With Friends Like These. . .

The Quiet End

Evie had to put her phone down for a spell, lest she accidentally interact with some f*****g social media platform somewhere on accident, and have Trev jump right into her inbox. He was being a very special kind of clingy she only saw when he thought she was breaking up with him. Right now, she hardly felt qualified to handle her own tangled mental state, let alone the mental state of her secretly co-dependant, cheating boyfriend!

God, had he always been so exhausting, or did something shift in him? She couldn’t stand it a minute longer. But, honestly? Evie found herself sorely equipped to handle her own crushing boredom. Currently, she laid belly first on her bed, room lights off, staring out into the surprisingly well lit night.

Every now and again, some small nocturnal creature like a raccoon or a stray cat would wander through her yard. She thought she even saw an owl swooping through the trees, but she couldn’t be certain.

The pale, cold moon stood like a spotlight overhead, giving everything an oddly flat appearance. Like a video game when the shadows don’t load right. The hair on the back of her neck stood up. This was the kind of conditions that begat supernatural sightings. What if she saw a ghost. Or a cryptid, or an alien or something--

“s**t--!” She hissed. Evie ducked down, only to sheepishly lift her head when she realized it was just Mr. Alinac’s van pulling up the lane. “Stop being stupid.” She scolded herself. “And stop watching scary Youtube story compilations. You’re not gonna see a monster out there.”

Realizing she was in the perfect position to peek, the lights in her room were completely black, so he wouldn’t be able to see her staring at him--Evie could be nosey about whatever he was up to. He certainly wasn’t returning as late as he talked himself up to be! It had barely been four hours since he left.

But he didn’t get out and immediately tiredly trudge to his front door like she thought he would. No, he opened the back door of his minivan and pulled out. . . What. . . Was that. . . ? Some big sports bag? She squinted, watching him lug what seemed to be a heavy bag towards his back yard fence. Was that the one from the other night?

He opened the gate, pulled it inside, and closed the gate behind him, before Evie could see no more. “Well. . . That was weird.” She muttered aloud. Maybe it was paperwork? Or maybe. . . Maybe he’d ‘taken care’ of her problem.

“Hahaha! Oh my god, as IF!” She shouted to nobody, sitting up in bed. “Mr. Alinac cries at kids' movies. That man isn’t a killer. Wish he was though. it would make my life a whole lot easier. ‘Hey, Mr. Alinac, here’s a thousand dollars, can you bump off my bum ass boyfriend?”

Feeling silly, rubbing the nervous goosebumps off of her arms, Evie meandered aimlessly back to the kitchen. “Might as well check up on that bum ass boyfriend and see how many texts he sent while I was f*****g off.”

Fourteen new messages. Lovely.

[Babe, what do you think about marriage?]

[Not asking for any reason, lol, just wanna know where we’re going]

[You’re still doing that lame term paper thingy?]

[ ;( ]

There was a long pause where he didn’t text her for about an hour, before the relentless attention hounding began in earnest. He was really going the distance. She would be a liar if she tried to say she didn’t enjoy the attention. It was a nice change.

[I think I’m gonna head to bed soon. hope you text good night.]

[No goodnight?]

[Please?]

[I miss youuuuuuuuu]

[uuuuuuuuuuuuuu]

[uuuuuuuuuu]

[Ok I’ll stop, goodnight lol, literally so stoked for tomorrow]

And then there were two picture messages. One showing all his gear packed up, and a dimly lit shot of his car all packed up, and the surrounding street. She could make out a couple other cars, and what she could swear was Karli’s obnoxiously bright pink jeep, but. . . No--Whatever, she didn’t care.

It was all just peacocking anyway. He was putting on a show. He would disappoint her like he always did. His last text was about two hours earlier. At least he gave up bothering her.

[ <3 ]

It was all Evie could manage to text back. She didn’t have the energy for much else. He didn’t immediately text back, either, which meant he was well and truly asleep, or Trev was right back to his old ways the second his honeyed words didn’t swing him his way.

Whatever. She’d break up with him tomorrow. Maybe give him a taste of the disappointment he so lovingly spoonfed her. “What do you wanna bet he doesn’t show tomorrow?” She muttered bitterly. “And why the f**k do I keep talking to myself? I really need to get a hobby.”

Evie didn’t remember going to bed, but she must have, since she woke up in a small puddle of her own drool, face down on the couch. “Oh! Gross!” She hissed, jumping up, frantically rubbing her cheeks dry. “Oh--s**t! I overslept!” Evie’s one god-given talent, so she would tell any man who listened, was that she could tell the time of day by the color of the sunlight coming through her window.

It had to be nearly noon!

She scrambled to snatch her nearly dead phone from the table, only. . . To see not a single missed call or text. Not from Trevor anyway. A debt company called--Probably wanting to speak to her parents--And one of those stupid online shopping auto-generated spam numbers texted her a coupon. Nothing from Trevor.

[Am I to guess today will be another fat disappointment?]

What, now he wasn’t even gonna give her the common courtesy to let her break up with him? Selfish ass. She wasted a bit of time in the shower, waiting for a reply that wouldn’t come. It was the most focused she’d been on Trevor in days, and the irony wasn't lost on her. This felt intentional.

[Seriously? What, is it because I haven’t been pouring my time into you? Grow up. Just tell me if you’re coming or not]

Evie chewed all the way through her bland bowl of cereal, and halfway through the second by the time her phone buzzed. Not Trevor though. An email. She grunted, drumming her fingers on the table. Why did she even care? Why did she let him have so much f*****g power over her?

[I know you cheated on me. I lied. I heard everything, Trevor. Everything. Don’t even bother showing your face around here anymore.]

Her heart was thundering out of her chest. This was it. The atomic explosion. He would call her any moment now. Fireworks. They would fight. She would be worn down. She’d give in. He just. . . Had to. . . Call. . .

Nothing! A strange sense of numbness crept over her. He was back to ignoring her? Fine. She wouldn’t let Trevor have a say in anything she did. Ever again. He was f*****g through.

[We’re over, Trevor. You hear me? If I ever see you again, you’ll regret it.]

Still peeking anxiously, almost hopefully at her phone screen, it didn’t yield a single call. What the f**k? The last time she threatened to break up with him, he blew up her phone, drove to her house, and blasted music outside her house until she came out to talk. And now, he just silently gives up?

It didn’t feel right.

No, Trevor wasn’t the kind of guy to roll over, and give up. Hell would freeze over before anyone, even the devil, could out-stubborn him. She needed to get to the bottom of this--Starting with Karli.