Without waiting for her response, he grabbed her wrist and pulled her to the cake section. Jasmine chose a small pink cake reluctantly, and as Evans stepped forward to pay…he felt a tap on his shoulder.
He turned his gaze to the young woman standing beside him. She looked like she was in her early twenties. She was clad in a brown sleeveless dress, and her blonde hair sprawled on her shoulders. Her brown eyes gleamed with anticipation as their gazes met.
"Hi," she said softly.
"Hello?"
"I…I am sorry to approach you this way, but are you guys a couple?" she questioned.
Jasmine laughed, then pointed at herself. "I and him? A couple? Are you serious?"
Evans gave the blonde lady a light smile. "I am sorry, but we are not a couple. She is just…just a coursemate. We study together."
"Oh…okay," she retorted, and then left reluctantly.
"What was that?" Jasmine demanded, then heaved a sigh. "I must have forgotten that I'm a Porter. People would have recognized me…let just get this done with and leave."
Evans nodded. He paid for the cake, then both of them made their way out of the supermarket. Jasmine kept a safe distance between them as they headed to the parking lot, while Evans was relieved that his vision did not come true, for now.
As they got to the door, Jasmine noticed the same girl from earlier approaching them. She made a gesture to Evans, and he turned in that direction.
The girl halted before Evans, while Jasmine crossed her arms.
"I…I knew I had seen you somewhere. It's in the uni," she said excitedly.
Jasmine rolled her eyes. "Get in the car, Evans. We don't have time for this."
"I am sorry for bothering you, but I'm a second-year student at Stanford University. I saw you the day you stood up to Edward and his group, and since then I have admired you," she proclaimed, her tone laced with anxiousness.
Evans beamed. "You are right, and thank you for the admiration…it is only right to stand up to bullies."
"I am Aveline, and I'd like to have your contact," she answered back shyly as she stretched her phone forward.
"Umm…ye—"
"Whoa, whoa, whoa," Jasmine cut in as she came over to Evans's side. "You are a stranger, and Evans does not know you. Right now, we are in a fucked up state because of a creepy stranger. Why don't you keep your phone to yourself?"
Evans saw the hurt in Aveline's eyes. Jasmine was right. Although he did not sense any bad energy from her, giving her his contact isn't a good idea at the moment. This is the time to lie low and avoid people as much as possible.
"She is right, Aveline. We can chat in school, but I can't hand out my contact information," Evans finally said.
Aveline nodded, even though the anticipation in her eyes had faded. "Alright…I'm sorry for bothering you. Have a good day."
"Bye," Jasmine replied as Aveline walked back into the supermarket. "If I did not object, you'd give her your contact…isn't it?"
"I don't think it matters," Evans admitted as they slid into the car.
Jasmine shook her head as she placed her hands on the steering wheel. "No wonder you have so many stalkers."
"You don't have to worry about me," Evans asserted as he looked out the window. "I'll be fine."
Throughout the ride home, Evans was quiet.
He had a lot on his mind, and Jasmine noticed. She didn't bother him to intrude on his thoughts, she only drove.
Evans' eyes remained on the passing streets. The shadow of his house, the mysterious girl, Edward, and his group with the strange man. Too much had been happening recently in his life, and he wondered if he was really normal.
He was not normal. He knew since childhood, but the recent happenings were too much.
"I can't believe you do this while you're out," Jasmine muttered.
"What?"
"Keeping to yourself. You do the same in school…I thought it was because you're a new student, but it seems that's just you," she retorted calmly, and the car slowly turned as they approached their quiet street.
"That's just me."
That was a lie.
That was not him.
He was living normally before, he had friends. He talked to his friends about games, and they even played various sports. The sudden death of his sister turned him into a timid nerd, and he knew there was no going back.
The car stopped in front of Evans' house, and he grabbed his backpack as he opened the door.
"Thank you…and I apologize again for ruining Chris's cake. I'd make it up to him next time," he said, then alighted from the car.
Jasmine nodded and watched as he walked to his house. "Hey, Evans." He halted, then looked at her. "You should inform the cops about the creepy guy. Don't just sit idle and wait for him to harm you…I see that a lot in movies. You have to defend yourself first."
Evans grinned. "Thank you. Take care of yourself too."
"See you in school tomorrow," she replied as she drove off.
Evans adjusted his glasses and then attempted to open the door, but it wouldn't open. He pondered whether Jane had gone out or if she was sleeping. He glanced at his wristwatch and realized it was already late.
7:30.
The strange things that occurred that day made him lose track of time. He opened his bag and rummaged through it. Jane had given him a spare key in case of moments like this. He finally reached for the key and then opened the door.
He closed the door as he entered, then walked to the sofa.
"Mom? Mom?" he called out loudly, but there was no response.
It was obvious that she was not in.
A folded paper on the table caught his attention, and this made him furrow his brows, curiosity drawn on his face.