Page 33 of The Bittersweet Bond

Evin’s breath hitched.

How had it come to this? How could Bas allow this to happen?

Of course he’s not going to defend me. He never does. He never has.

Itwasn’t like she had expected him to stand up for her—not really. Not when it came to things like this. But a part of her, a stupid, stubborn part, had still hoped he wouldn’t just watch. That he wouldn’t let them all laugh at her like she was nothing.

The silence between them was deafening, but his silence hurt more than any words could. Her thoughts raced. Was this the moment he truly gave up on her?

She bit down hard on her lip, tasting the salty sting of tears she refused to shed. But her anger, her disappointment—they all pushed to the surface.

She shouldn’t care. She should’ve known better. And yet, it still felt like a knife to the ribs.

“You know, Evin,” Cat said with a smug smile, “Ben’s a real catch. Maybe you should’ve gone for him in the first place.”

Her eyes gleamed maliciously as she turned toward the boys. “Bas doesn’t seem to care, anyway.”

She heard Dominic snicker.Of coursehe’d enjoy this. He had always been more of a spectator than a friend—watching, waiting, stirring the pot just enough to see things explode.

Each step felt heavier than the last, every stare, every murmur slicing into her skin like tiny cuts. She couldfeelthem watching, waiting for her to break. But she wouldn’t give them the satisfaction. Not here. Not now.

Finally, she reached the far corner of the courtyard, where her friends were waiting.

The moment she saw them—Milka’s concerned expression, the quiet understanding in Hannah's gaze—some of the tension in her chest loosened. It wasn’t much, but it was enough to remind her that she wasn’t completely alone.

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"I swear, if Mr. Brunner gives me that condescending look one more time today, I’m going to lose it," Hannah said, yanking her cap lower over her forehead.

"That guy seriously has it out for me."

"For you? He looks at me like I ran over his catevery single time," Evin shot back.Hannah snorted, twirling her pen between her fingers.

"Pretty sure he doesn’t even have a cat. Too bitter. He probably strokes his gradebook at night instead."

"Maybe that’s his only friend," Evin added with a grin, leaning back in her seat. "Mr. Brunner and his lonely nights with the gradebook."

Milka raised an eyebrow. "Sounds like the saddest Tinder bio ever. 'Looking for someone who loves me as much as my gradebook does.'"

The girls burst out laughing.

Evin laughed along, but it didn’t feel genuine. Her thoughts drifted, and for a moment, a sense of heaviness settled over her. She took a deep breath, trying to focus on the chatter around her.

"Honestly, sometimes I feel like I’m just pretending to have it all together," she murmured, pulling her jacket tighter around herself. A flicker of unease swept through her chest.

Milka turned to her with a grin. "Oh, come on, Ev. You’ve got it more together than most of us. I mean, you never even had an embarrassing emo phase in middle school. That’s something."

"Yeah, and you never got one of those cringe ‘live, laugh, love’ ankle tattoos," Hannah added, nodding subtly toward Cat, who stood not too far away. "That definitely counts."

Evin smiled faintly as the others laughed, but despite the warmth of their conversation, the heaviness remained, lingering beneath the surface.

They had been sitting together on a bench at the edge of the schoolyard, the scent of cigarettes and stale coffee clinging to the cold air.

Hannah leaned back, staring at the gray sky. "Brunner’s a jerk, but that doesn’t mean you can’t handle today," she said. "I mean, we’re in our junior year. If you’re not already on the verge of a breakdown, you’re doing something wrong."

Evin felt a knot tighten in her stomach. The conversation felt too familiar, the weight on her shoulders too heavy. She knew she’d have to stand in front of the class soon, and the thought alone made her throat close up. But it wasn’t just the presentation—it was everything. Bas, school, the constant pressure pressing down on her, making her feel like she was never enough.

"I don’t know…" she began hesitantly, her voice barely above a whisper. "Do you ever feel like… like everything’s just too much?"

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