Escaped From An Insane Asylum [Chapter Twenty Four]

“Evangeline,” William whined, dragging his backpack on the ground.

Evan stopped walking and turned to the small boy. “What’s up?” They were all dropping William and Kaleb at their school before heading to their own. The entire way she’d been prepped by Avery and Jayden about what could possibly happen at school today.

“I don’t want to go to school.”

She bent down and kissed him lightly on the scar that crossed his forehead. “You’ll have fun. We’ll come pick you and Kaleb up afterwards and then we can work on homework together, okay?”

He frowned. “Fine, but I refuse to have fun.”

Kaleb wasn’t into the whole kissing thing as Evan discovered as he discreetly wiped off the kiss she planted on his cheek. She smiled as they walked towards the school and were soon swallowed up by a crowd of kids.

She felt a little pang of guilt as she realized how cruel a junior high could be. There was a difference between picking on high school kids who could defend themselves and picking on little children who were depended on their classmates as friends. It wasn’t fair to ask them to fight the group they wanted so badly to belong to.

“Come on Evan,” Sinclair urged wrapping his fingers around her wrist. He tugged her gently towards the street and with reluctance she followed.

“I just don’t think it’s fair,” she mumbled looking back once more at the school.

“They’re stronger than you think they are Evan. They know how to handle themselves,” Avery said.

She sighed. “Yeah, I know they do. I just think it’s so stupid that you’re all picked on around here.”

“Don’t we all,” Jayden laughed attempting to lighten the mood as he always did.

Classmates scattered the font lawn as they approached the school building and gradually every eye turned to them. “This is different,” Avery muttered, “Normally we’re completely ignored.”

“It’s because we’ve got such a smoking hot female with us,” Jayden joked punched her jokingly in the shoulder.

“Jay, that’s just terrible.” Evan returned the punch, but his comment brought a small smile to her face.

“We’ve got about thirty minutes until school starts so let’s find a place to sit and wait.” Avery began leading them to a secluded corner. Trash littered the mud ground around it.

Evan wrinkled her nose. “Let’s just sit in the grass or something.”

The boys all looked at her. “I don’t know if that’s such a good idea Evan.”

“It’s not like they can get rid of you just because they don’t like you right? We should be able to sit wherever we want.”

Sinclair sighed, “We can try it I guess. We’ve normally tried to stay away from that area though.”

This time Evan led them to a place on the grass. It was far enough away from other people that they couldn’t possibly bother anyone with their presence.

They sat in a small circle and Evan grinned. “See, this isn’t so bad.”

The boys all nervously looked about. About one hundred pairs of eyes stared at them.

“I thought you boys didn’t care what anyone thought of you,” Evan pressed. She reached over and linked her fingers with Sinclair’s.

“We don’t, but I’d rather not get my ass kicked.”

“That won’t happen,” Evan said leaning back on their elbows. “They’d have to be crazy to mess with us.”

Avery looked down as though ashamed.

“What’s wrong?” She sat up and looked at him curiously.

Sinclair pulled her back and forced her to look at him. “Not now Evan, just not now.”

She opened her mouth, shut it, and nodded. She leaned in close to him and kissed him lightly on the cheek. “Sorry.”

“Guys,” Avery warned.

Evan looked away from Sinclair to see the same boys as yesterday, including Carter, walking towards them. Each held a wicked grin on their face, but it didn’t faze Evan in the slightest.

When they finally reached them Evan grinned, “What’s up gentlemen?”

“Just came for a little chat is all.” Carter walked around them until he stood right above Evan’s head. She continued to grin up at him.

“What would you like to chat about?”

“Stand up.”

Sinclair grabbed her arm even as she moved to obey.

“Why don’t you just let your little hussy stand up and fight for herself?” He leaned down to grab Evan’s arm and yanked her up, Sinclair’s grip completely futile.

Sinclair jumped up beside her. “Carter, I’m warning you.”

Carter’s grip on Evan’s arm was beginning to hurt, but she refused to give him the satisfaction of knowing that. “Carter, Carter, Carter. Did you come looking for revenge about yesterday?”

His smile faltered for a second. “Don’t taunt me Evan, is that it?”

“Oh yeah, that’s it.” She patted him lightly on the shoulder. “I’m honored that you can remember my name.”

He smiled crudely. “Don’t be. I always remember the feisty ones.”

Avery touched her free arm lightly. “Carter let her go.”

“No can do, this girl’s coming with me so we can have a little chat.”

“I’m not going anywhere with you,” Evan laughed. “I don’t know where you’re getting these ideas from.”

His grip tightened. “We’ve got a few things to straighten out.”

Evan looked down at her nails hoping to mask the flinch that occurred. “I really think you should release me now.”

“You heard her, let her go,” Sinclair growled taking a step forward.

Evan pressed her hand against his chest. “Sinclair, don’t even. I don’t want any of you getting in trouble. I can handle this myself.”

Carter’s friends laughed at her words, but he raised a hand silencing them. He leaned in close, so close she could feel his warm breath on her cheek. “You’ve got a lot of nerve assuming you’re going to be able to handle what I’m going to do with you.”

In a swift movement she brought her elbow up, connecting with his nose. He dropped her arm to grab his face and she punched in the side of his face and then kicked a leg out. He went sprawling to the ground. His friends froze in surprise.

Evan knelt down and grabbed Carter’s hair, forcing his face close to her own. “Now come on, you didn’t expect me to place nice did you?”

He cursed a few muffled swears at her, his eyes showing his fury.

“Now listen here, and listen good okay? I spent fifteen years of my life with an older brother, and I know how to fight dirty. Stay away from me, and stay away from my friends, got it?”

A few more curses and that was that.

Evan stood up, releasing his hair. “Next time you want to talk, just come and ask alright? Don’t threaten me.” She felt a little guilty embarrassing him in front of his friends, but all she had to do was picture William’s crying face and the guilt melted away.

“Is it time to go to school yet?” She asked brushed her hair out of her face.

The boys shook their heads and Evan grimaced. Everyone was staring again only this time there was whispering accompanying it. Avery and Jayden looked half appalled by the seen that had just unfolded in front of them.

“Where’d you learn how to fight like that?” Sinclair asked, voicing the question that Avery and Jayden probably wanted to ask.

She looked down at her feet and then after a deep breath looked back up. She rolled up her sleeves. “I never showed you before because you didn’t notice before.” She pointed at her inner elbow, at the places where the syringes had been inserted time and time again. “They used to wake me up in the middle of the night and just put things in me.”

Sinclair touched the scars. “And you fought back?” Avery and Jayden leaned in to take a look as well and she pulled her arm back.

“Not at first.” She pulled her sleeves back down. “But after a while the drugs started hurting. I heard other voices talking over Connor, and I couldn’t hear him anymore. I wanted to hear him. So I started fighting back, learned what worked and what didn’t. They stopped putting things in me.”

Everyone was silent.

“Ready to head into school?” She asked, forcing a bright smile on her face. She could only hope that it touched her eyes.

“How do you do it?” Avery asked.

“Do what?”

“How do you stay so happy all the time? Even after what’s happened to you.”

She frowned. “I have to. If I’m not happy, then everything Connor did will have been for nothing. I owe him.”

“Why do you owe him Evan?” Sinclair asked placing a hand gently on the back of her neck.

She gave them a confused look. How could they not understand? “I owe him because he brought me to all of you. He gave me someone to live for and someone to risk my life at the same time. That’s why I have to fight, and that’s why I have to be happy. If I don’t, I’ll fail him.”