With Friends Like These. . .

Police Report

“Evie! Good morning sunshine. What brings you over here so early?” Of course, Mr. Alinac was there to greet her when she knocked on the door.

“Oh, hi Mr--Sorry, Liam. Hi Liam. Is Karli around? I just need to talk to her, and she isn’t answering her texts.”

“I’ll tell you where she is if you tell me where my sweater is. . . Seriously Evie, that’s my good sweater. My underlings won’t respect me if I show up again without it.” He teased, grinning like a wolf. “Oh--I’m letting you in on the joke, by the way. This is it. This is the joke.”

Despite the unease that built in her gut, she had to laugh. “All I see is a big dad joke.”

Mr. alinac reacted like she shot him, clutching his chest and staggering backwards with theatrical exaggeration.

“Alright, alriiiight, save it for the Oscars, I promise I’ll bring over your sweater. It’s in my washing machine.” Lie. It was under her pillow. At night, when the lights went down, it was her pillowcase. It was the reason she couldn’t quite meet those molten amber eyes. How creeped out he’d be if he knew in the wake of her heartbreak, she was harboring a tiny crush on her best friend’s dad.

“She’s laying down. Poor thing isn’t feeling so good. Let me ask if she’s up for any visitors.” He answered with the warmth of the sun peeking out from behind dark clouds. Dazzling. Evie nodded, waiting for him to come back.

She sat down at the table, just making herself comfortable when she heard Mr. Alinac’s voice call her. “Miss Karli will see you, Lady Evie!” His voice floated down from the second story, and Evie rolled her eyes, showing herself to karli’s room. Mr. Alinac patted her back, and hummed softly; “I’ll get out of here and give you two some privacy.”

She stepped into the room, and the door closed behind her, cutting off the light from the hallway. Musty, sick-smelling darkness stretched between them.

“I’m not in my usual spirits Darl, please forgive me.” She rasped, barely audible. “But I’ll do my best to help. You seem needy.”

Needy? Never. Hungry for the truth? b***h, I brought a plate and I’m coming for seconds. She didn’t say this out loud, of course. No, Evie took a step closer.

“Why were you at Trev’s house last night? Don’t deny it. I know you were.” The venom leaking from her voice surprised her. The dam was breaking. Years of quiet resentment strained the seams.

“W-What? Why--I wouldn’t--How dare you accuse me of such a thing?! You’re my best friend. And I’m with Jeremy!” Evie felt like she could taste the lies she spun.

“You’re lying. I have proof.” This was a gamble, at best, and if she was wrong? She would be ruining her friendship with Karli forever. She might never be invited back by Mr. Alinac. That thought crushed her.

“Show me this proof! You cant, because you have none!” She rasped, sitting up so sharply she nearly fell out of bed. The blankets fell away, and they both recoiled. Evie in disgust, and Karli at her reaction. Karlie was definitely sick again. The legions all over her skin attested to that.

“H-Here.” She muttered, pulling out her phone and showing Karlie the picture Jeremy sent, her Jeep in the background. Satisfaction bloomed in Evie’s chest at the look of abject horror on her face. Evie was right.

“T-That’s not--Me! I wouldn’t! Mae-Mae! W-Wait--!”

“My f*****g name is Evie--But keep it out of your w***e mouth.” She spat, hatefully, ripping the door open with violent force, and slamming it shut behind her as she stormed out. She didn’t even realize she was crying, not until her own sobbing voice echoed back in her ears.

Mr. Alinac blocked the way, “Whoa, whoa, whoa, what happened? Evie? What’s wrong, why are you cry--?”

“Ask your f*****g daughter!” She wailed, “She’s the one who was f*****g Trevor! She was at his house last night!”

His concern turned to something much harder. Colder. “What? Evie--Evie, what? What do you mean? She was there? When?” Her weak protests did nothing to loosen his tightening grip on her arms.

“Ow, ow, OW! You’re hurting me! Stop!” She slapped his hands away. “I-Is this whole family f*****g crazy? Get away from me!” She pushed herself out the door, sprinting towards her house. She didn’t even bother to close the door behind her, not as she dashed into her own home, snatched the keys, and stuffed herself into her own car. She’d drive off, eyes glued to Mr. Alinac as he stood in the doorway. His expression was one she’d never seen before. Crazed.

Without hesitation, she punched it, accelerating aggressively up the lane. She didn’t care where she ended up, she just needed to get the hell out of there.

She drove aimlessly, winding up at some dead end road a few neighborhoods over with only enough gas to make it home. “Why don’t I ever think things through. . .?” She whined to herself, cutting the engine. After storming off like that, she couldn’t come right back--She’d look like an i***t. No, instead, she would pull out her phone. her damnation and her salvation. The thing that gave her the truth, and broke her heart.

[Evie, listen, yeah, I was at his house. It isn’t what you think.]

[I think something happened to him. Something bad. I was there because Alex asked me to check up on him]

[Said he hadn’t heard from him all day]

[When I went there, he was fine, he was packing up to go see you. I was on the phone just long enough to call Alex and tell him what’s up, and he was gone. His car was gone, his door was open.]

[The place looked like it had been ransacked. s**t tossed everywhere. It was crazy. I think he was attacked, Evie. I think]

[I think he might be hurt]

[And I’m supposed to be dumb enough to believe that?]

[Go to his house yourself. I already filed the missing person’s report. Maybe if you were a better girlfriend, you could have been the one to file it.]

Evie didn’t respond. Could she just check something like that herself? A quick call into the local sheriff's office, and inquiring if there was a missing person’s report filed under Trevor’s name revealed that it had indeed been filed last night.

“Don’t you have to wait 24 hours to do that?”

“Oh no sweetie, if you suspect somebody is missing, then you have to call it in right away. The faster we get looking, the more likely we’ll find something.”

The faster we get looking. . . Did she even want to look for that asshole? Then again, she reasoned with her more impassioned half, did he deserve to go missing because he cheated on her? And more importantly. . .Did Mr. Alinac have something to do with it. . .? After all, he did say some problems would resolve on their own. And he seemed really concerned with how he treated her.

“Did you have anything else to report ma’am?”

“N-No!” She stuttered out, startled, so lost in thought she forgot she’d called anyone to begin with. “You have a nice day!”

“Thanks, you too sweeti--” And Evie clicked the line dead. She sat in her car for a few minutes, before turning back for home. She needed gas money. Evie was going to get to the bottom of this--If only to clear Mr. Alinac’s name in her own head.

She didn’t think she could stand it if she found out he’d actually done it.