It wasn't uncommon to deal with an officer's smug attitude. Still, every time they spoke to Evelyn in a demeaning tone, her blood would boil. The first time she faced it, her nails were clawing into the armrest. At least they weren't sinking into his irritating face.

She bid a polite farewell which was undeserved but given nonetheless. She shook her head and Levi stood up, following her trail. Once they reached their respective cars, Evelyn turned to look at him.

"Do you have time to spare?" she asked.

"I suppose so, I've already bunked two classes," he replied, sounding unsure.

"Good because there's a lot to discuss. From what you told me in our last meeting and what I learned from Ackres, it's best to cease all the postponing," she said, her voice stern.

"You can come to my house I guess," he said to which Evelyn smiled.

"See you there," she replied and got into her car.

She watched as he did the same and waited for him to leave first. Her eyes scanned the station and her eyes landed on Ackres, who seemed to be drinking coffee. As he met her stare he grinned, a grin that made Evelyn want to punch him. She knew she was being unreasonable. He wasn't the bad guy and he was only doing his job. It was his arrogance that irked her.

She broke her stare and hit the accelerator. There was too much to ask Levi and judging from their past meetings, she knew she wouldn't be able to get information from him easily. He was sabotaging his own case and it couldn't continue any longer. It was only a matter of time until he was charged with the arson and every second counted.

She needed to push him but how could she? With every new interaction, he reminded her of her past self. He reminded her of the scared little girl, afraid to open her mouth and ruin her life further. It was only the beginning and it already felt too personal.

And the more personal it got, the harder it would be.

⋆ ★ ⋆

Levi observed Evelyn as she dug through her papers, as she did every time she had been there. He didn't feel as nervous as he had the last two times which was an improvement.

He needed to inform his father about the day's events but it could wait. Besides, Evelyn was far more helpful than he would be, and that made Levi feel content. 

"What I had predicted is turning out to be true," Evelyn started, breaking Levi from his thoughts.

"I didn't realize. I know it's obvious, but I didn't think they would find my fingerprints. The thought didn't cross my mind," Levi said.

"It is a hindrance but hopefully, nothing that can't be handled," she said.

"Is that what you wanted to talk about?" Levi asked.

"Not quite. Last time, you mentioned Andrea. Could you elaborate on that?" Evelyn asked.

"Which part?" he asked, unwilling to relive their previous, awkward conversation.

"Just some details about her. Last name, family background, anything," Evelyn said.

"But why?" Levi asked. He would answer, no matter the reason but he was rather curious.

"You mentioned that both of you fled the fire together. She knows you did it, doesn't she?" Evelyn asked, raising an eyebrow.

"You think she'll tell the police?" Levi asked, uncertainty in his tone.

"It is a scenario that we can expect," Evelyn replied and she noticed him shift uncomfortably in his seat.

"Is there a problem?" she asked as her voice softened with concern.

"It's just I don't think she would. She fled too, I was lighting up her cigarette- why would I tell you that?" he asked and took a deep breath. He looked at Evelyn who was giving him a suspicious glare and his shoulders sunk. 

"Is there a reason you shouldn't have told me that? You know I won't use anything against you, right?" Evelyn said.

"You've completely misunderstood," Levi said and took another deep breath, "I only said that because now you think she'll expose me and she would never do that but I don't know how to convince you of that."

"Right," she said and clicked her tongue. She knew he was lying but she was going to let it slide for now. It appeared he answered more when he was caught off guard.

"She may not tell anyone, but I still need to know. What is she like?" Evelyn asked.

"Her name is Andrea James. She's in the same year as me but she took the sciences. She's smart, I guess and I think she's rich, I don't really know," Levi replied, not knowing what else to add.

"Does she gossip?" Evelyn asked. 

She anticipated his answer but it irritated her anyway, "No."

"Did you see her in school today?" Evelyn asked.

"No, although I left pretty early," he replied.

"Did you contact her at all after the incident?" she asked

"No," he replied.

"Good. Keep it that way for now," Evelyn said. She looked into his eyes in silence. Every meeting with him was tiring and he knew he was making it harder on Evelyn. 

No one can know, he thought, shying away from her long gaze. 

"Is there anything else?" he asked.

"Yes. You do realize that the broken camera poses a problem, don't you?" she asked.

"I didn't know, I promise! I don't even go to take chemistry, just like the officer said so how the fuck would I know? He's just trying to pin it on me!" Levi said, exasperated.

"Mr.Coleman, you did do it," Evelyn said and Levi hid his face in his palms instantly.

"And you're not wrong. That would have made sense but they found your lighter as well," she said. 

Levi looked at his surroundings uncomfortably. He could feel Evelyn's eyes on him, he knew they were painted with concern. He never needed a lawyer before and now that he did, he didn't know if she went through all this trouble because she cared for him or if it was just because it was her job.

He wanted to believe the first. He wanted to tell her everything but it wasn't an option. He couldn't put more on his already stuffed plate but it was lingering in the air. It felt as though he was in a fancy restaurant where someone would drizzle shredded cheese until you asked them to stop, except it wasn't under his control.

He picked up the bottle of water that stood in front of him and emptied three-fourths of it in one sip. 

"Is there any way out of this?" Levi asked.

"I'm afraid it's too late for that. What we can do is plan in advance and hope it turns in our favor," Evelyn replied and she seemed confident about it.

"Do you need anything else?" Levi asked, wishing that the conversation would come to an end.

"I do. Can you give me Andrea's e-mail ID? I'd like to talk to her," Evelyn said.

"Why would you need to do that? Surely she won't agree," Levi said, vacillating.

"It will be completely off the books. She needn't agree, I'm just reaching out to other possibilities," Evelyn said.

"I'll have to look for it. Give me a few minutes," he said and pulled his phone out.

He had two unread messages, both from the same number and he hesitated. Evelyn's eyes were focused on him and she could read them, willingly or not. But it couldn't wait.

"Just a minute, I need to go to the restroom," he said, using the same excuse for the second time on the same day. 

He hurried in and closed the door hard, breathing a sigh of relief as he way away from all the eyes on him. His hands wavered as he opened the messages and his jaw dropped to the floor. The final message caught his eye, and not in a good way.

'wtf, why did you tell her?'

'istg if you give her my e-mail ID, I won't keep quiet any longer'

His head spun. Andrea was here. The same Andrea that he said he hadn't spoken to since the fire. What was he going to tell Evelyn when he agreed to give the e-mail address? Worse than that, how had he not noticed?

Sweat ran from his temple down to his cheekbone. He felt claustrophobic all of a sudden, followed by pairs of eyes even though he was alone in the restroom.

His heart jumped out of his chest when he heard the loud banging on the door.

"W-what is it?" he managed to ask, although his voice came out shakier than he had intended.

"Mr.Coleman, I got an e-mail from your father. The police, they are coming," Evelyn said. He didn't know what happened next. Evelyn was still talking but nothing went through his ears. He felt trapped, between Evelyn Andrea and the police and the only other corner was blocked by the restroom door and by the time he got it open, they would all catch up to him.

"I-I'll be there," he replied but his legs betrayed him. They trembled, along with the rest of his body. He looked at the messages he received and sent a message before anything else.

'The police are coming. Get out!'

"Levi, are you alright?" Evelyn asked, her voice filled with worry.

"I'm fine," he replied.

But he wasn't. He staggered his way out of the restroom and his eyes landed on Evelyn's and they seemed agitated.

"It's going to be alright. I'm working on it," she said reassuringly but he couldn't believe it.

And neither would she if she knew half the things that he did.