Evolve Series Box Set (43 page)

“Ten o’clock,” he repeats, turning back to look at me, my hair mussed and my lips swollen, “or anytime really. Call me if you need me and know I love you.”

With a wink, he leaves and I grab my phone to text Evan. That is, once I regain full use of my senses.

CHAPTER 8

Unfair Comparison

***Evan***

Laney: We’re long overdue for a Come 2 Jesus. Tell me where 2 meet u in next few mins or I’ll hunt u down
.

Her text doesn’t surprise me at all. Today had been disastrous; I know Laney—too much and she’s done. Really, so am I. Now is fine with me.

Evan: U at your dorm?

Laney: Yes.

Evan: I’ll pick u up in 10. Be outside.

Laney: K.

She’s already outside when I pull up. I don’t get out and open her door, but rather just pop the lock and stare in front of me as she climbs in. Instantly, the whole cab smells like lavender and I run a hand down my face, hating myself for sniffing extra hard.

“Hey,” she says so quietly I barely hear her.

“Hey.”

Well thank God this isn’t awkward.

“Where to?” I ask, still not looking anywhere near her direction.

“I don’t really know. You hungry?”

“No, I just ate.”

“I don’t care where we go; surprise me.”

“So…” I mutter as we pull out of the lot. “What’d you want to talk about?”

Smooth.

I don’t get an answer right away and can see her lay her head against the window out of the corner of my eye. As I make the turn, she finds her voice.

“I miss you, Evan. I can’t deal with you hating me. Remember how good we were as friends, before all the other stuff got in the way?”

I didn’t think it was stuff and I didn’t think it was in the way. I thought it was love and I thought it was great. But clearly, I’m not all that omnipotent.

“I miss you too, Laney,” I reply quietly. “I’ve missed you since the day I left for college.”

“Me too,” she whispers.

This is the best spot I know, the middle of our campus. It has flowers and benches and no one will be here this time of evening, except maybe a random or two walking through. When we’re parked, she gets out first, reaching behind my seat to pull out her blanket. Yes, it’s still there. I amble out and follow her, failing miserably to not notice the way the breeze lifts her hair and carries its scent on it.

“Sit down,” she says, patting the spot beside her on one of the benches farthest in the back, the blanket wrapped around her shoulders. The girl is always cold.

Knowing better, I sit down but leave optimal space between us.

She remains facing front but slides one of her little hands over to embrace mine. “Evan,” she starts. “I’m sorry I hurt you. I didn’t mean to; I tried to fight it.”

“Fight what exactly? Explain it to me, Laney, ‘cause I just can’t swallow how I was so easily replaced.”

She pulls her hand out of mine and I know it’s because of how abrasively I spoke. I’m not sure if I’m relieved or sorry that she did. Touching her now confuses me, not feeling wrong, but no longer feeling completely right.

“You weren’t replaced. You and Dane are totally different. One doesn’t replace the other.” She sighs, angling her body towards me and looking me in the eye. “Evan, when I got here, I missed you so much I physically hurt. I thought about leaving, quitting, and every other emotion across the gamut. Then I met Dane,” her eyes flit away now and her voice drops, “and I tried to quit that, too. I swear I did, Evan, but it’s not quittable. I’m so sorry.”

“What do you want me to say?” My voice cracks and I hate myself for it. I stand and scoop up some rocks, tossing a few here and there, my back to her. “Did you ever love me? Did you ever mean it?”

“Yes,” she answers and I know as sure as I know my own name, still facing away from her, that she’s crying…and that there’s more she didn’t say.

“But?”

“Evan, don’t—”

“Tell me!” It’s the loudest I’ve ever spoken to her in my life.

“I love him differently.”

I turn around now and move to her, squatting down in front of her. If I have to hear it, she’s gonna woman up and say it to my face. “Differently how?” My fingers itch to wipe the tears streaming down her face, but I just can’t do it. I give her a “go on” look; enough stalling already.

“I don’t know…”

“Bullshit! You do know. Tell me. Does he treat you better than I did?”

She gasps and shakes her head rapidly. “God no! You’ve always treated me like a queen. Don’t do that, Evan, you’re comparing and that’s not fair. You’re Evan and Dane is Dane. He doesn’t treat me better, no one could treat me better than you. He treats me differently. I don’t love him more, I love him differently. There’s no easy way to explain it, and I didn’t ask to talk to you to explain it. I just wanted to tell you that I’m so, so sorry, I miss you, I love you dearly and I will always be waiting to be your friend again, when you’re ready.”

Best friends for years, a “couple” for a flash, separated and technically broken up, finally back together in the same place, barely speaking. A crazy ride. I miss the hell out of her and she really is my very best friend. Was, rather. Can I really live the rest of my life without her in it, in some capacity? Probably not, and that would suck, but tonight isn’t the night I give in and become the bigger person.

I nod noncommittally, not knowing how to answer her. Do I hate her? Absolutely not, I could never hate Laney. And yes, one day I will be okay. One day, I’ll be able to look at her and not wish like hell someone would just stab me so the pain would radiate somewhere other than my chest, my heart… But I’m just not ready to air those out loud yet. Instead, I stand, offering a hand and pulling her up. “Come on.”

Once she’s standing, I release her hand and let her walk ahead of me to the truck, dead air between us. We’re loaded and in gear before one of us dares to speak again.

“Have you heard any more from Kaitlyn?” I ask. This, this is conversation I can commit to right now. It’s been bugging me, thinking that crazy bitch might mess with her again. Even if she marries Dane tomorrow, I’ll never turn a blind eye to someone purposely hurting her.

“No.” She runs a hand through her hair, her voice almost sad, but still holding a bit of relief. I’m sure she’s still confused exactly how she feels about Kaitlyn and her deviousness. “She doesn’t care about me, it was always about you. I’m sure you’ll hear from her long before I ever do.”

“I won’t ever talk to her again.”

“I know.” She turns her sullen eyes from their gaze out the window back to me and smiles. “You’re pretty great like that.”

She’s pretty great too. Despite it all, she’s my favorite person. I doubt I’ll be able to deny it much longer, but I don’t air it right now, just let another curtain of quietness fall over us.

“I don’t have a stalker,” she blurts out.

I think she was going for nonchalance, but the shrill pitch in her voice and bend in her brows give her away. As if this wouldn’t be big news to me, or her…it is. Very big news.

“What?” I ask, completely surprised. I had lots of theories about her stalker and it was on my list of questions to ask her when we were back on speaking terms, but her mom wasn’t a suspect on my radar.

“It was my mom. Da— Um, I know where she is and it was her with all the notes and stuff.”

Something inside me shifts right then, a flash in my mind of the part Laney and I always knew for sure; the friendship. This is a huge deal, one that I will support her through, no questions asked. I can’t help but soften. I don’t know how long she’s known, but I do know the minute she found out, she needed and wanted to talk to me and I wasn’t there.

But I am now, and when we’re back in the parking lot of her dorm, that’s what we do. We both turn in, facing each other, her with one leg bent on the seat and me with one elbow propped up against the back, and we dissect all that is my best friend’s life-changing development.

CHAPTER 9

Wonderment

***Evan***

“So you’re gonna tag team with me for Valentine’s Day, right?”

When Sawyer says “tag team,” you ask for clarification. We could be talking about anything at this point.

“What do you mean?” I ask with baited breath. Please don’t let him have entered us in coed mud wrestling or some other “great” idea.

“Well, you don’t have a girlfriend, and because Jesus loves me, neither do I, so I figure we’ll hit The K together. Pick up a few honeys for the night, whatever.”

“Sawyer,” I laugh, “are you asking me to be by your side on Valentine’s Day?”

“Fuck you.” He slugs me in the shoulder, which I’ll feel tomorrow since he’s the size of a Gladiator. “This ain’t no bromance. We walk in together, but we’re leaving with women. Valentine’s Day, dude, every chick in there will reek of menthols and desperation, all alone on the big day.”

Well when he makes it sound so appealing…

“I can’t,” I say, stifling a chuckle, “I promised Whitley I’d go watch her group sing. A frat hired them to sing at their V-Day party. It’s a paying gig, so she’s really excited.”

“You’re gonna leave me hangin’ for Whitley?”

“Don’t say it like that, man. Whitley’s actually a very cool girl, and I like her. She’s never done a damn thing to any of you. So what if she was a little clingy with Dane? She was trying to be a good friend. You need to lay off.”

He’s staring at me with a weird look on his face. I’m really hoping it’s not the look he gets right before he kicks someone’s ass for talking to him like that. I’m no slouch, but I’m also no Sawyer. I don’t know how many times my dad has told me, “you go looking for a fight knowing you’re gonna lose, your dumbass deserves to get kicked.” I’m not looking to even have cross words with Sawyer. He’s a cool guy, but the Whitley shit is false, undeserved and enough.

“Hmmm.”

“Hmmm, what?”

“Nothing,” he says with a shrug.

“Surely there’ll be single girls at the party she’s singing at, right? So why don’t you come with me?”

He considers it for a minute then smiles. “Yeah, I can do that.”

“Well, there ya go, problem solved. And will you please try not to be so mean to her?”

“I can do that too. Now that you mention it, Dane never really said anything bad about her. I guess it was mostly her getting on my nerves for him. I’ll let up, I swear.”

“Thanks.”

“So what’s going on with you two anyway?”

“Not what you’re thinking,” I laugh. “But she’s cool. I like my time with her.”

This year Valentine’s falls on a weekend and the party is packed. I’m glad for the turnout; I know it will make Whitley’s day. She’s talked about nothing but tonight’s performance for days and I’m actually kinda nervous for her. I still haven’t heard her sing, but surely she’s good if she’s the captain, right?

“Sawyer!” An inebriated Kirby falls onto him.

“Hey, Kirb,” he responds stiffly, giving me an exasperated look.

I have to look away to hide my grin at his fate. I’ve heard all about Sawyer’s former interest in Kirby and her twin, Avery, and how it haunts him even now, obviously, as one of them is draped over him like a cheap shirt. Apparently Avery and Zach paired off, leaving “poor Sawyer” with one very clingy Kirby. And Sawyer does NOT do clingy. I’m pretty sure it’s in the Welcome to Southern handbook, so how Kirby missed that lil’ tidbit is beyond me.

“Are Zach and Avery here?” he asks, gently removing her hands from his chest, desperately looking around the room for someone to pawn her off on.

“Nooo,” she slurs, “they’re on a romantic date. Just like Tate and Bennett and Dane and Laney. Lucky bitches,” she pouts.

And I’ve officially heard enough.

“I’m gonna go find Whitley and wish her luck!” I yell to Sawyer as I make my getaway, leaving him stranded and not giving him a chance to try and stop me.

I spot her in the main room, pointing and bossing all the other girls around. I slip up behind her and speak softly in her ear. “Nervous?”

“You came!” She turns around and gives me a vibrant smile.

“Of course I did.” I tap the end of her nose. “I told you I would. Now where should I stand for the best view? Is this a dance around or stand in one spot thing?”

“Go stand right over there.” She points to a spot in the front. “We’re about to start.”

They’re really good, incredible even, and the sparkle in Whitley’s eyes is mesmerizing. Her voice is smooth and sensual, much deeper when she sings than when she talks. And the things they do with these songs? It’s the coolest thing. They’re singing a bunch of love songs, of course, but the way they change up the rhythms and stuff makes it enjoyable even for a guy.

The crowd loves them, and I’m pretty sure I saw a couple of girls in the masses crying when they sang “The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face.” It was moving. Whitley really commands a room when she sings, and if she had the same confidence in everyday life, she’d be unstoppable.

For the boys, they perform “Red Light Special.” My eyes bug out and Whitley smirks, winking at my shocked expression. DAMNNNNN. These Larks got a lil’ sexy in em’. One Lark in particular is a whole head of seduction above the rest. At least in my book.

Interesting indeed.

Sawyer comes up behind me and slaps me on the shoulder. “Well I’ll be dipped,” he booms. “Whitley’s got a fucking hot side.”

Did I just growl? Nah, surely not.

Speak of the siren, Whitley steps up front and center now to close the show. “Thank you all so much. We’re your Southern Lovely Larks and we’d love your support at our performances this year.” She pauses for the clapping and whistling from the boisterous onlookers, me joining right in with them. “This will be our last song of the night. I chose it because,” she ducks her head shyly, looking up and at me through her lashes, “well, because I finally figured out what to sing.”