Every Little Thing

28

Georgina Zhang and I have now perfected the art of avoiding each other.

When she sees me in the hall, she turns and takes a shortcut to our next class. When I see her, I keep my eyes down and pretend to scroll through my phone until she passes and I can feel myself breathe again. It isn't hard to avoid her, especially when she's got Hale beside her—but Reed and I only have one class together, and it's difficult to align our schedules and accompany each other. He tries when he can, but recently it's earned him quite a few tardy slips, so I've stopped asking him to walk with me, even though he never fails to offer.

"You sure?" He asks, when I refuse his company on a Friday afternoon, "It's my last class; I don't care if I'm late."

"Yeah, but your report card does," I reply, to which he smirks.

"I'm a professional speed-walker at this point."

I shake my head, smiling.

"I don't doubt it, but I'll pass." I give his hand a squeeze. "Thanks, though."

"If you insist," he shrugs, but before he turns away, he adds, "By the way, there's another house party tonight. I know they're not really your thing, but if you want to, we can—"

I don't even hesitate before answering, "Sure. I'll go."

He frowns, brows raised. "Really?"

I laugh, swatting at his arm. "Yes, really. My mom's out of town for the next two weeks, so I'd be home alone with nothing to do anyways."

"Oh. Where's she going?"

"Somewhere in South Dakota," I reply, shrugging. "She didn't really tell me—I think she's just dying to take time away from work."

Reed nods, forehead still puckered. "Do you think it has anything to do with...?"

He trails off, and I feel my heart clench.

"Nathan?" I breathe, blinking a few times. "I—I don't think so. I mean, why would she—that would be—"

"Sorry," he jumps in quickly, "Evelyn, I'm sure it's nothing. I'm sorry. I was just curious; I shouldn't have made an assumption."

The words don't calm me; my mind is already spinning and creating all kinds of scenarios and images in my head—my mom confronting Nathan, convincing him to come home, convincing him to meet me...

"It's okay," I say finally, forcing the thoughts to a stop. "It's probably not anything to worry about; she has a few friends in South Dakota. But, um, yeah...yeah, I'll come with you to the party."

Reed releases a breath, seeming relieved that the awkwardness of bringing up Nathan has passed.

"Alright," he says, smiling, "But if you don't want to, tell me. I don't mind renting a movie or something. Have you ever seen The Breakfast Club?"

"No," I reply, through a slight chuckle, "But I'd be happy to save it for later. Let's at least check out the party tonight."

"Sure thing. I'll pick you up at your house tonight?"

"What time?" I ask, trying to ignore the fact that he's picking me up and it sounds like a date, because it's definitely not a date.

"Is eight okay?"

I smile, moving a hand to his hair and ruffling it ever-so-slightly. His fingers catch mine and he twists them together. They entwine perfectly, fitting together like puzzle pieces. I close my eyes briefly, trying to seep some of his strength and confidence into myself, as if holding onto him for long enough might make me a little bit like him.