solitude → sam kerr

four → birthday

.·:*¨༺ ༻¨*:·.

evelyn's ringtone bounced across her room, disrupting the quiet stillness of the morning. as she changed out of her pyjamas, she grabbed her phone and answered with a hushed tone, mindful of her sleeping parents.

"hey," she greeted softly.

"you should come over," sam abruptly said, an urgency in her voice that didn't go unnoticed by evelyn. a subtle smile played on evelyn's lips, sensing there was more to this invitation.

"why?" evelyn questioned, her curiosity piqued. "you seem quite... excited."

it was evelyn's birthday, a fact she hadn't directly shared with sam. her parents never remembered, and she occasionally forgot herself. sam, seemingly aware of the occasion, had plans evelyn was yet to uncover.

"no reason," sam replied cheekily, a mischievous grin unseen by evelyn. "most of my family is out at my brother's game today, so it'll just be us and mum."

evelyn had grown fond of roger and roxanne kerr, though the latter was usually the one at home whenever evelyn visited. it wasn't a frequent occurrence, but evelyn felt a tinge of guilt for the one-sided nature of their interactions. sam never returned to evelyn's home after that initial visit, a decision evelyn understood without needing it stated. nevertheless, the kerrs had become a pseudo-family for evelyn, providing extra food when her parents 'forgot' and offering lifts back from training in poor weather, even if it meant a significant detour.

"sure, let me get ready, and i'll be there in half," evelyn agreed, the prospect of escaping her home for a while appealing to her.

as she prepared to leave, evelyn's lack of privacy became evident once again when her mother barged into her room, bombarding her with questions.

"you're talking to that girl again?" joline rolled her eyes. "give her a break. she must be sick of you."

evelyn swallowed deeply, hastily hanging up the phone before sam could hear more of the conversation.

"mum," she said with a hint of distaste, not wanting to entertain further arguments. "i don't need to hear this again."

"when will you start talking to some boys?" her mother questioned, standing with hands on her hips. "you're like seventeen now, aren't you?"

"fif- sixteen," evelyn corrected, both herself and her mother.

"well, i started dating your father at your age, and that should be expected," the older woman exclaimed. "you're a pretty girl. it would've been nicer if you looked more like me, but luckily you got my hair and eyes."

the younger girl grimaced, those were the features she despised the most as they reminded her of her mother. "well, that obviously didn't work out," she mumbled, referencing her real parents' failed relationship. "so why should i need to date my future marital partner now?"

"you need to meet your husband," joline emphasised. "while you're still young, otherwise your chances slim when you get too old."

"mum—"

"do i need to find someone for you?" her eyes narrowed, and she stepped closer to the edge of the bed. "i don't think you'd pick the right boy anyway."

"don't," the girl pleaded, not wanting a boy resembling her stepfather to be set up with her.

joline shook her head, raising a finger at her daughter. "you will not continue to disappoint me. stop hanging out with that friend of yours. you're lucky we still let you play that goddamn sport. girls like you shouldn't be associating yourselves with it—it's a man's sport!"