Chapter 26 - Lying Is Necessary - Part 1

"Where are you going?" His mother asked before he could even walk out the door. Evan was already in a bad moo, since he was going to spend his evening at North Hallson, he didn't want to make it worse by asking permission. He thought he could just sneak out, but obviously, he couldn't. When he thought about it like that, maybe he should have let his mom forbid him to go, and then he could talk himself out of it. Angie would probably be pissed, but whatever.

"Out," he answered shortly, his hand on a door handle. The clouds outside looked like it was about to rain soon, so he decided to head out sooner. Bringing an umbrella just wasn't his thing. Besides, the sooner he left, the less time he had to cancel the entire meeting.

"Did you ask for permission?" She stood next to the door, her arms crossed on her chest. Evan replayed in his head the promise he made to himself at the beginning of the school year. Maybe he should have started fulfilling it after all. Not because he respected his parents but to keep them from acting like helicopters.

"I forgot." he admitted and quickly added, "I'm sorry."

"You better be." She didn't move an inch, still frowning, and her gaze got even more intense. Luckily, Evan was used to it and knew how to convince her.

"Look, mom." He sighed. "I'm going to Rock Pop Diner with Angie. I'm literally engaging more with the pack how you wanted, so it's nothing you should worry about." Evan saw his mother's eyes widen in surprise at the word pack.

"You should still ask first, I'm your mother, and you are still a child." He knew he had won. She was just trying to teach him a lesson for the future.

"Fine, I'll ask next time. Can I go now?" he assured her and demanded at the same time. He no longer had to worry about her reaction.

"Will you?" his mom asked, ignoring his question.

"Yes, I promise," he tried to sound genuine. Tried wasn't the right word, but the speed and grumpy tone he said it made it sound like it. But he was focused on the clouds outside, which were getting darker and darker, and Evan didn't like the rain. At least not when he was out.

"Sure, just don't be late." She gave him one last look of disapproval and moved from the door. Immediately, he took his chance and opened the door. If his mom hadn't swerved quickly, he probably would have thrown her to the ground. He was in such a hurry.

"And be careful!" His mom screamed, even when he was barely out of the door. Standing in the doorframe, she was clearly waiting for his answer. Evan rolled his eyes but decided to cooperate.

"Yeah, yeah, yeah."

He then put the hood on his head, shoving his hands into the jacket pockets. He was currently wearing a black hoodie with his favourite book quote, and on top of it, he had a black borg denim jacket. It wasn't his best outfit, but it wasn't his worst either.

Even when he wasn't thrilled about the idea of visiting the Rock Pop Diner, he was still in a hurry since the sky got even darker. Evan wished he didn't have to look at it directly but through the windows of his room. There was nothing he loved more than reading by his bedroom window during thunderstorms with a cup of hot black tea.

He arrived at the diner in record time. He checked his phone to see if Angie was on her way already but got disappointed as he noticed she messaged him that she was actually running late. Knowing her, in reality, being late meant he had at least half an hour until she would show up. Evan growled under his breath. Not only had she forced him to be in North Hallson, but now he had to be here without her. As if she didn't know that the last time he was without her, he ran into not only his archenemy but also the anti-hero of his story.

First droplets of rain fell on his head. Putting the hood down before he went inside wasn't a good idea after all. With a sigh, he stepped inside, making the little bell ring.

Without looking around, he went straight to the counter. He didn't need to see the wolves' surprised looks, which would turn provocative very quickly. As usual, he ordered a large black coffee with a lot of sugar.

"Hey, Evan!" He stiffed, hearing his name. Somehow, he instantly recognized the voice despite hearing it like twice in his life. For a second, he thought about ignoring him but eventually decided against it. Either way, he wouldn't avoid him, fate and all.

Evan turned around, cracking a small nervous smile. His eyes instantly landed on a devilishly gorgeous raven-haired boy with his just devilish cousin. Evan gave them a little wave, not trusting his own voice after what happened yesterday.

"Come sit with us, loser!" Michael shouted, also adding a small hand gesture. Evan rolled his eyes, not caring if he saw it. A mug with a coffee landed next to his hand, so he grabbed it and went for the Saunders table.

"Hey," h greeted them, still not sure if he should sit down. Ryan noticing his hesitant look, shifted closer to the window, making space for him. Sitting next to him was the worst idea, but what else was Evan supposed to do?

"Thanks." He placed the mug on the table, sitting down next to him, purposely leaving a nice amount of space between them.

"Where's your rude friend?" Michael asked, and Evan suppressed another eye roll. He was definitely right. It must be Angie, who he imagined when he was jerking off.

"She's late. Not that I'm surprised," he answered truthfully, slowly sipping his hot coffee. If nothing else, at least he had coffee, and the conversation wasn't about him.

"I'm more surprised you two decided to hang out here. Seeing you in North Hallson is like seeing Jesus." Surprisingly, Evan wasn't mad about his statement since it was the truth. This was probably the longest conversation he and Michael had ever had without insulting each other. Evan was more than surprised.

"And suddenly, you're the rude friend," Ryan playfully laughed. Evan gave out a short laugh himself despite his attempt to maintain a straight face. Their eyes met for a second, and suddenly he felt too hot. He quickly took off his jacket, acting like that was the reason for his state.

"Wow, nice hoodie. I love the quote." Evan looked down at the inscription on his hoodie, even when he knew exactly what it said.

"You know it?" He was genuinely astonished. He hasn't met anyone who recognized it before. Not that it was an unknown work, after all, there was a book, a series, and a movie, but the people in their small town wouldn't know the quality even if it bit them right in the ass.

"Of course, it's a classic. Although I have to admit, I didn't read all of Clare's books." Ryan smiled at him, resting his head on his hand, so he could have a better look at his seatmate. Evan resisted flinching under his intense gaze.

"Me neither. They started to look too much alike, and I hate the same old story," he admitted. Talking about books was something he truly enjoyed, and he didn't have enough friends for that. Not that he wanted to be friends with Ryan. That wouldn't bode well.

"So, who's your favourite character?" Ryan asked, and Evan despite his best efforts was happy to answer.

"Isabelle, definitely. However, they did her dirty in the movie." His brows twitched. Thinking about it still made him mad, and that movie was released in 2013. Maybe it was because she was his comfort character.

"Agree. They really made her look unimportant when in reality, she's everything but that. But I have to say, they made Alec look even worse. And let me tell you, I loved the book Alec, he's my favourite." Ryan beamed at him. It was quite a paradox, Evan thought, that he liked the gay character in particular. However, he did not show his surprise in any way.

"Alright, geeks," Michael interrupted their heated conversation, and Evan was somehow glad. He was starting to be too interested in everything Ryan had to say, which was nothing but the worst. It was actually the exact opposite of his plan.

"It wouldn't hurt you if you talked about books sometimes, you know?" Ryan told him before Michael could even explain what he wanted from them in the first place. Maybe he just felt pushed away, which according to Evan, was nothing Michael wasn't used to. Whenever they met, he had Angie by his side, but Michael was alone.

"Maybe, but since I don't read, it would be useless," Michael quickly responded. He didn't seem offended by his cousin's remark, but he didn't seem to take it to heart either.

"Reading increases your intelligence, not that you would know it," Eva couldn't lose a chance to offend him. Ryan chuckled at his words but quickly apologized when he saw Michael's upset grimace. If Ryan wasn't who he is, Evan would be proud of their collaboration.

"I'm starting to hate the combination of you two," he stated for obvious reasons. At least they agreed on something. Maybe that was what Eva needed – to make Michael so mad, he wouldn't let Ryan hang out with him. He wouldn't mind if Michael hated him (which he was surprised he didn't already), but was he ready for Ryan to dislike him? Was this even possible when they shared a part of their soul?

"Well, I love it, so I guess you have to deal with it." Evan's heart almost stopped at the sound of that word coming from his mouth. He tried to convince himself that it wasn't his fault, but his wolf's since he couldn't keep it in his pants. And if Angie wouldn't come soon, Evan thought it might be the death of him. In this situation, Ryan and the two wolves were in the upper hand, and Evan had no chance to win.

"I'm not in North Hallson often, so it doesn't matter, anyway," he tried to sound casual, and luckily, he thought it was working. He just had to calm his heart, which was beating like crazy.

"Don't you live here?" Ryan looked genuinely confused. Evan looked away and rather focused on the half-finished mug in his hands. He was already so unsure of himself that he didn't believe he could maintain eye contact.

"I do," he nodded, "but I don't go to school here." He kept his explanation simple.

"Why not?" Ryan asked, but instead of an answer, Evan just shrugged. He didn't want to tell him more about himself than was necessary. Especially when he had no idea what Ryan has saw through his eyes. Every little detail could be a clue that would reveal Evan's true identity.

"Cause he's annoying," Michael's answer was at least a bit of truth. To wolves, with his ignorance when it came to pack, Evan was sure annoying. Half of them barely knew him since he kept his distance, which surely pissed them off. Wolves were family, they would say. Evan would love to ask them where the family was when Riley had to leave the pack.

"It takes one to know one," he said without thinking. Ryan started to laugh loudly, ignoring the harsh look Michael was giving him. Evan dared to look at him, his brown eyes filled with tears, little wrinkles under them, and he couldn't tear his gaze away. He looked so carefree and handsome laughing like that. A small part of Evan was glad that he was the reason he looked like this right now.

"Here's my favourite bitches, well, at least one of them." He didn't notice Angie had come until she spoke near their table. He almost scowled at her for interrupting them, but then he came to his senses.

"Hey," he greeted her, somehow sounding annoyed without an actual reason to be. It felt like she crashed something special. Obviously, this was far from it, but the feeling stayed with him. Evan desperately wanted to go home and stay here for a few hours at the same time. He has been torn apart like never before in his life.

"Hi. I don't think we met yet. I'm Ryan," Ryan quickly introduced himself, offering her not only his hand but also a bright smile, which she returned. Evan was sure he would be hearing more about this moment in the near future.

"Nice to meet you, Ryan. I love that we are finally meeting each other." Of course, she had to say something that made Evan slightly embarrassed. Ryan looked confused for a second but added a short "you too" straight away.

Luckily for Evan, karma existed, and Angie's showed up just a second later. When she realized that she had to sit next to Michael, it was his turn to laugh at her. And it was a really good laugh.

"So," she gave another smile, but this time it was completely fake, "what are we talking about?"

A/N: The second part will be published tomorrow! I hope you enjoy this story and that Evan doesn't make you too angry. 😝😝