All Eyes on Me

Chapter 9

"Hello?" April drew out the last letter of her greeting as she and Ben came back with groceries. When neither saw Evan or Maci downstairs, they knowingly smirked at each other.

Until they heard the door slam.

"Hey Mac–" April started, but when her friend breezed right by her and ran up the stairs without a word, she didn't finish her sentence. Well, shit. She whipped her head around at her boyfriend. "Well, fuck. Ben! What the hell did Evan do this time?!" She exclaimed, setting her brown bag of groceries on the kitchen counter.

He looked at her like she had two heads. "What do you mean, what the hell did Evan do? What about what Maci could've done," he suggested, setting the other bag down on the counter.

They both turned their heads at the sound of the side door opening and closing loudly again. It was Evan, out of breath, but very determined. "Where is she?" He asked quickly. Ben and April simply pointed upward, and off he went.

"Maci," he called her name as he knocked on the door. "Maci, I'm sorry," he tried again, willing his voice to remain solid. He could hear shuffling, but then he could've sworn he heard sniffling, like she had been crying. Shit, he was an asshole. "Please, can we talk?" He pleaded with her, leaning his weight against the door as his ear pressed up onto the wood. He was trying to hear if she'd even considered walking up to the other side of the door to open it. But he heard absolutely nothing.

He sighed, running his hand down his face in disbelief at his own stupidity. He really needed to learn to think before he spoke. Or, maybe spoke before he thought....regardless, he knew he'd hurt her feelings. Badly.

He decided to give her space, for real this time. So, he clobbered back to his room, shrugging out of his jeans and t-shirt. He pulled on another pair of denim and a plaid shirt, and was in the middle of rolling up his sleeves when he heard a small knock. He whirled around, hoping it was Maci, and let out a huff when he realized it was just Ben.

"Dude," his partner began as he sat down on his own bed. "What the hell happened? April and I were gone for what, 30 minutes, and now ya'll aren't speaking again?"

"I didn't even say anything, man," Evan defended, sitting down on his own bed too. "But I think Maci thought I assumed that she'd hooked up with other guys while in LA."

"Well, did she?"

"No."

Ben's eyebrows knitted together. "I'm sorry, but then what the hell is the problem?"

"She probably thinks that you think she's a slut," another voice chimed in.

Both guys turned their heads to see April standing in their doorway.

"I never said--" Evan began, but April interjected.

"Listen Sherlock. I didn't say you said anything, I said that Maci thinks that you think she's, y'know, easy."

"I don't, I mean, I didn't, I--"

"What did you actually say?" April asked him, crossing her arms indignantly.

"Shit," Evan cursed to himself. He had assumed that she slept with other people. "Well, she told me she had dated other guys in LA. And I was pissed. I didn't know why she'd tell me that, why she'd tell me she was dating."

"So, she said she dated other guys. She didn't say hookup or sleep with or screw or f--" April was cut off by her boyfriend.

"April, I think we get it," Ben said. His girlfriend rolled her eyes before continuing.

"Well, Evan, I hate to break it to you, but you are kind of stupid. If she said she dated, then she legit meant she went out on dates, you moron. Besides, it was only one guy, for fucks sake. And no, she didn't hookup with him, so what she told you is the truth."