Symbiotic

Chapter Eleven

The next half hour or so was a blur of uniforms, shouting and travelling. Police arrived to arrest Chase, retrieving the gun and escorting him out of the building. An ambulance was called, and several teachers tried to take Eve away from Roxie. Eve pushed back, telling them several times that she wasn’t going anywhere alone, and before long Roxie was bundled into the ambulance with her. Red lights were flashing and sirens were blaring, and parents were called.

The next time that things started to calm down was at the hospital, when after being separated for at least an hour Roxie was finally allowed to see Eve again. She ran to her side.

Eve’s shirt had been changed to hospital issue scrubs. Roxie’s jacket had been replaced by a bandage that wound tightly around her right forearm. She offered Roxie a calm smile.

“Hey.”

“Hey girl, how are you feeling?”

Eve snorted. “Right now? Pretty great. Those hospital drugs are really something.”

Roxie laughed. “Oh Lord, they medicated you?”

“Yeah. Turns out that once the adrenaline fades, getting shot really sucks. Do me a favour. If I start acting weird, please don’t tell anyone.”

“When do you not act weird? How am I supposed to tell the difference?”

“Well if I try to walk into oncoming traffic, that’s an indication that I’m probably not thinking straight.”

She sat up, looking over her arm. “Goddamn it, it’s not even my dominant arm. If I’m going to get shot, I want to at least get time off school for it. I don’t even have an excuse not to do my art final. Being left handed sucks.”

“Really? That’s what you’re thinking about right now?”

“Now that there are no guns in my face, yeah.”

“It’s a school project, Eve.”

“Yes, a really stressful one. If I can’t do it, that means they have to estimate based on my previous grades in that class. Do you know what my grades in art are like? I’d basically be getting a free ride to college!”

“Oh, so that’s why you took the bullet is it? Not because I was gonna get shot if you didn’t, no. It was all for the sake of not having to do an art project.”

She had meant for her words to come out insulted. That was difficult, of course, given the fact that she was laughing.

“Well yeah, there’s also the fact that you’re the only social interaction I ever have outside of my parents. Of course I want to preserve that.”

A knock sounded at the door, and both girls looked up to see a nurse’s head poking in.

“I’m sorry to interrupt, but Ms Verbeck’s parents have just arrived.”

Eve groaned. “Oh god, they’re going to be so pissed. Fine, send them in.”

“Should I go?”

“No, please don’t leave me with them.”

Roxie nodded, and remained in the room. She did however stand up, so that the sole chair in the room was available should Eve’s parents desire it. The door opened a second time, and her parents burst into the room.

They were, in a word, furious. Luckily, most of that anger seemed to be directed at the school, the police, anything but the girls.

“Oh Evie, my little baby girl! Are you alright?”

“I’m fine Mom. It’s just my arm.”

“Which arm? Let me see. Oh thank god, it’s your right.” She smothered Eve with kisses, while Mr Verbeck paced and fumed.

“The principal’s on his way, Eve. We’re going to have a talk to him about this whole situation. Oh, my poor little girl!”

“I’m really ok. I know ‘your daughter’s been shot’ is a scary thing to hear, but it’s not even that bad.”

The two adults continued to fuss over her until it was announced that the school principal had arrived at the hospital. To avoid starting a congregation in the actual hospital room, the group decided to meet in one of the hospital’s visitor rooms.

Roxie was pleasantly surprised to find that her mother had also shown up. Upon seeing her daughter alive and safe, the older woman seemed to find a well of energy she usually kept dormant. She broke into a run and pulled her close.

“Oh, you’re alright! You’re ok!”

“Miss Amor is more than ‘ok’ from what I’ve been told,” the principal offered. “Her actions, though incredibly risky, saved lives. Because of her, another student was able to slip away and alert a teacher to the events that were taking place. Had she not acted as quickly as she did, it’s likely the situation would have ended a lot more badly than a simple injury to Miss Verbeck’s arm.”

Eve’s parents rounded on him. “No one’s denying that the situation could have been worse. But right now, I think the real question is how Chase Bancroft managed to get a gun into the school building in the first place when according to you, he was already the subject of a criminal investigation.”

“Unfortunately, Mr Verbeck, a school is not a prison complex. We don’t have guards posted at every entrance waiting for a situation like this one.”

“I’m not saying you should have caught him the second he stepped onto school grounds. But how was he not caught before he made it past the cafeteria? I went to your school in my youth, and unless you’ve done a lot of renovations, that is not a short walk.”

“Mr Verbeck, I assure you that safety-“

“Don’t give me that crap! He was hours late to school, so deranged from what I have heard that the students were able to pick it out, and you’re seriously telling me that not one teacher saw enough of a problem to stop him? No one even made him fill out a tardy slip when he showed up at lunchtime after being marked absent for several classes?”

“And,” Mrs Verbeck added at her husband’s side, “This is completely ignoring that he had already been accused of stalking and presenting a threat to the very same students he later attacked! Why was our daughter almost suspended for an act that could be easily argued to be self-defence in light of recent events, when an actual, suspected criminal was allowed to waltz straight into the building with a weapon?”

“No one was aware that Mr Bancroft was holding a weapon at the time-“

“Because no one stopped him! None of the teachers who were supposedly supervising the students were paying enough attention to notice a very emotional teenager, who had been previously accused of presenting a threat to the safety of students, who was known to have anger issues and be disruptive in class, who had been sent to the principal’s office at least once a month for years, and stop to think that maybe they should talk to him!”

“You are very lucky that our daughter is alive, and that her injuries were not worse,” Mrs Verbeck spat at him. “You are very lucky that her injured arm does not inhibit her from her school work, or her art, or we would be suing you for damages. The fact that Chase Bancroft even got that far onto school grounds with a weapon in the first place is absurd. For all we know, he’s the one responsible for the deaths of Blair Young and Vanessa Pierce!”

“Mrs Verbeck, that is unfounded-“

“How? How is it unfounded? He’s dated both girls, according to their parents! We know that he’s a very unstable boy who is more than willing to solve disputes through violent means! Where’s the leap here?”

Eve stepped in, gently speaking up.

“Guys, I appreciate the concern. And you’re right, Chase shouldn’t have gotten that far before an adult noticed.”

“It was not obvious at the time-“

“It was obvious,” Eve rebutted, smoothly cutting the principal off, “ to anyone who cared to notice. I knew from the second I saw him that something was wrong. Let’s be real here, are you honestly saying that an adult who is paid to supervise children somehow has worse perception skills than a teenager? Because I’m not buying that. As the victim, I can confirm that part of the blame lies with the school. But we also kinda have to wonder where a teenager got a gun from in the first place. There’s a lot to think about here, so maybe let’s just chill a bit instead of pointing fingers.”

“Yes,” Roxie’s mother agreed, pulling her daughter close. “A lot has happened today, and it’s not a good idea to talk about who’s to blame while we’re all still so close to it. We all need to take a step back and focus on recovering first. I’m sure Eve just wants to go home and sleep right now.”

Eve gave her a grateful look. “Definitely. So can we put away the pitchforks for a while, please? I know none of you were there, but I for one have had enough drama today.”

Mrs Verbeck’s attention went straight back to her child. “Oh, I’m so sorry! You’re right Evie, we weren’t even thinking about how you must be feeling. We’ll take you home right now, ok?”

With that, her parents lovingly bundled her up and practically carried her out the door, though she insisted repeatedly that her legs were just fine. To a degree, she did allow their behaviour without complaint – she understood that it was only coming from a place of concern and love. That didn’t make it any less annoying or uncomfortable for her, but she could deal with it if it made them feel better.

But she knew what was coming, once they had calmed down from the shock. And sure enough, not a moment after she had been laid out on her bed with a hot chocolate and her laptop, there it was.

“I did warn you about spending time with that girl, Evie.”

Eve sighed, taking a sip of her drink and putting it to the side. “Mom, he was there for me anyway. Roxie just got caught in the cross-fire. Literally. Even if she hadn’t been there, it still would have happened.”

“Yes, but-“

“Look, you want to get technical? She’s probably the only reason I’m alive right now. She’s probably the only reason a lot of people didn’t die today. Her and the others who helped out, I mean. It was actually pretty incredible to watch; all those kids pulling together to save lives. Restored some of my faith in humanity, that’s for sure.”

Mrs Verbeck opened her mouth to speak, and Eve cut her off again.

“And before you start, correlation is not causation. The fact that all this happened after I met Roxie does not mean it’s Roxie’s fault. So chill, ok? Let’s not do this right now.”

Mrs Verbeck seemed to notice the irritation in her voice, and backed down.

“Well either way, dear, you saved that girl’s life. You’re not just our little girl today Evie, you’re our little hero. What you did was incredibly brave, and you can definitely expect a reward once you’re feeling better.” She kissed Eve’s forehead, and headed for the door.

“We’re proud of you, darling.”

Remaining in bed the next day at the bequeath of her parents (despite her continued arguments that she was fine, and could handle normal daily life) Eve looked up from her computer at the sound of her mother opening the door.

Mrs Verbeck’s lips were pursed, but her eyes were as kind as always.

“Evie darling, you have a visitor. Only if you’re feeling up to it, of course. I can send her home if you’re not.”

“I feel fine, as I’ve said hundreds of times by now. Let her in.”

Her mother turned and left, muttering under her breath. Seconds later, a familiar girl slipped into the room behind her.

“Hey girl. Thought I should come see how my knight in shining armour was doing. You did sacrifice the use of your right arm oh-so-heroically for me, after all. It seemed like the least I could do.”

Eve felt a smile creep across her face, closely followed by a light blush. “Hey, Rox. I actually really appreciate you stopping by – I’ve been bored as Hell.”

“Really? I thought the upside of being shot was meant to be that you get treated like a princess.”

“Yeah, but my parents’ idea of that is not letting me do anything lest I hurt myself. Not as fun as it sounds.”

“Well maybe I can make you feel better.” Roxie crept closer to the bed, and Eve noticed that she had her hands behind her back.

“What do you have there?”

“I brought something for you.”

“Oh yeah? What is it?”

“Well at first, I considered flowers. I mean, that’s kind of the standard go-to when buying presents for your girlfriend.”

Eve scoffed, and Roxie threw her a knowing smile.

“I figured. You didn’t seem like the type. So I got you something I thought might be… more your style.”

She held the gift up in front of her. Eve took it, and gasped when she saw what was within the metal container.

“Rox… You didn’t have to… These pencils are expensive!”

“I know, that’s why I got those ones. I figured expensive is usually good, right?”

A girlish giggle bubbled up inside Eve’s chest. Ignoring the loud protests of her arm, she leapt up and threw her arms around Roxie. “Yes, it’s good! These are top tier pencils! Thanks!”

“Good, I was worried. I’m glad you like them.”

Eve bit her lip, turning sombre. “Rox, how… How are you affording this stuff?”

“Huh?”

“I heard what Chase said yesterday. You’re… being kicked out? Something about bills?”

“Uh.” Roxie sat at Eve’s computer desk.

“Not quite. My Mom can’t keep up with the bills. So unless I can find a job to help pay for everything, we’re gonna have to move back in with her parents.”

“That doesn’t sound so bad.”

“It doesn’t, until you realise they live in Nebraska.”

Eve fell silent, processing the information.

“Nebraska?”

“Yeah. I’m doing what I can, but worst case scenario? We could be out in the next two months.”

“Oh god…”

“I took it pretty badly too, when she first told me. I may have been a little unfair to her about it. But she’s trying, she really is. She doesn’t exactly want to live with her parents again either; isn’t that kinda like saying you’ve failed?”

“I guess it depends on how you look at it. Some people see it as a vacation.”

“Girl, have you met my grandparents? They’ll put her to work on day one.”

She stood up, stretching out her arms. “You don’t have to stress about the pencils, by the way. I’m not blowing all my Mom’s money, promise.”

“So where did you get them?”

“Online. Same place I get my clothes from. If you look in the right places, you can get most things for cheap.”

“Why put all that effort in when you could just… you know… buy cheap clothes?”

Roxie shrugged, seeming uncomfortable at the question. She glanced at the canvas in the middle of the room.

“Nice piece, by the way.”

“Oh yeah, I forgot you hadn’t seen that one yet. It’s… alright, I guess.”

“Is this something you’re working on for that art final?”

“Well yeah, but it still doesn’t seem right yet. I feel like it’s still missing something, you know?”

“I’d say,” Roxie said with a devious grin, “I bet I know exactly what it’s missing.” She started inching towards the painting. Eve realised what she was doing and gasped.

“Rox, wait-“

Too late. Roxie had picked up a black marker pen and was scribbling on the canvas. Eve waited with dread for the results.

When Roxie stepped away though, Eve couldn’t see a difference. The piece looked fine. She lifted her brow.

Roxie nodded towards the canvas. “Well duh, you can’t see it from there. Come here.”

As Eve approached, Roxie pointed the back end of the pen at a specific part of the artwork. Eve took a deep breath, prepared herself for the irrevocable mark that now surely tainted her work, and looked.

It was a heart. A tiny, black love heart that stood barely visible against the rest of the piece.

Eve felt something pulse deep within her, making emotions swirl to the surface. Roxie stared back, her mischievous expression from moments ago melting away into something else. For a tense minute they simply stood, locked in each other’s eyes.

This time it was Eve who leaned forwards, having to stand up on her toes to reach, Roxie’s lips pursing slightly to meet hers. Again that warm fire kindled between them, that burst of electricity that filled their veins and made them want to forget that a world still existed outside of them. There was only this beautiful, pure moment.

That was, until the sound of Mrs Verbeck’s voice called them to attention.

They flew apart at the soft sound. The warmth from before evaporated into the air as Eve’s heart filled with unadulterated panic. She looked to Roxie. Seeing that steadfast gaze still locked on hers, still reassuring her, Eve found the strength to meet her mother’s eyes.

It was obvious that despite the circumstances Mrs Verbeck had found herself in, she was still trying to be polite. No need to cause a fuss after all, especially with guests in the house. But that certainly didn’t mean she was happy; that much was clear.

“Alright, I think that’s enough… excitement for our darling Eve. You had better go and let her rest now, she’s been through a lot. She’ll be back at school on Monday, Roxanne. You can see her then.”

Roxie hesitated, knowing that there had to be a reason Eve was frightened and desperately wanting to help her present a strong and united front. But in the end, she was smart enough to know when standing and fighting wasn’t a good idea. Humble, playing the long game, she let Mrs Verbeck lead her to the front door.

Once Roxie was out of the house, Mrs Verbeck rounded on Eve.

“Now, I wish I could pretend I didn’t see that. But you know I can’t.”

“Why can’t you though? I promise that if you did, it would be a lot less stressful for both of us.”

“Eve, I’ve always been aware that you supported that lifestyle for other people. Lord knows we’ve gotten into enough arguments about the topic. And I was willing to tolerate that. If I had caught you kissing a boy, that would be one thing. I still think you’re too young to be thinking about those things-“

“I’m eighteen.”

“-but at least that’s the natural order of things. I was young once too, I understand the desires that start to develop. But Eve, I never thought my own good, God fearing child-“

“What, I like girls? How sinful.”

“Now’s not the time to be making jokes, Eve. You know that the Lord God said that marriage-“

“Whoa, ok. First of all, eighteen. I’m not even really thinking about marriage yet. Ten years down the track, maybe. But more importantly, have you ever, once in your life, stopped to consider that maybe I don’t care what God thinks?”

The second the words left her lips, she knew in her gut that it had been a bad choice. But even if she wanted to take it back, she couldn’t. The cat had well and truly escaped, and to even attempt to stuff it back in the bag now would be folly.

Besides, a small part of her would eagerly admit that she didn’t want to. That part of her felt lighter, as if she had carried an anchor in her chest for her entire life that had finally lifted and left an empty space in its wake. What she wanted to fill that space with, she had no idea yet. But the one thing she did know, with almost giddy realisation, was that she was free to set sail to wherever she now chose. There was something incredibly liberating, she had discovered, in the idea that the worst case scenario had now happened.

Her relief was soon followed by innumerably more negative emotions when she saw her mother’s response to her words. Mrs Verbeck was positively livid.

“What did you just say?”

“Mom, have you ever stopped to ask yourself why? Why I stopped going to church the second you stopped dragging me there? Why all the religious paraphernalia is downstairs, and most of it belongs to you? Did you ever consider that maybe I’m uncomfortable being told every single day that who I am is wrong?”

“It’s not who you are, it’s a lifestyle. Don’t be so dramatic.”

“It’s not exactly like getting a new haircut! I’m kinda stuck with this! The least you can do is be supportive of your own daughter!”

“Be supportive? I’ve been nothing but supportive since I first knew that you were growing inside me! Your father and I have always raised you to do right by yourself, and by the Lord! We held your hand as you took your first steps, we taught you how to do those hard maths questions you always had trouble with, and we made you the incredible woman that you are today! And your way of thanking us is by turning your back on all of that? By telling your creator that you don’t care about His rules, and you don’t care what He thinks, and you’re going to live life your way? You were made in the image of the first Eve, who sinned and fell from Eden-“

“Yeah, that’s another thing I’ve always been skeevy about; why the Hell did you name me after someone whose only contribution was to get kicked out of paradise? Was that supposed to mean something?”

“Well it seems to be an apt name, since all you want to do now is sin! You keep saying that you’re eighteen like that means something, but your life hasn’t even started yet and you’ve already chosen to throw away your immortal soul for the pleasures of the flesh! What do you know about any of this, about the world in general, at such a young age?”

“Apparently more than you, if you really still think homosexuality is a sin.”

Before her stunned mother could gather herself enough to form a response, Eve was on her way towards the door. She grabbed her purse and slammed the door behind her, ignoring her mother’s voice calling her name.