~ Chapter 42 ~
Eva was laughing when she walked out of class with Anand.
Not a big laugh. Not a dramatic one.
One of those small, breathy laughs that slipped out when he said something stupid but endearing, which was... often.
"I'm just saying," Anand continued, adjusting the strap of his backpack. "If statistics was a person, I would fight it in a parking lot."
Eva snorted. "You would lose."
"Rude. But accurate."
She nudged his arm lightly, the way she always did. Comfortable. Familiar. Safe.
They made it about ten feet down the sidewalk before Eva felt it.
That subtle shift.
The kind you couldn't quite name but your body recognized anyway.
She glanced up.
Two girls stood near the steps of the student center.
Cheerleaders.
Perfect hair. Tiny skirts. Glossy lips. Loud energy.
They were watching.
Not Anand.
Her.
Eva instinctively straightened her shoulders, already uncomfortable without knowing why.
One of them leaned toward the other and said, not quietly,
"Isn't that Reed Taylor's little girlfriend?"
The word little wasn't affectionate.
Eva felt her stomach drop.
The other girl laughed. "That's... her?"
They both looked Eva up and down in a way that made her want to fold into herself.
"I thought he liked girls who looked like, you know... that."
The first girl gestured vaguely at her own body.
Eva's chest tightened.
Her brain went fuzzy.
She told herself not to react.
Not to cry.
Not to let it show.
Anand stopped walking.
Slowly.
Dangerously calmly.
"Hey," he said, turning toward them.
Eva grabbed his sleeve. "Anand, it's fine."
It was not fine.
Anand gently peeled her fingers off his arm like he was handling something fragile, then stepped in front of her.
"Since you're so loud," he said, voice steady but sharp, "let me help you out."
Both girls blinked.
"You don't get to comment on anyone's body. Ever. You don't get to decide who someone else loves. And you definitely don't get to stand there and talk shit about a girl who wouldn't spit in your direction if you were on fire."
One of them scoffed. "Relax, we were just—"
"No," Anand cut in. "You were being assholes."
Silence.
Anand didn't raise his voice.
That somehow made it worse.
"Reed Taylor is with Eva because he wants to be," Anand continued. "Not because he settled. Not because he couldn't get anyone else. Because she's kind, and smart, and real, and way out of your league in every way that actually matters."
Eva felt heat rush behind her eyes.
Anand glanced back at her.
"You good, squirrel?"
Eva nodded.
She wasn't.
But she nodded anyway.
They walked away.
Eva didn't look back.
She didn't want to see their faces.
She didn't want to give them any more of her than they'd already taken.
Anand didn't push.
Didn't lecture.
Just walked beside her, matching her pace.
After a minute, he said softly, "You know none of that shit is true, right?"
Eva swallowed. "Yeah."
It came out too fast.
Anand sighed. "You don't have to pretend with me."
Eva stopped.
Anand stopped too.
"I know Reed loves me," she said quietly. "I know he does. I just— sometimes I don't understand why he chose me when he could choose... anyone."
Anand's expression softened.
"Eva," he said gently. "If Reed wanted a loud, flashy girl who performs for attention, he could've had that a long time ago."
Eva's throat tightened.
"He chose you because you make him feel like himself. Because you make people feel safe. Because you're the kind of person someone builds a life with, not just a highlight reel."
Eva looked down.
Anand bumped her shoulder lightly. "Also, you're hot. Like objectively."
She let out a wet laugh. "Shut up."
"Never."
Her phone buzzed.
Not Reed.
Sandra.
Sandra: Where are you?
Eva: Walking toward the quad.
Sandra: Cool. We're there.
By the time Eva reached the quad, Sandra, Parker, and Cassie were waiting.
One look at Eva's face and Sandra was immediately in her space.
"What happened."
Eva tried to shrug.
Parker stepped closer, eyes soft. "Talk to us."
Eva hesitated.
Then: "Some cheerleaders said stuff."
Cassie's jaw tightened. "What stuff."
Anand answered for her.
Sandra looked like she was one second away from committing a felony.
Parker pulled Eva into a hug.
Cassie muttered, "I hate people."
Eva let herself be held.
She didn't cry.
But her chest ached.
She checked her phone.
No texts.
Reed always texted after practice.
Always.
Her stomach twisted.
Reed
Practice sucked.
Not physically.
Mentally.
Coach was going on about defensive rotations, something about communication on switches, something about conditioning.
Reed heard none of it.
He checked his phone.
Nothing from Eva.
That never happened.
Ryan noticed immediately.
"You good, bro? You look like you're about to commit arson."
Reed shrugged. "She hasn't texted."
Felix frowned. "That's weird."
Before Reed could respond, two girls walked past the open locker room door.
Cheerleaders.
The same ones.
Reed recognized them instantly.
One of them laughed.
"Did you hear Eva's little friend freaked out on us today?"
Reed's head snapped up.
"What."
The girl smirked. "Her nerdy guy friend. Went all psycho because we said you could do better."
Something inside Reed went cold.
Then molten.
Ryan stood. "Okay, what the fuck"
Reed didn't wait.
He didn't think.
He grabbed his hoodie, shoved his feet into shoes, and was out the door.
Ryan yelled after him.
"Reed—"
Too late.
Reed was already moving.
Running.
Not caring who saw.
Not caring about Coach.
Not caring about anything except finding Eva.
Eva was sitting on the grass between Parker and Cassie when she saw him.
Running.
Hair messy.
Hoodie half-zipped.
Face tight with something that looked dangerously close to panic.
Her heart jumped.
She stood before she even realized she was moving.
"Reed."
He stopped in front of her.
Hands on his knees.
Breathing hard.
Eyes scanning her face like he was checking for injuries.
"Are you okay."
Not a question.
A demand.
Eva nodded. "I'm okay."
His hands came up, cupping her face without thinking.
"You sure."
She nodded again.
He pulled her into his chest.
Hard.
Protective.
Like he was afraid if he didn't hold her, she'd disappear.
Eva buried her face in his hoodie.
"I didn't tell you because I didn't want to ruin your practice," she said quietly.
Reed pulled back just enough to look at her.
"You don't ever hide shit like that from me."
Eva blinked. "Reed—"
"I'm serious," he said. "You're my girl. If someone makes you feel small, I want to know."
Her heart stuttered.
Cassie, Sandra, Parker, and Anand very politely pretended not to watch.
Reed pressed his forehead to Eva's.
"They said you could do better?"
Eva nodded reluctantly.
Reed let out a humorless laugh.
"I hit the jackpot with you."
Eva's eyes filled.
Reed kissed her.
Not gentle.
Not soft.
Deep.
Claiming.
A kiss that said mine without a single word.
People around them definitely noticed.
Reed did not care.
He pulled back just enough to murmur, "Come home with me."
Eva nodded.
No hesitation.
--
Reed closed the door behind them and immediately pulled Eva back into his arms.
Hands in her hair.
Her hands in his hoodie.
Kisses that were slower now.
Deeper.
Charged with everything they hadn't said outside.
Reed's mouth moved to her jaw.
Her neck.
He groaned softly when she tilted her head for him.
"You're enough," he said against her skin. "You're more than enough. You're it for me."
Eva's fingers curled into his shirt.
"Show me," she whispered.
Reed's breath stuttered.
He did.
With kisses.
With hands.
With the way he took his time.
With the way he held her like something precious and wanted all at once.
Not rushed.
Not rough.
But intense.
By the time they collapsed onto the bed, tangled and breathless, Eva felt something settle in her chest.
Not perfection.
Not invincibility.
But certainty.
She wasn't replaceable.
She wasn't temporary.
She was loved.