In the Last Chapter: 764Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUznCPZO0Ar
In the middle of the night, I realized I still hadn't texted Callie back, nor did I feel the need to. We never really talked too much in the first place, anyway, so it made no sense for me to have a meaningless conversation with her. 764Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbyYovGJ14z
What I did do, though, was check up on Evvie. 764Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmCpkU6mHlE
Me:
Hey. Just checking up on you.764Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCD77e1hVjq
Shoot. I hope that didn’t sound too rude. All I wanted was to be a better friend than what I had been in the past. Maybe she won’t think of it as anything bad. I finished up the last bit of my homework when I got a message from both Evvie and Delcan at the same time. 764Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiTHV4SOyXv
Evvie:
I’m okay, Ezie. You don’t need to be so worried.764Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiuNOSFwxhX
Delcan:
Can we talk? 764Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQm9zoTUlie
Why do I have to be faced with a hard choice? Of course, I wanted to talk to Delcan. The entire day some part of my mind as begging to know what was wrong with him today. He seemed angry like there was something that had happened before school started. Whatever it was, I wanted to make sure he was okay. But at the same time, Evvie had just told me a huge secret, and she probably needed support from me. I also had a duty to fill - becoming a better friend for her.
Then again, Delcan…
Why does life have to be so hard?
I responded to Evvie first, hoping Delcan would be okay if I didn’t respond immediately. 764Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDM3o9mNY18
Me:
I know. But we don’t have to talk about that, of course. There are other things, too.764Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAfaDYnaTZr
Evvie:
Other things like..? 764Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡERbDBCtjkc
Oh, great. Leave me with something to find out. I spent around five minutes thinking of a topic before texting my best friend back. 764Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvBM4dLzt37
Me:
The dance?764Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNQ4qvsM2WV
Evvie:
Oh, no. Gosh. That’s going to be so annoying! Ugh.
Hey, are you taking anyone specific?764Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLNfL3fR1sB
Me:
No.
I don’t even think he’s into that stuff in the first place.764Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡc5034twKnm
Evvie:
Yeah...but I wanna see him in a tux. You’re lying if you don’t wanna.
Oh! My mom said hi.764Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaVHFKPxZ3I
Me:
Tell her I said hi back.
Speaking of dancing, how are the dance squad and everything? I know Haven is the captain, but I’m sure it isn’t that bad.764Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNxacBzaK35
Evvie:
No, it honestly isn’t. Haven’s not so bad when you get to know her.764Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvtP8OOTwjB
Me:
I told you!764Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFTqNQ1p1bT
Evvie:
Lol, you did.
Speaking of extracurricular activities, how have Adam and Thomas been? I’ve hardly been able to see them that much anymore. 764Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzQLYOhd3r1
Me:
I’d hate to admit that it’s kind of the same with me.
Adam has been pretty busy lately, and Thomas is acting pretty weird. He probably has a crush on someone.764Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtmLiKTn6L2
Evvie:
Oh, great. 764Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ27JLOCmpWO
She sent an emoji that was rolling her eyes, which I actually understood. Thomas was probably one of the only guys I knew who ignored everyone else when he had a crush on someone. He acts pretty paranoid, and also always tries to enter that person in a conversation. I haven’t been paying attention at lunch well enough to know who it could possibly be, though I’m sure it wasn’t too big of a surprise.
But on the contrary, Thomas always had more crushes than he did dates.764Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHxPnQjlLut
Me:
I guess I’ll find out later or something.
Are you gonna go dress shopping or something? 764Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1tgfG63J8n
Evvie:
Ha, with who?764Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4X0kQ4TcTe
Me:764Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7iWKt1kM96
I think Evelyn is going with Callie. I’m sure they wouldn’t mind you coming with them. 764Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGEhBWi9RVz
Evvie:
I think I’ll pass. Dress shopping can be so many hours. And trust me, Ez. When it’s a group, it could be an entire day. Going by myself would just be better.764Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUEy1YD8fVS
It wasn’t like I could even relate to her. I went out of her contact and texted Delcan quickly, hoping he’d respond.764Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡg0XLS8op9w
Me:
Yeah, of course. 764Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡw3LrEU37i9
He didn’t even read the message I sent him.
Great.
I went back into Evvie’s contact and began texting her again, sending a laughing emoji before changing the subject.764Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkzcXzQTMCs
Me:
Yeah, that would be pretty crazy.
Have you finished your homework?764Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfWw5J3YOnW
Evvie:764Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuc1Z1KBZtF
Holy crap. You’re so annoying!
Of course, I haven’t! I’m guessing you have…764Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡV0YHgIMa0Y
Me:
Well...yeah.
But while I was doing my homework, my mom said something.764Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOdBU8hocJ0
Evvie:
Spill it.764Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpH7QEsLf0v
Me:
She said, and I quote “If there’s anything you feel like you can’t say, I wouldn’t judge you. Nobody’s perfect, Ezra, and I don’t expect you to be either. Regardless, sweetheart, I’m still going to love you the same.”764Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgCNVPWHx7w
Evvie:
….
THAT’S SO SWEET OMFG.
EZ THAT PROBABLY MEANS SHE DOESN’T CARE HOLY CRAP DID YOU TELL HER?!! 764Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSGCCjU51oo
I read both of her texts like she was shouting, which she probably was right now, or at least she would be smiling or jumping up and down. Evvie never let something like what my mom had just told me to go down. To be honest, though, it made me feel good to know she thought that was good.764Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrOGIN1RwWV
Me:
No, I didn’t.
Instead, I used the “I’m not a virgin” card on her.764Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwNIx6ShpoH
Evvie sent three emojis with a heart that was cracked.
Evvie:
Aww. Well, you tell her when you wanna.
I still think that’s ADORABLE.
And that card? Really, dude? I’m sure she already knows.764Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡS1wob7ReIc
Me:
She knows because Dad made a huge announcement about it and then bought me a watch.764Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPVjCpJdpY8
Evvie:
Lemme guess...Rolex.764Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡk0IqElvUTL
Me:
Now guess the watch.764Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtUAteMADei
Evvie:
Oh! The Oyster Perpetual?? I heard that the watch cost a lotta money.
I wasn’t ungrateful for the things my dad bought me, but I didn’t like the way he did it. For instance, there was this one time I got rewarded with a 2,000 dollar jacket after making a comment on a woman who was kissing an African American guy in public. I was really thankful, and fortunate that I was able to have such nice things - but it came at a price that made me feel like a horrible person. 764Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGbp5o5FEdH
Me:
Correct.764Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrcDv0EDQ3x
Evvie:
Wow. That’s crazy.
Besides that, though...did she believe you?764Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcQeyHd6LjG
Me:764Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1WmI52TMlH
I couldn’t tell, really. 764Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzqXP2l8QTi
While I was texting the second text, Delcan responded. It had been seven minutes I had sent the message, which was exactly how long it took me to text him back. Actually, I wasn’t too mad about it.764Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7XmEeqwAu1
Delcan:
I’m not apologizing for what happened at school today, but I do wanna talk.
Plus, I’m bored.
He wasn’t going to explain whatever the issue was this morning, which I was actually okay with. That didn’t bother me too much, but I was confused about him being bored and wanting to talk to me.
Typically, bored for Delcan meant posting a shirtless picture online with him doing something wildly inappropriate for his age. The last time he was “bored,” he posted a picture of him wearing black jeans and white underwear, which were pulled down to the point where you could almost see some type of mark he had on him. I looked at it for 30 minutes straight before giving up and going to sleep, never bothering to ask what it was.764Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsn1VGnkiDw
Me:
Okay.
Whatever you wanna talk about is fine, I guess. 764Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3C9NI5A3XE
I sent the rest of the text to Evvie, deciding I really didn’t wanna stop texting to her and just focus on Delcan, who would probably ignore my message for a few minutes before he started talking again. 764Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSZGQ2BbiIt
Me:
It’s just weird, Eve. I don’t really know. 764Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1uokB3s5Ru
Evvie sent a heart emoji of the rainbow, then following with a laughing emoji. 764Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUnfpz17ypB
Evvie:
I don’t know what’s wrong with me!
Seriously. Tonight, I might not get too much sleep.764Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡftsYcITvqZ
Delcan:
Could you please explain the homework to me? I know that I’m right, but the computer doesn’t say that. 764Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡo4ynqSMzE6
What does that even mean?
Delcan seemed to have a desire to be right, but if the online homework said that the answers were wrong, clearly, they were. I’m sure he was talking about the science class I had to take last year, which was highly consisting of online work that would take hours to finish - regardless of your knowledge.
I smiled while texting him back, feeling better that I was smarter. 764Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgMTItkdwjH
Me:
Well...I don’t know. Maybe they’re wrong, Delcan.764Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡz9ZuwcjYx1
Delcan:
No, they aren’t! I think the program is shutting down or something. It’s an old technology programing, anyways.
Me:
That’ll be a new excuse for Mr. Forkmart. He’ll believe you.764Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSgC6jV4Bqc
Delcan:
I’m not lying! The programing is seriously 34 years old. Our parents probably used this ↹.
But...my dad kinda wants me to get good grades, so...help me.764Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡk5XNdeZihp
I wanted to ask how on Earth he knew how old the computer programing was, and also if that number was simply random or something - but it didn’t seem like a time to ask. On top of that, I was trying to decide if I was upset that he was asking for my help, or happy about it. 764Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7RIVGeZu0k
Me:
Why should I help you?764Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsId9CRBgjw
Delcan:
Oh, don’t be petty about things, Ezra. I make out with you whenever you want and the second I want something, you’ve gotta be upset? 764Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡU5Ebxmoou5
Me:
You kissed me, just for memory.764Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwX2QJtXgyh
Delcan:
I will screenshot this.
Come on. I need your help. 764Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0wpVdVEpoD
Me:
What do I get out of helping you get an A?764Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLRNTlbSjbg
Delcan:
I’m already taking guesses, but ask something, and I’ll see what I can do.764Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEU8WPfb6du
See what he can do? What does that even mean?
I had already decided that I was going to help him. It would suck if he was unable to get into a college, though it was also confusing. Considering how odd he was acting - it was reminding me of Haven. She would always change her mood before I even had time to catch up with the glare she had given me 20 seconds ago.
For two minutes, I had to find the homework from last year and sent the screenshots to Delcan. 764Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJ9udMeMU5d
Delcan:
Thanks. I owe you.764Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡb847ImVrI7
Me:
Yeah, you do.
Is that seriously what you wanted to talk about? 764Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWzqMtEWCUn
Delcan:
Pretty much.
And in return...
My sister has some type of casting for I don’t know what. My parents (stupidly) went with her. I say you have another 2 hours if you’re interested.764Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhuw2HAttUZ
I wanted to say yes and no at the same time.
On one side, I did like making out with Delcan. It was exciting, and it seriously got my blood pumping. But at the same time, I wasn’t sure if I was comfortable with just having a relationship that was only making out. If I ever told Adam or Thomas that, they’d probably slap me in the face.
I had a good..person I was dating. He looked much better than I did, and he was experienced enough to know how to make out with someone better than adults do. But, I didn’t want Delcan to think I wanted him for his body as others do. I did want to know him better since I was really getting confused about how desperate I have been feeling. 764Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzqK7jNrL38
Me:
We’re having a family dinner.764Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWG8SgekQk5
Delcan:
I have some tips on how to get out of them. I’m very good at it.764Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3TPnyo5gM9
Me:
Do we have to make out?764Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXRMpKYw1mI
Delcan:
If you’re suggesting what I think you are, the answer is no. 764Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjz39PU4hq4
I scrunch my nose up, feeling my cheeks get red. The good thing is, he isn’t able to see it. I laid down on my bed, watching my hands shake as I texted back. That isn’t what I meant, I texted. You know, talking really helps relationships. He read the message but didn’t respond. Sighing, I texted Evvie back. 764Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwkMOe0LE5Q
Me:
Stay out of relationships, Eve. 764Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBiVTEGtVHT
Evvie:
Lol, I’m not thinking about dating for a LONG time.
Trouble in paradise?
Me:
I think there always is.
Do you think it’s bad that he just wants to make out?764Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxaDM3IEF3o
Evvie:
…
You’re complaining about making out with Delcan Heslop? Why, bro? 764Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5fCCfCW5t8
Me:
I’m not complaining! I just want something more. 764Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTGf8UyEeXI
Evvie:
Then ask him! He’s done it before, Ezra. Just know that a height difference means...ya know. 764Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoTNqhSzP2Y
Me:
Evvie!
I meant just talking or something. Going out on a date.
(sorry for mentioning, but it needs to be relatable) I’m sure Rio took you out on dates a lot before things got more serious. We haven’t had a first date.764Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkaTBjBvhRc
Evvie:
Oh, okay.
What makes you think he doesn’t want a relationship, Ez?764Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqCWA3l5dBA
Any guy would kill to be dating you.764Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDAGulOzpE6
Me:
No, sorry. I shouldn’t bring this stuff on you.
Do you still like edible cookie dough?764Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡe6qsnNJ9kd
Evvie:
Duh!! Ez, who doesn’t like cookie dough? Edible or not. 764Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkALs9AM3Dz
Me:
I was thinking we could spend some time together. It’d be nice to forget about boys for a while and just go back to us in 7th grade.764Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoOBqLkNGuS
Evvie:
If that’s what you want, yeah. 764Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8WhXjfMvYR
She sent me a heart emoji just as Delcan responded to my message. 764Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPReYql5ld6
Evvie:
Let me see what days my mom is working.
Me:
Cool.
I gotta go.764Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoScwSoGEmK
Evvie:
Okay. Bye, Ez!
Good luck with your relationship. Love ya. 764Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnAZmR176O9
Me:
Love you too.764Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQBAPSalRfc
If I didn’t keep my relationship with Delcan, at least Evvie and I were still friends. It made me feel better that neither one of us were hiding too many secrets from each other anymore.
Now to deal with Delcan.764Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLeRLsn7Opn
Delcan:
You’re right. Family time seems pretty important. We could talk some other time. 764Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZcCJeRyBvc
Me:
Are you sure? I don’t mind staying up and talking afterward. 764Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡo1QSr7c5z7
Delcan:
Nope. I’m gonna finish this homework.
See you tomorrow. 764Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvybj3IFeAi
I didn’t respond, but I really wanted to tell him that I wouldn’t mind the two of us just talking with each other. But I knew that he probably wouldn’t listen - or care. I really hoped we weren’t fighting or something. With Haven, it was obvious to know when we're fighting (her friends would always glare at me in class before leaning into each other and talking about how horrible I was) before Haven finally told me she was angry. But with Delcan, there were hardly any hints. It was just there, and I had to try overcoming it.
Then again, I’m sure it’s not exactly great for the few hours I stay mad at him sometimes.
I stood up to put my phone on the charger, but then Delcan posted something online. He wasn’t exactly shirtless or showing his underwear lining, but there was a sense of teasing in the photo. He had taken the picture in the bathroom, his body turned so you could see how slim he was. The caption simply said “what to do…” with an emoji of a dead rose with it.
The picture isn’t what made my heart stop. Well, not exactly. It was the comment from Grayson Williams. What a beautiful burn you have, he commented, along with an emoji that was smirking and then one of those water ones. I straightened my back, feeling my breathing change.
When I looked back at the picture (which already had 2,030 views), I noticed the medium-sized burn he had on his left wrist.
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