"That is brilliant," Eva said after thinking about it for a while.
Jayne smiled. "Glad you think so."
"But what are we going to change the files to?" Eva asked, shooting a questioning look towards Jayne.
"If he thinks he can just play a woman because he feels he is smart, why don't we show him that clever beats smart any day," Jayne said with a smirk, making it clear to Eva that she was going to turn the tables on him.
Eva stood up and hugged her, thanking her for helping. Jayne hugged her back and said, "What are besties for?"
They agreed to meet at the cafe close to the school before they parted ways.
_____
Eva arrived home to find her mom in a chair with a nurse checking her vitals. She greeted her mom and asked the nurse if she was going to get better soon.
"Yes," the nurse replied, but something felt off about her answer. Eva failed to notice the shocked expression on her mom's face when she asked about her health.
Eva just nodded to the nurse and left. She didn't come down to eat dinner after she heard her mom wasn't eating. As soon as the family was done eating and had left for their various rooms, Eva went back downstairs.
She found her mom watching a movie. Without a word, Eva entered the kitchen and started to cook. Thirty minutes later, she brought out her mom's favorite food and set it in front of her, along with her drugs and a glass of water.
"Eat up. There's no poison in this," she said before turning back towards her room. When she got to the door, she glanced back and saw her mom eating, which made her smile before she finally entered her room.
________
She woke up early on the weekend, eager to be on time for her meet-up with Jayne. She wore a pair of long, black, baggy pants and a plain white top—something casual. She grabbed her shoes and headed downstairs.
"Where are you going?" her mom questioned from behind her.
"To see a friend," Eva said, turning around.
"Luke must go with you," her mom said as she turned to sit on the couch.
Eva looked at her with a raised eyebrow, confused. "Why is that?"
"Because I said so. Go to his room and tell him to get ready," she said, turning on the TV. Eva just looked at her, wishing she was still in the hospital.
She went to Luke's room and knocked, but there was no response. She knocked again; still no response, and the door drifted slightly open.
Eva didn't know what to do. She thought he could be sleeping, but she had somewhere to be, so she entered to wake him up.
"Luke?" she said as she entered. His room was still dark, the windows shut. She couldn't see well.
She called out to him again. Suddenly, a hand closed the door behind her, and a tall, masculine guy was looking down at her. She was sure this wasn't Luke, but what was he doing here? He had dark, shining hair and deep blue ocean eyes. He was very tall, and all his features seemed to rhyme so well with the darkness in an alluring manner.
"What are you doing here?" he asked in a deep voice, leaning towards her ear as he tucked a strand of hair behind it.
"Mom said… she should… I mean, hmmm… you should go out with me, I meant…." Eva tried to speak, trying not to mind the closeness. Her brain was failing her at this point.
He brought his head towards her chest. "Why is your heart racing?" he asked, before placing a kiss on her neck.
"Who are you?" she managed to say.
He stopped and raised his head, looking down at her. "Wait outside. Luke is almost done," he said, flashing a huge smile that looked a bit scary. When she took a closer look, it hit her.
Was that fangs? she thought to herself.
Before she could blink, she was already in front of the door, and Luke was walking towards her with his phone.
"Have a nice day," her mom said, not looking at them.
"What just happened?" Eva said to herself.
She and Luke walked together in silence as they headed to the cafe. He was busy on his phone, and she was wondering who that was.
Then she remembered back at school, how Luke had stood up for her—which was rare. She realized that this strange guy and the way Luke had acted that time seemed to be the same.
Could it be that Luke had a different personality he didn't know about? Or was he just messing with her? She decided to test her theory.
"Hey Luke, thanks for the other day at school," she said, facing him.
Finally, he looked up from his phone and stared at her with confusion. "What are you talking about?"
"You know, when you stood up for me in front of the whole school," Eva tried to remind him.
He just looked at her like she didn't know what she was saying.
"I wasn't in school, remember? Dad took me and Lizzy to get some things, and you were still sleeping, so we figured you were exhausted and let you sleep," Luke said before looking back at his phone.
Eva listened to every word he said, trying to put the pieces together. Luke wasn't in school that day, but the person did look like Luke. Everyone had called him Eric. And now, the same guy was in Luke's room, and no one knew.
What the hell is happening? Eva asked herself, thinking she was running mad, until she heard her name being called.
It was Jayne.
Jayne ran towards her and placed a scarf on her neck. "We have to go to the washroom.
Now," was all she said before dragging her away and leaving Luke behind.