picked! I chose not to use the names Miles, Stella, Phil, etc.)
*Gerald and Phoebe are married and have a son, Sam (Samuel) he's 16, and goes to a different school.
*Louis and Liz are married, they have Della, who's 22. They had Tori (Victoria) at age 30. I wanted readers at the start to ponder if Tori was possibly Arnold and Helga's kid, given her wild nature.
*Danny is married (I actively chose to not mention a specific name for his wife!) He has a son, Charlie (Charles) – age 17. It made me happy to write a resolution for the original love triangle, showing that everyone was okay in the end, and remained good friends.
*I wanted to mirror some of the Behind the Mask/Head-on Collision storyline in the kids' future. (Pining over a friend, an unspoken love triangle forming) which wouldn't have been NEARLY as dramatic as the Louis/Liz/Danny thing. Charlie is a sensible boy; he knows when to back down.
*I actually had to cut this down A LOT! The chapter would have been closer to 20,000 words if I kept EVERYTHING I wanted. I admit I went a little ham, incorporating an entire new cast of characters in a single chapter. But I needed to get Evan and Tori out of my system! (they've been there a long time!)