You sit beside Evelyn in class

You and Evelyn enter Mr.Fletcher’s Math class chatting about friends and other everyday matters when you spot Janice at her usual seat at the back.

Normally you’d be joining her, but Evelyn tugged at your sleeve discreetly and glanced at the empty front row. A drawn out second passes where she simply stares at you expectantly, and you acquiesce.

Class ends uneventfully, and Evelyn drags you to the next.

“There’s no reason to act so friendly with her if you’re trying to get over your feelings for her,” she replies when you demand to know what her problem is. “Out of sight, out of mind.”

She introduces you to a bunch of her friends, and you awkwardly get to know them. You’d never spoken to then before other than the passive wave or sharing a friendly smile, but you appreciate what Evelyn is clearly trying to do.

Lunch hour arrives, and you stop her in the hallway as the class leaves for the cafeteria.

“Hold on,” you say, grabbing her by the arm. “I appreciate what you’re doing, but I feel like you’re not just trying to be nice for once. We mess with each other all the time, so what’s up?”

She crosses her arms and huffs. “I’m just sick of you being a shut-in. You used to be a lot more expressive and outgoing back when we were freshmen.”

True, you lost your entire group of friends soon after Avery and Janice had become a couple. Not to say you didn’t hang out with them, but you just wanted to be alone a lot more now.

“Besides,” Evelyn says with a scowl. “How ling are you going to pine after a skank like Janice? You’re more than she deserves.”

‘Odd of her to say, she gets along with Janice whenever she’s over at our house.’

“Skank? I’m more than she deserves?”

“Y-yeah.”

“You think so?”

“I have friends who’d love to go out with you and stuff.”

You raise your eyebrows. Evelyn shifts her weight from one foot to the other, like she does every other time she’s being particularly dishonest. It occurs to you that the Coin can help you out here.

“Evelyn,” you say evenly. “How about we make a little bet? Heads you be honest with me about what’s on your mind, tails I do your chores for a month.”

Evelyn smirks a little, regaining her composure. “A month? You’re on.”

You smile back. “You planning on lying to me if you lose?”

She raises her eyebrows and grins. “......No?”

You shrug noncommittally. “So we agree on the bet?”

“Mhmm.”

The Coin shines, and you toss it up. Both of you warch as it falls to the ground: Heads.

“I win,” you declare, picking it up. “Now spill the-“

Your shoulders are pushed upright. You can feel Evelyn’s firm grip on you, and you see her staring at your face with a blank expression.

“Evelyn-?” You feel your stomach twist. Evelyn starts walking forward and you’re pushed back until your back touches the wall of the hallway.

“Michael,” she whispers, her voice a soft whisper. You find yourself unable to blink or look away as her eyes gaze into yours. “I love you, Michael. I have loved you ever since I first saw you, but Mom told me that even though we aren’t real siblings, we cannot be together.”

She begins leaning into you and you feel her softer, feminine body press into yours. You can feel her rapidly beating heart against your own and her breath on your face, as she moves her hands from your shoulders to your face.

“I can see it in your eyes, what you feel for my mother and for Janice. I know what it’s like, because I’ve felt it with my own heart. We’re not so different, Michael. All I want is for you to stop looking at the people who won’t love you and to look at me, who loves you and only you.

Evelyn’s small hand reaches behind your hair and softly grips your hair. She kisses along your cheek and bites your ear softly.

“I love you,” she whispers into your ear. “I love you so much.”

“Evelyn, I-“

Her lips silence yours, burning away all your thoughts and worries. The feeling of her lips on yours is all that matters. Her tongue pushes into your mouth, full of need as she pulls you into the kiss with even more passion. Your arms wrap around the small of her back and hold her there until, what seems like an eternity later, she breaks the kiss.

A long string of saliva connects your lips as you both gasp for air, faces flushed and smiling.

“Is that cherry flavoured lip balm?”

“I know it your favourite flavour of cola.”

You let out a laugh. “You were planning this?”

Evelyn blushes sweetly. “I was hoping for this.”

She pecks you on the lips once more, and unwraps her arms from your neck. “My friends are probably looking, so I better run. We’re lucky we didn’t get caught by a teacher.”

“Where does this leave you and me?”

She giggles. “‘You and me’? I was just being honest, Michael. We’re the same as we always were. Unless you want things to change?”

She squeals as you pull her into another kiss and she giggles through the lip-lock.

You part with identical grins. “Does that answer your question?”

“Yeah,” she laughs. “I know now that I should start stocking up on cherry cola lip balm! I really have to now, though.”

She extricates herself from your embrace and begins to walk away. You lick your lips clean of her taste as you watch her hair disappear around the corner, and hunger for more.

You begin walking in the direction she left in, thinking about what else you can do with the power in your hands.