Sunshine

“Dammit, Jimmy, I thought you said Brian only lived a few blocks away!”

“I lied.”

“The exercise is good for you anyway, Matt.”

“Shut up, Zacky.”

The three guys walked down the sidewalk in the hot August sun, only a block from Brian’s house. They had just finished jamming together and decided to go hang out at Brian’s and tell him about the new band they were forming. Jimmy hadn’t agreed to be in it yet, but Matt and Zacky hoped he would. He was too good for them, yes, but maybe he could still be convinced somehow.

Across the street from Brian’s at the Kuper residence, Maudie was watering her flowers and Nikolaus sat in a lawn chair, reading none other than the daily newspaper.

Jimmy yelled and waved, “Afternoon, Mr. and Mrs. Kuper!”

Both looked up and smiled, waving back. Matt and Zacky also waved, and the three walked over to the Kuper’s front lawn.

“For the last time, Jimmy, call me Maudie!” Maudie faux scolded as the boys neared her and the flowers.

“And Nik,” Nikolaus added, pushing his glasses up his nose and turning the page of his newspaper.

Jimmy saluted them, “Will do!”

Matt and Zacky watched on as Jimmy interacted with the older couple. They didn’t know Maudie and Nikolaus as well, and felt it safer to stand back in the shadows.

“So what brings you boys over here?” Maudie asked, taking off her gardening gloves and tossing them on the ground beside her.

Jimmy pointed to the house behind him, “We’re gonna see Brian.”

Maudie nodded, “Well you should keep your visit short if you want to be back here in time.”

“In time for what?” Zacky asked.

Maudie gave him a smile, implying that she knew something he didn’t.

“You’ll see.”

“You know I hate it when you leave me hanging, Maudie!” Jimmy said dramatically, putting the back of his hand against his forehead.

Nikolaus chuckled, “Imagine living like that for 40 years.”

Maudie sent him a dirty look and the three boys tried to hide their laughter. She put her hands on her hips and turned back to Jimmy.

“Just for that, I’m not going to tell you.”

Jimmy gasped, “No! I didn’t mean it!”

Maudie turned to the other two, “Matt and Zacky, right?”

They nodded and she gave a wink to Zacky.

“I’ll tell you, but not the others.”

Zacky gave Matt and Jimmy a winning smile as they frowned, or in Jimmy’s case pouted. Just as Maudie was about to tell Zacky, a loud thumping from down the block disturbed everyone. Their heads all shot in that direction, Maudie and Nikolaus sharing a knowing smile.

A red sporty looking car could be seen coming down the street, bass pumping through the low quality factory speakers. It was a rap-like beat by no means; it was definitely of the rock variety, recognized as Nine Inch Nails. As the car got closer and closer, the driver could be seen wearing sunglasses and was bobbing their head along to the song playing. Their hair blew in the wind coming from the open windows and sunroof, the driver appearing feminine. The smallish car, a Ford Probe, slowed down, the engine revving slightly as it neared the Kuper house. It pulled into the drive way and the driver cut the engine, the boys eagerly watching to see who it could be. Zacky had an idea, his eyes widening a bit at the thought.

Jimmy seemed to have the same idea, because the minute the tan, short clad, long haired beauty stepped out of the car, he had attacked her in a hug, pinning her against the car.

“Evie!”

Matt looked back at Maudie and Nikolaus to see them heading in Evelyn’s direction, smiles on their faces. He nudged Zacky, who was staring at Evelyn, and snapped him from his daze.

“You look like you’ve never seen a girl before,” he laughed.

Maudie gave Zacky a pat as she walked by and hugged Evelyn, as did Nikolaus, giving Zacky a stern look in the process. Evelyn was smiling widely, one arm around Jimmy as she looked to Matt and Zacky. She still hadn’t spoken a word since she had arrived, unless her grunt from Jimmy’s forceful hug counted as speech.

It was the first time they had seen Evelyn all summer. She had disappeared after the last day of school, Maudie and Nikolaus telling Jimmy and Brian that she had been taken back to Detroit to deal with ‘legal matters’, but would be back by the time school started in the fall. Jimmy passed the news on to Matt, Zacky, Val, and Meredith, who were shocked, confused, and in Zacky’s case, disappointed.

According to what Zacky had heard, Evelyn quit the softball team shortly after her departure. The softball and baseball teams spent a lot of time together over the summer, and it was time Zacky had been looking forward to. He wondered what Evelyn could’ve possibly been doing all summer that kept her from California.

Matt walked around her car, nodding in approval, “Damn! Where’d you get this thing? They stopped making them a year or two ago, I thought.”

Evelyn nodded, gently releasing a giddy Jimmy to join him in going around her car, “They did, and I have connections.”

Zacky raised an eyebrow. First she goes back to her home to deal with legal stuff and then she comes back with a discontinued Ford because she has ‘connections’? What was going on with her?

Evelyn seemed even quieter than before she left, and it bothered Jimmy. It wasn’t really new, Evelyn usually kept to herself anyway, but normally she would have at least hugged Jimmy back more than she did. He wondered what happened to made her less…herself. This was not the Evie that he left behind three months ago.

Evelyn took her sunglasses off her head just as Brian came out of his house to see what all the commotion was. He greeted the guys and Maudie and Nikolaus but froze in his place when he saw Evelyn. She looked…different.

Her brown hair was faded from the sun and she didn’t appear as thin and frail. She had filled out a bit more, with her arms and legs more toned as well. Her ever-present flannel shirt was tied around her waist, revealing a white tank top that stopped just above her shorts. She was tan, especially in the face, making her light blue eyes stand out much more than normal.

Matt shook his head, “Don’t pull a Zacky now, Brian.”

Zacky sent him a glare and the oblivious Evelyn suddenly took notice of his presence.

“Hey, Zacky.”

He immediately jerked his head in her direction. Even her voice sounded different.

“Hey, Evi—Evelyn,” Zacky corrected himself when Jimmy sent him a warning glance.

“So Evie, how was Detroit? Solve your legal matters?” Jimmy asked, wrapping an arm around Evelyn’s still slender, yet slightly more muscular, shoulders.

She smiled at him, blue eyes meeting blue, “Good and yes, I did. I played softball tournaments all summer.”

Zacky noted the way her voice and face brightened at the mention of playing softball. He figured that explained her new physique, though it didn’t explain her small change in personality.

Maudie herded the four boys and Evelyn into the house, “Let’s continue this meeting inside where it’s cooler.”

Matt, Zacky, and Jimmy followed Evelyn inside without a fight, but Brian didn’t seem nearly as pleased.

“I’ll make some nice, fresh lemonade and cookies too,” Maudie continued, sending Brian a small glance and trying to persuade him to come inside.

Brian sighed and trailed behind Maudie, making a comment that only she could hear.

“Only because you make fucking good cookies, Mrs. Kuper.”