**JUST BECAUSE I LOVE YA'LL SO MUCH! If you watch Rich Lux on youtube, read it in his voice. Also, because I know someone is going to ask about this, Eric says "Nicole women" because that was poppy's maiden name. Enjoy!!**

Evan's POV

I stomped around the kitchen after getting back from the store, a large chocolate bar and big box of tampons in tow. I growled at the sight of the lingerie bag, just an unwelcome reminder that I was going to spend the night alone. Going to bed alone. Maybe I was being an over dramatic bitch, but dammit he promised me this morning he would be here for dinner! All day I was excited for him to come back so we could finally sit down and have a good long talk about anything and everything. After our festivities of course, but hell you couldn't fault me for wanting to get to know him!

I rummaged around in his kitchen before finding a dusty pizza menu from a local restaurant in one of the drawers. Wiping it off, I called the number before ordering a large hamburger pizza and settling down on his couch. I didn't think twice before calling Tansy and inviting her over, telling her to bring a bottle of wine and a good romance movie. She hesitated when I told her the address, which made me realize that the more time I spent on this side of town, the more normal it seemed to me. Sure, it may be full of older houses and slightly rundown buildings instead of the tall businesses and modern suburbs that I was used to seeing, but the people here are actually really kind.

I convinced her that she wasn't going to get mugged and to stop being uptight before she agreed and said she was on her way. I flipped through the channels on the large flat screen until someone knocked on my door. Grabbing some cash from my wallet, I paid the pizza boy before giving him a large tip and going to shut the door.

"Wait up!" A familiar voice yelled as I smiled for the first time since Scar left.

"Damn, that didn't take you long at all." I observed as she panted from the run down the hall to my door.

"This place isn't very far from mine, only about 10 minutes if you speed like I do." She joked while removing her layers of clothing and setting the bottle of moscato on the coffee table. I couldn't find any proper wine glasses, so I had to settle for regular glass cups before carrying them out with two plates as well. We each dished out a few pieces of greasy pizza for ourselves before popping P.S. I Love You into the DVD player and getting comfortable.

"What's Ellie doing tonight? I'm surprised you didn't call her instead." She admitted while pouring us both a glass.

"You can't do wine and movie nights while pregnant. Besides, I see her all the time and lunch today made me realize how much I've missed hanging out with you." I said with a genuine smile that she immediately returned.

The entire bottle of wine and two thirds of the pizza later, and Tansy and I were two sobbing messes.

"Ugh, I mean seriously! Could you imagine losing someone as sexy as Gerard Butler? I mean that face and that accent." Tansy moaned as I laughed through my sniffles.

"I totally know what you mean." I replied while wiping my face with the back of my hand.

"Speaking of hot and dreamy men, I thought you were supposed to have a dinner date with yours tonight? What happened to that?" She pondered, clearly remembering what I told her earlier today. Her merely mentioning Scar completely soured my mood as I crossed my arms over my chest and began to angrily pout. "Uh-oh. What'd he say? What'd he do?" She asked with an amused tone, knowing how awful my temper is and how easy it is for me to pop off.

"He made dinner plans with me tonight and I was all excited to sit down and have a good proper talk with him. Y'know, find out his likes and dislikes. Does he have a big family? The works. So, in preparation for this dinner, I go out and get all the groceries to make him a really good meal and then I stop and hit up that really expensive lingerie boutique at that strip mall we always go to, you know the one?" I asked as she nodded in response. "Anyway, so I get there and I buy this really adorable two piece set with the garter belt and everything. I get back here and get all changed, put some lotion on so I smell good and my skin is soft. In the middle of cooking, he gets here early and tells me that his friend's in town and he's going to meet him at the bar in an hour!" I exclaim, seeing red all over again.

"No! You're joking!" She gasped in horror.

"I fucking wish! I replied with a scowl. She opened her mouth to probably give me some pity response, but my phone ringing cut her off. I leaned all the way forward and glared at the device.

"It's him." I growled.

"Answer it! Answer it!" She demanded while walking me with a pillow. I swiped my finger across the screen before pressing the speaker button. There was some muffled noise coming from his end and I had already figured out why.

"He butt dialed me." I explained before going to end the call. Tansy ripped my arm away from the phone with wide eyes.

"Wait! Don't you want to hear what he's saying?" She deadpanned before leaning forward and turning the volume on my phone all the way up. I rolled my eyes before sighing at her in response and throwing myself back against the couch as I listened quietly.

"I know dude. I can't believe how much I missed this place." Someone I didn't recognize said. Tansy looked at me in confusion.

"That's not him." I whispered quietly while straining my ears. "I told you, he's just hanging out with his-"

"So, what's this I been hearin about you being chained now, huh? The fuck happened to our pack?" I heard the same voice slur out as I immediately shut up. The audio of the call much clearer now than it was a few seconds before.

"What pack?" Tansy asked frantically. I shushed her violently before leaning the side of my ear towards the phone in order to hear better.

"I don't know, shut up and listen!" I whisper yelled.

"I dunno man." I heard Scar respond. Tansy looked up at me once again and I nodded, knowing she was wondering if that was Scar or not. The unmistakable release of air signaled that another beer was opened.

"I mean, not a single woman in this world is good enough to stop fuckin around and settle for good. No way this chick it worth it." The other guy yelled as my heart began to pound in my chest. He better fucking defend me I thought to myself as I subconsciously clutched Tansy's hand for support.

"She's got one tight ass pussy, that's for sure. Pretty good fuck too, doesn't make me do all the work." Scar laughed before there was a clinking noise followed by silence. My eyes welled up with tears as everything suddenly became crystal clear to me. I refused to look at Tansy when I felt her staring at me in my peripheral vision. I could tell there was a look of sympathy on her face that I just couldn't stomach right now. Neither one of us said anything as we continued to listen, my heart breaking for what could have been with every passing second.

"You just gotta do what I do; keep them close enough to be content with the attention you're giving them, but never put a label on it. That way if something better comes along, you can jump ship and start the process all over again without explaining yourself." His friend replied after a few minutes. Scar just laughed at his friend, not disagreeing with the disgusting comment he made. They always say you're a reflection of those you surround yourself with. My body was tense as I began to silently cry while I tried to keep it together for the sake of my sanity. Being rejected by two men in two weeks has to be a record of some sort. I jolted out of my frozen state as a large clatter sounded from my phone. Seconds later, I heard Scar grunt in confusion before the call was swiftly ended.

Unable to hold it in any longer, I began sobbing loudly as Tansy flew across the couch to cradle my head against her chest while cooing soft apologies. I gripped her sweater in my hands tightly as I squeezed my eyes shut, willing the pain to go away. This one hurt more than Brandon ever did. Maybe it was because I'd given myself to him and gotten attached to the way he made me feel. Maybe not. All I could think about was the threat he made that night at his fight. That's what I'll do to any man you try getting close with.

Why would he say that if I was just another girl to him? Why would he tell me I wasn't a meaningless fuck if that's exactly what I was in his eyes? Was he just saying that so I'd continue to sleep with him? But even that explanation didn't make sense. There's plenty of girls who would willingly give him their bodies without him even having to ask, so why go to the trouble with me if this was how he truly felt all along? Why would he stay at my apartment and meet my mom if he was just going to "jump ship" later as his friend had said?

I think that's what hurts the most. I never once doubted that he kept me around because he wanted more than just sex after he'd said so. I interpreted everything he did and said as wanting something more with me. I wasn't worried about not knowing each other all that well because there was always another tomorrow. Well, until now I guess. I wiped the snot from my nose with the back of my sweatshirt sleeve before pushing myself off the bed and wandering into his room. I picked up the bag I'd packed earlier in order to stay the night and slipped on my uggs before making my way back into the living room, hiccupping and sniffling from the aftermath of my breakdown as tears continued to stream down my face.

Taking the key he'd given me earlier out of my pocket, I bit my knuckles to muffle my cry of pain as I gently placed it on his kitchen counter with shaking hands. Tansy came up behind me, rubbing my shoulders in a comforting manner before hugging me around my shoulders.

"C'mon. Let's go back to my place. We can have a sleepover like we used to when we were little." She murmured to which I nodded in agreement. Meandering my way out of the apartment and to my car, I followed behind her in silence. I refused to turn my radio on, because it just reminded me of the fact that Scar fixed it, and that led me to remembering Scar, which led me to remembering what he said about me, which led me to almost crying once again.

Parking behind Tansy in the driveway of her duplex, I gave myself a brief pep talk before getting out of the car. All I wanted to do right now was hunt Scar down and scream in his face. Ask him why he said and did the things he did. Demand my key back before giving him a good, hard slap across the face. I guess if I wanted to look at the bright side of the situation, I no longer had to break the news about him to my father, because there was no him anymore.

"You know where the guest bedroom is. The bed's made and I do think the shower is stocked so you can take one before laying down if you want. Get some sleep, okay? It'll all work itself out." She promised before hugging me once more. I released a deep breath as I pulled the shower curtain back and stepped under the warm spray. Letting the water sooth the tension in my body, I robotically went about washing my hair and body before I slid against the shower wall down to the floor. Balling myself up, I cradled my legs to my chest and let myself cry. This still doesn't count as wallowing - there's no ice cream involved. I reminded myself in order to keep ahold of at least a sliver of my dignity.

When the water turned cold was when I finally crawled out of the shower and slipped on my clothes before climbing into bed. Laying my head against the soft pillow, I began thinking about where I went wrong. Who did I piss off to deserve this kind of treatment? All I wanted was to be loved. Like my dad loved my mom. Was that really too much to ask for? Sure, her and dad had a rough start, but dad never once let her doubt the fact that he loved her and would continue to do so for the rest of his life. Mom never had to hear dad joking with his friends about how good of a fuck she was instead of him standing up for her and defending her.

Oh no, seriously. This again? I thought while cursing aunt flow and the universe for the inconvenient timing of the series of unfortunate events that unfolded today. I rolled around in bed restlessly while trying to catch a wink of sleep. I instantly regretted not turning my phone on silent as it began to ring nonstop. Realizing whoever was calling wasn't going to give up, I answered with an annoyed hello.

"Baby, where are you?" Scar's voice mumbled. By the sounds of it, he'd started to sober up a bit from earlier when he was really slurring his words. I swallowed the thick lump in my throat, debating if I should just hang up or actually entertain this conversation.

"I'm at a friend's house trying to sleep." I answered evasively.

"Oh, well come back over." He replied as if he hadn't ruined whatever we were with two measly sentences just hours before.

"No. I'm staying here tonight. Just go to bed." I told him, knowing if I brought up hearing his conversation earlier and not wanting to see him anymore he'd do something dumb like try and drive around looking for me.

"But I can't sleep without you." He whined childishly. I could hear him shuffling around in the background before I heard his pants hit the floor. Good, he wasn't leaving.

"Just lay down and try. I'll pack my stuff and head back over." I said. A little white lie never hurt anybody. By the time he laid down and waited for me to show up, which I wouldn't be doing, the alcohol will kick in and he'll be asleep before he even knew it.

"Okay, princess. I love you." He mumbled, voice muffled by what I thought to be his pillow. My breath caught in my throat as I ended the call immediately before throwing my phone away from me as it landed at the bottom of the bed. He's just drunk, he's just drunk, he's just drunk I repeated over and over in my head and I rocked myself back and forth. Crawling on all fours, I snatched my phone back into my hand before dialing the one person I knew who would still be up this late.

"Why are you calling me, Evan? You're old enough to buy your own alcohol now." He teased.

"Uncle Eric I need some advice about boys." I whimpered out, trying to keep the emotion out of my voice so that he wouldn't worry.

"Oh, honey. What happened? I finally got Ariella to sleep, let me just tell John and I'll be right over." He assured me.

"No, it's fine, I just need to ask you something." I replied while pinching the bridge of my nose.

"Anything, sweetie. What is it?" He encouraged.

"I've kinda been seeing this guy..." I started before retelling him the whole story from when Scar and I met at the bar up until tonight and what had happened.

"My god, you Nicole women have a knack for getting involved with the most difficult men, don't you?" He laughed quietly, probably thinking over everything he went through when he was friends with my mom in college. "I'm sorry you had to hear him say that about you, but what he says and how he's acted in the past don't add up in my book. If he threatened to hurt other men you tried being involved with and you both have, well had a key to each other's places, it doesn't seem at all like he was ever planning to 'jump ship' as his friend so eloquently put it." He said, voicing my inner thoughts from earlier.

"That's exactly what I thought, too, but I just... Where do I go from here? What do I do, Uncle Eric?" I whispered, at a total loss.

"I would say you need to sit down and try talking with him. Call him out on his bullshit and demand a reason for why he said those things and tell him exactly how you feel. I know you said you'd been planning to talk to him before he changed the plans and sort whatever this messed up fuckbuddy situation is out, but I think you need to put the emotions you're feeling right now to the side and still have that conversation. You can make up your mind on whether you want to stay or leave after." He suggested intelligently. I released the breath I was holding and nodding before realizing he couldn't see me.

"Okay. I think you're right. I'm going to try and get some sleep. Thank you again." I murmured before saying a quick love you and plugging my phone back into the charger. Pressing my face into my hands, I prayed to God to give me the strength tomorrow, no matter what happened.