Not Today | ✔️

Chapter Thirty Eight.

"And what makes it worse
Is you would've loved me
If you met me first..."

✧✧✧

"You know, I think what you and Tristan have is really sweet."

Evelyn furrowed her eyebrows and looked at Tanya. Tanya never spoke to her first, especially if Tristan wasn't around. Even in the first couple days where Evelyn tried to be friendly, before she stopped making an effort, too.

"Thank you."

"No, I mean it," she pressed. "It's sweet and you're adorable."

Evelyn was incredibly confused now. It was only the two of them, both sitting on the bleachers, waiting for Tristan, so she really had no reason to address Evelyn. Regardless of her confusion, though, she wasn't going to be rude. She smiled hesitantly.

"Thanks. You're very pretty, too."

"Had to be to catch one like Tristan, am I right?" she said and though her tone was light, the way she bumped her elbow into Evelyn was a little too rough to not be deliberate.

"I don't know. I don't think he's so concerned with looks," she said genuinely, smiling softly at remembering Tristan's reaction to her bare skin. He wasn't at all put off by it. Or her cardigans. Or the fact that while she wasn't ugly, she wasn't above average, either.

Tanya laughed. "Yeah, alright. So it was my kindness and intelligence that caught his attention at first sight, not my ass."

Evelyn frowned. "If all he wanted you for was your body, then you shouldn't have been with him in the first place."

She snorted. "Spoken like a true virgin."

"Excuse me?"

"No need to get offended, Evelyn, but it's obvious, especially with the 'it's personality that really counts!' attitude."

Evelyn was stunned into silence for a moment, so Tanya continued.

"It's not going to last, you know? I mean, how long until Tristan gets tired of waiting? How long until he reaches the end of this sweet, innocent little puppy love thing he has with you and realizes I've been there the entire time, in the back of his mind?"

"Stop."

"No, honestly, I thought by now you would've just broken up with him, and saved me from having to tell you. It's obvious that the second he sees me, you mean nothing."

"Please stop."

"The funniest part of the whole situation is that Tristan and I never officially broke up when I left, so technically, I'm still his girlfriend," she said with a laugh.

Evelyn stood up, wrapping her cardigan around her body, as if to help keep herself together, beginning to walk away when Tanya spoke once more.

"Look at that, you don't even have any spine to defend yourself," she snorted. "You're a real catch."

Evelyn closed her eyes and took a deep breath, reigning in her emotions before she turned around, looking down at Tanya.

"Unlike you, I find no pleasure in validating myself by tearing others down. I'm comfortable with who I am. But what about you? Can you say honestly the same? Trust me, I have spine. I just happen to have a heart, too. Maybe you should get one for yourself," Evelyn said with a smile before she began walking away once more, only breaking into a run when she was sure Tanya couldn't see her. Her mind was so scattered she didn't even realize there was a person in front of her until it was too late and she ran into him, falling on her behind.