Nina's mom showed up earlier than we had agreed, and Elliot immediately seized control of the remote as soon as I left to see Nina off. After bidding them goodnight upon my return, I had a different plan in mind. I needed to find Aiden and get him to spill the story of what happened between them and Xavier. It was one of those moments when being caught by him actually worked in my favor. I could ask about Xavier without it seeming strange or suspicious.

I knocked on Aiden's door and entered his room after hearing his response. The dimly lit space, with its dark-themed decor, made it a bit challenging to see without the lights on. The only source of illumination came from his bedside lamp. He had his glasses on and his laptop on his lap. His room had a touch of color from the subtle glitter accents on his tonal black Artisan Stripe wallpaper. It was a compromise he had reached with our mom, or else he would have painted his walls entirely black. As part of the agreement, he had also added a hint of gray to his bedding.

"Are you busy?" I asked.

"Not really." I took that as an invitation and hopped onto his bed, joining him as he typed away on his keyboard. After a while, I finally spoke up.

"So," I hesitated "I spoke with Xavier today about why he had to leave the boarding school."

"Ok." He deadpanned, eyes still glued to the screen. I continued when it was obvious he wasn't going to say anything.

"I wanted to hear your side too."

"It's not much different from his, except we have different suspects for the incident."

"Do you have someone in mind?" I perked up with interest.

"Yes. Apparently, he gave a ride to a visiting student the week before the incident, but nobody seems to have any information about that mysterious student." It made sense. There was no evidence that the drugs were planted on the day of the incident.

"It seems Zave really liked you. The whole thing hurt him." I said cautiously.

"I considered him a friend too, but I wouldn't choose him over my own brothers, even if they were guilty, which they thankfully aren't." I never doubted that. It kind of scared me a bit after what Zave told me. I knew that even if they were guilty, Aiden would find a way to help them. And I was equally certain he could have come up with something to help Xavier. Zave knew that too, and I think that's why he was angry at Aiden.

"Did you ask Xavier about the visiting student?"

"He wouldn't talk to me after the whole thing. Though he did manage to land a punch on me."

"Why didn't you help him though? Maybe you could have helped him." I had to ask.

"I did help him. As soon as he called me and informed me about the arrest, I immediately called his father. That's why the case was easily covered up. Plus, I was busy ensuring Elliot and Max weren't implicated. I had to make a choice, and I made it." It was the same choice I knew I would have made. I felt sorry for Xavier and hoped he could reconcile with Aiden someday. He was the first person Aiden had genuinely called a friend as long as I'd known him.

I laid back on the bed and stared at the white ceiling, searching for a solution to this whole mess. So far, nothing was coming to mind.

"Do you like him?" I turned to look at Aiden after his question. He was staring at me and I had to avert my eyes because of how uncomfortable it was making me.

"I mean we are friends so obviously I like him."

"That's not what I mean."

If Nina had asked me this question she would have received a resounding "no", but the way Aiden was looking at him and with the knowledge that he wouldn't judge any answer I gave. It made me think about it. Did I like Xavier Allen?

"I don't know," I answered sincerely.

..................................................................................................

Aiden's question echoed in my thoughts as I got ready to meet Mark. After my answer the night before, neither of us said anything else until it got late, and I headed to my room to sleep. I care about Xavier, but I know we'd never work. I've never seen him serious about anything other than football.

I glanced at the outfit I had laid out on my bed: a pair of jeans and a sweater-shirt with a quirky owl print. I dressed up and decided to let my long, curly hair down—a rarity because of its length, reaching just above my waist. The ginger dye was starting to fade, reminding me to either go back to my blonde roots or dye it again.

I applied minimal makeup since I'm not a fan of getting all dolled up. Nina even threatened to come over and do my makeup herself if I didn't put any on. I knew she would hold me to it, so I snapped a picture of myself and sent it to her with the caption, "Happy now?" She replied shortly after.

Nina: Could be better. Have fun. 😏

I slipped on my sneakers, grabbed my crossbody bag, and headed downstairs to wait for Mark. It was only 2:30, but I didn't mind. 

My mom and the boys were still in the exact same position as two hours ago, perched on the couch watching Grey's Anatomy. Well, my mom was actually watching it, and the boys were glued to their phones.

When they sensed my presence behind them, my mom turned around and a smile slowly spread across her face.

"Wow, honey, you look amazing." I knew she was mostly thrilled about my hair being let loose and the touch of makeup. She was the reason I grew out my hair in the first place. After she stopped me from tagging along with my brothers to the barbershop when we were kids, she forbid me from cutting my hair. I only got the occasional trim.

Her comment made my brothers all turn to look at me, their expressions filled with shock. I felt a tad offended by their reactions. Like, can't I look nice once in a while?

"Where do you think you're going, looking like that?" Elliot frowned, questioning me.

"None of your business."

"Seriously, Evie, where are you going? I need to know so I can decide how to react next," Max asked with a forced smile. If it weren't for his promise, he wouldn't have let me go without bombarding me with questions.

"I'm going out with Mark. Remember, I couldn't last time?" I replied.

"Brandwill?" Aiden chimed in.

"Yeah," I answered. "He should be here any moment from now."

"I still don't trust that guy. I get bad vibes from him." Elliot said.

"You get bad vibes from every male species that comes near me. You've had those 'vibes' since we were kids," I air-quoted with my fingers while saying 'vibes.'

Our mom smacked Elliot's shoulder to silence him.

"My little girl has a date, and she's going. End of discussion." She stood up, came over to me, and started fluffing my hair. "Your makeup could use a few more touches," she commented, appearing deep in thought. I knew that look. I made an 'X' shape with my hands, signalling her to keep her hands away from my face. She smirked at me. Not good. Thankfully, the doorbell rang, and I rushed to open it. It was already 2:45. A bit too early for Mark, but I didn't care. I had to escape from my mom before she started treating me like a living doll.

My surprise at seeing Mark quickly faded. I grabbed his hand and shouted, "Run!" He looked confused, but he let me drag him to his car. I saw Elliot running toward us and gestured to Mark to drive. I initially ran to get away from my mom, but now it was more to prevent the boys from any interrogation that is not needed.