"My Evie..." {A.P.}

°twenty-one

꧁Eve꧂

"Thank you, Everlyn."

I smiled softly as Aunt Penny pulled away. "Yeah," I said, dusting some grass off of her shoulder. 

"It really meant a lot to me," she said, taking my hand. "I'm sure you and Ryle can be as close as you were when you were little." 

Ryle and I close? Never in a million years. I still wanted to strangle him to death. 

"Oh, and he has news to share with you," she said cheerfully, and already deep down in my gut I knew that it wouldn't be good news for me. 

The taxi behind her honked, and she gave me one final kiss on my forehead, before getting in. The taxi pulled away, and a sigh of relief left my lips. 

Look, I love my Aunt Penny, but sometimes she's a bit too much. When I was about ten, she refused to let me play in a park, because I was friends with a boy there. She'd tease me the rest of the day, saying I got cooties. I was ten. I was aware that I didn't really get boy cooties. 

I sighed, looking around Jericho. The place was quieter than usual, yet the place usually was on a Sunday. 

I pulled my headphones on, before walking into the coffee shop. Tyler saw me enter, and immediately gave me a nod. I smiled, sitting down in the booth in the back, next to the window. Tyler brought me a hazelnut coffee, with a slice of apple pie. 

I opened my phone, seeing a text from an unknown number appear at the top. 'Say smile', it read. I frowned, but just as I looked up, the smirking face of Ryle Brooks slipped into the booth in front of me. I groaned. 

"I'm glad to know that you're aware that I have a cousin. More surprisingly. You have a cousin."

"Just because you're Aunt Penny's son, doesn't mean I like you, at all. I still despise you completly."

"For what reason?" he asked, a small mocking pout on his lips. 

I glared at him. "You gave me a headrush so bad I fainted. You have photos of me up in your room. You stalk me at night. You're blaming me for what happened to my dad-"

"Woah, cupcake. Look, I was just playing with the Mark thing. I wasn't serious about him."

"You're a psychopath."

"I'm a telepathy, Everlyn. It's in our blood. Come on, please. Forgive me." 

I scoffed. "Forgive you? I will once you're completely out of my hair." 

A smile grew on his lips. "Oh well then I have the best news ever for you! I'm dropping out of Nevermore." 

A calm frown appeared on my face. "What?" 

He shrugged. "School's never been my thing, and my mom offered to take me in!" 

You've got to be kidding me. He's already eighteen. He can do whatever the hell he wants, and he wants to move in with Aunt Penny? He's crazy. 

"Good for you. Now get lost." 

He scoffed, standing up. "Well, you got my text, so whenever you want to text me, you have my number."

He turned around and walked away, exiting the coffee shop just before Ajax entered. He looked at me with a questioning look, and I groaned. 

"What was that about?" he asked, while sitting down in front of me. 

"He's a prick," I said, looking at Tyler. He gave a nod, before bringing another fork. 

"Coffee will take a couple of minutes." 

"Thanks," I said, before looking at Ajax. "He's leaving Nevermore."

"What?"

"Exactly my reaction. He's moving in with Aunt Penny. At least he's out of my hair, so I'm not complaining."

Ajax frowned. "But she doesn't know what type of a creep he is. And your aunt is a werewolf. Does he know how to handle that?" 

I shrugged. "I'm sure he'll figure something out."

~

"Here," Ajax whispered as he pulled me behind the greenhouse. 

I giggled, making sure no one was following us. He then grabbed me by my waist, but I tripped over my own feet. We both went stumbling down to the grass, and we started laughing. I laid on his chest, while he laid on his back. 

"You're beautiful."

I froze. "Really?" I asked in a light giggle. 

He smiled softly. "You really are." 

He pushed some lose strands of hair behind my bear, and I felt myself smile more. My heart raced, and my stomach filled with butterflies. 

"Do you want to come with me for break?"

Now I genuinely froze. I didn't know what to say. Of course, I did. Everything in me wanted to call out yes, but I couldn't. My own lips were too surprised that he wanted me to go with him that they didn't even move. So, I looked stupid, just looking at him. 

"Please," he begged in a whisper. 

"Yes," I whispered. "Yes."

His smile brightened, and his hands tightened around my waist. "Yes?"

"Yes!" I said a bit more cheerfully, making him even happier. 

~

"Shh," I said as Ajax grunted after hitting his foot against the corner of a corner as he sneaked me up to his room. "Quiet," I whispered. 

When we got to the top of the staircase, Xavier stepped out of his room, looking at us with no surprise. I smiled a silly smile as Ajax tried hiding me behind him, while looking at Xavier. 

"We just went for a walk." 

"Up a staircase that happened to lead to your room?" Xavier frowned. 

I giggled behind Ajax as he kept hiding me while sneaking to his room. "We're just going to get something," Ajax lied. 

I pushed open his door, before smiling at Xavier. "You look happy. Wednesday admit she likes you?" 

His eyes widened. "What?"

"I might have dug into her mind. Snitch on us, and I tell her what you dreamt of last night." 

He looked at me in betrayal. "Get out of my head." 

With a wide smile on my lips, I grabbed Ajax by the wrist, before pulling him into his room, after me. He then closed the door, looking at me as I walked to his bed in guilt. 

"You don't really know what he dreamt of last night, do you?"

"I might have a small idea." 

"Oh, please do tell me!" 

"No," I laughed, making him laugh. 

He grabbed me by my waist, pulling me tightly against him. "Come on, please." 

"Never," I stated, making him laugh. "Not even on my death bed."