Three's a Crowd

[PrincessKaty]

Jace felt absolutely terrible, listening to Eva. She had every right to say it. He hadn't started it and this was all just for show but he couldn't admit that in front of everyone. He couldn't break down and tell everyone that he was still deeply in love with her and that he'd been the reason that she'd broken up with him.


He looked around, watching everyone crowd around and start to taunt Eva. God, what he was suppose to do? He couldn't tell them to stop. Then even more rumors would start about how he liked her again or something. Why was this so complicated?..


"Cierra," He said, turning to her quickly. His first plan was to tell her something that would distract the crowd but he panicked and just.. Kissed her. Like full on, tongue in mouth, hand on ass, kissed her. The whole crowd gasped and he immediately felt the guilt starting to eat him alive but it would distract the crowd, right?


~


Atticus was chilling on the couch with a beer in his hand, feeling great. He'd smoke a bowl with some guys out on the porch and now he was on his third beer. He was talking with his friends and a few girls about like in general. The current conversation had something to do about pizza.


In the distance, he heard some ruckus which quickly caused the conversation to cease and all of them to try and get a look at whatever was happening. Someone was yelling and they seemed pissed, about whatever it was they were yelling about.

 

[kailey]

Evangel's eyes narrowed as Jace leaned in and... Kissed the bitch, complete with the ass grabbing and everything. She couldn't believe what she was seeing. That asshole.


Cierra, surprised, gasped a little as well as the quarterback leaned in and kissed her. As soon as she came to her senses, she kissed him back, but he pulled away after a moment. She caught her breath and stared up at the guy next to her, grinning.


"See, he belongs with someone who knows how to treat him right, not some nobody who only cares about her dumb little friends and school." Cierra drawled.


Eva stared between the two of them, grabbed Ashley's arm and pushed past the two. She nearly knocked over Cierra in the process, but she hardly cared.


Evangel was almost to the gate separating the bleachers from the parking lot, when she turned around and saw Jace and everyone else staring after her. "Fuck you Jace." She called out as she flipped him off.


The two of them rushed to Eva's car and the girl immediately slid into the drivers seat, starting the car. "Eva... I'm so sorry..." Ashley muttered. Evangel looked up to her best friend and spoke, "it's fine. He's an asshole. I have to go, I'm sorry. Love ya." And with that, she shut her car door and tore out of the parking lot.

 

[PrincessKaty]

Jace pulled away after a minute and stared at Cierra almost terrified for a second before looking over at Eva who looked pissed. She had the right to be too. He was pissed at himself. He moved out of her way when he saw her marching towards him, leaving Cierra to fend for herself.


He turned and watched her walk off, sighing deeply when she turned around to flip him off. The crowd around them didn't seem to effected by her. They thought it was great. He really 'showed her' and apparently Cierra 'was so much better'. He just nodded a little bit, laughed it off, and headed to the locker room to do what he was actually supposed to do.


Stupid, stupid, stupid. How could he have done that to her? How on earth was that suppose to make anything better? It wasn't. It didn't.


~


Atticus stood up with the rest of the guys, watching as a huge guy came raging in, yelling about how they'd stolen something. 'They' referring to the five of them that weren't part of this part of town.


The next few minutes happened so fast that if you asked Atticus how it happened, he probably wouldn't be ale to tell you. It started with a lot of yelling about how they didn't do it and it was just one big he-said, she-said about someone stealing jewelry from the bedroom. Next thing you know, the five of them are getting attacked by these huge, gangbanger sorts. His group of friend knew that they didn't stand a chance after a few punches so they did the second best thing they could think of.. Haul ass out of there.

 

[kailey]

Eva stopped her car on a side road a blocks from the school and closed her eyes. She let the tears fall freely this time because no one was around to see her act weak. She slammed her hand on the dash in frustration.


How the hell could Jace do that to her? Yeah, they weren't dating but he genuinely seemed like he still felt something for her and then he went as kissed that dumb bitch.


She heard a few sirens going off in the distance which strangely reminded her of Atticus. She pulled out her phone and opened their messages. "Hey sweetie, hope you're okay. I'm heading home. Big mistake to go but I'm okay so you don't worry okay? Love you."

 

[PrincessKaty]

Atticus and his friends at first started out all together, running through the apartment complex, but then they all started to split up to hide. He darted behind a few of the apartments and hid behind a bunch of big bushes and plants, one which was extremely thorny, but the guy who was follow him must have seen him because he was there under a minute. Atticus slipped on the rocks, pushing himself back up but once he did, he quickly climbed a gate and ran for it. In the distance, he could hear sirens. Lovely.. He wasn't looking to get arrested tonight. Or any night really but definitely not right now. He'd be in a hell of a lot of trouble being blamed for stealing, and then on top of that, public and underage intoxication.


He started to bolt through the streets that backed up to the apartments but that damn guy was right on his tail. For a big dude, he could haul ass. Before he knew it, he was down on the asphalt, attempting to fight of this guy more for his life than for pride.

 

[kailey]

Evangel sat in her car waiting for a reply from Atticus. It had been a good twenty minutes and she still didn't receive a text back. That was odd. He typically didn't fall asleep until late, so either his phone died or he was busy.


She decided to shrug it off, and started up her car. Her house came into view quickly, and she pulled in the driveway to park. Still no one home.


With an exasperated sigh, Evangel unlocked her front door and entered the two story house. She switched on the lights and smiled softly as her cat, Layla, came bounding up to her. Eva reached down and scratched the gray tabby's ears, then headed upstairs to her room.

 

[PrincessKaty]

Jace took in a deep breath as he pulled up to Evangel's house. He knew that showing up after everything that had happened was really risky but he had to talk to her. Or at least apologize. The rumors at school were bad and he quickly came to realize that kissing Cierra had made it all even worse.


He didn't see Atticus's car, so he figured that he wasn't over, so he turned off his car and got out. He walked up to her door, skipping the steps by two, then knocked, hoping that she would answer. He was mentally preparing himself for whatever she threw at him, physically or verbally. He deserved it.


~


Atticus sighed as he paced the living room floor of his friend's apartment. After the whole ordeal with the party, Atticus had been arrested. Well, he'd been detained until his mother came to pick him up. And then when he got home he got a beating from his father, as if the fact that a 250 pound gangster beat in his face wasn't enough. He looked really rough and he felt even worse. He was without any pills and at this point, he was pretty sure even drinking or smoking wasn't going to do the trick.


Beyond all of that, he hadn't talked to Eva since. He read her texts but couldn't bring himself to respond. He didn't want her to know what he'd done or drag her into anything that might happen. He felt terrible and he was worried sick but he felt like he was doing the right thing. He could probably leave soon.. He just wanted to let his parents cool down. He had a hefty amount of fines to pay and he was sure that the guys that thought that they 'stole' from weren't going to back down so quickly either.

 

[kailey]

Evangel was sitting on her couch as someone knocked on her door. She frowned and got up to answer. As she turned the door, her eyes widened with astonishment.





"Jace?" She gasped, looking up at him. "What the hell are you doing here?" Her surprise quickly turned into rage. The guy had some nerve showing up after what happened at the football game.


Evangel folded her arms across her chest and raised an eyebrow. "What do you want? And if you're here to taunt me even more, than I don't want to hear it and you can just leave okay? I'm sure blondie misses your tongue down her throat."

 

[PrincessKaty]

Jace looked at Eva has she opened up the door and frowned, listening to her.


"No, Eva. I'm not. I promise.. I just want to talk and apologize.. Please. Can I please come in?" He pleaded with her. He knew that there was a big chance of her turning him down but he really wanted to make things right with her. He hadn't been in his right mind, during any of it. It was all his fault but he wanted her back. In his mind, she was still his girl. And he hadn't seen Atticus around school either, now that he thought about, so maybe he'd tapped out. If Eva was alone, then it would make all of it even easier.

 

[kailey]

"Come in but make it quick, I have somewhere to be." She lied as she stepped back so he could enter. He could close the door himself.


Evangel walked over to her kitchen and leaned against the counter, watching him as he followed her inside. "There's probably nothing you can say to fix this, Jace, I'm just telling you this right now."





She had her mind set that she wasn't just going to believe every little thing he told her to try and make things better. But she wasn't going to be a complete bitch about it either. She didn't need him to be an enemy of hers, even though she kinda felt like he acted like one.

 

[PrincessKaty]

Jace nodded and stepped inside behind Eva, trying to brainstorm how he could say everything he wanted to say without dragging it out. He shut the door behind him, then followed her over to the kitchen. He took in a deep breath and then let it out, after she'd told him that there was no way to repair it. He could at least try, right?


"Eva, when I kissed Cierra at the game, it meant nothing. I thought maybe if I distracted everyone, you'd be able to leave without anyone really noticing and then instead of the break up, they'd be talking about Cierra and I. And I didn't start the rumors about me dumping you. The guys just saw that you weren't around after practice anymore and all I said was that we broke up and they ran with it. Honest. And I know that all of it sounds far fetched and you think that I'm a liar, but I'm not, Evangel. I still love you with my whole heart. You have to believe me," He told her as he took a step closer,"I promise, Eva. I never wanted to hurt you in anyway. I thought I was helping.. And I wasn't. I didn't. And I'm so sorry but.. I just.. You have to let me try and fix this. Whatever I did. Whatever caused you to leave me. You said that you didn't know if things were going to work out and I want to make then work out.."

 

[kailey]

"Jace.... I-" Evangel looked up at him with calculating eyes. Despite what he said, he could be lying. But he also could be telling the truth. She shook her head in confusion.





"Jace... I don't know if there is anything to fix right now. I'm so confused and emotionally exhausted and alone and scared. I don't know what to believe anymore." Eva said quietly.


She noted that Jace had taken a step closer to her, but Eva didn't move. If he tried anything she would just push him away. "And besides, I don't think kissing her was the best thing to do either. They've started even more rumors. You could have, you know, told everyone to stop maybe?"

 

[PrincessKaty]

Jace swallowed, looking at her. "Then let me be here for you if you're alone and scared. Please, Evangel. I want to help you.." He told her softly.


"I know. I know I shouldn't have. I just thought that if I told them to stop then they'd just start more rumors about us. About how I pitied you or something. I don't know. None of my ideas were very smart. I'm really sorry, Eva. You have to believe me. I never ever wanted to hurt you.." He told her, an apologetic look sketched on his face.


He moved a little bit closer and moved some hair out of her face and behind her ear. "Please," He repeated quietly.

 

[kailey]

Eva sighed and shook her head sadly. As Jace came closer and the moved the hair from her face, she flinched involuntarily. She wasn't letting him off that easy, but she was feeling the guilt finally from cheating on him with Atticus.





"Jace... You're just worried about your reputation. If you would've stood up for me, everyone would make fun of you cause you felt bad for the nobody who you 'dumped'" it was meant as an accusation, but her voice was so soft it didn't sound like one.


Speaking of Atticus, she wondered how he was doing. She hadn't heard from him at all and that made her worry. "Excuse me a moment, I have to call someone." She whispered, hesitating a moment before turning.

 

[PrincessKaty]

Jace bit his lip, listening to her. She was right. He was worried about his reputation. Of course he was. He was always held on this high pedestal above everyone. Everyone was always watching him. He was so use to being perfect that the idea of something like this, something that he couldn't control, ruining it.. It made him cringe.


"Eva, Please," He said as she started to turn and he reached over and grabbed her wrist. It was nothing like when he'd grabbed her that one day at the bonfire. It was gentle. He just wanted her to forgive him. He didn't know what he'd done. He didn't think that he'd done anything other than be an arrogant, self-centered asshole. But he'd always been that way! He was always nice to Eva. Maybe it wasn't him at all.


"What does he have that I don't?" He suddenly asked Evangel, regarding Atticus.

 

[kailey]

Evangel turned as Jace grabbed her wrist. She looked up to him with wide eyes an pulled away, taking a step back. He seemed so damn sad. God, was this her fault? Her emotions kept flicking between Atticus and Jace.





"Jace, this isn't about that. It's about me feeling like I'm not good enough for you. I know you say that I am, but I don't know." She stared down at the ground sadly and turned to grab her phone. Instead of calling Atticus, she sent him a text: "Hey call me when you can. I'm worried about you."


After hitting send, Eva turned back to Jace and sighed. "I don't know what to do right now and I really think I need to just be alone. I'm really sorry, I..." She couldn't finish saying "I love you." She moved forward and touched his arm gently, looking up at him with her big brown eyes.

 

[PrincessKaty]

Jace took in a breath when she pulled away and just looked at him.


"I say it because it's true, Eva," He told her honestly,"You know that I've never been one to have relationships. I told you that when we first met. Remember? And then I got to know you and I completely fell for you. It's almost been a year, Eva. I wouldn't stick around if I didn't think that you were enough. You're more than enough."


He watched as she texted someone and then said that she wanted to be alone. He looked down at her, bit then inside of his lip. He didn't want to leave her. "I don't want you to be alone," He told her, moving his hand to her waist, moving closer to her,"I love you, Evangel."

 

[kailey]

Evangel moved her hand over his on her waist, trying to move it but she couldn't bring herself to do it. It felt too mean. "Jace..."





She shook her head and turned away again, this time turning her back to him and moving against the kitchen counter again. Sure, she loved Jace but her mind kept saying Atticus. Her heart kept saying Atticus. But her conscious said Jace.





"What do you expect me to do? He's my best friend Jace. He's never made me feel inferior or unpopular or bad about myself. You know I... I..." She couldn't say it again. God.

 

[PrincessKaty]

Jace looked down and closed his eyes when Eva moved away from him. He looked up when she started to talk about Atticus.


"He's messed up, Eva. Are you ready to find him O.D'ed in a bathroom? Or to bail him out of jail with all of his fighting? You don't deserve that stress. Why can't you see that? Yes, he's your best friend. That doesn't mean he's your boyfriend," He told her, trying to make her see that it wasn't safe or smart for her to be with Atticus.


"Do you, Eva? Do you really love me? Because right now it really seems like you don't. You got mad at me for kissing Cierra but you're the one who ran off with your best friend. Which one of us is at fault here," He told her. He felt bad saying it but he didn't know how else to put it. She was angry but she'd been the one who dumped him.

 

[kailey]

"Don't say that..." Eva turned and looked up at Jace, moving closer. Her voice was low as she spoke. "Don't say he's messed up, and don't talk about him like that. You don't understand Jace. He has a tough life. He needs me,"





She shook her head sadly as he mentioned the kiss with Cierra. "I left because I didn't feel like continuing to get laughed at and made fun of for you apparently dumping me. This isn't about who broke up with who."





She got closer and looked him dead in the eye, yet her voice quavered a bit. "This is about me trying to figure things out. This is about me protecting myself from negative situations like at the party or the football game. Jace, I'm entirely stressed out right now."

 

[PrincessKaty]

Jace hated how quick she was to defend Atticus. She'd always been that way. Sure, he might have a tough life but it didn't give him the right to be a total asshole to everyone else in the world. "Does he need you, Eva? If that's so true then where is here?" He asked her, crossing his arms. Was he the only one that didn't see it?


The football game thing he could understand. The rumors were bad but he wasn't talking about what other people were saying. He was talking about them.


"Fine," He finally said, softly. He wasn't angry at her. He was more confused than anything. She was so up and down about about she wanted. "Then I'll go.." He gave her a sad grin before turning around to go and see himself to the door.


~


Atticus sighed deeply, looking at his phone which was lighting up on the coffee table to remind him that Eva was texting him. What if something was wrong? He grabbed his phone and opened it up, just to make sure she wasn't in any danger.

 

[kailey]

"Jace... Please, don't hate me. Let me figure things out.. I'm sorry about this. Trust me I feel horrible." She called out before he walked out of the house.


With a sigh and a few more tears, Evangel picked up her phone and called Atticus. She waited. It rang... And rang.


It seemed as if everything was falling apart in her life right now. She wanted to be with Atticus, he made her feel better. But she couldn't stand to see Jace so sad. She slammed her hand on the counter, frustrated.

 

[PrincessKaty]

Atticus sighed softly, watching as Eva's name popped up with her contact picture. It was the two of them. She'd forced him to take a selfie with her sometime last year during the summer. He had a pout on his face with a cigarette between his lips while she was hugging him and all smiles. It was probably one of his all time favorite pictures.


Answering wouldn't hurt, right?.. It had been almost five days and he really, really missed her. So, he pressed accept.


"Hey," He answered as he brought the phone to his ear. He prayed that she wouldn't freak on him for disappearing like he had.

 

[kailey]

"Oh my god you're alive..." Evangel whispered into the phone as she took a relieved breath and laughed anxiously. "I mean, hey."





Yeah, she hadn't heard from Atticus in nearly five days, but she was just glad to hear his voice after the long day she had. "I have so so much to tell you, but you first. Where have you been?"





She wasn't upset at him, just worried. He hadn't ever just disappeared on her for that long without texting or calling her. She had lied in bed at night thinking about every possible thing that could have happened to him, and it was beginning to freak her out.

 

[PrincessKaty]

Atticus closed his eyes and grinned a little bit at the sound of her voice. "I know.. I'm sorry," He responded to her greeting. He could only imagine the things she'd been thinking with his past and all.


He sighed at her question and at first didn't answer because he didn't want her to be disappointed but he knew that he could trust her. "I,uh.. I got in some trouble that night you went to the football game. And I just really don't think it's good for me to be at home where my parents could get a hold of me again. I kinda fucked up.. A lot. So I'm at a friend's house," He told her sadly.


He really wanted to go back and see her, he really did. But he didn't know if it was the right thing to do.. But he was also itching for some pills to ease his anxiety. Talking to Eva helped though, for sure.