One Thousand Emails (Treebros) {#Wattys2018}

16

Connor left the next morning.

Evan tried not to be too emotional, he knew he'd miss Connor a lot, but this was a good thing for him. There were a ton of hugs exchanged and a few tears shed.

"I hope you get better.." Evan gave him one final hug, shutting his eyes tight.

"You too, Ev. Just.. take your time, make sure you're absolutely ready when you wanna come out, okay? Cause being out of the closet is fucking scary..." Connor whispered, hugging back.

"Okay.. I'll see you in two months.." Evan slowly, hesitantly, let go of him.

Connor let go as well, the last thing he held onto was Evan's hand. "Yeah, two months.. Stay safe, okay?"

"I will, I promise," he offered him a smile, squeezing his hand.

Connor smiled back at him, "See you then. Bye, Ev.."

Evan watched him climb into the car and as it drove away. He looked at Zoe, who offered him a small smile.

"I think you're a good thing for my brother. He needs someone good in his life," Zoe told him.

"If uh, y-you don't mind me asking, do you ever wish you were er, c-closer to him?" Evan asked, looking at her, but avoiding eye contact.

"I do," Zoe answered truthfully. "What was going on with him.. it doesn't justify what he did.. but I wasn't exactly a saint either. What matters now is that he's getting help."

Evan hummed, "I just want to see him get b-better, and now he's getting h-help, so.."

"Just take some time for yourself," Zoe offered. "There's not much you can do for him now."

"I g-guess that's, that's true.." Evan shrugged. "But uh, I-I need to head home, I've got some stuff to t-tell my mom."

"Do you need a ride? It wouldn't be any trouble," Zoe told him, brushing some hair aside from her cheeks.

Past Evan would've became an incoherent, stuttering mess at the thought of Zoe Murphy driving him home. But things were different now, he had moved on from Zoe, accepting her as one as his past crushes, and hopefully a new friend. "S-Sure!"

The car ride with Zoe was uneventful, Zoe asked Evan how he and Connor met, why they emailed each other, and soon that turned into a discussion about himself. Evan tried to say he wasn't interesting or anything, but Zoe didn't believe it, thinking he had to have a somewhat interesting life. Evan opened up about therapy and how it was just his mom and him, but it was cut short when they arrived at his house.

"Thanks f-for the, the ride, Zoe," Evan said, waving goodbye to Zoe as he shut the car door. He knew his mom was home, her car was in the driveway. Slowly, he opened the door, worrying she'd have to leave the second he returned.

Heidi looked over at her son and smiled, "There you are! Did you have a good time at Connor's?"

"Yeah, it was nice," Evan said, shutting the door behind him. "Um mom, can we talk?"

"Definitely sweetheart! Come sit down, tell me what's going on," Heidi patted the spot next to her, and Evan sat down.

"Um.. I.. I-I don't know how to s-say it.." he was starting to get frustrated at his anxiety's re entrance. Why did words have to be so hard at times?

Heidi started to rub his back, "Is everything okay? I know it must be a lot still, with Connor leaving and everything, but I'm here for you."

"Oh god, y-you'll hate me!" Evan started to curl in on himself, trying not to hyperventilate.

Heidi put an arm around his shoulders, "Hey, I'm not gonna hate you. Take your time, it's okay."

Evan closed his eyes and whispered, "I tried to k-k-... end my l-life.."

Heidi's eyes widened, but it wasn't a complete surprise to her. She wasn't around much due to financial issues and wanted to try to help Evan get a future. "When did it happen?"

"R-remember when me and Connor went to the Orchard?" Evan asked, and Heidi nodded. She remembered being called into Evan's room, who had looked like he had seen a ghost when she came in. "That, that was w-when I tried.."

"We're gonna get you help, okay? I want you to know that I'll always be here for you, even if I'm at work a lot," Heidi said, fully hugging her son.

"I miss you, so much... I just want my mom," Evan whispered, burrowing his face into his shoulder, and Heidi could feel it dampen.

"How about I take some off and we have some time to ourselves, alright? Because the last thing I want to do is make you feel alone," Heidi offered, running her hand through Evan's hair. She felt him nod.

"I'll always be here for you, I'm not going anywhere, no matter what."

A/N: There's gonna not much left of this fic guys. Two chapters left and an epilogue, and no, I'm not making a sequel. This story is extremely old and I need to retire it soon. I'm glad if some of you enjoy it, though. Anyways, that's it.