Contempt

“Ian, how did you manage to rip them like this?” Evelyn smirked over the jeans in her lap, a large tear down the back of the thigh.

He scratched the back of his head. “I would tell you if I had any idea. So can you fix them?”

“I should be able to.” She offered him a smile, “If not, I can fashion you a nice pair of shorts.”

“So comforting about my favorite pair of jeans getting trashed.”

Evelyn reached under the seat, pulling out a small box. “I can’t make them as good as new, though.” She knew the chances of fixing them were slim, but she was going to try. She threaded the needle, starting on the gap.

“Well, Belle, I’ll leave you to what you do best.” For that, he gained a quick slap on the arm as he turned and headed out of the bus area.

“Eve?” A grunt of acknowledgement was all he got in return. “You know, Stephen’s really sorry.”

She looked up from her stitching, “If you want to talk to me, that’s fine, John. If you’re just going to talk about Stephen, I have to ask you to leave.”

He sighed, sitting on the floor of the van. “Actually, I came to invite you to our party tonight, to thank you for the…you know. Bring your boys with you if you want. What’cha sewing?”

“Ian ripped his pants in such an impossible spot, I’m trying to save them.”

“Huh, to prevent more pissing and moaning by Stephen, you might want to keep public displays down.”

Evelyn stuck the needle in the fabric, tossing it to the floor forcefully. “Well, I really get around, don’t I?” In her frustration, her accent played heavy in her voice.

“Stephen is just weird. Eve, please don’t let my brother being a jerk ruin your Warped experience. It would mean a lot to me if you came.”

“I’ll come, I’m sure the boys would love an excuse to drink; I’ll be keeping my eye on you and Jamie though. I’m not as against underage drinking as you might think, but I don’t want you two doing something stupid.”

John smiled, “Thank you! You’re welcome to make sure underage drinking doesn’t become excessive. Just make sure you have a good time.”

“Alcohol consumption is not synonymous with having a good time, John.” Evelyn ruffled his hair with a soft smile. To his look, she responded, “But I’ll have a legal drink or two.”

“Good, and just forget about Stephen. You’re young, you’re gorgeous, you’re at Warped tour, you’re supposed be living it up, girlfriend!” The last word John said in a falsetto.