Each and Every Piece

Chapter One: Eveline

The first few hours in Colorado were some of the oddest that Eveline had ever experienced. To her credit, it had been almost two months since she had been entirely sober. Ever since things had started to get rocky with Nate, Evie had been numbing the emotions rushing through her with a combination of either alcohol, weed, or both. The day of her flight was the first day in three weeks that she had gone without disorienting herself to whatever she was experiencing emotionally. Even though the emotions she experienced during her arrival in an entirely new state were not entirely unpleasant, going un-medicated was not something Evie was sure she would be doing again in the near future.

            For starters, there was the reunion with Isabelle. Eveline Porter loved her best friend more than life itself. In fact, during some of the darkest times of her life, Evie had relied heavily on Isabelle to drag her through the mud. However, with the events of the last three days weighing heavily on her mind, on the 26th of November 2019 Eveline was having a very difficult time pretending to be anything other than anxious as she descended the escalator to baggage claim in Denver, Colorado. As she approached the glistening white tile of the airport floor, the churning in Eveline's stomach became more and more severe. Maybe this was a mistake...maybe moving to a new state to avoid Nathan was too extreme of a reaction. These anxious thoughts only became more potent as Eveline's best friend came into view.

            Isabelle was standing with her boyfriend Daniel and her small round form was bouncing up and down on her toes in anticipation. Eveline and Izzy had met several years prior through a mutual friend, and had originally gotten to know one another through Twitter and a long distance friendship. Over the years, the two girls had discovered enough similarities between one another that they might as well have been the same person. This connection had been a blessing for both of them throughout the years; after all, having a best friend who can relate to the way your mind works and who can give you solid reality checks was never something to frown at. Evie had been grateful for Izzy in many ways, but the biggest support of all had been Isabelle's recent willingness to participate in Eveline's cross country move.

            Izzy was wearing worn down jeans and slip on tennis shoes that matched her coral sweatshirt. Eveline knew it was her from a distance purely based on the impatience in her expression and the worry lines that creased her face. There had yet to be a time that Eveline had seen Isabelle without a hint of those worry lines. In the two years that they had known one another, Eveline had given Izzy quite a bit to worry about. In the split-second Eveline's laced up boots hit the floor, Isabelle was moving. Before Evie could do more than drop her carry-on bag at her feet, Izzy had thrown her arms around Eveline, effectively knocking the wind out of both of them.

            "Thank the universe that you made it. I was so worried," Isabelle gasped once the air had returned to her lungs. Without releasing Eveline from her grip, she continued. "Tell me what you need, and I'll do it. I want to help however I can."

            As Eveline disentangled herself from Isabelle's arms, she felt thankful for the fact that Isabelle was so similar to her. Only someone who was of the same mind and soul as Evie would understand the words that she spoke next.

            "Honestly, Iz? I just want to stop thinking about it for a little while. I appreciate you being here for me and when I'm ready, I promise I'll let you know. But for now I would much rather have a little space and just focus on moving my entire life out here." Even as the words left her lips, Eveline knew they probably sounded forced. Most of what came out of her mouth these past few days had been. Isabelle processed Evie's response with a brief, silent, and searching gaze. After a few seconds she must have decided that Evie was mentally stable enough to not push the issue, and Izzy gave a curt nod instead. The shock that Evie felt definitely shone in her turquoise eyes because Isabelle's lips cracked a small and knowing smile.