Page 29 of The Penalty Box

I’m not sure who’s more stunned, but I don’t have time to ponder over it or ask any questions. “Have you seen Evie?”

Jack shakes his head, and I’m about to leave when Jessy’s words stop me. “She went out. We were dancing and...”

But I don’t stay to listen. Pushing through the people, I go toward the back door, my heart stuck in my throat.

What if she’s really happy with him? What if I’m too late? What if she wants him? What if…

Icy cold night air hits me straight in the face as soon as I open the door. I stumble outside on shaky feet, all the thoughts and possibilities swirling in my mind.

That is until a quiet plead stops me in my tracks. “N-No.” A few heartbeats pass in silence, and just when I’ve convinced myself it’s all just a fruit of my imagination, there it is again. “Noah, p-please stop.”

Red clouds my vision as the words register in my mind.

Noah.

My heart kicks into overdrive as adrenaline spikes in my veins.

“Evie?” I call out tentatively, walking in the direction in which I hear the voice.

“Li—” it’s barely audible, but I hear it.Evie’s voice.There is some shuffling followed by a louder, “No!”

“Evie!” I yell just when I turn the corner and find them.

Noah’s pressing her against the wall, her feet barely touching the ground. His mouth is on hers, fingers digging into her hair as he kisses her not even noticing she’s struggling, or maybe he simply doesn’t care.

Evie’s wide eyes find mine over his shoulder, tears spilling down her cheeks as she uses all her strength to push him away, this time succeeding. Noah stumbles, falling on his ass in front of her.

I look between the two of them. My breathing is ragged, fingers clenching into fists by my sides. Evie’s legs give out underneath her, making her slide down the wall, as a soft sob rips out of her lungs, her hands frantically rubbing against her puffy lips.

“You motherfucker,” I grit through my clenched teeth. Crossing the distance between us, I grip him by the collar of his shirt and lift him to his feet. “She said no!” I spit in his face.

Pulling my hand back, I slam it into his face. The sound of bone cracking fills the night air as his head falls to the side, blood spilling from his nose.

“You had no right,” I say, letting him fall out of my hands. “When somebody says no, it means fuckingno.”

Noah lifts his face to look at me and then at Evie still standing behind me, regret and fear clear on his face as he tries to wipe away the blood.

“I’m so—”

I growl at him, stopping whatever words he wanted to say from coming out. The urge to punch him once again is strong, but hearing Evie’s soft cries, I rein it in.

Clenching my hands into fists, I take one deep breath before I turn around and go to Evie. Squatting down in front of her, I wait for her to look at me before even attempting to touch her.

My heart clenches at the sight of her.

She’s disheveled, her hair messy, lips raw, and eyes red and puffy with tears streaming down her cheeks, but she’s still the most beautiful girl I’ve ever seen.

“You came…” she whispers, her eyes falling shut and making more tears fall down.

“Hey,” I say tenderly, my hand reaching to brush away her tears and tuck a strand of hair behind her ear. “I’ll always come back for you, Evie.”

Slowly, her eyelids flutter open and she looks at me. “Take me home.”

Wrapping my hands around her, I pick her up in my arms and do just that.

Chapter Thirteen

EVIE

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