Please Don't Make Me Beg

**Andi's POV**

He hit me. He tried to make me sleep with him, and then he hit me.

We're talking about things between us, and out of nowhere he starts accusing me of getting too friendly with Dan. The crazy thing is, Dan's a nice guy and all, but we almost never talk, except about the band. It's like we work in the same place but don't really know each other. I have no idea where this is coming from.

What the hell is going on with Evan? Is it my fault? Maybe I shouldn't have asked him to let me stay at his house. I mean, is it like leading him on or something? He's never acted like this, and I don't know what to say to him.

God, I wish I could just vanish for about six months until everything was like it used to be.

**************

The sun bathed her face through the car window, sending a rosy glow through her closed eyelids and lifting her gently out of sleep. Her head had been resting against the glass, and her neck was stiff on one side. But she didn't move as she listened to the whine of the tires against the pavement. She wanted to stay in the dark just a little longer, not having to talk, or listen, or think.

Dan, sprawled in the back seat, was lost in the latest issue of Guitar Player, and the steady thump of his beloved Rancid spilled around his earphones. Evan drove with one hand draped lazily over the steering wheel, slouched back in the seat behind his Ray-Bans. As Andi slowly opened her eyes, she realized, to her irritation, that she needed to make a bathroom stop very badly.

Shifting uncomfortably in her seat, she stretched her arms and yawned. "Evan, do you think we could stop when you see a rest area?"

"Hi babe! Finish your nap?" he said sweetly, smiling brightly at her, and for a moment she almost believed she had dreamed the sting of his hand across her cheek.

"Mm hmm. It felt good." She was having trouble looking at him.

"I bet so. Hey, it's almost 1:30--why don't we stop for lunch and see if Dan has any luck with the waitress?"

"I don't know, he's pretty tight with the IHOP girl back home, you know," she laughed weakly. "She's been sneaking him extra whipped cream--I think it's serious!" She wanted so desperately to thing that everything could go back to the way it was.

Evan snorted. "She definitely knows what turns him on!"

Dan's drowsy voice piped up from the back seat. "What? Were you talking about me?"

Andi glanced over at Evan, their eyes met, and they both burst out giggling. Dan retreated back into his music, and as the laughter faded, she felt a wave of sadness. This is how it used to be, she thought. It was so easy to be happy with him and trust him...

"What about a snack for now, until we can find somewhere decent? I'm not really in the mood for McFood, you know?" she suggested.

"Sure, no problem. There's usually a place just inside state lines--hey, that sign said it's just a mile or so ahead."

"Perfect," she said in relief.

The car looped an easy curve into the rest stop just off the highway, and Evan parked in a shady spot close to the picnic tables. Dan's six foot frame unfolded from the back seat, and he ambled toward the snack machines.

"Betcha he comes back with hot fries," Evan chuckled.

"Bet you're right," Andi said, smiling. "And not one, but two orange sodas."

"Yep, that's about right." Evan twisted his lean torso from side to side, working the kinks out of his back, and Andi bent to touch her fingertips to the grass. It felt so good to be out of the car and in the sunlight.

"So where are we right now?" she asked him.

"Let's see..." He reached in through the open car window and returned with the map. "Looks like we've made it through Tennesee and I think we should be in Arkansas for the next few hours. I-40 runs almost all the way to San Francisco, pretty much a straight shot all the way."

"Do you need to take a break?" she offered.

"Maybe. When Dan gets back, I'll ask him if he can take over for a few hours."

"I wish I could help out. It sucks not having my license yet."

"It's okay. You can sit in back with me and I'll catch a nap. Or maybe I don't really need to sleep," he grinned at her suggestively.

Before last weekend, she would have smiled with him, knowing he was kidding. Now, the look on his face made her stomach tighten uneasily, and in her mind she saw herself trapped, trying to push him away, his leering face looming inches away from hers. She blinked away the unpleasant image and turned to head toward the bathrooms.

"I'll be back in just a minute," she told him. "Don't think I can wait any longer."

"Yeah, I know what you mean," he said in a deep, husky voice.

Under her breath, she muttered, "And you'll be waiting a lot longer, jerk." The thought surprised her--never would she have imagined thinking of him that way. This was Evan, the guy who had painted a heart on the street in front of her house on Valentine's Day, who snuck out of school to come and take care of her when she was home with the flu. Was that the same person who was giving her the creeps, staring at her backside as she hurried up the steps?

"Whoah, there!" She looked up, startled, almost running into Dan. "What's the hurry?" he asked her, steadying her with one big hand on her arm.

"Oh, sorry, I--it's been a long ride," she said sheepishly.

"By all means," he said, with a sweeping bow. She gave him a small, playful punch on the shoulder as she passed.

Alone in the restroom, she couldn't help the rush of feelings that washed over her. So much had happened in the last few days, with her mother, with Evan, and now she was heading all the way to California to try to make a go of it with their band. Hands shaking, she lowered her head and squeezed her eyes shut, fighting the tears that insisted their way through her lashes. Her soft sobs echoed off the tile walls and made her feel more alone than she had in a long time.

When the storm passed, she stood over the sink, pressing wet paper towels to her eyes to take the redness away. Her reflection looked old to her, hardly like the young girl who had excitedly traced those same green eyes with dark liner before the concert just a few days ago. She sighed. There was nowhere to go now but forward. Home was not an option, and she couldn't get to California on her own. She'd have to make the best of it and try to make sure they stayed around other people as much as possible.

Dan and Evan were sitting on the hood of the car, looking at the map. She plunked a few quarters into the machines and brought back some chips and sodas for herself and Evan--he was being a jackass, but she did still care about him. As he took the can from her, icy water already beading on its surface, he looked questioningly at her red eyes.

"You okay, babe?" he asked. "You look like you're upset." He cut his eyes toward Dan, who was still studying the map. "Did something happen?"

"No--no--I'm just kind of--everything's sort of catching up with me, is all."

"Well, you were fine a minute ago," he said, rising to his feet. His brows were lowering, not a good sign. "What did you say to her, dude?" he asked, turning to Dan.

Dan's head lifted, obviously confused. "To who, man?"

"To Andi, you asshole. Did you say something to upset her?" Evan's hands had curled into fists, and Andi got the crazy feeling that this was all some weird movie, where everything that happens is wrong, like in a nightmare.

"When would I have said anything to her? I've been here with you the whole time!" Dan asked, clearly baffled.

"I saw you talking to her on the walkway. What was that about?"

"I almost ran into her and said 'Excuse me'! Since when is that a crime? What is your problem?"

"Maybe you're my problem. Maybe I don't like you making my girlfriend cry." Evan's chest swelled, his face flushing. "You better watch your mouth, man."

"What the fuck are you talking about--"

"Evan, he didn't say anything to me!" Andi cried, stepping between the two boys. "I just started thinking about my mom and--"

"I don't need you to defend him! I'm trying to protect you here--don't take his side," Evan warned.

"There's nothing to protect me from! Evan, please calm down and listen to me!" she pleaded. "Dan is your friend, you know he'd never hurt me!"

"And is he your friend, too, is that it?"

"Will you listen to yourself, man? You're not making any sense!" said Dan, trying to reason with him.

"Don't tell me what makes sense--you know you've been looking for a chance to move in on her. Were you talking shit about me to make me look bad to her?" His finger jabbed at Dan's incredulous face, seeming to challenge him.

"Looks like you're doing a good job of that yourself!" Dan replied, his hands raised to show he was unwilling to take the bait, but his voice making it clear that he wouldn't be intimidated.

Somewhere in Evan's mind, the burning fuse reached its end. In a blinding motion, his arm cocked back and his fist smashed against Dan's cheek.

Andi screamed, and Dan's hands flew to his face, but not quickly enough to hide the spurt of blood from his lip. "Damn, man, have you totally lost it?!" he cried, backing away.

"Evan, leave him alone!" Andi shouted, placing her hands on his shoulders to stop him from following. His eyes looked glazed, as though he was looking at her but not seeing her.

At the touch of her hands, she felt his body jerk backwards, and before she could say more, an explosion of pain rocked her sideways, and the vision in her left eye went black as though someone had switched off a light.