Finding Everett | ✔️

Chapter Seven

READ THE END AUTHORS NOTE!

Dedicated to craZtay for her comment on the last chapter! :)

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"Hello, North family," Lizzie greeted, letting herself in the back door. School had ended early that day due to a teachers conference that afternoon. Lizzie had to go home for chores around the house, but now desired a little time with her favorite set of brothers.

At the sound of her voice, Jesse whipped around from his spot at the fridge and pressed a finger to his lips, effectively silencing her.

Nodding her understanding, Lizzie quietly stepped into the room and silently shut the door. "Sorry. Is Cole taking a nap or something?" she whispered, dumping her backpack at the base of the stairs and snatching the can of soda that Jesse once had in his hands and cracking it open.

Halfway glaring and halfway amused, Jesse replied, "No, it's Everett," he snatched back the soda and took a long sip and pointed to the fridge mouthing, 'Get your own,' and grinning.

"Oh? What's wrong with him?" she asked him quietly, doing as he asked and getting her own soda, listening to the satisfying fizz as she opened her own can. "Is he having a bad day?"

Shaking his head, Jesse replied, "No, he's sick. We think he caught what Cole had a few weeks ago and it's just starting to make a physical appearance, you know?"

Lizzie nodded, but her eyes strayed down the hall to Everett's room. Maybe he needed someone to keep him company and help him laugh his way through the sickness ...

"I already see those gears turning in your head, Liz. And I'm telling you now, don't even think about it," Jesse told her with a light chuckle, walking around her to the coat rack and grabbing his jean jacket. "Just let him be on his own. We're gonna go out and grab a snack and let Everett rest, okay?" he told her, slipping his arms through the sleeves and snatching his house keys off the rack.

"But," she protested, backing away from the door. "he'll be here all alone. What if he needs something?" she argued, her eyes darting down the hall where Everett's room was.

"Mom will be back in a few minutes," Jesse assured her, grabbing her shoulders and turning her around towards the back door. "Everett's sleeping, anyways. He practically goes into hibernation when he catches something. He needs his rest, so we should let him be."

Defeated, Lizzie's shoulder slightly slumped and she nodded her consent, following Jesse outside after he left a note on the counter for his mom. Jesse locked the door behind them, pulling it and twisting the knobs a few times to make sure it locked properly before motioning for Lizzie to follow.

"Hey, where are we going?"

"You'll see."

The 'mysterious' place that Jesse decided for them to go was the park several blocks over. To get there, they had to scurry past a small cafe, where they dropped in for something to warm up their hands during their trek.

A few minutes after entering, they walked back out with cups filled with warm, chocolaty liquid and content looks on their faces as they crossed the street, heading into the park and walking the concrete trail.

Although from the corner of her eyes, Lizzie noticed that Jesse's face could have been more content.

In fact his entire body screamed stressed.

Jesse had one of his hands shoved deeply into his pockets as they walked, his mind clearly in a different place and time. His face seemed hard and stony, his posture a bit more stiff. Whatever was on his mind clearly started to eat away at him.