(✔) 𝙝𝙚𝙖𝙧𝙩𝙗𝙧𝙚𝙖𝙠 𝙗𝙤𝙮 ↳ (𝔃.𝓭.𝓱)

fourteen !

Everly finally awoke. She didn't dare open her eyes, she felt amazing. The air was cool and she felt warm and comfortable beneath her blankets. The house was quiet except for the peaceful clinking of glasses and plates. No one was screaming and shouting. And that's when she realised that she wasn't in her own house.

Her eyes flew open and panic gripped her. She jolted up in the bed, except it wasn't a bed. It was a couch. And then everything came flowing back. She remembered that she had come over to Zach's house to work on the science project and she had probably fallen asleep on his couch.

Everly looked around the room, but all everything was was a blur of colour. Where were her glasses? And why was there a blanket over her? She brushed her hair out of her eyes and swung her legs carefully off the couch.

All she wanted to do was get her stuff and go home, but Zach was nowhere to be found. Just then, a door on the other side of the room, which led to the bathroom, swung open and out stepped Zach.

From there, Everly could tell he looked pleasantly surprised to see she was awake. "Oh. Good morning." He said. Trying to contain her shock at him greeting her a good morning, Everly nodded at him in greeting, smiling politely. Why was she acting so cordial around him? There was no reason to.

"Hi. Uh, where are my glasses?" Everly asked, fiddling with the corner of the blanket.

"Oh. Right, sure. Hold on," He said, nodding his head. He walked further into the room and stopped at a small table beside his bed. He picked something gingerly off of it and handed it to Everly. It was her glasses. She gratefully took them and put them on.

"Thanks. You took them off when I fell asleep?" Everly asked, re-tying her hair into a ponytail.

She could see Zach clearly now. His cheeks went redder than normal. He nodded. "I-I just thought— You were lying down and I didn't want them to break," He stuttered. "And, uh I got you a blanket too. I-I just thought you might need one."

Everly couldn't help but beam at him. "Thanks, Zach. That was really nice of you." Zach grinned back at her, rubbing the back of his neck.

They stood there, looking at each other with these weirdly huge smiles on their faces for quite a long time until Everly looked down at her lap, her cheeks burning for some reason. Zach looked away too, clearing his throat.

"Uh, I should probably get going...My dad isn't going to be happy..." Everly said, trailing off at the end. That was an understatement. Her dad was going to pitch a fit that she hadn't come home last night.

Truth be told, she didn't want to leave. She didn't want to go back to that house, to those excuses for parents. Admittedly, Everly was frightened. The fate awaiting her when she reached home was inevitable and she was dreading it.

Zach nodded his head. "Yeah, okay. I'll just wait for you downstairs then," He told Everly, heading towards the bedroom door.

Just as he was about to leave, he turned back to face her and added, "Oh, and if you need to, you can use my bathroom."

"Oh, sure. Thank you," Everly said and waited until the door shut and she could hear Zach's footsteps heading down the hallway and down the stairs. Then, she buried her face in her hands, groaning into her palms.

Her dad was legitimately going to kill her. She had no choice but to deal with it. The most she could do was delay seeing her dad for as long as possible, and then she would have to return back home. And the punishment would be even worse.

Heaving a sigh, Everly stood from her perch on the couch and started to get ready. She packed all her books into her backpack from last night, tidied up the couch, and tried her best to smooth out her wrinkled clothes. She didn't need to use Zach's bathroom, so she opened the door and hurried down the stairs, where Zach was waiting for her.

"Do you wanna stay for a bit longer and eat breakfast here?" Zach asked, looking rather shy now. "I mean, unless you really are in a rush, then it's okay," he added quickly.

Everly wanted to stay. Her desire to not go back to her house transcended the universe. But her parents would be upset. Very. On the other hand, her stomach was growling and if Zach stood any closer to her, he would be able to hear it rumbling. And if she went home now, she would have nothing to eat there. And even if there was something in the fridge, her father would forbid her to eat. She would just be locked up in her room right after narrowly escaping her dad's wrath.

"Sure, I can stay," Everly told him and she could swear she saw his eyes light up for a moment. He grinned. "Great. My mom's preparing breakfast."

So that was how Everly found herself sitting in Zach's dining room, stuffing herself full with pancakes and bacon and eggs. She was hardly aware of the fact that Zach was watching her gobble down her meal rapidly. Then, when her plate was finally bare, she drank her whole glass of orange juice in one gulp. She set the glass on the table.

Zach's eyes were popping out of their head. He was only halfway through his breakfast. Everly raised her eyebrows. "What? What's wrong?"

"You practically inhaled that! How did you not choke?" He exclaimed in surprise. Everly laughed. "I'm just a naturally fast eater," she told him. But she was lying. She was constantly hungry all the time because she didn't get a lot to eat at home. Sure, her parents did. It was just her who didn't.

It was an altogether nice feeling, having someone to eat with, that wasn't drunk or throwing things and screaming and glaring at her. And the fact that her meal wasn't just a dry piece of toast or a half of an old apple, made it even better.

It was strange, that she felt happy, sitting here with someone who was her arch-nemesis. Or someone who used to be her arch-nemesis. Zach didn't feel like that anymore. He felt more like a friend, which was completely unbelievable. But Everly couldn't deny the fact that she liked it.

Oh, how she wished she wouldn't have to go home.