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“Stop it,” Eve cried, slapping Nola’s hands away. “Get away from me.” She looked to the boys. “Forget what I said. Do whatever you want to her. I don’t care. But do it at your own risk.”
First Maggie and now Nola. Everyone was turning against her. Eve turned and hurriedly moved down the street but after a short distance she felt a tug on her scarf.
“I told you to get away.” She whirled around expecting to find Nola. Instead it was Shaun O’Keefe.
“Whoa, sorry!” he said, raising his hand, stick-up style.
“Sorry,” Eve said, instantly contrite. Shaun was a good guy, nothing like those other morons. He was two years older than Eve and they shared a study hall. Shaun would help Eve with her biology homework and Eve would proofread Shaun’s term papers.
“You okay?” he asked with concern. Shaun lived outside of town and Eve found it odd that he was here.
“Delivering a Christmas tree,” Shaun explained, seeing the questioning expression on Eve’s face. Shaun was nice looking in a wholesome, unimposing way, not especially handsome but he had a quick smile.
“Yeah, I’m fine. I’m just having a bad morning,” Eve explained. “Bunch of jerks at the bus stop.”
“You want me to beat them up for you?” Shaun gave a crooked grin.
“Nah.” She laughed. “They aren’t worth going to prison for.”
“Want a ride the rest of the way to school?” he asked, pointing to his truck.
Eve shook her head. “Thanks anyway.”
“All right, see you later.” Shaun turned and walked away.
The screech of brakes made Eve turn around. The bus had made its way back down the hill and paused at the stop sign to pick up the kids. One by one they filed onto the bus. Only Nola didn’t get on.
Eve saw the arm worm out the window but it was the pop bottle in the kid’s hand that caused Eve’s stomach to drop. The dark-colored liquid flew from the window showering over Nola who stood there as if in shock. The bus began to inch forward and then the hand released the bottle, which struck Nola’s head and went bouncing across the pavement.
“Freak!” came a shout. The bus erupted in laughter so loud that Eve heard it from a half a block away.
Nola stood there dripping and looked back at Eve, her face filled with a helplessness that Nola rarely, if ever, saw. “Nola,” Eve called out to her sister, backtracking toward her. “Are you okay?”
Nola ignored her and turned toward home.
Eve made her way down another steep hill and once at the bottom turned left onto First Street. Two and a half more years. Two and a half more years and she could move out of the house. That seemed like an eternity.
While she walked, the sun rose milky white behind leaden clouds awakening a brisk north wind. Eve had twenty minutes to make it to school before the first bell rang.
The sun was rising about the treetops, splashing cold light across the windshield and the bus groaned and hissed as it crept past. Eve knew she should go after her sister to make sure that she was okay, but couldn’t bring herself to do it. Maybe this would teach Nola that she couldn’t treat people this way. Besides, Eve had bigger problems. Nick would be waiting for her at school and now, more than ever, she was resolved to end things with him. She would prove Maggie wrong. Eve hunched her shoulders against the cold and trudged toward school.
