The Consequence

The tiny hospital room was fit to burst. A heavy mixture of disinfectant, soap and perfume hung in the air like a toxic cloud, choking everyone. The majority were only crammed into the room awaiting the arrival of Stephen Gomez. There was already tension in the air, with Justin Godsey on one side of the room and Logan Thayer on the other, this third party was only going to make it worse. More drama for the spectators.

Evie was sitting up in bed. Her abdomen was bandaged up and she had tubes snaking around her, disappearing into her hand, connecting her to monitors and whirring machines. She was pale, dark circles adorned the skin beneath her dull eyes. She’d barely spoken since she’d woken up, welcoming the fuss her parents and Libby were giving her with open arms. The longer they fussed and remained by her side, the longer she wouldn’t have to deal with the two boys glaring at each other.

“Did you call Zara and Stephen?” She spoke quietly, her voice hoarse, looking at Justin. He nodded in response, his eyes never leaving Logan.

“What? Why are they coming? They don’t need to be here,” Libby looked between the two boys, and back at Evie, pouring herself a glass of water.

“No, they need to be here. We need to talk everything over.”

“Evie, you’ve been stabbed, you’ve only just woken up after being unconscious for days, do you really think you need the stress of a potential fight right now?”

Evie glanced at Justin and Logan before looking at her sister, “they’re not going to leave until everything is worked out and laid to rest.”

Libby sighed heavily and nodded, just as there was a gentle knock on the door and Stephen stepped inside. Bloodshot eyes and dishevelled hair told the story of the past couple of days for him. His eyes darted around the room, before resting on Evie. “How are you?”

She shrugged. “Breathing.” Pain shot through her side as she spoke, reminding her of the injury she’d sustained through her stupidity. She winced.

Libby shot her sister a dark look. “Eves, you don’t want me to go and get a doctor or anything do you?” She eyed her cautiously. She may be awake, but she had a long way to go until she could be considered fully recovered.

“No, I’m fine.”

Libby nodded. “Call someone if you need anything.” She glanced at the three boys in the room, before leaving, closing the door quietly behind her.

“Soooooo,” Stephen looked around, “is Zara coming?”

“Yeah she is, she said she’d be here soon,” Justin answered him.

The tension was suffocating. It was almost unbearable. Evie felt her chest constricting tighter and tighter. She breathed deeply to calm her nerves. She wasn’t up for fighting, but this needed to be resolved. Everything of the past few weeks had to be laid to rest and finished. She knew what she wanted and what she needed. They were the same things. She just hoped the people surrounding her would accept it and move on as they needed to.

There was a small knock on the door, followed by Zara stepping inside, letting it close behind her. Her heels clicked against the floor as she walked over to the end of Evie’s bed, standing beside Stephen. She looked around at the four other people in the room. She was the only one who looked composed and put together. Her hair was styled to perfection and her make up hid the pain she was feeling. Her fingers twitched, desperate to reach out to Stephen, to hold his hand and reassure him, apologise.

“I think we all know what this is about,” Evie broke the silence first. She could feel the tension shifting. By the time this was over, she hoped it would be lifted and everything and everyone would be alright. “We have a lot to talk about.”

“Can I start?” Zara asked, looking around at everyone for approval. She swallowed hard. “I want to apologise. I guess me and Justin started this mess. I don’t know what the hell is wrong with me. Half the time, I don’t know what I’m saying or doing. I never meant to hurt either of you,” she looked at Stephen, then at Evie, “it’s what I wanted. Even if it meant hurting someone I love, I wanted Justin. And I’m just so fucking sorry. I don’t know what I can do or say to make anything better.”

“You didn’t start this,” Logan’s glare was fixed on Justin. “He did. Justin Godsey, God’s fucking gift to all man kind. He gets everything his tiny, dark heart desires and even then that’s not enough.” He laughed bitterly and shook his head.

“Okay, I get it, you hate my guts, don’t make me feel any worse than I already do.” Justin folded his arms and leaned back against the cream painted wall.

“It’s not all Justin’s fault, Logan. It’s not like I ever resisted. Neither of us did. Things just spiralled out of control. One stupid kiss made me realise what I was missing and then I wanted him back, but I wanted Stephen at the same time. It’s stupid to think you can have everything you want, because you can’t, Logan. You need to realise that,” Zara ran her hand through her hair and shook her head. “Don’t act innocent, because you’re far from it.”

Logan held his hands up, “I know I’m not innocent. Believe me, I do. But just like you, I wanted Evie. I wanted her like you wanted Justin and Stephen. I’ve always wanted her, and he knew -” he pointed at Justin, “he knew I liked her. And then he got her for himself and never even apologised.”

Justin shook his head. “It was a crush. You weren’t going to make a move, what the hell was I supposed to do? Wait until you grew the balls to ask her out?”

Logan sighed heavily and shook his head, “I don’t know. I hated you for so long after, and I think somewhere, I still do.”

“Well that’s going to help me sleep at night.”

Evie looked at everyone in turn. “Can everyone stop blaming each other? We’re all at fault. If anyone’s innocent, it’s Stephen. We all did the dirty, we all cheated on each other with people who we thought we could trust. How thick were we to think we could honestly get away with it?”

“Extremely,” Zara nodded.

“Question is, what does everyone want now?” Stephen asked, looking around.

Zara looked across at him. “I don’t know. I want to go back to how we used to be, but I don’t know if we can.”

Stephen looked at her. “I don’t think we can. I want to be by myself for a while. The drama of a relationship isn’t really what I want or need right now.”

Zara nodded. Tears shone in her brown eyes. She moved closer to Stephen and kissed his cheek. “I’m so sorry for everything I put you through. I really fucking am.” She looked around at everyone, smiling weakly before leaving the room.

Stephen looked over at Justin. He shrugged. “It’ll be okay, with time. We’ll be alright.” Justin only nodded, watching his best friend disappear through the door.

Two down. Three to go.

“So, Eves, it’s down to you,” Logan looked at her. “Who do you want?”

She looked between them. Her mind had been made up long ago. She stalled for a moment, before breathing, “neither of you.” The weight hanging on her shoulders lifted instantly. “I can’t deal with a relationship. I need to be selfish and focus on myself and getting better. I know it’s probably not the answer either of you wanted to hear, but I’ve made up my mind. I don’t want to be with either of you.”

Logan clenched his fists. “I love you! How many more times do I need to tell you, Evie?”

She glared at him. “That’s my final decision, Logan. I know it’s going to hurt, but you’ll get over me. Find some girl who actually deserves you and returns the love you give.”

He shot her a glare before storming out of the room in a hurricane of blond hair. The door slammed behind him, making Evie jump. She looked across at Justin. “I’m sorry.”

Justin shook his head. “It’s fine. I think we all need time to get ourselves together. I understand, Eves. We all need time to be by ourselves and to figure out what we want and need. I’m just sorry it took all of this for us to work that out.” He shot her a weak smile, before taking a few steps towards the door.

“I always loved you, you know that, right?”

He turned around at the sound of her words, walking back around the bed and cupping her face in his hands. He kissed her sweetly, resting his forehead against hers. “Always have known it.”

“Maybe one day it can happen again, Justin.”

“But not now.” He kissed her again, before leaving the room.

Evie looked around at the empty spaces. The tension had been smashed, crushed into a thousand tiny pieces, just like the five hearts beating in the room had.