Lacuna(1)

Before or After

His weeping face was engraved in her mind. The red and blue lights contoured against his face, highlighting the wet tear tracks trailing down his face.

But now, that face was strategically layered onto a canvas, able to be forgotten. Thrown away to the empty void in the pockets of her mind.

The music blaring through her headphones blocked out any extra sound, leaving only her and the soon-to-explode headphones.

"Evelyn!" The shout came through her music, almost silenced by the music.

Pulling her headphones out, she turned her head to see Max's phone shoved in her face.

"Are you seeing this?" Evelyn looked more past his phone, spotting the aggressive frown on his face.

"Yep," Evelyn murmured, grabbing his phone to look at the article pulled up on his phone.

A Good Girl's Guide to Murder Review: The latest true-crime podcast obsession ends with a chilling finale.

"I didn't know there was a fucking podcast!" Max shouted, pacing the length of the room back and forth.

"Are you really surprised? It is Pip. And she is one for the dramatics." Evelyn shrugged, going to put her headphones back in.

"'But I will finish this story, recording updates on the trials and verdicts of all those involved. I will be here until the very last word.'" he quoted, furrowing his brows. "She's going to document my trial? For her stupid podcast? Who does she think she is?"

"The queen of England," Evelyn snorted.

"Exactly! She acts all high and mighty, but runs the second anyone brings anything against her." He sat in a chair not far from Evelyn, slumping until his feet were far in front of him.

"I don't get why you are so mad. You set yourself up for this, Max. You should've thought about this before you started."

"I know I should've, but how was I supposed to predict that a seventeen-year-old would relook into Sal and Andie's case?"

"What you mean is how were you supposed to know you would get your ass beat by a seventeen-year-old," Evelyn giggled.

"Okay, whatever," Max sighed, throwing his hands up.

"But, seriously, you and Pip aren't that different from each other. You both rely on the praise and positive reception of others, but you slink into your hole of self-deprecation once something doesn't go the way you want it to," Evelyn explained.

"Woah." Max's face was flat other than his gaping mouth. "Are you sure you should be painting and not being a therapist?"

"My art is already therapeutic enough," Evelyn sighed.

"Y'know, I liked these kinds of conversations-"

"Out." Evelyn pointed to the door.

"Okay," Max said, raising his hands in surrender.

He turned, making his way to the steps with his hands still up. Max walked up, making sure Evelyn could still see his raised hands.

"You left your phone!" Evelyn shouted to the stairs, the thumping of Max descending them came soon after.

He stuck his tongue out at Evelyn, snatching his phone from beside Evelyn.

"How are you less mature than your one-year-old brother?" Evelyn turned to the retreating Max.

"Am not."

"You really are," Evelyn chuckled, turning back to her painting, shoving the music back into her ears.

Evelyn had noticed a change in her whole family recently. Well, other than Eli, that's because he's literally only a year old. Max had been making more frequent visits down to Evelyn's makeshift studio in their home's basement. James has been too quiet, staying at Josh's house more than their own now.

Her parents seem to be tiptoeing around her like she might explode at any second. Evelyn, in fact, has no experience with the action of blowing up because she has never.

With Max's visits, he had somehow convinced her to go to Sal and Andie's memorial service. Though she was close to both of them, to her it felt wrong because she just sat and watched both of them die right before her eyes. She hadn't tried to stop it, she just let it happen.