Dismantling Evan (26 page)

I don’t understand. My phone was on. “Maybe I had bad reception. We were out at Hamilton Pool.”

Mom’s voice raises two levels above sanity. “Hamilton Pool? Evan, that is a good forty-five minutes from here! At least! I thought you were going to the local pool!”

My voice matches hers in pitch, par for the course when it comes to Mom’s and my arguments. “I thought so too, but then we...”

“This was completely irresponsible Evan! But I’m not surprised! Why didn’t you answer your damn phone?”

Does she think I’ve been avoiding her calls, that I did this on purpose? I didn’t! Maybe my reception’s as bad out there. “I would have answered it if I would have seen your call and text. I just got Nikki’s text and she sent it at 2:30. I must have had poor service. I’m sor...”

She scoffs loudly and angrily and points in the direction of the Ferguson house. “Yeah, you think! You were out in the middle of nowhere with that boy and God knows who else?”

The hell I’m apologizing now.

She continues to push. “Your father and I have been worried sick for the past five hours Evan! I called Mrs. Bell because I thought Nikki and Asher were with you!”

By this point, Dad has walked back into the living room. He sits in his recliner, focusing on the news and seeming to ignore the row. Easy for him, he’s had years of practice.

I look at him and I just don’t see the same urgency Mom says they share.

“Dad?” My single worded question gets his attention as he tosses a few more pieces of popcorn in his mouth before muting the evening news.

He rises and puts his hands on his hips as he steadies his gaze on me. “We were worried Evan.”

I start to defend myself again for having poor service, but Dad puts his hand up to stop me. “I’m not saying that you did anything on purpose Evan, but you have to understand that we have reason to worry.”

Reason to worry?

“We don’t know very much about the people you were with, Evan.”

I can’t believe what he is saying. “What are you talking about?”

Mom jumps in, “And from what I do know...I’m not sure they are a good influence on you.”

“This is the second time you have said something about that today, Mom. What has Mrs. O’Keefe been telling you? You were over there today, right?”

Mom’s stoic face remains unmoved and her silence pisses me off no end.

“I’m sure she told you about her precious beauty queen of a daughter and how she dated Brody Ferguson. Am I right? Is that why you don’t trust him?”

Mom folds her arms over her chest and raises her chin. “She mentioned something about that. She also said that Gavin has... mental challenges that could be dangerous and that Lia has gotten a reputation of being ‘experienced’.”

Who is this bitch of a woman standing in front of me and where is my mother?
Has Mrs. O’Keefe warped her mind this quickly?

“Celine said that...”

I cut Mom off, “Wait, You spoke with Celine?”
Unbelievable!

“Yes, and she said she tried to help Lia with her loose behavior.”

I chuckle hysterically. “Oh, I’m sure she did! You don’t know anything about Lia, Brody, or Gavin mother! Everything those two bitches told you are lies!”

“Evan! Enough with the language!” Dad bellows angrily attempting to stop my attack, but I don’t cave.

“Celine O’Keefe is a bitter little girl that was dumped by Brody Ferguson because she is a royal, two-faced bitch. Nikki used to be friends with her before she turned her back on Lia when she needed her most, but I’m sure the perfect princess didn’t tell you that!” My chest tightens; I feel breathless and light headed as I continue my rant. “Gavin Ferguson is the sweetest, most gentle person, and yes he has challenges. Hell, I have challenges Mom. Are you going to write me off too?”

“Evan, stop it!” Dad barks, but the spiral is in full effect and unstoppable now.

Thoughts of my mother telling them about me, entrusting them with information about our family flood my mind as I remember Celine saying she wanted to get to know me better at the DQ. I’m sure she did. And, I’m sure she would do anything to find out more about me. Something as juicy as Evan being a mental case. “Tell me, if Mrs. O’Keefe, Braxton Springs royalty, were to find out that your daughter was a psycho, do you think she would hold that secret between friends near and dear to her heart? Do you think Celine would? Would you even admit that your only daughter is so damaged she needs to be medicated?”

“You aren’t damaged Evan and you aren’t even taking the fucking medicine!” Mom yells, inching up to me.

Dad curtails her approach and steps between us. “Lucy!”

I step back a few steps, both physically and mentally thrown off balance by what she has said. Mom puts her hands up in surrender and walks away from Dad and me, into the center of the living room and starts pacing.

Dad frowns. “Your mother went into your room to get supplies for the darkroom. She thought it would be nice to have it all set up for you when you got home.”

I peer at Mom, still pacing and not attempting to look up from the ground at me.

Dad continues without a pause, “She saw some of your supplies in your bathroom and while she was in there she thought she would check your prescription since you should have been close to be out of your medicine. She wanted to call you in a refill. When she shook the bottle she noticed it was still half full.”

Bottle half full, that’s a positive thing, right?
I spit my words at her, “Why did you go through my room?”

“We have the right to go through your room any time and I’m glad your mother did!” Dad’s dominant voice doesn’t come out very often, but he isn’t holding back now. “How are you supposed to get better, Evan, if you aren’t even trying?

“Oh really!” I stand my ground, “So what, I forgot them a few days! They aren’t doing anything for me! I have given it long enough and nothing has changed. They aren’t working, so what is the point of taking them?”

Dad’s scoff mirrors mine and I realize where I get it from suddenly. “So your solution is not taking them, brilliant, Evan! Lucy, call Dr. Larson and schedule an appointment for us. This is bullshit!”

Dad storms past me, takes the stairs two at a time and disappears above, slamming the door to my parents’ bedroom behind him. All of a sudden, the doorbell rings. Probably a neighbor wondering if a terrible scene of domestic violence is taking place, with all the yelling.

Mom peeks through the window then looks at me as she unlocks the door. “It’s Nikki.”

As she pulls the door open, a wide-eyed Nikki steps over the threshold into the house. “Hi, Mrs. Phillips.” The way she greets Mom is slow and uneasy; she obviously heard the yelling.

Mom steps away from the door. “Hey Nikki. Come on in.”

Mom gives me the once over that says - this isn’t the end of our discussion, before retreating to her room and Dad.

Once Mom is out of earshot, Nikki mouths to me, “What the hell just happened?”

I close my eyes and look up to the ceiling for a moment. This is one of those moments you decide if you are going to trust that one friend and answer them truthfully without reservation. If you are going to tell them deepest and worst secrets about yourself and hope that they accept you for who you are. Was I ready to do that? Would I ever be with Nikki, Lia, or any of them?

I take a deep breath, look at her and shake my head. “Typical family stuff. Come up?”

She glances upstairs. “You sure?”

Drained from spiral, I nod lazily, “Yeah, I’m sure. I need the break.”

Nikki shuts the door behind us and flops down on my bed. “That was about your disappearing act today, wasn’t it?”

I hang my tote on my chair and place my camera bag on my desk before flopping down, not really processing the question she has asked fully. “Yeah.”

“So, what did you think of Hamilton Pool?” Nikki asks smiling with a mischievous look.

“Why weren’t you there? Did you have other plans?”

She looks down coyly. “We had other plans. Wanted some alone time.”

I don’t need to ask any more; I get it. It shouldn’t be a surprise to me that Nikki and Asher are having sex, but I’m sure I am blushing anyway. I change the subject. “Hamilton Pool was beautiful.” I smile remembering the water fall, the green toned crystal clear spring water, Brody and Gavin splashing and Gavin’s laughter, talking with Brody, then with Lia. My smile falls as I think of her, my mother’s words from the mouth of Mrs. O’Keefe and Celine.

“Lia’s wrists, I saw them.” I glance up at Nikki for her reaction. I guess it is kind of test, to see how Nikki will react, maybe a sign of how she might react to me if I tell her I am possibly, bipolar; a diagnosis even I am starting to believe.

Nikki’s smile disappears and she looks down at her finger tracing the stitched pattern in my comforter. “Does she know you saw?”

“Yeah.”

“Did she tell you everything?”

“Yes.”

She stops tracing the stitching on my comforter and looks at me somberly. I sense she is waiting for my reaction to Lia as much as I am waiting for hers. I step out first, “I told her that I’m here for her and I care about her, just like you and Ash, Gavin, and Brody. I told her to promise me that she would talk to us before... doing anything permanent.” My voice catches on that word - permanent.

I see Nikki’s tense body relax. Her smile is modest, but significant to me. “I’m glad you were there for her, Evan,” she says and I can feel that she truly means each word.

She sits up on my bed and crosses her legs, inching closer toward me like she is eager to hear a story that I’m apparently going to tell.

“What?” I ask giggling a little because of her bubbly actions all of a sudden.

“So, anything interesting happen with Brody?” she asks.

“Like what?” my voice squeaks from astonishment that Nikki Bell is accusing Brody and I of having something interesting happen.

“I don’t know Ms. California, why don’t you tell me?” Her use of Brody’s nickname for me gives a hint at the direction in which she is heading.

“There is nothing going on between us Nikki.” I don’t register my tone of disappointment until I have already said the words.

“Are you sure about that, because he was really nervous about going over to ask you to the pool when I talked to him early this morning.”

Seriously?
“I highly doubt he was nervous about asking me to the pool.”

Nikki grins.

I shake off the thought of Brody Ferguson being nervous over me. “Well, even if he was, which he wasn’t, any nervousness was replaced with frustration when Spencer and Chad showed up.”

“Seriously? What did the idiots do this time?” Her glowering face only intensifies the disgust she has in her voice. “Ugh! Was Queen ‘B’ Celine and her entourage of mini-’B’s with them?”

“No, just the guys. We packed up and left. Lia and Gavin walked ahead of me and Brody lagged behind.”

I wonder again what Brody and Spencer said to each other after I walked away.

“Anyway, that situation didn’t hold a candle to what happened after we left,” I say, picturing Gavin’s motions as the tree branch caught him in the eye. I can almost hear his half-scream-half-yell ringing in my ears.

“What could have topped those two assholes showing up?” Nikki asks as she picks at her finger nail.

She has no idea... until I tell her.

“No shit! Evan, why did you touch him? You know he doesn’t like to be touched!”

She isn’t saying anything I haven’t already heard, thought about, or confessed to in the past two hours. “Yeah, I know. I thought he was hurt. He was bleeding.”

“Damn! Is he okay?” Nikki’s furrowed brow shrinks her big blue eyes.

“Yes, he is okay, but at the time it looked bad.”

“I’m sure it sounded bad too. Did he scream?”

I nod. “It was terrible.”

“He didn’t seize did he?”

“What? Like a seizure?” I remember Brody saying something about a medication he was taking for seizures and I wonder if that was one of the medicines he is no longer taking.
Shit, he could have had a seizure.

“He isn’t on the anti-seizure medication any more. Sometimes when he gets too upset or excited, he can start seizing. It happened twice last year at school once when Brody and Spencer got into it and the other was when Spencer pulled his shit with Gavin about his dad going AWOL in Afghanistan. That one didn’t happen at school though... he had it that night at home. Ash had to go over and help Brody and his mother with him.”

I thought I felt bad before. It’s worse now thinking of Gavin having a seizure. “Are they bad?”

“The last one he had was bad enough for Asher, Brody, and Mrs. Ferguson to take him to the Emergency Room. He was unresponsive, comatose, for a good thirty minutes after the episode.”

“Why isn’t he on the medication for that?”

“The cost, their insurance was frozen after Mr. Ferguson’s disappearance. I’m sure the ER trip was crazy expensive.”

I think of the two times I have been with Gavin and he has gotten stuck in his “own world” as Brody called it.