Playing Evelyn

Chapter 10

Chapter 10

We drove around for a bit and I got the same rush from being on a bike as I did last time. It was almost like a roller coaster but you didn’t have to wait in line for hours to ride it. I briefly wondered if George would buy me a motorcycle if I asked. Not that I ever would but hypothetically speaking, would he?

I mentally shook my head as we slowed down and turned into the parking lot of a convenience store. Gabriel pulled into a spot far away from any other cars and I reluctantly peeled myself off of him as the bike came to a stop.

“You okay?” he asked me when I’d climbed off the bike.

“Yeah,” I said, pulling off my helmet. “You?”

He shrugged, not meeting my eyes. I set my helmet on the bike and felt my hair. My bun had come loose and was hanging awkwardly, pulling a few strands of my hair painfully. I tried to tighten it but only made it worse. I sighed and pulled the elastic off, letting my hair fall down my back.

I hadn’t really been focusing on anything but suddenly I felt the weight of someone’s gaze. I looked up to see Gabriel staring at me, his eyes not entirely focused. “Gabriel?” I asked, and he shook himself, focusing on my eyes.

“Why do you do that?” he asked as I refastened my bun at the base of my neck.

“Do what?”

“Tie your hair like that. You look really good with it down.”

I swallowed as his compliment made something inside of me melt.

I shrugged. “My hair is really hard to manage when it’s loose.”

He frowned at me for a second. “I guess it’s a good thing,” he said his frown turning into a scowl. “More guys would be acting like that idiot at the carnival around you if you let your hair down at school.”

I sent him a scowl of my own and planted my hands on my hips. “That idiot only hit on me because your girlfriend started a bunch of rumors about me being a slut! She told everyone that I’ve slept with the entire soccer team and I’m currently trying to steal her man. That’s you, in case you didn’t know.”

“What?!” He shouted, leaning over his bike, bringing his face close to mine.

I didn’t back away. “You heard me.”

“She’s crazy,” he said as he backed away and started pacing. “And she’s not my girlfriend,” he said as his eyes locked onto mine and I could see the honesty in their dark blue depths.

I shrugged. “Whatever you say.”

“I’m serious, Evelyn.” He stopped pacing and leaned close to me over the bike again. “She is nothing to me.”

His eyes bored into mine and there was something in the way he was looking at me that made me nervous. It was kind of like that time in his kitchen after the macaroni incident.

I looked down, shattering the tension that was growing between us. He leaned back but before he could pull his hands off the bike seat, I grabbed the left one.

“Oh my god, Gabriel! Doesn’t this hurt?” His knuckles were raw and bloody and a couple of them were pretty swollen. I cradled his hand in both of mine, leaning close to inspect the damage. “Do you think it’s broken? We should probably go to the hospital. Don’t you agree? Gabriel?” When he still didn’t reply, I looked up at his face. He was staring down at our hands with a frown on his face. “Sorry,” I said, letting go suddenly. His hand dropped back to the seat and he winced at the contact. “I’m sorry!” I said again moving to touch him once more but stopping before I did, not wanting to cause him any more pain. “I’ll go get some disinfectant,” I said, spinning around and heading to the corner store.