Chapter 17
1303 Words
“You know, Eddy came to visit me yesterday after you and Owen left,” Haley informed her best friend.
“He did?” Surprise was written all over Evy’s face.
“Yeah.”
“Hails, you can forgive him if you want,” Evy said honestly. “If you want to talk to him, go ahead. I won’t stop you.”
She would never come between Eddy and Hailey’s friendship.
“Not so soon, Evy,” Hailey replied thoughtfully. “I want to forgive him, but what’s the guarantee that he won’t ditch us again? At the same time, this is our last year of school, and I don’t want to part ways holding grudges.”
“I know,” Evy nodded. “I was thinking along the same lines. At least he’s trying, which counts for something, right?” she said, though her mind was lost in thoughts.
“Exactly. You girls should talk to him,” Owen’s voice came from behind them.
He walked toward Hailey and kissed her.
“When did this happen?” Evy smirked, making both of them blush instantly.
“Um… yesterday,” Hailey admitted shyly. “After Eddy left, Owen came back to check on me.”
“Well, finally,” Evy teased. “Or else I’d have locked you two in a room.”
All three of them headed to their favorite class.
The moment they entered, Evy noticed something unusual.
Handcuffs. On every bench.
“Um, Mrs. Natalia?” Hailey asked, confusion evident on her face. “Why are there handcuffs placed in front of us?”
“I’ll explain,” Mrs. Natalia said calmly. “But before that, I want each of you to lock one cuff around your wrist and the other around your partner’s.”
They hesitated but did as they were told.
“Um… may I?” Edward asked softly as Evy fumbled with the cuffs.
She gave a curt nod.
“So,” Mrs. Natalia continued, “you’re all tied up for the rest of the day. You’ll attend classes, walk around, and spend time with your partner. After the last lecture, I’ll unlock the cuffs."
“What?” Evy groaned. “Why? What’s the need for this?”
“It’s very much needed, Evelyn,” she replied knowingly. “You won’t understand now, but you will.”
Evy groaned again.
Finally, they were dispersed.
Not once did Eddy say anything to her. Hailey and Owen, on the other hand, were clearly enjoying every second.
‘Lucky them,’ Evy thought.
“I am not sitting at your guys’ table,” she warned Eddy.
“Whatever you say, princess,” he smiled.
“Don’t call me that.” She cringed.
“Ok, babe."
“I am not your babe.”
“You are my shining star,”
“And this shining star will shine so brightly that you will burn yourself.”
“I wouldn’t mind.”
“Urge,” she groaned.
Eddy was enjoying this far more than he should have. Who would’ve thought this activity would be so much fun? Note her sarcasm.
“Let’s go,” Evy said, stepping forward, then stopping abruptly.
Eddy stood there like a rock. She pulled him with all her strength, but failed miserably.
“What’s going to make you move and come with me to the canteen?” she asked sarcastically.
“Hmmm, let me think. How about you accept my sincere apology and consider me as your best friend again?” He suggested.
“Over my dead body. Might as well starve to death.” She growled.
Evy folded her arms, but within seconds, she was pulled straight into Eddy’s chest. He tugged her so hard that she crashed into him.
For a brief moment, everything stopped. Then Evy shoved herself away.
“Let’s go,” he mumbled.
They headed to the cafeteria and joined Hailey and Owen. A few minutes later, Carson and Kayla joined them, too.
“Do you mind if we join?” Kayla asked politely.
“No, not at all,” Hailey replied warmly.
Evy grew increasingly irritated by Eddy’s constant stare. He was enjoying this way more than necessary. Still, she kept her composure and joined the conversation until Victor interrupted.
“Hey, babe.”
“What do you want, Victor?” Evy asked bluntly.
“I want you to go out on a date with me.”
Evy felt Eddy stiffen beside her. His fingers curled into fists.
“Nope.”
“Did you just deny me?” Victor asked incredulously.
“Yes,” she said with a blank face.
“Who do you think you are? You should be honored that I am asking you on a date.” He exclaimed, clearly gaining attention from everyone in the cafeteria.
“Excuse me,” Evy stood up. Eddy rose with her due to the cuffs. “You should be honored that I even noticed you.”
“Look at this,” Victor sneered. “The loser nerd has guts now. I can ruin you if I want.”
“Oh my God,” Evy scoffed. “I’d love to see you try.”
Eddy stepped forward, but Evy shot him a glare that clearly meant stay out of it.
“Changing your looks won’t make you popular,” Victor sneered.
“I’d rather stay an outcast than be popular like you,” Evy shot back. “You know, it’s unbelievable that you think everyone here likes you because you are one of the popular people in the school. In fact, they all despise you. They never utter a word because they are scared of you. And you think that makes you a popular person. Hell no! That makes you an animal, in fact, worse than them because even they don’t harm you unless you provoke them."
“How dare you!”
“Truth is bitter. Be popular by doing nice things for someone, not by bullying them. Do you know what the sad part here is? When you are out of here, no one will look at you twice because they will remember you as a self-centered bully, not a popular person.”
Victor turned red with rage.
Maddy remained silent beside him—handcuffed, forced to witness it all.
Victor stormed off but tripped, dragging Maddy down with him.
Laughter erupted around them.
Evy walked toward them, Eddy following closely.
“Now you know how it feels,” she said calmly. “When you pull stunts like this on others. Popularity even makes your best friends ditch you. This is called tit for tat, Victor.”
With that, she walked away—Eddy tagging alongside her.
Somewhere deep inside, Eddy knew those words weren’t meant just for Victor. They were meant for him, too.
“Evy—” he started.
“Not now, Edward,” she said tiredly. “I’ve had enough drama for one day.”
“At least eat the granola bar I have,” he said quietly. “You barely ate.”
“…Okay.”
The rest of the day passed peacefully.
Carson, Kayla, Hailey, and Owen were deeply impressed. Except for Owen, none of them had ever seen Evy stand up not just for herself, but for others, too.
All four of them wanted Evy to forgive Eddy.
Still, Hailey knew Eddy needed to work harder. She understood Evy’s pain. She had lived it too. If Hailey found it difficult to accept Eddy again, she couldn’t expect Evy to forgive him easily. But at least Hailey had begun trusting him enough to let him back into their circle.
Only time would tell what the future held. And she hoped, more than anything, that their last year of high school would end on happy terms.
For all of them.
- Writer
