Chapter 47 - Sick and Broken

Luckily for Evan, Angie sensed things weren't going to go smoothly and stayed after school to make sure he was okay. Otherwise, he would not be in his room right now, but still in the school garden.

He could barely stand when she found him, but as a she-wolf, she had no problem supporting him and carrying him home. She even helped him up the stairs and put him in his bed. She then lay with him for a while, holding him in her arms while he was shaking with tears. She originally wanted to stay the night with him, but when his parents came home, he assured her that he would be fine, and she left.

Evan tried to hold back his sobs so his parents wouldn't hear him, but the longer he lay in bed, the harder it became. Eventually, he burst into tears, his sobs mixing with the howling of his wolf. It sounded like the wailing of a trapped animal that couldn't get out of its trap and was slowly losing its strength.

It was no wonder that his parents ran into his room with fear in their eyes, and the moment they saw him, they sat down on the bed, each on one side of him.

Of course, they asked him what happened, but he didn't answer. He didn't actually tell them anything. The only thing that came out of him were sobs. And that's how he ended up in his dad's arms while his mom was stroking his hair.

It didn't take long, and the crying tired him so much that he fell asleep.

He didn't wake up until morning, and judging by the amount of light in his room, it was too late to catch the bus to school. Evan had no idea when his parents had left his room and no idea where they were now. However, he didn't have the energy to go find out.

Apparently, his parents had anticipated this, as he found a note on his bedside table.

"We excused you at school. Get some sleep. We love you. Mom & Dad," the note read. Right next to it was his phone, which he didn't even know where he had left it until now. Evan's fingers hovered over it, and he hesitated. He had no doubt that at least Josh knew what had happened and was afraid of the reaction of his friends. He already felt terrible, and hearing from his friends what a bad person he was, was the last thing he needed.

In the end, the decision wasn't up to him as his phone vibrated with an incoming call. He carefully took it in his hand and first checked the time in the corner of the screen. It was a little after nine o'clock, which meant that the school was just in session. Therefore, it was more than surprising that Aiden was calling him.

He hesitated, but with a deep breath, he pressed the green button and put the phone to his ear.

"Hello," he spoke up and almost didn't recognize his own voice. It sounded as if he screamed out his vocal cords at some festival, his voice barely there.

"What the hell, E?" Aiden didn't even try to greet him back and blurt out a question straight at him. It was clear to Evan what he was asking, but he decided to enjoy another second of doubt.

"Can you elaborate?" These words sounded even worse, as they were something between a screech and a whisper.

"You broke up with Kieran?" It didn't sound like a question but more like a reminder. As if Evan could just forget about it.

"I did," he confirmed. Tears welled up in his eyes again, which was surprising since he thought he didn't have any left after yesterday.

"Why would you do that?" Although Aiden was clearly trying to suppress his anger, Evan knew him well enough to recognize it in his voice. He was giving him a chance to defend his decision, but he had no explanation for him. At least not one that would work.

"I can't tell you. I'm sorry." He gave him the same words he had given Kieran.

"I don't understand. You were fine on Saturday, what changed?" he spat out another question at Evan that he didn't have an answer to. He couldn't tell him that someone else was involved because he would think that he had cheated on Kieran. He would have preferred to end the whole call, but he knew that it was his fault, and now he had to suffer the consequences.

"It's complicated," he chose a vague answer, and that was apparently enough to make Aiden stop suppressing his anger.

"Bullshit. I really hope you didn't make excuses like that to Kieran." Evan didn't answer that which was an answer in itself. He realized he had given Kieran the stupidest reason to break up and he wasn't proud of it, but it was better than telling him he was a werewolf.

"I really don't understand, Evan. Did your parents find out about you?" Since his previous technique did not work, he chose another one. He was obviously prepared to guess until he got a satisfactory response.

"No," he answered honestly. What he feared the most was just happening. He knew there was no chance his friends would be on his side. At least not without a proper explanation. But since he couldn't offer one to Kieran, he certainly couldn't to them either.

"I'm seriously trying to understand, E. Kieran looks like he's been run over by a train. You didn't even come to school..." he trailed off, but by the tone of his sentence, Evan figured he was going to continue, and he was right. "Kieran said you broke up with him for no reason. I thought it was stupid, and I wanted to hear your side, but so far it's the same." Desperation replaced the anger in his voice. Aiden was a good friend, he wanted to be there for both of them, but Evan was giving him no reason to support him, and it was destroying him.

"I don't get it, E," he repeated again.

"I don't know what to tell you, Aiden," he muttered. His throat was tightening, and the fact that it hurt didn't help.

"The truth would be great," came the sarcastic reply. Evan paused again. He had no idea what else to say to him and didn't want to be the one to end the call.

"If I hadn't left yesterday and made you talk to me..." he trailed off. Evan didn't even think that Aiden could blame himself, but now that he heard him, he felt even worse.

"Nothing would change," he assured him, and this time it was Aiden who remained silent.

"I'm sorry it turned out this way. I really am," Evan tried again though he could feel a sob forming in his throat, "I never meant to hurt him, but I- I had no choice." His voice broke towards the end, and he couldn't stop it.

"Did someone force you to break up with him?" He wasn't surprised that Aiden had deduced that from his answer. The way he sounded certainly didn't help the belief that he broke up with Kieran on a whim.

"Nobody forced me," he tried to calm down before continuing, so he wouldn't hear the tears in his voice, "It's complicated, Aiden. I still care about him."

Silence reigned between them again.

"I gotta go," Aiden informed him suddenly, and before he could answer, the phone rang to indicate the end of the call.

Evan's hand with the phone fell to the mattress, and his head followed. The tears that burned in his eyes could finally escape freely, and he no longer prevented them. He sobbed once, then a second time, and then burst into sobs uncontrollably. Even his pillow couldn't absorb all the sound. He was broken and saw no hope for a better future right now.

...

He hadn't eaten anything all day, so he was surprised when his sobs turned into the urge to throw up. He quickly sat up, holding his mouth, and waiting to see what would happen. He had nothing in his stomach, so he thought it was just a coincidence, but then he felt like throwing up again.

He promptly stood up and ran on wobbly legs to the bathroom, where he bent over the toilet in time, as in a second he started to heave. His mouth was full of saliva, which after a while started running down his chin, and he clutched his stomach with his hands.

This went on for several minutes until he began vomiting bile.

The sounds of gagging were only interrupted by a knock on the door, which he almost didn't hear if his mom didn't speak up right away. "Are you okay, honey?"

He didn't answer, so the door opened, and she walked in. Evan gave her a quick look before leaning over the toilet again. He heard her move, and a second later, he felt her comforting hand run over his back.

"I brought you water to rinse your mouth." Only then did he notice the glass of water in her other hand. He took it from her with a shaky hand and put it to his mouth. It was the first thing that touched his tongue that day if he wasn't counting the bile, and he was glad to get rid of the aftertaste.

"If you want, I can take the day off work tomorrow and stay here with you," she suggested, and Evan gave her a surprised look. She didn't like Evan skipping school, and now she was offering him a second day where he could stay home.

"Why?" he asked, his voice sounding even worse than in the morning. His mom's brow furrowed as she frowned, and the hand on his back stopped moving for a moment.

"What do you mean why? I'm your mom, it's my job," she instructed as if it was the most natural thing in the world. And maybe it was, but Evan was so used to his dysfunctional family that he didn't expect even the bare minimum.

"Okay. Thanks, Mom," he said almost silently, leaning back over the bowl.

"Anytime, hun." Her hand moved again, stroking his back in a regular rhythm. If Evan tried to depress himself even more, he would think of what she would say if she knew the real reason he was upset. But he didn't because now he took any support that was offered to him.

It was stupid and certainly not something he should get used to, but his soul was crying out for any human contact. And his mom was his mom. She was the essential person who was supposed to protect him, and right now, he didn't mind hiding from the world in her arms and hoping that everything would turn out well because she had promised him that.

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What do you think about Evan's parents? We've seen them in various toxic situations, but it's clear that they care about their son. Do you think Evan should confide in them about his problem?