T H E O
“Oh, fuck off with the attitude! I’m worried sick, alright?!” Evie exclaims, already breathless. “Harvey and I can’t get a hold of Ellie. She was supposed to be home after her class tonight, but she’s not back yet, and she’s not answering her phone. And neither are you and—”
“Calm down,” I sigh, rolling my eyes.
“Calm down?!What if she’s gone missing, Theo? For fucks sake!”
“She hasn’t gone missing.”
Evie cocks a pierced brow at me. “Where is she?”
“She’s safe. That’s all you need to know.”
She gasps.“Is she upstairs?”
“Go home, Evie.”
“I will not go home!Ellie?”She calls out her name but is met with silence. Evie begins bolting past me anyway.“Oh, Ellie!I know you’re up there!”
“Would you fucking stop?”
My annoying ass friend starts bounding up the stairs.
“Evie, do not—”
“I’m coming up, you naughty bitch!”
I should know better; this girl does whatever the fuck she wants.
While I’m a lot taller and stronger than my boisterous friend, she’s a whole hell of a lot faster. She makes it to the top of the stairs before I even manage to make it halfway up.
“I knew it!” Evie exclaims,loud and proud.
I reach the landing to find Nora quickly squeezing back into her damp clothes. She’s managed to get her shirt on but is still working on getting her pants over her legs.
“I fucking knew it!”
Nora’s face turns bright red, and I feel absolutely fucking terrible because I know she won’t stop hearing about this for the next month—at least. I snatch Evie around the waist and begin toting her back downstairs.
“You cheeky bastards have been screwing this entire time!”
“Not the whole time!” Nora defends from the top of the stairs, fully clothed now.
“Don’t entertain her,” I sigh. Give Evie an inch and watch her run a fucking mile. I push her toward the door. “Out.”
She pushes her whole weight against it so I can’t close it. “I’m not finished here! You had us worried sick, Ellie!”
“I’m sorry, I didn’t hear my phone.”
“I’m sure you didn’t! You were too busy over here screwingMr. Grumpy Pants.”
“Evie, enough,” I growl.
I’m more frustrated for Nora than myself. She’sreallynot going to be able to hear the end of this, and she’s already had a hard enough time tonight. I quickly remember the way I found her at the train station earlier and the way that guy’s fucking hands were on her.
I swear, I’m going to figure out what all of that was about.
“See what I mean,” Evie shrugs to prove a point. “Grumpy Pants.”