“Hey, babe,” he said groggily.
What a dweeb.
“Babe?” Evey asked.
“Yeah, we had a crazy night last night, huh?”
“What are you talking about?” Oh no, this was all going to blow up in my face. She leaned in toward Keith’s, to look into his eyes. “You look different. You seem different.”
“I don’t really remember much from last night,” Keith said. “I think I blacked out. Did we do it?”
“No, remember, you said you were… that you had…” She glanced toward his pants area.
Keith jumped out of bed. “I don’t know what you’re talking about. You don’t have to be a bitch.”
I was about to slap this fool, but then I realized it was kind of my fault. I moved across the room and knelt by Evey’s bed. “Let him leave,” I whispered. “Let him walk away.”
She was staring off into space. Could she hear me?
“I was nice to you about it,” she said weakly as Keith tied his shoes at the edge of the bed.
“I was fucked up. I don’t remember anything.”
“Okay, I get it,” Evey said.
I was hurting her. Even though I was trying to protect her, doing everything I could to make sure she was safe, she was still getting her feelings hurt after having so much sweetness and compassion. She still looked to be zoning out.
“Let him go, Evey,” I whispered again.
Keith left without saying good-bye. He slammed the door behind him.
“Fuck him,” Evey said.
Thatta girl. She rolled over and fell asleep for the rest of the day.
That day went by in a rush. The sun sped past the horizon. It was night, and aside from Evey getting up to go to the kitchen for water and a short conversation with Brooklyn about how neither one of them had had sex, that was it for the day. Zack was on his phone outside, doing his bookie shit, and I was trying not to drink.
Then I realized that it was going to be a very long and boring night. I flew to the liquor store and got a bottle, came back, and sat next to Abigail on the stoop. Zack was sitting on her other side.
He said to her, “Why won’t you go out with me?”
She ignored him. I pounded the whiskey and stared off into space.
Ten minutes later, he asked again. “Just one date?”
She ignored him again.
I had had enough of her. “Abigail, you snooty bitch, will you please fucking answer him?”
“Fuck you, Lucian.” She flew off before I could respond.
“Nice one,” Zack said.
A moment later, he was gone too. I was alone. I finished the bottle and went into Evey’s room.
Bad idea. She was reading in bed. I knelt next to her. She set the book on the nightstand and looked at the ceiling.
“Hello?” she said.
