Chapter Twelve

I storm by people walking out of the door until I can feel the cool air on my face, letting me know that I'm outside. I make a sharp right and stand in the shadows close to the building of the restaurant.

Just a couple deep breaths is all I need to clear my head.

This night is going to be longer than I had originally planned.

I could call Evan, or one of the guys and just have them come pick me up. Who knows, maybe even let my mom think that I was abducted by some crazy stranger and let her panic for a little while. After all, she does deserve it because this whole mess is her fault.

"Abby!" I hear somebody call.

I don't even have to look to know that it's Van. It only takes a few seconds until he spots me and is sprinting the few steps there are betweens us, closing the space.

"Can I just be alone for, like, five seconds, damn!" I demand, taking a deep breath.

"What's wrong? You're blowing the plan," he points out.

I glare at him. "Really, Van? I think it's you who's blowing the plan by drooling all over Maya," I inform him.

"I was only doing that to piss off that Carlos guy," Van explains. "I don't even know her and she's practically a toddler to me," he adds sincerely.

I begin staring at the ground, trying my best not to show a smile because of how satisfied I am with that answer. "Everything is just getting completely out of control between us, you know?" I tell him, looking back up at him.

Van nods. "I have a feeling that's not the entire reason, is it?"

I stare back at the ground, wishing that I could just click my shoes and go home. Van gently cups my chin in between his thumb and index finger and tilts my head up, forcing my eyes to meet his.

"Hey," he says soothingly. "You can tell me."

"Did you have to kiss me?"

"I saw a chance and I took it. I think I see another one," Van winks, leaning in like he's going to kiss me again, but he's just joking.

I put my hands on his chest, inching him away. Van doesn't get the hint and slides his arms around my waist. "Van, stop."

"Will you just let me hug you so you can forgive me already," Van smirks, pulling me into him, allowing me to take a deep breath. "I honestly didn't think you'd enjoy it that much," he teases.

"I didn't!" I quickly blurt. "I have a boyfriend," I remind.

"I don't know why," Van replies. "You kind of suck as a girlfriend," he jokes.

"After tonight maybe we should take a break between us," I suggest.

"It's not like we're dating," he chuckles.

"How am I supposed to be close to Evan when I'm this close with you?" I remark rhetorically. "I don't want to hurt him."

Van drops his arms and stares at me, astonished by something I said. I don't think I said anything too horrible, did I? I was just stating the truth.

"But you're perfectly fine with hurting me?" Van questions.

"Van I didn't mean-"

"It's whatever, Abby. You want space, you got it," he states, taking a step back.

"I don't want you to-"

"I get it," he assures me, sounding angry. "Let's go back in there and get this over with."

"You aren't going to-"

"Don't worry, I'm not going to be an asshole, that would actually require me to care," Van tells me, walking towards the door. He holds open the door for me, letting me walk in first.

I take the lead towards the table and avoid eye contact with everybody while sitting back down in my seat. This couldn't be more awkward right now.

"I have a paper on infidelity that's due tomorrow, so if we could speed this up; that'd be great," Van breaks the silence. I try to contain my laughter.

"Vance, there's no need to be rude," Mr. Taylor says sternly.

"Rich, I told you this was going to be difficult, they have every right to be angry," My mom cuts in.

"What's this about?" I question. "Just spit it out, you aren't being any better of a parent by buying us dinner."

"Vance, you and I are moving in," Mr. Taylor says. "Carlos bought the house just a few days ago. So this weekend we will be moving all of our things out," he explains rather in a rush.

"Moving in where?" I ask.

"With us, Abby," My mom confirms.

Van laughs. "You're kidding, right?"

"Absolutely not," Mr. Taylor answers.

Van and I share a look for a couple of seconds. Whatever he's about to say can't be good, I can tell by the cocky expression he's wearing.

"Cool, so we'll just share a room," Van says to me, getting the whole tables attention.

"I don't think that you guys understand," my mom starts. "We're engaged."

"To be married?" Van asks, stupidly.

"We're hoping for sometime in May, or maybe June," My mom smiles.

They can't be serious. I figured that they were seeing each other, but getting married? Why would they want to go and do a stupid thing like that? They both just got out of marriages, why would they want to jump right into another one? You don't just divorce somebody to marry somebody else a few weeks later.

"We were in Vegas this past weekend and we were going to get married there, but we want a big wedding, with family, friends, and dresses," my mom tells me.

Oh my gosh. How is she my mom? We're like complete opposites.

"So are you planning on wearing a white dress? I have a lovely scarlet A you could sew on the breast of it," I state. "Or you could just wear the wedding dress from your first marriage."

"Why do you want to get married, I mean, round one didn't exactly go so well. Two cheaters will only end up cheating on each other, you know," Van points out.

"That's enough!"

I cross my arms over my chest and shut my mouth. Maybe that was a little too far, Van got a pretty good kick out of it. I just don't understand how she can be this selfish. Van and I may not really be together, but if we were, this would completely ruin things.

"What ever is going on between the two of you," Mr. Taylor begins looking between Van and I. "Needs to stop, by this weekend, is that understood?"

"And if it doesn't?" I test, expecting Van to agree with me.

Van interrupts me. "It will."

If we aren't hanging out, having fun, or talking, we're hating each other. Right now Van and I aren't doing any of the first three. Today's Friday, the first day that Van and his dad will be moving in. I've made sure to be at work all this week, ever since that Monday night at dinner. I'm off tonight though, so I don't know how that's going to go over. I'll have to do whatever I can to keep busy and away from home.

Van and I aren't really talking. We're talking for the sake of the guys, but when he said he was going to give me space, I didn't think he meant isolation. Around the guys, we talk if we have to, but if he sees me in the hallways, or in class, he doesn't say a word to me. He barely looks at me, like I disgust him, or something. I guess I can't be mad, I drove him to this, but he went too far the other night. We could've convinced our parents that we were together without that kiss.

I don't want to hurt Van or Evan, but I didn't really think I was capable of hurting Van, I figured that he would always be around. Though, hurting Van is beginning to hurt me.

I set my lunch tray on the table and take a seat in between Dex and Mitch. I glance at Van across from me, eating his lunch in silence.

Right as I'm about to take a bite of my turkey sandwich, Dex leans in. "Who's that girl over there?" he questions, nodding over to a girl in the lunch line.

It's Maya. What is she doing here? I didn't think that she would start here until Monday. But, Carlos is moving into Van's house at this very moment.

"Hey Maya!" I say, loud enough for her to look over and give me a wave and a smile. I motion for her to come sit with us. She quickly finishes up paying for her food and walks over to the table.

"Hi, Abby," she greets.

"Dex can you scoot down?" I ask, but he just stares at Maya. I wave my hand in front of his face, still nothing. "Dex, will you get your man panties out of a bunch and scoot down," I say louder, getting a laugh out of Van and the guys, making them think of his leopard underwear.

"The correct term is manties," Dex corrects, bringing his attention back to Maya, attempting to introduce himself. "I'm... I'm..."

"Dex," I fill in the blank for him. "Maya this is Dex, Dex this is Maya."

Dex finally scoots down and lets Maya sit in between us.

"It's nice to meet you Dex," Maya smiles, acknowledging the rest of the people at the table as I continue the introduction. "It's nice to see you again, Van," she coos. "I can trade you seats if you want to sit next to your girlfriend," Maya adds, looking at me.

I choke on my turkey sandwich and stare at Van, who's sliding his water bottle over to me.

The spotlight goes from Maya to Van and I, everybody stops and stares. Oh shit, what did we get ourselves into? Our plan on Monday was the worst plan ever.

"Girlfriend?" Mitch questions.

I force down gulps of water, avoiding the question.

"No way! You guys finally did it?" Dex smiles.

"That's great, we can go on double dates," Lia says cheerfully. "Right, Kyle?"

Kyle nods. "Why didn't you tell us, Vance? We're all for you two getting together, you know that."

Van gets up from the table and walks away, slamming the cafeteria door open. I stare at the now empty water bottle in front of me, feeling all eyes on me.

"What the hell was that?" Mitch asks me.

"It's complicated. Me and Van aren't... I'm still with Evan," I tell everybody as I get up from the table.

"Abby," Mitch calls out, making me turn around. "Let him cool off. Whatever you did, pissed him off big time."

By three o'clock, I decide that going home isn't the best idea, so I text Evan and ask him if he's busy. Distracting myself from Van and, well, everything is best done when I'm with Evan. I don't know what we're going to talk about, or do, but I just need... a break. So does Van, I really hurt him. I wouldn't be surprised if he doesn't talk to me ever again. Maybe I'm exaggerating, but his face looked so... broken.

Evan's hanging out with some of his friends over at his new apartment and said that he'd love for me to come over to meet them.

The only problem is that I've been sitting out in the parking lot of his apartment complex for the last fifteen minutes, not able to bring myself to actually get out of the car. I don't know why, but all I can think about is how I'm going to fix things with Van. I hate fighting with him. Our play-fighting is perfectly acceptable, but serious-fights, like this, keep me concentrated on how to fix them, every second of the day.

Suddenly my phone buzzes on the console of my car and I get excited when I see Van's name across the screen, then I notice the E in front of the other three letters. It's Evan asking me if I found the place okay. I guess that's my queue to get out of the car.

I take my time walking up the steps to his door and finally stop in front of 18B. I have to force my hand to knock on the door and it take seconds for Evan to answer, smiling ear-to-ear when he sees me.

"Hey, Abbs," Evan says, kissing me.

Evan's kisses are only a reminder that Van's are much better.

"Hey," I smile.

Evan slips his hand into mine and pulls me in behind him, to the living room, filled with guys and a couple of girls, including Kim. I give her a simple nod. I'm surprised that she's not here with my brother since they kind of have a thing going on. I don't even know if she's introduced him to Evan yet, since her and him have a lot of classes together and study together.

"Everybody, this is Abby," Evan announces, getting everybody's attention. "Abby, this is everybody," he chuckles. The only face I really recognize is Chad's, the guy that dropped Evan off at my house before we went to Aspen last weekend.

"Hi...everybody," I blush, a little self-conscious.

Evan tugs my hand and says, "c'mon, I'll give you the grand tour of the place."

"Hey, man, the walls are paper thin, so keep it down-" one of the guys comments, getting a laugh out of everybody, but Evan gives him a look that tells him to shut up. Obviously Evan doesn't know that I'm taking it as a joke, like the guy meant it.

"Paper thin, huh?" I check. "Well then, I guess you'll all know my name by the end of the night," I joke, playing along, getting unexpected laughter. I take it that they weren't expecting me to have a sense of humor.

"You did good, Ev," somebody else says. "She's definitely not another Chelsea."

I look at Evan, confused, but he just shrugs it off.

"You'll fit right in," Evan whispers in my ear as we walk down the small hallway.

Evan shows me the bathroom, the kitchen, the small spare room that isn't exactly 'ready yet,' as Evan says because he doesn't know what to do with it.

"So, is this your room?" I question, curiously, looking at the only closed door left, besides the hall closet.

Evan stares at me for a second, as if he's thinking about all of the possibilities that can happen in a bedroom. "The walls really are paper thin," he chuckles, jokingly.

I hit him on the shoulder as I open the only door left. "Do you mind if I snoop. It's in my description as your girlfriend, after all," I tease.

Evan rolls his eyes and follows behind me. "There isn't that much to see, but knock yourself out. I don't have much to hide."

"Ahh, a man of few mysteries," I giggle, looking around his room.

It's pretty simple, like any guys bedroom. There's a queen sized bed in the middle of the room by an open window. His alarm clock is sitting on his nightstand and there's a dresser right across from his bed with a flat screen on it. I wonder what kinds of shows he watches, I remember that he's told me before, but I don't think I was paying much attention. With the New Year coming up, my resolution should be to pay attention, to not only Evan, but everything. Sometimes I have the attention span of a grapefruit.

"See, nothing very interesting," he states, leaning against the doorframe, just watching me investigate.

"Oh, I haven't even started," I wink.

I walk over to the bed and kick off my shoes. Once on the bed, I stand up and begin jumping. It seems bouncy enough. Who wants a stiff bed?

Evan laughs. "What are you doing?"

I shrug, still jumping. "Testing the hydraulics."

"It's not a car," he laughs harder.

"Potato, pah-tah-toe," I reply. When I'm done, I plop down on my butt and lay back, staring at his ceiling for a few seconds.

"Having fun?"

I nod. "It smells like a guy in here, like cologne," I note, obviously.

"Oh, I just ran out of my Paris Hilton perfume, Axe was all I had left," Evan chuckles.

I smile, sitting up to look at him. "Are you afraid to sit by me?"

"No, I'm just enjoying watching you," he answers, walking closer and sitting next to me on the bed.

It's quiet for a couple of seconds before I manage to come up with a new conversation. "Can I ask you something?"

"Shoot."

"Who's Chelsea?" I ask.

He winces, like it's a touchy subject. "Just an ex-girlfriend," he responds, leaving a lot unsaid.

"What happened?"

"It's nothing, really," Evan says reassuringly.

"What, was she a stalker? Did she rip the head off Barbies, what? I want to know," I push.

He laughs softly. "It's a long, boring story."

"I'm going to give you one more chance to tell me," I begin, biting my bottom lip, to keep up a serious front.

"And if I don't?" Evan grins, purposely testing me.

I push him down and straddle him, tickling his ab-infested stomach, getting him to laugh uncontrollably. "See? Clearly, you don't want to mess with me," I inform.

Evan's hands find mine, bringing the tickling to a hault.

"Why do you want to know so badly?" he asks, intertwining his fingers with mine.

I pin his hands to the bed, leaning over him. "Because you don't want me to know," I smile.

"It's not that, it's just, I..." he trails off, lifting his head up to mine to kiss me. I kiss him back, trying not to think about kissing somebody else...

Evan wiggles one of his hands out of mine and brings it up to my face, closing all space between us.

I break the kiss and sit up a little on him. "Nice try, but I'm not kissing you until you tell me who Chelsea is," I state.

Evan takes a deep breath. "This is going to make me sound like a complete softie," he starts, as I prepare myself for his story. "Chelsea was my girlfriend all through high school and then through my sophomore year in college," he pauses. "To put it simply, you're only the second girl I've been with."

That makes me smile, in all specialty. "First is the worst, second is the best," giggle.

"She slept with my baseball coach at NYU," he blurts out, wanting to get the story over with.

I feel my jaw drop, not expecting that at all. "Wow, first really is the worst..."

Evan nods in agreement. "That's why I transferred out here. Kim was really great through the whole thing, but she didn't really want me to follow Chelsea all the way to New York, in the first place. I should've listened to her, she's right about pretty much everything," he chuckles.

"How long ago was that?"

"About a month before I met you," he smiles faintly.

I nod along. "Did you love her?"

Evan avoid my eyes, like if he says yes, it would hurt me. "I thought so, but you can't always have who you want, you know? Sometimes the one you want is the worst person for you," he tells me. "We had our problems, but with a girl like her, it was just destined to fail, she was too...carefree."

"I know what you mean..."

This makes me feel even more guilty for that kiss with Van the other night. I can't hurt Evan, not after he's told me this. Is it weird that him telling me this, just makes me like him even more. It's like we both share this weird connection with people who are capable of hurting us the most.

"Evan, I have to tell you something," I say, quietly, getting off of him. "I wasn't going to tell you because it was nothing, but something happened and after telling me that, I feel really bad."

He sits up and looks at me, waiting for me to explain. "What?"

"You can't get mad, okay? I had no idea that he was going to do it, alright? It technically, wasn't even real."

"You can tell me," he says sweetly.

I begin tell him about Monday night, about my mom and Mr. Taylor. Everything, saving the worst for last, just prepping him for what is about to come. I don't want him to hate me, but after him telling me about his ex-girlfriend that cheated on him, I don't want there to be any secrets between us. Our relationship is complicated enough without all of the white-lies.

"So what happened?" Evan prompts, patiently.

"Van kissed me. But before you freak out, it was just a quick, little kiss, there was barely time for me to react. I guess he did it to give our parents a dose of their own medicine," I explain.

Evan's jaw clenches. "He kissed you?"

I nod, slowly. "I don't want to start anything, but I couldn't keep it from you. Don't be mad at him either, okay? It wasn't a big deal."

"Wasn't a big deal?" Evan repeats, sounding a little frustrated. "Abby, he took advantage of the situation. The whole thing you guys arranged would have been plenty to piss off your parents."

"I'm sorry."

"You don't have to be, he's the one that did it," Evan points out.

I nod, looking away. I didn't mean that I was sorry for the kiss, I'm sorry for liking it way more than I should have.

***

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