Chapter 20: ○ Phase Two ○ 19 • Junior Year

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» life's greatest happiness is to be convinced we are loved «

– Victor Hugo, Les Misérables

The first bell rang, a sharp piercing through the bubble of sleep-deprived chatters and lazy yawns of Monday morning.

Like a time bomb being set off, students began picking up their pace, slamming locker doors, and breaking away from their cliques, a fresh-looking schedule in each of their hands. It was, after all, the beginning of a new school year.

And for Evelyn Monroe, the first day of junior year.

Sixteen years of her life has passed by and she was yet to decide whether she preferred the quiet of the house she lived in or the constant murmur of the school. She supposed it didn't matter either way; it was all mundane to her. Like the dried leaves of early September currently dusting the school grounds compared to the buds of hibiscus she found during mid-April — something that was merely natural, something that was just... there. But what she didn't contribute towards and what served her no purpose all the same.

Quiet, or noise. Fall, or spring. It didn't matter; not to her. Eva just... existed.

The second bell, which acted as a warning, sounded through the hallway, bouncing off the walls and into Eva's ears, pulling her away from where shed spaced out.

As soon as her mind returned to her surroundings, she caught a pair of familiar eyes. Eyes that belonged to a girl she once knew way back when. But they were gone out of sight as soon as they had appeared when the girl snapped her head the other way and followed a small crowd of other juniors.

The third and final bell rang, signalling the commencement of the classes and then, and only then, did Eva finally get her feet started towards the direction of her class.

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The teacher hadn't yet arrived when Eva found her homeroom class and most of the students were chatting away with their peers to notice her enter; all factors that worked well to her benefit. She loved being the overlooked; rolled around in the sensation lavishly.

Finding herself a seat tucked into the furthest corner of the class, Eva made a beeline for it. She didn't pause to listen into conversations around, or to snatch a glimpse of the cute quarterback laughing boisterously with a teammate or even to marvel at Crystal's new manicure that a few girls were drooling over.

Nothing held her interest and yet everything made her question her upbringing. She'd learnt to bury those questions a long time ago though; the ones that used to plague her mind endlessly during a time when there was hope in her eyes and within the spaces of her ribcage, enveloping her young heart.

That hope was violently sucked out of her a long time back though, and with it the incessant need to have her questions answered. He made sure of it.

Logan had always made sure of it.

He'd taken her spirit, her will and then her voice. And all Eva could do now was exist; to just be.

She felt the seat next to her move, and a sudden sense of déjà vu attacked her, knocking her lungs out of breath for a whole three seconds.

The first thing she saw — and it blinded her — was this wide, wide grin revealing never-ending pearly whites and it horrified Eva to find out the gesture was directed towards her. Then she took in the almond eyes, so full of something that Eva couldn't recognise because she never found it in her own cornflower blue ones whenever she stared into the mirror. And then Eva's eyes fixated on the wild curls framing the other girl's golden-brown face; a mop of unruly, messy, dark caramel curls that tumbled around the girl's shoulders.

“Hiya!” the stranger chirped and Eva felt dread swirl in the pit of her stomach. So cheery, she couldn't help but think with disdain, too cheery. She felt an urge to clamp her hands over her own ears and drown out the sickly sweet tone of the girl's. And that smile. God, that smile. It looked like a hundred lighted white bulbs staring her right in the face.

Eva felt sick.

“This is the only vacant seat,” the girl babbled on, either completely oblivious to or deliberately shrugging off Eva's unresponsiveness.

“Uh huh,” was Eva's reply.

The strange girl smiled — no, bared her teeth full and wide — again, “Yes!” She was nodding vigorously, making Eva wince. “Must be fate, eh?”

Eva only hummed in response, cutting off communication with an abrupt shift of her head towards the front.

This was like Jessalyn and Lindsey all over again. Eva thought the attempts to befriend her would stop now that they were in high-school.

“I just moved into this town last week,” the girl said, clarifying Eva's doubts as to why this person was trying to strike up a conversation with her. “Seems like a pretty good place so far, huh?”

Someone snorted nearby.

“Hey, new girl!” Eva heard Floyd, a boy with a very pointed nose, call out to the one seated next to her. “That one's a lost cause. She's too good to be mingling with any of us, so don't bother getting her to chat. Believe me, we've tried.”

The words didn't really bother Eva; they just ricocheted off her without leaving any trace.

“Never say never!” The girl said back enthusiastically, the smile never leaving her face. Floyd looked at her like she grew another head but then proceeded to mind his own business.

The girl faced Eva again, “Oh and—” she held up a finger, signalling Eva to wait while she flipped open a notebook and began scribbling something down. After she was done, she shoved the book roughly towards her.

Maite was written on it in a lopsided handwriting.

“That's my name,” the girl— Maite —explained. “And for heaven's sake, its pronounced My-tay. Not mate.”

Eva's eyes stayed fixed on the writing for a second more, before looking wearily at Maite's glowing face. “My mother's a Latina,” Maite beamed, “hence the name.” There was a slight pause. “And the skin tone too, I suppose,” she added as an afterthought.

Eva didn't say anything but she couldn't deny how honest-to-god beautiful the bold golden of Maite's skin was. She stood out amongst everyone in this class — that Eva could tell right away. She was a stark contrast to the fair skinned and light haired physique that dominated this part of the town.

And then she did something that made Eva lose her shit.

Maite reached over and unzipped Eva's bag, pulling out one of her books.

“What in the world—”

“AHA!” Maite yelled, catching the attention of a very startled Floyd and making the girl napping in front of them bolt right up from her seat. “So the name's Evelyn, eh?” Her sharp eyes scanned the rightmost corner at the top of the book before throwing it back at Eva. “Very bible-like.”

“It's Eva.”

Maite beamed, as if hearing Eva speak was a revelation of its own kind. “Alright, Eva,” she grinned again, testing out the name on her tongue.

The teacher had long since arrived and the volume of the chatter had died down a few notches but since it was Homeroom, no one really bothered to stop talking and the teacher didn't care enough to ask them to stop. The period lasted only for twenty minutes anyway.

The ringing of the bell after the twenty minutes had passed resulted in several groans and annoyed mutterings from the students. Obviously none of them were keen on getting their day started; Eva, however, took relief in the fact that she was breaking free of Maite's insufferable presence and couldn't have been gladder to get to Geo class.

Eva stood right up, slipping her book that Maite had used to find out her name back into her shoulder bag and hurrying away.

Her luck was short-lived.

For, within a blink of an eye, the hyperactive girl was by her side yet again.

“What do you have?” Maite asked, her expressive eyes widening in wait for a reply.

Eva mentally let out a frustrated breath. “Geo,” she answered. She didn't ask the question in return; the conversation needed to be brought to a stop.

“Well, that's too bad.” Maite looked positively stricken at the thought of the two of them not sharing the next period. “I have History. I mean, it would have been nice to share the class with someone else, you know? It's supposed to be a really boring subject.”

“You'll have a whole class for company,” Eva pointed out, shooting the other girl a ridiculous look.

Again, Maite looked like she found a secret candy stash when Eva spoke more than two words.

“She speaks, she speaks!” Maite squealed to herself, beaming and clapping her hands like a little girl with a ticket to Disneyland.

Cut me some slack, Eva couldn't help but think.

“So—”

“Listen,” Eva started briskly, causing Maite to pause and face her. “I need to hurry to class, alright? I can't stop for chitchat. So bye.”

Maite seemed thoroughly taken aback for a second but she recovered just as quick. “See you later then? Maybe at lunch?” she called out as Eva picked up her pace towards the Geo classroom.

Eva didn't answer. What was the point This wouldn't last; it never did.

Maite was going to up and leave soon enough anyway.

People always did.

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Written on; 21st December 2016

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And like I promised, the highschool/teenage arc of Eva is here! :'D