This is the last chapter in the teenage arc of Eva's storyline.
Junior year flew by in a blur, taking with it the Home Econ classes because by the time senior year rolled around, the school no longer had the subject in their curriculum. A lot of schools had dropped Home Economics, unknowingly killing something small and alive that had been growing in Eva's chest, and in lord knows how many other Evas across the nation.
When Eva had found the courage to go up to a teary-eyed Mrs Lenora who'd been packing away her belongings in a cardboard box and asked her what the class would've been like in senior year, she'd told Eva that they would've covered domestic life; the dynamic between families, relationship between individuals and anything else of that nature.
Eva had wondered then, for a split second, what she would've learnt had they kept Home Econ as a subject in the school. Would she have learnt if her mother didn't run the house right? Would she have learnt how to do better? Would she have learnt if all homes operated the way the mansion she lived in did?
She suddenly recalled the drawings her class was asked to do back in her old school, in her old neighbourhood. What had that teacher's name been, again? She couldn't recall it. Mrs Doris? Not, that wasn't it. But Eva was sure it was something along those lines.
She remembered that one class though, when they were asked to draw their favourite memory of home and she'd seen stick figures on every kids' sheets, some at the beach, and some at a picnic; bright blue skies, vibrant green grass and blinding yellow suns. While Eva's sheet remained blank. Even now, she wouldn't know what to draw.
Eva would always be left with a blank sheet.
---
Eva passed by a familiar rusted door with a silver plate that read âemergency exitâ â most of the letters were peeling off and Eva wouldn't have been able to know what it said had it not been for the numerous times she'd had to come here during her lunch, often even when she was hungry but couldn't complain because she didn't want to irritate Vincent when he needed her there with him.
And during the few times she'd had to skip class, Home Econ even, when he'd had free periods and wanted her to spend them with him. A part of Eva had hoped for senior year because Vincent would've graduated since he was a year older to her, and she could finally let herself fall back into that peaceful routine she found only in Mrs Lenora's classes.
But Vincent was gone now, working under his father at the family's chain of automobile repair shops, yet always appearing after school was over each day to take her into his open arms and kiss her like he thought she was his and his alone to keep. Vincent was gone now, but so was Mrs Lenora and her class.
"Eva."
She turned around at the sound of the familiar voice, her eyes landing on a red-eyed Mrs Lenora, who was obviously finding it hard to say goodbye to this school.
"I'm sorry," the teacher was saying sadly, "I know this class meant something to you. I just hope you don't give up on it, okay? And don't think even for a second that this is me giving up on you." She sniffed, and cleared her throat, casting her sad eyes over at Eva again as they filled with a fresh set of tears. "You have something here- a real talent. Don't let it go, kid."
And then Mrs Lenora was gone too.
---
Everyone was taking Advance Placement classes in senior yearâ Terrence and Maite too.
But Eva was stuck, taking the ordinary classes, knowing that she didn't need those AP ones; there was no need of preparing herself for college when she was obviously never going to get the chance to go.
She knew she didn't have the smarts, and whatever shred of superiority she'd felt, whatever sense of confidence or self-esteem she'd had, was stripped away as effortlessly as the subject Home Economics was from the school syllabus. There was nothing Eva could feel proud of anymore, nothing that gave her an aim, a sense of purpose.
So much had changed by the time junior year came to an end and senior year began, so much.
âMaiteâs always hanging on to your arm,â Vincent had told Eva once while theyâd sat there on the rusted stairwell behind the emergency exit during the last few months of junior year. âI donât like her.â
Eva had remained quiet.
"I never get to have you for myself, she's always there," he had sounded annoyed, resentful even.
Eva had tried, really, to ignore the sharp jab of pain that had pierced her chest at the notion of not having Maite around her as much anymore.
"This is my last semester here, at this school with you," he'd looked at her pleadingly with his pretty almond eyes. "I'm never going to get to spend time like this again with you, don't you see, Evelyn? You love me, don't you? I don't want to feel like I'm not your priority."
And Eva had kissed his knuckles, and told him that no, she wouldn't ever do that to him.
So she did what he wanted and gave more of herself to him, taking away the parts she'd given to Maite. Because Eva hadn't known then, and didn't know now, that you could love more than one person without having to love the other less.
Until one day, there was nothing left to take away from Maite and those caramel eyes and dizzying smile were never thrown Eva's way ever again.
She still remembered though, that day when Maite had strolled in the classroom for the first time and grinned down at Eva like she knew this was the girl she'd grow to hold close to her heart.
And now Maite had sad eyes that searched for Eva in every other girl she bumped into, but never quite did.
But not even losing Maite, or Mrs Lenora and her Home Econ class, could even compare to the raw, heart-wrecking pain she felt when she had to cut Terrence off. It was as if she'd chewed her own heart and spat it back out on the cold, hard, unforgiving ground and left it there.
And maybe it was then that something finally broke inside Eva for good, in a way that it had never been broken before.
---
When Eva turned eighteen, and she graduated with a GED rather than a high school diploma, she didn't really feel all that surprised. She'd risen to exactly what she knew she'd amount to: nothing.
Just like Logan always said she would.
When Eva turned eighteen, Vincent was almost turning twenty with a small apartment of his own, having taken over the branch of his father's company that was located in their town.
When Eva turned eighteen, she saw Logan smile for the first time ever since Care had left.
"I'm not responsible for you anymore," he had said, sounding relieved. "Thank heavens. I can finally get rid of your filthy good-for-nothing self. Bless the poor man who is next to be burdened with you."
And he'd washed his hands clean of Eva's rotten presence. So Eva had left, she'd left without saying goodbye to Benjie who she knew would retire the moment he came to know of her departure, just like he'd always told her, so that he could spend the rest of his years with his granddaughter.
She'd left with just one last, wistful glance at the mansion, wondering if she should say goodbye to her mother too, even if it would be just the ghost of her.
She hadn't. She couldn't.
But Vincent had been there, ready to welcome her into open arms, always her knight in shining armour. He'd offered her a place to stay.
"I was about to ask you to move in with me, anyway," he'd told her with a wide smile. "You and I, we belong with each other. There's no other way, baby."
So even when he lost his temper and pushed her a little too hard one night, causing her to stumble and fall to the floor, she stayed.
When, two months later, Eva had grumbled about how late he came back from work but made her stay indoors the entire time, and he snapped her wrist, she still stayed.
Because when Evelyn Monroe was an eight year old girl, she watched her father kick her mother while she was on the ground and her mother hadn't fought back. Caroline Monroe had taught her daughter to be the perfect woman to the men like Tristan Monroe and Logan Carter.
Caroline Monroe had taught Eva that if she wanted the pain to be over soon, she had to take it without putting up a fight.
And that is what Eva did.
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Written on; 19th August 2017
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This chapter had me bawling and idk why, but it was so, so hard to write. I think I'm too invested into this story and Eva, haha.
To those who've stuck around this far, I truly have no words to express my gratitude. Thank you to infinity and beyond that too.
I know its frustrating to read Eva's repetitive cycle of falling back into an unhealthy state, I know. But please keep in mind that just as much as her lifestyle isn't normal to us, our sense of domestic life isn't normal to her. And she's only picking what she's familiar with over anything she doesn't know.
Also, the next phase, which is also the last phase, will be quite fast-paced since the foundation for who she is was already built by the end of this chapter and we can focus more on the plot than character formation :)
I don't think people like Eva truly wake up until they've hit rock bottom-- because sometimes you need to break completely before building yourself back together into something whole.
So, until then, stay blessed <3