“He had to have surgery on his knee. They prescribed him pain meds for the recovery, and, well…he liked them a little too much.” She laughs a bitter laugh. “He’s a fucking doctor. He knows how dangerous that stuff is. He should have known better.”
“And your mom?” I ask. “Where is she in all this?”
She looks at me curiously. “Why all the questions? Why do you care?”
“I think I’m entitled to know a thing or two about the person I’m helping.”
“It’s a long story. But she’ll be in New York this time tomorrow, and unless I find a place to stay, I’ll be right there with her. That box was my lifeline. I saved everything I had to get me through the summer.”
“Shit.”
“Yeah.”
I clear my throat, not knowing what else to say. This is usually the point where I’d bend her over the arm of the couch, but considering the circumstances, I don’t think that’s in the cards tonight. “Bathroom’s back there,” I say, pointing toward the back of the trailer. “I’ll take you home in the morning.”
“Thanks,” Evan whispers, adjusting the thin strap of her tank top that slipped down her shoulder. “For everything.”
I give her a short nod before turning for my bed. I can feel her watching as I peel my shirt over my head and kick off my jeans and boots. I look back to find Evan’s eyes raking over my body, but she averts her gaze when she realizes she’s been caught. Reaching for the sheet I gave her earlier, she pulls it over her tiny form and curls up on her side.
I crawl into my bed, clasping my hands behind my head as I stare up at Eros’ bunk that’s about a foot above my face until I hear Evan’s breathing even out. What the fuck was I thinking?
I wake up to a foot dangling in my face from the bunk above me. Eros. Motherfucker knows I hate that shit. I pull on his ankle and he rolls off his bunk, hitting the floor with a thud.
“What the fuck, bro?” he groans before rolling onto his side, promptly falling back asleep.
Grabbing my discarded jeans from the night before, I sit on the edge of my bed and shrug them on, not bothering to button them. I reach into Eros’ back pocket, stealing a cigarette from his pack, and stash it between my lips. After taking a piss, I head toward the front of the trailer, snatching a shirt off the bunk and hanging it from the back of the waistband of my pants. I realize Evan’s not on the couch just as I hear hushed voices coming from outside.
Pushing open the door and squinting at the bright light, I step out to find Evan and Elliot sitting on the folding chairs outside the trailer. Evan’s back is to me, so Elliot is the first to notice my arrival.
“Rough night?” he asks.
“She’s a wild one,” I say, sending a wink in Evan’s direction, and she rolls her eyes. Elliot clamps his mouth shut, looking away. I bend over, grabbing a lighter someone left on top of the cooler last night. Finders keepers. “You good?” I ask Evan, flicking the lighter before taking a drag.
“He brought donuts,” she responds, holding up a pink one with sprinkles.
“Cute,” I say shortly, with a pointed look at Elliot. What’s he playing at? He doesn’t bring donuts. This is the second time he’s gotten Evan alone. “You ready to go?” I ask her.
“Uh, yeah,” Evan says, but she’s looking right at the crotch of my unbuttoned jeans. I smirk when Elliot realizes what’s got her attention. Evan shakes her head. “Let me just get my backpack.” She stands, dropping her donut back into the box Elliot’s holding before heading inside.
Once she’s inside, I flick my cigarette and walk over to Elliot, picking up Evan’s half-eaten donut and taking a big bite. Chick hasn’t had anything to eat but cotton fucking candy in the past twelve hours. This is why I don’t have pets. You have to feed them and shit.
“Thanks for breakfast.”
When Evan comes back out, still in her pajamas, backpack slung over one shoulder, I tuck her under my arm while staring Elliot dead in the eye. Off limits. I don’t know why he insists on hanging around. It doesn’t matter if he works for us. He’s still an outsider.
Evan is quiet on the ride home. Not that talking is possible over the sound of my bike, but even still, I can sense her somber mood—feel it in her body language. Her grip on me is loose. She doesn’t hold on for dear life like the first couple times she rode on the back of my bike, like she’s too distracted to be concerned for her own safety.
When we near her driveway, there’s a flashy BMW parked outside her house. I know the moment Evan notices because she turns to stone behind me. Joy. I leave my bike idling, not wanting to stick around for whatever soap opera-style drama is sure to go down.
“This is exactly what I need right now,” Evan mutters, handing me the helmet as a guy and a girl exit the car, eyeing Evan with a mixture of contempt and curiosity.
“Friends of yours?” I ask for some stupid fucking reason. Drop the girl off and go.
“Oh, yeah. The best of friends.” Sarcasm drips from every word.
“Is this carny dude?” the guy says, flicking his chin toward me. Ah, now I recognize him. It’s that golden boy fuck from the beach party we crashed. I kill the engine, coming to a stand next to Evan while they make their way toward us.
The chick eyes me like she hasn’t had carbs in years and I’m a giant slice of pizza, while the other kid’s looking at me like I stole his favorite toy.