Unbroken: The Loss Mission: Book 3 (Soulmates)

by Jay T

  Brent cracks his knuckles. “Well, boys, here I go. Any requests before I leave?”

  “More vodka,” Liam yells.

  “No vodka,” I take the bottle away from him and hand it to Tristan. “We leave in the morning and we better bring our A game again or we’ll be on the next plane home.”

  He mutters, “Party pooper,” under his breath.

  I shrug at Brent, “Good luck.”

  We hang out at the venue a little longer to let the guys celebrate. We go backstage so the people with passes can meet us and take pictures. I’m careful not to let any of the girls get too close and always make sure someone else is in the photo with me.

  Two hours later I tell the guys it’s time to go. Eva should be calling soon. We text the driver and he picks us up to take us back to the hotel. Eva hasn’t called yet. I look at my phone to check the time; she should be home by now. I begin to pace.

  Thirty minutes later my phone finally rings.

  “Hey,” I say.

  “Hey,” she answers.

  “Did you make it home safe?”

  “Yeah, I had a few girls to drop off and then Ethan wanted to see my dress when I got home so it took me a little while to call, but I’m home in my room.”

  I smile. “Good, how was the rest of the drive?”

  “The roads were pretty icy, so we went slow. No more incidents though.”

  “That’s good.”

  “How did the show go tonight?”

  “They’re going to let us stay on. Brent is still with their manager downstairs working out the details.”

  “So, you guys aren’t coming home tomorrow?”

  “No, not yet.”

  “Well, that’s pretty exciting. I’m happy for you all.” I hear a note of sadness in her voice.

  “I miss you too.” I say.

  “I didn’t say I missed you.”

  I chuckle. “You didn’t have to.”

  “It’s just a little lonely at the lunch table without Ryan and Liam to keep me entertained.”

  “Is that all?” I ask.

  “That’s all,” she says.

  “Andre isn’t keeping you entertained?” I hold my breath for her answer.

  “So far I haven’t sat with him again but I guess we’ll just have to see how things go.”

  I smile.

  “Well, I have a pile of loot from the trip sitting on my bed I need to put away before I crawl in and I’m pretty beat. Talk to you tomorrow?”

  “Absolutely. Looking forward to it.”

  “Goodnight.”

  “Goodnight, Eva.”

  Thirty minutes later, Brent comes into the room.

  “Well?” I ask.

  “We got two more weeks and a bonus of $1,000 each for us to hire a tutor and get a wardrobe. I asked for an actual bus to drive us in instead of the van. She laughed and told me not to push my luck. I also asked about taking time off for homecoming and she said she’d get back to us on that.”

  “Dang, Brent! Nice work!”

  “Yeah, I’m pretty awesome.” He smiles as he flops down on the bed.

  “You tell the other guys?” I ask.

  “Nope, I’ll tell them in the morning. They should be sleeping. I don’t want to know if they aren’t ‘cause that will stress me out.”

  “’Night.” I say.

  “’Night.”

  I awake early the next morning. Eva’s having another bad dream. I sit up and get my phone out and start watching the time. Brent rolls over and looks at me and sits up.

  “What’s going on?”

  I don’t answer. I just stare at the clock. Seven minutes in. Eight minutes, my arm hairs relax and I feel my eyes begin to return to normal. I set my phone down and lay back down.

  “Just a bad dream, she’s fine now.”

  “That’s really trippy, man.”

  I shrug. “Nothin’ I can do about it.”

  “So, they want you to leave the contacts out from now on,” Brent says into the dark room.

  “No,” I answer.

  “Why?” he asks. “After yesterday everyone already saw it.”

  “Because it’s not safe,” I snap.

  Brent is quiet for a long time before saying, “Oh.”

  There’s another long stretch of silence before I say, “You’ve never asked me about it.”

  “You saved Robert and Tristan’s lives. You pulled Amy out of the water when that thing was attacking her. What or who you are isn’t my business but I’m eternally grateful you’re here.”

  “Thanks,” I answer.

  “I’m here if you ever need an ear,” he says.

  I nod. I can’t fall back asleep so I get dressed and head down to the gym.

  52 eva

  The guys have been gone a month. Homecoming is tonight and Amy said they’re not coming home for it. Andre asked me to be his date but I declined. I don’t want to leave Amy and the thought of dancing with him all night doesn’t set well. I look at the beautiful dress I bought with the intention of going with Evan and I sigh. It’s not a prom dress and this is my last homecoming. I guess I’m wearing it anyway.

  I finish the last curls and pins in my hair and a final coat of lip gloss and give myself a once over. I meet my own eyes in the mirror. The thin purple ring around my right iris still manages to grab my attention. You’d think I’d be used to it by now. I shake it off and return to my room to put the dress on.

  There are lights outside and I think Amy’s just getting here. A few minutes later, there’s a knock at my door and she comes in. She has a huge smile on her face.

  “What’s up with you?” I ask.

  “Oh, I’m just so excited for tonight!” she gushes.

  “Why,” I say. “It’s just another dance.” I sound grumpy.

  “I know, but it’s our last homecoming and we’re going to have so much fun!”

  It would have been so much better with the guys. I try to put on a smile for her and focus on my best friend.

  “We will have fun. You look beautiful!” I tell her.

  “Thank you. So do you. But, hey, you need to pull those babies up.” Amy grabs at my chest and I slap her hands away.

  She laughs and I chuckle. “Just,” she reaches again, “lift them.”

  “Why?” I dodge her hands again. “They’re just going to fall in a few minutes anyways.”

  “Cause we’re going to take pictures and you’ll want Anny to see what he’s missing.”

  “Oh, good point.” I reach in my bra and lift ‘what my momma gave me’ as Amy does a final check on me.

  “You look fantastic. Ready?”

  “Ready.”

  I open the door and walk downstairs and see that there are other people in the house.

  My heart begins to beat fast.

  I see Evan standing in my kitchen in an amazing tuxedo. Brent is right beside him, also in a nice suit. I stand at the bottom of the stairs, stunned as my heart races.

  He’s here. He’s so handsome. My breath catches.

  Evan makes his way over. “Hi,” he says.

  “I didn’t think you guys were going to make it.”

  “We caught a flight this morning.” He reaches for my hand, he has a wrist corsage for me. “Will you go to homecoming with me, Eva?”

  I don’t try to hold back a smile. I hold up my hand and he slips it on my wrist. It matches my dress.

  “You look amazing,” he says as he takes a step closer.

  “Are you going to kiss her?” Ethan yells from the kitchen barstool.

  Aunt Kami shushes him and we both laugh.

  “I take it you were in on this?” I turn to Amy. She smiles and goes to Brent who wraps her in his arms.

  “Now will you wear this?” Brent holds a wrist corsage out for Amy who puts it on.

  “I couldn’t give away the surprise,” she says to him.

  They kiss and I look up at Evan who holds his arm out for me. I put my arm in his and we head for the door.
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  “Oh no, pictures!” Aunt Kami yells. “You guys aren’t getting off that easy.”

  We pose and take a ton of pictures before she finally releases us. Outside is a long, black stretch limo. Everything feels so right. I’m giddy. My head is spinning. I’m going to my senior homecoming with Evan. He’s here.

  “I can’t believe you’re here,” I whisper to him in the limo.

  His arm goes around me and he pulls me to him as he whispers in my ear, “I wouldn’t have missed it for the world.”

  I look up at him; he’s so close. He’s right here. His eyes are brown but I see a light purple behind them. I reach up and touch his trimmed beard. The last time I saw him he had a bruise up and down his left jaw. I look down to his lips as the they take a short breath. I wait for him to kiss me, but he doesn’t.

  We’re still playing this game? Why won’t he kiss me already?

  I pull away as Amy and Brent stop their make out session.

  “Brent says you guys are in negotiations with a record label?” Amy asks, sensing the tension.

  Evan responds but I’m not listening.

  We pull into the school and the driver opens the door for us. Evan gets out first and holds his hand out for me. I take it and try to be polite. The other kids making their way inside all stare at us and whisper like we can’t see them. Evan wraps his arm around my waist and pulls me close to him. Whiplash!

  We make it inside and I swear the entire room turns to look at us. Ryan approaches with a girl under each arm.

  So, girls are throwing themselves at the guys. I can only imagine how they act around Evan.

  “There you guys are. What took you so long?” he asks.

  “Lots of pictures,” Amy laughs.

  “Where’s Liam?” I ask. I wonder who he has with him.

  “Oh, Liam’s on DJ services until we go on.”

  I look at Evan.

  He points at Brent. “I didn’t have anything to do with it, that was Brent.”

  Brent holds his hands up. “In my defense, I told them we would do the dance before I even knew about the tour.”

  “So, there’s no time to waste. Eva, may I have this dance?” Evan asks as he holds out his hand for me.

  Just, go with it and see what happens. He’s here. He worked hard to make it back.

  I place my hand in his as he leads me to the empty dance floor. Liam puts on a slow song as Evan turns to me. He places the hand holding mine behind his neck and trails his middle finger up my wrist, up my arm, up my bicep, under my now very warm underarm, and down my side as I shudder. His warm hands find the small of my back. I place my other hand on his broad shoulder and he pulls me close as we move to the music. I feel him all the way to my toes as my body zings at his touch like I’ve been deprived of him for years.

  “I’ve missed you,” he says.

  I set aside my thoughts from earlier. “I missed you,” I say.

  He presses his forehead to mine as we sway to the music.

  We’re alone on the dance floor for the first half of the song before Amy and Brent finally join us and then a bunch more students join in.

  The slow song ends and a fast one takes its place. We dance and my troubling thoughts from earlier disappear. Amy, Brent, Evan, and I dance and laugh and forget the troubles of the rest of the world for song after song after song.

  Brent disappears for a moment and then comes back and taps Evan on the shoulder. “It’s time, man.”

  Evan looks down at me like he’s disappointed he has to leave. “I’ll be back.” He raises my hand to his lips and presses a kiss to the back of it, turns, and leaves for the stage.

  “Hello again, Kenai High!” he yells into the mic to cheers from the crowd. “I am pleased to bring you, The Rousties!”

  Ryan hits the drums and starts off a song. Liam takes off on the electric guitar. With Robert on the keyboard, Evan starts to sing. He’s so good with a crowd. I turn to Amy and we begin to dance together.

  By the third song, a couple of guys I vaguely remember from last year make their way to our sides. They’re dancing close and try to join us. I look up at Evan but he isn’t paying attention; he’s enjoying himself. I look at Amy and she lets the guy close to her join so I do the same with the guy near me. He gets between me and Amy but we’re laughing and having a good time.

  Two songs later, the tempo slows. The guy dancing with us is behind me and he puts his hands on my hips and gets too close to my back. I’m instantly uncomfortable and I look up as my eyes meet Evans.

  He doesn’t look alarmed or upset. I watch him shift on his stool ever so slightly without missing a chord or dropping a lyric.

  I take hold of the guy’s wrist and squeeze it hard, taking it off my body. He stops moving behind me and backs up. I release him and he moves a few feet away from me. He keeps dancing but not with me anymore. I catch Amy’s eye and she kicks her guy to the curb too. We turn to watch the guys sing instead.

  “That’s it for us, thank you everyone, you’ve been a great crowd. Rousties out!” Evan says into the mic when their set is over.

  The crowd cheers for them and the DJ music comes back on. The guys do some sort of a re-group in the back room before they emerge and join the rest of us. I can tell when they come out because the crowd parts like the Red Sea for Evan, the same way it did for Chad. Evan walks right over to me, ignoring the girls trying to stop him along the way. He pulls me into his arms.

  “I don’t think we’ve met, I’m Evan,” he yells over the loud music, holding his hand out to the guy behind me.

  “Steve,” The guy takes his hand and shakes it.

  I can feel Evan’s squeezing Steve’s hand from the way his muscles tense under me. “What did you think of the set?” he asks.

  “Yeah man, you guys are really good.”

  Evan nods. “Thanks, yeah, have a good night.”

  “You too.”

  The song ends, and Mr. Tanner takes the stage again. “Are you ready to hear the results for the vote for King and Queen of this year’s Homecoming?” he asks.

  The crowd cheers.

  “Ok, without further ado, I give you this year’s freshmen’s King and Queen.” He opens a sealed envelope. “Thomas Fisher and Emily Price!”

  They make their way up to the stage as the principal continues.

  “Sophomore King and Queen,” he opens another sealed envelope and reads another couple of names of kids I don’t know.

  “Can we get out of here?” I whisper to Evan.

  He looks down at me. “You alright?”

  “Junior King and Queen,” Mr. Tanner reads out loud again two more names I don’t recognize.

  “Yeah, of course.” Evan doesn’t ask why, he just turns with me as we start to head to the door.

  “Senior King and Queen, ladies and gentlemen, I present to you,” Mr. Tanner says, opening the envelop, “Eva Mathers and Evan Donkus!”

  We stop midway to the doors and I meet Evan’s eyes. He’s searching mine to see what’s going on.

  The crowd claps and they wave us to the front of the stage.

  It’s unwanted attention.

  Evan turns first, holding my hand as he parts the way for us to go back to the stage. Some of the girls are happy for us and some are downright jealous.

  Mr. Tanner has a tiara and a wand for me. I try so hard not to roll my eyes. “Eva, you have no idea how proud of you I am to have you back here and to award you with his.”

  I didn’t want this. I’m ready to leave now.

  My stomach starts to turn as a panic attack prickles beneath my skin. I look towards the bathroom. There are too many people between here and there. Evan reaches down and takes hold of my hand, steadying me. My knees begin to shake and I plaster on a smile.

  “Thanks Mr. Tanner,” I finally say.

  “Evan, you’ve been a wonderful addition to our school. We’re so happy to have you here.” He places the crown on top of Evan’s head as he looks at me and raises an eyebrow
.

  Evan shakes his hand and says, “Thank you.”

  Mr. Tanner turns to the crowd and says, “Now for their dance. Please clear the dance floor.”

  All eyes are on us. Don’t trip.

  Evan reaches out his hand and I place mine on top of his gently. My fingers still shaking. He guides us down the stairs and to the dancefloor as a slow song fills the air. He pulls me to him, and I bury my face in his chest as I regain composure. The rest of the world fades away. It’s just him and me now. My right hand is in his, my left on his shoulder. His right hand is sitting low on my back and he’s holding me close.

  “Evan Donkus,” he whispers in my ear.

  Just like that, my fears are washed away and Evan has me giggling.

  “I’m seriously going to pummel Ryan for that one.”

  “It has a sort of ring to it,” I joke as I look into his eyes.

  The song ends and the dance floor fills up again.

  “You still ready to go?” he asks.

  I nod yes.

  “I’ll grab our coats and meet you by the doors,” he says. I nod and let him go.

  When I get to Amy, I yell so she can hear, “We’re going to take off!”

  She nods. “Yeah, we’ll head out soon too. Beach just outside of town?”

  “Yes.”

  “Alright, we’ll meet you there,” she says.

  I turn to head towards Evan but he hasn’t make it to the doors yet. In fact, he didn’t make it more than a few feet before people stopping him to talk.

  “You think you’re going to be able to hold on to him?” someone asks beside me.

  I turn, it’s Steve. My face flushes at what he’s insinuating.

  “He seems like a pretty hot thing around here.”

  Evan looks up and we make eye contact. His eyes narrow slightly before he returns to his conversation.

  I turn to glare at Steve before I walk away.

  I get to the coat check and one of the parent volunteers hands me mine and Evan’s coat.

  “Sorry about that,” Evan says.

  I hand him his coat, “It’s ok.”

  As we head outside he asks, “Beach?”

  I try to push all the dark thoughts aside. I grab hold of his hand and swing it between us as we walk outside. The limo is gone and he leads me to a white pick-up truck.