Eva collapsed on the otherwise always empty bench, feeling like dying.

She just ran around the neighborhood with Wendy, and while the latter was still a bubble of energy with her stretches and jumping around, every cell in the former's body was cursing at her for the physical efforts and promising her nasty aches afterwards. Eva hadn't taken proper care of her body recently, too busy watching the circus show that was her life go down, she also needed to rid her mind and forget the world for a while, so a jog with her sporty friend seemed like the perfect antidote. However, when Eva struggled to even her breaths as sweat covered every fiber of her clothing, she questioned whether the side-effects of the not-so-perfect antidote were worth it.

At least Wendy was considerate enough to slow down her pace and reduce the amount of laps for Eva's sake - thank god.

Wendy and Eva weren't the closest of friends, but they were each other's motivation to live healthy. The two girls usually chatted in breaks between laps as Wendy did her holy stretches while Eva sat on benches and sweated like her life depended on it. Eva hated that trait about her body because it was embarrassing and inconvenient, especially when all what it took to open the faucet in her armpits and back was a set of a stair or a few meters of speed-walking.

and muscles in her thighs and biceps

She was homeschooled she uses man sje wears sweatpants and sneakers huge bun that the loose elastic band was barely holding it from falling apart

The bench Eva occupied would've been empty if it wasn't for her. The citizens of Dessertville were too busy rushing around to take a minute and just chill out. Spring had plenty of mesmerising trees, blossoming flowers, and clear sky to offer but it seemed like no one had the time to appreciate it.

Eva shook her head and focused her attention on the bouncing ball of energy in front of her. Wendy was stretching her impressive shoulders and biceps, all the while opening and closing her legs. Once she finished her productive session, Wendy took off her set of headphones and placed them on the bench. Eva expected her friend would collapse and sit down like her, but no, Wendy wasn't quite done. Seriously, how hasn't she passed out yet?

"Oh my god," Wendy was so giddy as she squealed and jumped around, wild curls moving along and big braces on full display. "This is so exciting, man, I can't believe I haven't told you yet."

Eva smiled at her high spirits, wiping her wet forehead with a towel as the warm sun kissed her pale skin. "What is it?"

"Remember Ryan's birthday party?" Wendy's smile widened, glee in her energetic eyes. "Ashton and I finally got to talk and I felt an actual spark between us. When the cake came, he smeared some of the coconut cream on my face and then we danced and it was so romantic!"

Eva's eyebrows lifted - was that what Hunter meant when he said that Ashton was having the time of his life with someone else? Either way, Hunter's plan to ruin things with 'her boyfriend' was a failure because Ashton wasn't her real boyfriend. Quite the opposite, Eva was happy for the both of them because Wendy had been head-over-heels for Ashton for so long, and it seemed like Ashton was finally willing to give them a chance.

Eva was about to return Wendy's enthusiasm when her phone dinged. She glanced down at her cracked screen and - speaking of Ashton - she just received a text message from a contact named 'My Boyfriend'.

"Hey, babe ;) You still owe me for leaving me at Ryan's birthday party btw. Make it up to me and meet me at The Regular Ice Cream Shop later?"

Eva quickly turned her screen off and hid her phone when Wendy peeked at the message. What if she knew about me and Ashton? What Eva and Ashton had didn't go anywhere past friendship, with him helping her redeem herself from Zarek's bullying, but what if Wendy didn't believe her? Wendy was energetic and physically strong, but on the inside she was sensitive, quite irrational, and had the habit of jumping into conclusions. Despite Eva previously telling Ashton that Wendy would most certainly understand, Eva still had a few doubts that the ordeal might scar Wendy and hurt her feelings.

Wendy woule be heartbroken to learn that Eva was fake-dating her love interest, and considering how she ate an entire box of painkillers that could've killed her when she learned that Ashton was going away for college, then Wendy would most likely take this ordeal the wrong way.What am I doing? Eva scolded herself. She felt horrible for hurting a sweet soul despite how innocent it was with Ashton. Besides, she had a feelibg back in Ryan's birthday party when Ashton kissed her forehead and admitted that he had wanted to be with her so it wasn't so innocent after all.

Eva already promised Wendy that she wouldn't steal Ashton away, but in a way, she already did.

Feeling a boiling hatred towards herself for the horrible person she became, Eva stood up and cleared her throat. "I need to go," she said, forcing her wobbly legs to move. "I need to take a shower and, eh, do stuff." She was particularly lying, all the sweat was clogging her pores after all.

"Yeah, like getting ready to meet your boyfriend. I saw that message, you ain't fooling me." Wendy laughed, pushing a loose strand of curly hair away. "I'm proud of you. Work it, girl."

Eva gave an awkward smile and walked the street down to her house, hoping for the peace of mind she had been blessed with ever since Ryan's birthday party. Hannah had been out of her way for some reason - most likely too busy comforting Chelsea, her sister-in-law, for Alisha's lack of innocence - and while it had been a breather, the guilt that lingered was weighting her down. She shouldn't have spilled a secret she had no right to tell, even if Alisha would've done the same to her anyday, because Eva wasn't like that. Well, not anymore. Eva was doing a bad thing after another, and each act costed her a humongous amount of guilt and a tiny bit of her innocence.

Eva could feel herself leaping over dark puddles, she needed to be careful or else she might fall in and get dirty, losing her purity forever.

As predicted, the coast was clear in the house. It was too quiet, making Eva suspect that her three family members were out for a picnic since that was something chirpy and happy Hannah would totally do. Securing the lock to her small bathroom, Eva dropped her damp clothes to the floor and stepped under the steaming water, hoping to clear her mind from the negativity. One hot shower later, Eva was feeling so fresh and clean as if she was a new person. I might as well be with all the exfoliation I just did. Scrubbing those dead cells away and burning the excess sugar in her previous workout did feel renovating and liberating. She made the mental note of doing it more often, giving her body the care she had been too busy (and lazy) to offer before.

Wrapping one towel around her body and another around her head, Eva tiptoed her way out of the humid bathroom and into her room, securing the window closed to get rid of any air flow around. She whipped out her blowdrier and steamed all the water out of her red hair just because it was a health problem for her - she could get sick so easily. Her hair didn't take that long to dry - and neither did she use that much shampoo - and she started to appreciate this new life hack more, even though she hated who gave it to her.

And, speaking of the devil...

Eva was about to drop her towel and get dressed when someone busted her window open and barged in. She startled a gasp and turned around, freezing in her spot at the sight of him yet again in her room with no permission.

He half smiled, his gaze holding more emotion than ever. "Hey, babe. Looking good." His electric green eyes dropped, taking in her naked body that was covered in only a towel before he looked up at her face. "I must say I'm getting used to seeing you like this, you know, exposed legs and all."

Eva's cheeks were two tomatoes, embarrassment swamping her even more with the flashback of their almost kiss in his fancy car after Ryan's birthday party. She tugged at the towel for some sort of coverage but she soon stopped - it was either displaying her legs or her chest and Zarek already saw her legs and she wasn't about to show him yet another naked part of her body. Eva gasped at every slow step Zarek took towards her until her lungs couldn't take anymore air when he was right in her face. He made her heart stop when he - with no prior warning - put his nose in the crook of her neck and smelled her, his shoulders trembling with longing and raw need.

"Your smell, it's so sweet." He grunted, his nostrils taking her in another time as his hands trailed her freshly shaved arms - thank god for that. Zarek pulled away slightly, drowning Eva in the dark pools of his eyes that were so bad but so good at the same time. "I missed it. Fuck, I missed you."

Some sense was knocked into Eva with the unexpected words. She tried pushing him off but (as usual) he was far too strong for her. She turned her blushed face away, hoping the gesture would grant her some much needed distance because dear god, Zarek was so overwhelming. "W-what are you doing? Get away from me."

Zarek's hand slipped up to Eva's exposed neck due to her new head position - dang it! - as his other hand gripped her hair tight enough to border pain but... pleasure at the same time? "I like the short hair, it fits in my hand perfectly." His eyes darkened at the feel of the quickened heartbeat in her neck. He swallowed - what? some drool? - before he focused his gaze on the shocked body's eyes. "Hey, don't be like that. I'm not a creep, I thought you knew that about me by now."

Zarek just sneaked into her room while she was wearing only a towel, using the opportunity that she was all alone in the house to his advantage. He sniffed her, was currently gripping her hair, and he was able to trap her beneath him and basically do whatever he wanted to her if he as much as pushed her back on her bed, pulled that towel off, and crawled on her. And he thinks that's not creepy? He must have something terribly wrong with him, that was the only explanation.

Eva was suddenly aware of the dangerous situation, regaining control over her body. She tried pushing him away yet again with her free hands in an attempt of getting away from the bed - maybe that way I won't get raped, god forbid - but all what that did was make Zarek push back as a reaction. Due to their current awkward situation, Zarek's force wasn't distributed evenly and so, he ended up pushing her on the bed with him on top of her, making Eva's worst nightmare come alive. All what she could pinpoint among her raging thoughts was the memory from the old cafeteria - he said then that he wouldn't take my innocence, but what about now?

A few tears formed in the hazel eyes, Zarek frowned at the sight of them. He removed his hands from her neck and hair and plopped himself on his elbows to reduce the pressure of his body weight on Eva. He watched her pink lips tremble, her auburn eyebrows frown, and her lids close shut in fear. His defined jaw hardened, electric green narrowed. "Why are you so scared?" Despite his tense state and cold façade, his words came out laced with sadness and disappointment.

"I already told you; I can't figure you out, Zarek, you're so confusing," Eva hissed, eyes still closed because she wasn't brave enough to face the devil so close in such an intimate position. Despite all of that, there was a small part of Eva that was loving all of this; the danger, the attention, and the feel of Zarek's hard body right on top of her naked one (plus the towel). Eva suspected that that sick part always appeared around Zarek, it was just too small back then, but now it was consuming her thoughts and telling her nasty things that would make her mother's blood boil.

"Fine, I'll break it down for you," he whispered, his soft voice tickling her ears as his hot breaths did the same to her face, "I was taking a walk when I saw your mom and who I assume is your brother at the park, so I figured that would be the perfect opportunity to talk to you. Not gonna lie, when I snooped at your window and saw you about to change, I was tempted to watch but I didn't. That counts for something, doesn't it?"

Eva was about to hiss no, you creep when her bedroom door opened, and in walked Celene.

"I heard the water running while I was doing my homework. You finally did us all a favor and took a shower." Celene retorted, rolling her pastel eyes as she twisted a strand of dirty blond hair around her black painted fingernail. Her eyes stopped their movement and focused on the scene in front of her, making her stop in her tracks and hang her pretty mouth wide open.

I wish for the ground to swallow me right now! Eva panicked - did Celene just walk in on her with a boy in her bed? It was officially Eva's funeral.

Zarek's head turned around, his blond eyebrow raised as he checked out Celene from head to toe. Celene couldn't take the intensity of his glare so she gasped and ran away, her black clothes giving her a running-shadow effect. Zarek let out a low whistle, pushing himself off of Eva and on his feet. "Who was that?" He pointed his thumb at the door, curiosity evident in his pupils. "Because damn, she looks so badass."

Sudden rage coursed through Eva's veins, giving her enough courage to stand up and even point a finger at the mischievous devil. "Don't you even, Zarek!" she threatened as if she wasn't basically naked, "She's my sister, stay away from her."

"That's your sister?" he said, "No way, she looks way cooler, and her hair is blond and so long-" Zarek abruptly cut himself off there, realizing his mistake by bringing up the hair department.

Eva flinched, not because he was trying to annoy her and get her jealous but because she remembered how Zarek abused her in the worst ways - he freaking cut my hair off! The bravery triggered by the protectiveness over Celene dissolved and was replaced by frustration and fear, making the awkwardness wash all over her yet again. Besides, didn't he say he liked the short hair? He was contradicting himself and so confusing. Her knees got weak as she gave up and sat on the bed, waiting for Zarek to just finish up and leave already.

Zarek took a sigh, his eyes running around his surroundings. He paced around, taking notice of every little detail which wasn't much to begin with. "Your room is so boring, there's nothing special about it. Don't you have any hobbies or something?"

"You're acting like you didn't break in before and go over my stuff," Eva muttered, huffing under her breath. A flash back of him staining her room taunted her brain - he sat on her bed, went over her drawers, and sniffed her underwear. Creepy much?

He stilled, observing her. "You just talked back to me."

Eva shifted and pulled her sheets from beneath her, covering herself with them. "So?"

"You changed," he noted, "You grew a pair; that's new."

Eva rolled her eyes despite slightly agreeing with him. "You said you wanted to talk?"

"Yes, right." Zarek's gaze suddenly turned nervous, focusing it on the Power Puff carpet but Eva suspected that he wasn't really looking at it but through it. His hand ran through his blond strands, pushing them back as he gulped. "I'm just here to tell you that I'm over you now. I won't bother you again."

Where did that come from? Eva blinked repeatedly, not full understanding his meaning. "What?"

Zarek loomed over her, his hand reached out and cupped her cheek but Eva was too dumbfounded to react. "I might've felt something for you before, but maybe it's better to move on."

He might've? Eva didn't share the same level of uncertainty; she loved him. However, she had to agree that the nonsense had been going on for long enough, besides, her plan with Trudy and Ashton was for this exact outcome. Despite Eva knowing that this way and ending things on a good note was better for the long term, she still felt a part of her being painfully crushed to death; it was most likely the nasty twisted part, but still.

Zarek pulled away, ready to go. He soon stopped in his tracks and turned around, offering a genuine smile to shocked Eva. "This is yours." He dug his hand in his pocket and pulled out her black thong -what? - and threw it at Eva's face. "I would wash it if I were you, it contains my DNA."

Eva's eyes widened at that, not catching up to Zarek's coordinated bombs. "What DNA are we talking about here?"

Zarek chuckled. "No funny business. It was just my saliva, and no, don't ask."

Eva pushed the thong away, already complementing throwing it in the trash. She shook her head, looking up at the blond. "I still have your leather jacket from last time."

He smirked. "This isn't goodbye, so hold on to it for me, okay?" With that, Zarek turned around once again and headed to the window, jumping out of it in his fashion. Just like last time, Eva sprinted after him, not caring that her towel dropped, and made sure that he landed safely. She watched him until he disappeared from sight. She needed to analyze the previous situation and deal with it in her head.

But first things first; she needed to have a chat with her sister.

just like Zarek clarified, this won't be the end of Zareva, so don't you worry ;)

also, what's a running-shadow effect? I made it up, lol.