crashing down | all american¹

life or death

The sound of gunfire echoed in her ears as she trailed behind Spencer and Olivia. A blank look behind her eyes as her feet shuffled against the linoleum floors. Not paying attention to her surroundings, Evelyn was pushed into a room with a nurse and officer.

The officer held his notepad in his hand looking at her. "How well do you know the victim?"

"I need my arm," Evelyn told the nurse. "I'm an athlete. I can't have a broken arm. I'm in the middle of my track season...Don't tell me it's broken."

"Miss?" the officer said. "I need you to answer my questions."

"Spencer James," she answered. "He's my friend."

"Was he involved in a gang dispute?" he continued on.

"No. Spencer's not in a gang," Evelyn scoffed.

The nurse sighed as she looked at her arm. "It's a fracture. We'll probably get better readings once we get some x-rays. But, your bone is clearly poking out. I can get you something for the pain."

"I don't need anything," Evelyn blankly stated, staring ahead at the wall. "I can't feel a thing."

The nurse proceeded to plaster the girl's arm. The cast was applied below her elbow down to her hand as Evelyn started to silently cry.

"Did he return fire?" he asked.

"I'll continue when my parents get here," she sniffed. "Until then go find the person who tried to shoot my friend."

"Miss," the officer raised an eyebrow. "I need you to answer my questions. This was a shooting, not some petty theft."

"Evelyn, sweetie," a brown-skinned nurse entered the room. "We need to run more tests."

"No," he rose his voice at the nurse.

The nurse gave him a look. "Officer, if I'm not mistaken, you're not allowed to question a minor without a parent present."

"I'm trying to help her friend," he shot back.

"And I'm done helping," Evelyn told him, walking out of the room. "Where's Olivia? Spencer?"

"Spencer's in his room and she's in the waiting room," the nurse responded. "I'll take you to his room. But, you're his sister got it?"

She nodded. "Got it."

Walking into the room the nurse peeked her head in. "Spencer your other sister is here."

Evelyn was overcome with emotion stepping into his room and seeing him covered in wires. The blank look in her eyes immediately replaced with a sad look as she walked over to him and cried. "You saved us. Me, Liv...I don't know how to thank you."

"Don't thank me," Spencer gasped out, as he struggled to talk. "Your arm...it's broken."

She shook her head. "It'll heal. Don't even worry about me."

"Evelyn," the nurse peeked her head back in. "I'm sorry. But, the doctors—"

"I get it," she sighed, kissing Spencer on the forehead. "Thank you, Spence."

Evelyn walked out to the waiting room area of the emergency room, looking down at her dress that had a tear on the side and was covered in blood at her and Liv's attempt to put pressure onto Spencer's gunshot wound.

"Evelyn!" Olivia breathed out.

"Olivia!" Evelyn sighed in relief, the two friends racing over to each other.

"Are you okay?"

"You broke my fall," Liv responded as the two had simultaneously asked each other the same question. Liv's face fell at the sight of her friend's broken arm. "I'm so sorry. You're in the middle of your track season and your arm it's broken."

"It's just a fracture, Liv," she lifted up her bright pink cast. "I would've taken a bullet for you if I had to just like Spencer did. But, I'm fine, don't worry about me. Hey, at least this way, we'll all be traumatized together."

The two sat down sitting side by side, and Liv kept a tight grip on Evelyn's uninjured hand. Mr. Baker raced into the emergency room doors a bag in his hand as he approached the two girls, and engulfed Liv in a hug before turning to Evelyn.

"Mr. Baker," Evelyn sighed, pulling away from the hug. "My parents? Do they know? I don't have my phone."

"Right behind me," he breathed out, pointing behind him as the doors opened, revealing the distraught faces of her parents.

"Evelyn," Jennifer sighed, as she pulled her daughter in for a hug, squeezing her close to her body.

"Oh, thank God!" Joaquin gently pulled her in for a hug. "Are you hurt?"

"Just a fracture," she mumbled, lifting her cast up. "Where's Ricky?"

"He's at home with Alejandro and Martina. Laura told us not to have anyone else come to the hospital or be outside. So we made him stay," Joaquin responded, handing her a duffle bag. "Here's a change of clothes."

She nodded her head, turning in the direction of the bathroom. "Thanks."

After she changed into a pair of sweatpants and a tank top. Evelyn made her way over to the waiting room not realizing how long she took until she spotted several other people there.

"Oh, my God, Evelyn," Enrique breathed out, carefully pulling his twin sister in for a hug. "I was so worried...Mom and dad said there was a shooting, and the last time we talked I yelled at you and I was being such a dick. I'm so sorry."

"Ricky, it's fine," she mumbled, pulling away from the hug and sitting on one of the chairs.

Enrique let out a deep breath staring at the blood speckles on the side of his sister's arm. "You need to shower. We'll take you home once Spencer goes into surgery."

"Yeah, whatever," she waved him off.

Her eyes moved towards the running figure that had turned the corner in the hospital and made eye contact with Asher. Despite, their argument from last night the only place she wanted to be was in the safety of her boyfriend's arms.

"I'm so sorry about last night, Evie," Asher apologized, wrapping his arms around her tiny frame. "Everything I said...I promise I didn't mean any of those things. I should've made you a priority."

"Don't worry about it," she sighed, pressing her face against his chest as she kept her arms around his body. "Just promise you'll stay with me. Please?"

"Of course," he murmured, pressing a kiss to the top of her head. "I'm so sorry, babe."

Evelyn pulled away, guiding him over to the waiting room area, and stayed beside him. Asher protectively wrapped his arm around his girlfriend as he followed her over and sat right beside her, keeping his promise.

Everyone's attention was quickly intercepted as soon as Grace and Dillon walked over to them. "Everyone, listen to me. This is not a funeral. Do you understand? My son promised me he will come through this surgery whole. Whole. I believe him. And Spencer needs his family, all of his family...to believe in him right now. Am I clear?"

After Grace's small speech, Spencer's friends and family rallied around in the hallway before he went into the surgery. Words of encouragement and affectionate pats on the shoulder were thrown his way to put him in a good mood before he went into surgery.

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