Song: Wildest Dreams – Taylor Swift

The rest of the week goes by in a blur. Before I know it, it's the last day of school before Thanksgiving break. Every class flies by until I'm finally on my way home, carrying a stack of books for homework that I was assigned. Not that I'm actually going to do any of it.

    My whole week was consumed with studying with Evelyn. Ever since the café visit, I have become quite fond of her. I actually want to be around her, as stupid as it sound. I mean, what kind of moron likes to spend time with their tutors? Yet, I'm guilty of such matters.

    She isn't perfect by any means. She's still stiff, and it's super annoying at times. She also has a defect where she has to correct me if I misspeak or pronounce something wrong. But other than that, I love to be around her. She isn't as boring as I first assumed.

    I finally get home from my long, cold walk down the street. I throw my books onto the kitchen table and let them scatter. They are the last of my last concern at the moment. I deserve time to relax.

    I remove my phone from my pocket and tap a button. The screen lights up and informs me that I have a text from a strange number. Curious, I unlock my phone and read the message. It says, "It's too cold to study at the park. Meet me at my house instead."

    It is followed by an address. The street name and number sound slightly familiar, but I don't think too much of it. All I care about is the fact that Evelyn is finally allowing us to study indoors. I am relieved, because that means I won't freeze my butt off this time.

    My grumbling stomach interrupts my giddy thoughts. I race into the kitchen, crack open a box of cookies, and unceremoniously shove a few in my mouth. Then I grab my hockey mask and sticks, jam them into my bag, and head out.

    Fortunately, it doesn't take me too long to walk to Evelyn's house. It's just a few blocks passed the park. The park itself is something like a middle point between our residencies. Guess I can say we've literally met each other halfway.

    When I arrive at Evelyn's house, I realize that it isn't really a house at all. It's a humungous mansion, four times the size of any regular apartment building. And that isn't all. It also happens to be the very same mansion that held that epic Halloween party a few weeks ago. What a coincidence.

    I am in complete awe as I ring the doorbell. I know Evelyn is rather elegant and mature for her age, but I never considered her someone to live so highly. Her family must be rich out of its mind to own such a huge place. But why doesn't she act like a snobby, bratty girl with millionaires for parents?

    The large front door opened, but it isn't Evelyn who stands there. It's a little oriental woman with many wrinkles and a kind smile. She is dressed in simple, dirty clothes that suggest she has been cleaning something.

    "Oh, hello! You must be here for mistress!" The woman speaks quickly with a subtle accent.

    Before I can even say anything, she turns towards a device on the wall and presses a button. "Miss Evelyn, you have visitor," she says into the receiver.

    An electronic voice much like Evelyn's replies, "Thanks, Angelina. I'll be down in a second."

    "Come, come," Angelina motions for me to step inside. "I take coat and hang it for you. You want an edible?" she adds is she removes my jacket and places it on a hanger.

    I am a bit astonished by the circumstances, so I just shake my head.

    Just then, a set of quick steps echoes down the staircase. Evelyn appears with her usual, emotionless expression as she walks toward me. I expect her to be out of breath after coming down so many stairs, but she doesn't seem bothered. She dismisses Angelina and gives me a nod in greeting.

    "I see you got my text," she comments.

    "Yeah," I say, unable to stop my gaze from wandering the room. "How did you even get my number?"

    Evelyn wrinkles her eyebrows as if my question is strange. "It was on the informational sheet that you filled out when you signed up for a tutor, remember?" she immediately spins around and heads for the stairs again. "Forgive the annoying echo. I keep telling my parents that the ceiling is too tall, but they don't believe me. They think it keeps the entire mansion at a proper temperature when we have parties."

    So they do have parties. That increases my suspicions, so I just decide to come outright with my question. "You mean like Halloween parties?"

    Evelyn raises her eyebrows in astonishment as I climb the stairs with her. "You know about that?" she asks curiously.

    "Know about it? I was there! Well, me and everyone else in Manhattan," I add as I scratch the back of my head.

    Evelyn immediately looks away as if she has realized something horrible; then it fades away, and I wonder if it was there at all.

    "Are you the one that put all those anonymous party invites on the school lockers?" I press, longing to continue the conversation.

    Evelyn snaps out of her weird behavior and nods. "It's my senior year, so I thought it would be nice to do something for everyone before I graduated," she explains, a tiny smile on her lips.

    "But no one knows that it was you," I point out.

    Evelyn shrugs. "Doing nice things isn't always about the praise," she replies, and that is the end of it.

    As we reach the top of the stairs, I find myself panting. "I think you need an elevator, Goldie," I remark as I continue to follow her down the hallway.

    "You get used to it after a while," Evelyn replies nonchalantly.

    She opens a door to reveal a cozy bedroom. It's small, but it's the perfect size for a dresser, queen-sized bed and a wide window seal. The room is bright cream and orange colors with a mesmerizing aroma.

    Evelyn plops down on her bed and clears some of her textbooks out of the way. Then she pats the edge. "Come have a seat," she invites, and I do as she tells me to.

    We study anatomy for a good while. After spending almost a month with her, I am beginning to understand the subject. And even though every fiber within my being screams that it don't need anatomy to be a professional hockey player, it still feels good to finally know something.

    An hour passes and I stand up to stretch my legs out. "I still can't believe you're making me study on Thanksgiving break, Goldie," I complain.

    Evelyn rolls her eyes, but she seems to have given up on the study session for the moment as well. "You've got a lot to catch up on," she reminds me as she rises to her feet as well.

    Something shiny on her dresser catches my eye. I make my way over to it and find a charm with a white glow. It's almost blinding as the light from the lamp bounces off it and reflects into my eyes.

    "What's this?" I quiz Evelyn as I hold it in the air.

    "Don't touch that," Evelyn snatches the charm out of my hand at lightning speed. Her blue eyes are fixed on the object with a guarded expression. "It's... It's hard to explain," she admits after a long pause.

    I shrug and shift my weight between my feet. "I've been studying for a million hours now. I'm pretty sure I can understand anything!"

    It was a joke, but Evelyn doesn't look amused. She places the charm inside a small, purple box and closes it up. "Let's just say it's the story of my past."

    I can't fight the curiosity rising up inside my chest. For the first time in my life, I have never wanted to know more about a person. Everything about Evelyn strikes me as a mystery. I desire nothing more than for her to let me... Just once.

    Her eyes shift to meet mine, and I feel my stomach flutter. Evelyn and I stare into each other's eyes for a long time. No emotions pass between us. We are just content, like we don't need anything else. And out of nowhere, I realize how much I truly admire her.

    Suddenly, a movement out the window catches my eye. Breaking free from our moment, I wander over to the glass and peer out.

    What I see gets excitement churning inside of me. Tiger Claw is roaming around with Rahzar and Fishface. It's the first time I've seen them since they knocked me out cold, and I am really to return the favor. They're going to face all my strength this time.

    "What's the matter, Casey?" Evelyn asks with concern lacing her tone as she gazes out the window.

    Realizing she doesn't know about mutants, I try to block her view. But I fail, and her eyes flash with horror at the sight. What she says next surprises me.

    "It's those things again!" she gasps, her eyes wide in astonishment.

    "Wait, you know those dudes?" I can't believe my ears.

    "Well, I don't necessarily know them," Evelyn confesses. "But I saw them out there a little over a week ago. Wait," she pauses and raises her eyebrows at me. "How do you know them?"

    "I'm the guy who's gonna stop those scumbags," I answer.

    Evelyn blink in confusion. "I don't understand."

    I didn't plan on exposing my vigilante side to her yet, but now is better than never. So, I whip my mask out and put it over my face. I unsheathe my hockey stick and hold it out in a cool pose.

    I expect to impress her. To get a smile or a word of encouragement. Possibly a kiss. But I am wrong.

    Instead, Evelyn screams.

    I stare at her for a moment as she covers her gaping mouth with her hands. "Uh, not quite the reaction I was hoping for," I state in a wondrous manner.

    "It's... It's you!" Evelyn practically chokes on air, her face paler than usual.

    I am even more lost. Did she get a one-way ticket to a crazy train or something?

    I open my mouth to respond, but there is no need. Her next exclamation explains everything a little too well.

    "You're the guy from the Halloween party!"