Lui walked into class, a big grin on his face.

"Whoa, what happened to you? Scott finally get you some weed?" Marcel joked as his friend sat down.

"Oh no, I got something much better." Lui said, staring at us seriously. His grin still stuck to his face like glue.

"Oh, like heroin?" I tried to joke, but was creeped out by Lui.

"No, I mean I got another one for the group." He said, still smiling. Okay, that's getting a bit creepy now.

"Seriously? Who is it?"

"Craig fucking Thompson."

"No, you're joking!"

"I'm not."

--------------------------------------

Craig wasn't sure what happened, but he was pretty sure that somehow, someway, Lui had conned him into eating lunch with him tomorrow, and his number was clutched in his hand.

Still trying to comprehend what had happened, he opened his locker, causing a folded piece of paper to fall on top of him.

"What the-" He said to himself as he bent down to pick it up.

Unfolding it, he read the message on the paper.

Lui may think you're on his team, but you still work for me, Cub Scout.

-E.F.

He shoved the paper into his pocket, out of habit, like Lui or Marcel was going to be hovering his shoulders, which he wouldn't be surprised about to be honest. Seriously, this rivalry was getting on his nerves.

But looks like he had allies on both sides now.

His phone buzzed, he opened the message.

Evan: Midnight. You know where. Delete this message after you've read it and change my contact name

Evan: don't question it, I'll tell you tonight

Evan: also, tell anyone, and I will display your body on the flagpole

Evan: don't test me

Craig gulped, shoving his phone into his bag and ripped the note in half. He understood what was happening to at least some degree.

He was a pawn. Evan's pawn, to be exact. What for, well, he hadn't gotten that far.

--

"Hey." Craig's voice was normal, although he was highly suspicious as he saw Evan engrossed in his phone while everyone else was deep in conversation.

"Let's go." Evan's reply was instant, his eyes still glued to his phone as he stood up, slung his bag over his shoulder and began to walk.

Considering he only had one hand at the moment, it was honestly impressive.

--

"Ev, are you sure everything's okay?" Tyler quietly asked as him and his best friend walked down the sidewalk to who knows where.

"Yes, Tyler, I'm sure. If there was something wrong, you'd be the first to know about it." Evan hated lying to Tyler, he really did, but he just couldn't help it sometimes. There were just things that he couldn't know about him.

"I know, Evan, I just get worried about you. You really haven't been the same since-"

"Tyler, don't." His voice got lower, like a whisper, desperate for Tyler to stop.

Usually, Tyler would, sensing that Evan got really upset whenever he thought about it, but right now Evan was lying about his feelings and it was not okay.

He stopped, grabbing Evan's arm to keep him in place. "No, Evan. I'm not going to stop, okay? Every time someone so much as hints at it, you freak out, so what happened? What's the big deal? We're your friends, you should be able to tell us."

Evan felt everyone looking at him, wondering what he was going to do. He shook his head. "I-I can't, guys. I want to, I just can't." He couldn't believe he was this close to a complete breakdown. Why don't they see how much he doesn't want to talk about it?

"Come on, Ev, it was back in sixth-" He would've been fine if it hadn't been him that spoke.

"Shut the fuck up, David, you're the whole reason that Lui hates me!" His hand immediately flew to his mouth, covering it a second too late.

Everyone's heads swiveled around at David, whose head was swimming in confusion. Tyler had let go of Evan's arm, but he was too busy controlling his breathing to run.

"What did I do?" David said, looking up to see Evan shaking his head and backing away, his mouth still covered by his hand. Tears swelled in his eyes, he didn't want to be there, he didn't want to talk about it.

"I'm sorry, I'm so sorry, I wasn't thinking. It's not your fault, it's my fault, all my fault. I lie, I'm a liar, you shouldn't trust me, I'm not a trustworthy person, okay?" Tyler pulled Evan into a hug as words just spilled out of his mouth, completing his breakdown.

All his friend did was apologize for bringing it up over and over again as they somehow ended up on the ground, Evan still in Tyler's embrace.

"It's okay, Tyler, it's fine. You were just worried." Evan said once he had calmed down, his eyes still glued to the floor. "I'm just gonna go home, I'll see you guys later."

--

"I didn't think it affected him that badly, it happened so long ago..." Tyler said, looking at his concerned friends.

"It probably doesn't help that Lui glared at him for it every single day of his life, can't be easy." Brock offered.

"What about me? Why did Evan say it was my fault?" David asked, his head spinning with questions as any accused teenager should.

Craig slipped out his phone, pulling up Evan's contact- he had yet to change the name.

Craig: hey, r u ok

Craig: we can reschedule our meeting if you're not

Craig: I'm not gonna make you tell me

Evan: it's fine, I'm fine, I'll see ya tonight

"Guys, let's drop it. We've been trying to get it out of him for years, he's probably sick of it, just leave him alone. If you were in his position, would you want someone constantly pestering you about it?" Craig said with an edge in his voice.

"If I was in his position, I'd do everything in my power to get my friend back!" Tyler countered. "Why are you even defending him? Don't you hate him?"

"He deserves to be defended, Tyler. Evan doesn't handle things the same way you do, or any of you do! You don't know what happened, it could be really bad."

"That's why he has friends!"

"Friends support each other, all you're doing is breaking him down."

"Once we know what happened, we can help him!"

"Maybe he doesn't want help! Maybe all he wants is for you guys to drop it and be his friends again, all you've done since it happened is stare at him like he's some lost puppy. He's still Evan, he's a good person."

"What did he do to you?" Brock asked. "This morning you were terrified of him, and now you're acting like Tyler. What did Evan do to you?"

"Why do you think he did something?"

"Uh, hello, remember Monday?"

"I deserved that, I brought up something I shouldn't have."

"Don't apologize for wanting to know the truth."