9

Lexi's POV:

The next day

I find myself walking into school a little quicker than usual, eager to see Evan so that I can get a more accurate reading on her emotional state.

Once I make it to our section of the hall, I see her standing the at the board, writing.

"Knock, knock." I announce as I walk in.

She hardly glances at me, "hey, Lex."

"How are you?" I question.

Her answer comes with absolutely no hesitation, "good. You?"

"I'm not asking how you are to make conversation, Evan. I'm asking because I actually want to know. How are you?" I push her.

It's such a common thing to tell someone that you're "good" even if you aren't. It's easier to lie and give a simple, one-word answer rather than to explain everything going on in your head because in reality, very few people actually give a shit.

The difference here is that I actually care. I want to know how she is, the thoughts running around in her head. I just don't think she believes it.

"Lexi, can we please just not do this?" She sighs. "Telling you anything isn't going to make it better or make it go away."

"But Evan I-"

"Just stop. I have a class to teach and so do you, so go do that." Evan mutters, frustrated.

I know better than to push her too far, so I step off and leave her room without another word.

* * *

"Yeah, babe. I'll get something on the way home." I sigh, talking on the phone with Mia. "Mmhm, see you later."

No one warned me about teachers having to stay late on weeknights sometimes. I wish they would have though.

It's five o'clock already and I feel like I've made absolutely no progress. With first quarter teacher evaluations coming up, I need to make sure my lessons are spot-on, the assignments are laid out perfectly, and that I don't have any major screw ups.

I sigh and write "copy" on a few sticky notes, slapping them onto a few different documents I typed up.

I leave my room with the papers in-hand and head for the copy-room. I utilize all three machines, putting in the order for eighty copies each... so much paper.

While I wait, I walk back to my classroom to see what else I can get into.

The building is quiet, and I'm fairly certain there are only a handful of people left here, if that.

Under Evan's closed classroom door, I see a thin line of light. I furrow my brows and knock softly before opening the door, only going to turn off the light that she left on.

When I open it I find her sitting at her desk, tears on her cheeks.

"I- oh- I'm sorry. I thought-" I stutter like crazy, not meaning to barge in on her. "I didn't know you were here."

She quickly wipes her face, though I've already seen the tears, and sighs, "well, I am. Can you please close the door?" She asks. I bite my cheek and step inside before closing the door. She shoots me a look and tries to shoo me out. "Lexi, I just want to be-"

"Alone? No. I'm not going to let you sit here in your room and cry. What's the matter?" I ask her.

She shakes her head and leans back, her palms covering her face.

I sigh and wander around the desk, kneeling in front of her. My hand touches her knee carefully and she looks down at me. "Why are you doing this?"

"Because I care about you, Evan." I tell her.

She gives a pathetic laugh, "Lexi, you haven't been concerned with me in five years... why are you so concerned now?"

My eyes widen at her assumption. "I wish you knew how wrong you are about that." I pause and shake my head at her, "you're the one who ended thing between us, Ev. You pushed me away and I compiled because I thought that is what you wanted. I cried and hurt over you for a very long time... so please do not just assume that I stopped giving a fuck about you after we stopped talking."

She presses her lips together and continues looking down at me with sad, red eyes. "You don't need to worry about my problems, Lexi. I've got it handled."

"Well, I'm going to. Is this about going back to court with Scott?" I ask, being blunt.

She cuts her eyes at me, "you still eavesdrop, don't you?"

"Hard not to." I sigh. "Why are you so upset? I mean, I know that this whole thing must be stressful, but shouldn't you be happy that you're going to try and get your kids back?"

I watch Evan fight her lip-quiver and her eyes start to glisten. "Lexi, it's so-" a tear slips and she pulls away from me, not wanting for me to see her in this state.

I stand and sit myself on her desk, waiting patiently for her to speak. "Take your time."

Evan slowly faces me again and looks me right in my eyes, "I'm scared to death I won't be able to get them back, Lexi. And I don't know how to go on with my life as a normal person if that happens. Seeing them every other weekend is not enough, for me or them."

My heart. "Hey, don't think like that. Ev, any sensible person would side with you on this. You're not an unfit mother, and there is nothing that Scott could say or show that would change that. So what if you had a relationship with me? I was legal. It may not have been the most morally correct thing, but it wasn't wrong." I remind her. "You have to take it one thing at a time. Hire a lawyer, set a date, and take it from there. And most importantly, keep your head up."

She shakes her head at my last sentence, "Lexi, I cant even afford a lawyer who stands a chance against Scott's lawyers. Maybe you haven't noticed, but a teacher's salary isn't shit. Scott has more money than he knows what to do with, and he hires the best team of lawyers he can find. I can't just- I can't. I don't know how the hell I'm supposed to win this." Evan hangs her head.

I reach over and grab her chin, "head up, Ev. You have to stay positive. I'll help you however I can. Let me brainstorm a little and see if I can come up with something, okay? I promise you I won't give up on this until it's made right and you have those three beautiful kids with you." I say, not taking the promise lightly.

She takes a moment, but holds out her pinky. I smirk, remembering a previous conversation about the seriousness of pinky promises. I lock my pinky with hers and I see the tiniest grin on her lips.

"Thank you, Lexi." She mutters and stands up, wrapping her arms around my neck and squeezing me. Her hips push against both my inner thighs as I sit there on the desk, holding her.

When she finally releases me, my hands remain on her waist. "You don't have to try and fight every single battle in your own, though it is a very admirable thing to try." I whisper, her face just inches from mine.

She nods subtly and I wipe her cheek with my thumb, my breathing hangs up and my eyes shift down to her lips. Fuck.

"I've got some planning to wrap up." I mutter, not sure what else to say to get me out of this situation.

She nods and steps back, clearing her throat. "Yeah, I should do that too."

I nod and leave her room at that, my heart thudding loudly in my chest.

* * *

I walk into my apartment feeling more drained than usual. Maybe it's because I stayed so late at school, but part of me is feeling bad for Evan and her entire situation. I don't know exactly how she feels, and I would not dare compare my struggles to hers, but one thing I can say is that she loves her kids more than anything. It breaks my heart to see her feeling so lost and hopeless.

"There you are... I was getting impatient and lonely." Mia greets me, hugging me and kissing my cheek softly.

I wrap my arm around her lower back lazily, not saying very much. "It's been a long day."

She frowns and holds my face, "wanna talk about it?"

I shake my head no and let out a sign. "I'm just gonna get a drink and take a shower or something." I shrug, headed to the kitchen.

Mia follows me, but doesn't say much at first. I pour some wine into a glass and drink up, even though wine is not my favorite drink.

"You seem... off." Mia points out. "Is it work?"

I shrug, "kind of. Quarter evaluations are coming up and I need to impress my boss, and a friend of mine is dealing with some things right now."

Mia nods, "okay. Well, I'm here to help. You know that." She reminds me, kissing my lips quickly. "Go shower."

I nod and leave her in the kitchen, ready to take the longest and hottest shower possible.

In the privacy of the bathroom I think a lot harder about Evan and her situation. What can I do to help? Is there anything?

I mean, I could sabotage Scott, but Evan might be against that option. She needs an attorney... one who is smart and can hold their ground against Scott's army of jackass lawyers. Oh, and they have to be affordable.

I'm quite sure Evan makes more money than I do, but I can tell you from my experience that a teacher's salary isn't one that's made for hiring kick-ass lawyers.

There has to be some- wait.

The moment of my (hopefully great) idea, I shut off the water to the shower and burst through the bathroom door, looking for Mia.

"Mia, can you reach out to-"

I find her closer than I thought, on our bed with my phone in her hand. "I thought you said you didn't know Evan before you got this job?"