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Chapter 3

Chapter 3

Evitan's fingers twisted the knob to tune the radio. The vents blowing heat onto her face soothed her just a little. She hoped to see Celestial at school today. The vision of her best friend in the path of a speeding car was engraved into her mind. She didn't know if it was a good idea to tell her therapist about it or not. It seemed too risky.

"Hey," the very familiar, muted voice reached her ear. Evitan saw Celestial's glowing skin pressed up against the glass. Her nose upturned into a snout. The knot in her stomach released. To Evitan, there wasn't a moment she could recall that was more relieving than this. She exited her car and gave Celestial the tightest hug she could.

"How did you leave my car so fast on Friday? I thought someone hit you."

"Me?" Celestial let out the wildest laugh. Evitan was surprised it didn't turn any heads. "Hit? Track star, I'm a track star."

She agreed. They continued their conversation down the path leading into the school. Evitan felt the weight lifted from her shoulders knowing that Celestial was still here. She didn't know how she would cope with losing her best friend so quickly after reconnecting from a year apart. The stories from Norway is something she would still like to hear.

She pictured watching her grow old with her beloved future husband. Their kids with the elegantly long dark hair inherited from Celestial. It would be nice. Celestial would talk about it all the time. Evitan remembered that. From five years ago.

"I saw one of my old friends go down that hallway," Celestial said, "I'll see you after your class. Maybe at lunch. Or after school."

Evitan dismissed her betrayal and continued walking to her destination. She noticed Vixen from the opposite end of the hall. She was slightly annoyed that whenever someone she couldn't stand got near, Celestial was gone.

"Ev!" Vixen waved. She stood at the entrance of the locker room and held the door open. "Didn't see you at the party! Excited for gym today?"

Evitan wanted to kick herself for giving two thumbs up and a cheeky smile. Her face dropped soon after passing Vixen. She just hoped today Vixen wouldn't be anywhere near her. It didn't matter if she was across the bench, down the aisle, or in the same room as her. She just didn't want her there and she couldn't remember why.

"Ev--"

She whipped around, staring Vixen directly in the face. Her mouth was paralyzed, she couldn't form words. Vixen took a step back.

"Can we talk about what happened?"

Her face felt like burning. "No. Vixen. No."

"No, not now, like," She paused to look around, ensuring that nobody else was watching. "Some other day."

Evitan turned back to change and ignored her. It bothered her knowing she could remember why Vixen wanted to talk about it. She remembered it, it happened two years ago. It pissed her off beyond belief that she couldn't remember if anything happened after that.

"Ev?"

"No, okay?" She turned back to look at her. "That was two years ago. I can hardly remember what happened a year ago." She watched as Vixen's expression changed nearly three times within a couple seconds.

"But you remember what happened two years ago?"

Evitan's mind was screaming. She felt all of the muscles tense and go stiff. The emotions that came along with the thought of it carried her to the point where if she wanted to, she could probably pour steam out of her ears.

She shoved the rest of her items into the locker before slamming it shut and headed into the gym. There was only one thing she was focused on right now. She promised herself she would remember to have a good day. One without someone ruining it. Just one day. She hoped today would be that day. The one good day after a year.

"I miss having you around, Ev." Vixen said to her. Her footsteps faintly following behind her. "You were a really good friend. I'm sorry that happened to you."

Evitan stopped moving. Her body slowly turning to face her. It took every inch of her not to turn around and hit Vixen in the face. Vixen knew about the accident. The very one accident her family worked so hard to keep out of the public. After a year, someone knew about it and it was the one person who was no longer her friend.

"Fuck off, Vixen." She whispered.

"I'm sorry."

Evitan spent the rest of the class doing everything. She ran the laps. She burned more calories in one class than she had her whole time in school. She was pretty sure she smelled like a rotting potato in a sewer by the time they were allowed to go change.

She wandered away from the rest of the girls in the locker room and locked the bathroom stall shut. It reeked of urine. Her whole body was shaking. She didn't want to be like this. All she wanted to know was what happened within the last year. The year and a half Celestial keeps trying to talk to her about.

She closed her eyes and leaned forward. Today was supposed to be the good day. The one where nothing else matters except her own happiness. Except, it wasn't the good day she had anticipated for the last year.