Streets of Manhattan

James shrugged unsure what to do they had the bastard pinned and all he was doing was taking jabs at them.


Jake felt himself staggering dangerously now, he really had pushed this too far. He grabbed onto Seth's shoulder, he closed his eyes and moaned, holding his head with his hand.

Luke finally decided this was just doing more harm than good. He looked around, picked up a rotting spade and slammed it on Brett's head.

The boy went slack.

"There we go," Seth said, sitting down on the grass, cross-legged. He heaved a sigh and fumbled in his pockets, pulling out a lighter. "Now we try and figure out a way to make him talk."

Luke sat back, leaning against the fence behind him by Connor. "This will take a while."

The two girls approached. Evelyn cast Seth a questioning glance, tilting her head toward Jake. He shrugged, not sure what to say. He reached into his pockets and pulled out a pack of cigarettes, offering them around. Luke crinkled his nose.

Evelyn sat down next to Jake, who was seated by Seth where the brunet had placed him. Seth leaned over Brett and offered one to James.

James shook his head, "No I quit three years ago." James said casting a look at the girls as they came closer to the scene.

Jake sitting near Seth folded his arms across his knees and rested his head trying to relax, he was still pretty riled up from what Brett had said, and was kind of relieved they had knocked him out.

Seth shrugged and offered one to Connor and then leaned around Jake and held one out to the girls. "You want?"

Evelyn rolled her shoulders, where the muscles had grown stiff. She winced and said, "Sure," for no real reason. Seth's blue eyes widened in surprise and she felt a stab of increasing irritation. Good grief, he had that whole naive female thing down pat just like Jake, didn't he?

***

Luke snatched the cigarette out of Seth's hand before Evelyn could though. "Hell no, Lyn," he reprimanded her. Evelyn's eyes darkened angrily and Seth laughed to himself.

"You're not my mom, Lucas," she said curtly. Seth grinned and held out another to Ashlee.

Ashlee made a face, "No see I tried it once, and I nearly choked to death, so none for me. You didn't peg me as a smoker though." She said raising a brow at Seth.

"Yeah, you seem more like an alcoholic." James cracked a grin.

Seth grinned. "I don't smoke a lot," he said to Ashlee. "Kinda pulls at the face, I think."

Luke flicked the cigarette behind him. Seth rolled his eyes and glanced at Jake. He didn't seem like he'd surface any time soon. Seth glanced at Evelyn instead, figuring maybe they should get some answers.

"No," she said, like she was reading his mind. Seth smirked and waved another cigarette at her. Luke coughed. In reply, Seth held out his lighter to the redhead.

Evelyn stared at him, and then up at Jake. She ignored Luke's disapproving look and took the cigarette. "If I choke to death and die, I'll blame you," she told Seth.

He waited for her to position it, saying, "So what exactly happened to you two?"

Evelyn squirmed a bit, toying with the cig. She shot a glance at Jake and flushed. Seth raised an eyebrow. "It was, um, a misunderstanding," she said evasively.

Seth shot Jake a glance. "A misunderstanding that got him concussed?"

Evelyn shrugged and put the cigarette into her mouth. "Yeah," she said around it, still vague.

Seth poked Brett with his foot. "Jake? Are you okay to talk?"

Luke nudged James. "How'd you quit?" he asked. "I don't remember that." He frowned at Evelyn, who was now leaning around Jake so Seth could light the cig for her.

"Oh I quit cause of basketball, I used to smoke so much that I would get winded running up and down the court, that and Haley caught me once at her house and started smacking me with a broom." He snorted, remembering the tiny scar above his eyebrow from where the broom made contact.

Jake didn't lift his head he was still conscious but he felt like crap, he decided he might as well say it anyway, because he knew no matter what Seth would find out and harass him about it later, "She thought I was Brett, or some junkie cause she couldn't see in the dark, and hit me with a god damn frying pan."

There was a momentary silence as everyone tried to absorb this.

Evelyn took a drag on the cigarette and glanced up. Seth's shoulders were shaking and he had his head bowed. Luke was staring at Jake with wide eyes, probably uncertain he'd heard.

"She concussed you?" Seth asked quietly. Then - "Oh my freaking God, Jake!" He doubled over and laughed so hard the lighter landed on Brett's face.

"With - " Luke choked between his own laughter, " - with a frying pan?"

"Saucepan," Evelyn corrected him, feeling her face burn. She coughed and pulled the cigarette out of her mouth, coughing again. Ashlee had been right.

"Sheesh, Jake," Evelyn muttered, leaning over to him, "You couldn't tell why I wasn't saying anything?"

James bit the inside of his cheek, and then couldn't resist he started laughing, "Damn Ev I didn't know you could hit so hard. Were you trying to scramble eggs?" He choked on his laughter.

Jake lifted his head slowly and looked up at them, he wasn't sure why Seth was laughing, "Wait... what just happened?" He could feel his eyes fluttering and he put his head back down.

Evelyn pulled a face at James and mouthed "asshole" at him. She leaned over and ruffled Jake's hair, feeling kind of bad for the Spaniard. He was totally out of it right now.

"No," she said to James shortly, "apparently, I was scrambling Jake's brain." That, she reflected, wasn't a joke. Seth caught on, grinning.

"Literally, huh?" he said, nudging Jake. Luke snickered.

James snorted, "Was it sunny side up or, fried?" He stuck his tongue out at Evelyn, although he did feel a bit bad for the guy he was beyond out of it but this was too funny.

Jake winced, "Seth dude you're so loud right now." His head pounded.

Evelyn rolled her eyes at James, lowering her hand to rest on Jake's shoulder instead. "Shut up, Darkass," she said instinctively.

Seth grimaced at Jake. "Do you want ice on that lump?" he asked, tilting his head back to see the bruise on Jake's head.

Luke stretched tiredly. "I hope this guy talks soon. I guess there's Times Square gone. "

"I really wanted to go too, oh well." Ashlee said taking out her phone and replying to messages.

"Hey am I still bleeding Seth?" Jake asked him, sounding a bit delirious.

Evelyn got to her feet, stretching and then said, "Where's that store, Seth? We can probably find something for Jake there. Why don't you guys carry um...this creep inside?"

Luke nodded and got up as Seth glanced over at Jake again. The ex-blodn added, "Don't walk around here alone nwo, it's getting dark."

Evelyn opened her mouth furiously and then closed it. Given Alexis' circumstance, she didn't exactly want to be caught offguard without mace.

"Okay," she relented.

Seth bent and grabbed hold of one of Brett's arms. Seth paused and handed his credit card to Evelyn before resuming his work.

"Hang in there, Jake," she said. She pocketed the card. "Want to come with, Luke?" '

Luke blinked. He was holding one of Brett's arms. "I won't be a lot of help, Ev," he said, grinning. "Unless I attempt to use that flattening technique."

"I'll go with you." Connor said, needing something to get his mind off of the worry and all the things Brett had said. He stood up straighter, patting dirt off of his jeans before going over to Evelyn.

"I'll man the legs of the corpse." James said going to help Luke by lifting the legs looking for a place they could stash Brett until he came to.

Ashlee got up sitting near Seth and Jake, "Man I feel bad for you." She said wincing at him.

Jake snorted, "Would you believe this is like my fifth concussion in like less than two years?"

Evelyn nodded. With one last glance back, she started off towards the street, with directions from Seth and Ashlee. It was now getting colder and she wished she'd worn jeans.

What had she been doing when she'd changed? Oh, arguing with James online. Yet another thing she could indirectly attribute to him.

She glanced up at the setting sun overhead and then at the road ahead, wondering when exactly they'd find Alexis. Brett had to be lying, right? Evelyn swallowed a heavy lump in her throat. She glanced up at the tall boy walking beside her, searching a distraction from the heavy guilt burning her up. "So, um, sorry but, who are you exactly? We never really got introduced." She'd heard about him from Ashlee (complete with girlish swooning), but she wasn't going to tell him that.

"Connor. Alexis' older cousin." Connor said, his voice still pissed off as he clenched his fists on and off. "You the roommate that kicked her out for stating her opinion?"

Seth got Brett's arms and helped James and Luke carry Brett inside the nearby house's kitchen through the broken down back door. They set him down on the dirty tiles.

Seth wrinkled his nose and wiped his hands on his jeans. "Gross." He went back outside and squatted by Jake. "Wanna sit inside, buddy?"

"He's squeamish," Luke said to James, grinning. "I'm going to remember that for later."

***

Evelyn glanced up at Connor, startled. What the hell? Where had that come from?

"If by kicked out, you mean she chose to leave, then yes." She folded her arms over her chest, picking up her pace. He wasn't distracting her. He was going to piss her off.

James laughed, "Yes! I'm so gonna cough on him or something later. Remind me later!"

Jake looked up Seth, "No I'm fine out here, I'll probably get like swine flu in there or something..." Jake gave Ashlee a once over, "Hey anyone ever tell you you're pretty?"

Ashlee grinned, "Yeah, well you know. Thanks." She said.

"Hey Luke, get this. I'm pretty." Ashlee said raising her head back to look up at him and grinning.

"Yeah well if it wasn't for you, she probably wouldn't have been hurt by that guy!" Connor snapped, staying up with her.

Luke grinned, amused despite himself. "That's great to hear, Ashers," he replied. He glanced at James as he stepped out of the kitchen doorway. "Jake's more tolerable this way, don't you think? He and Evelyn seem to treat each other better now too. I always kind of wondered how they ever got along. He's been an asshole ever since we met him."

Seth shook his head at Jake, sitting back down and propping one arm on his knee. "Are you all here now, Jake?"

***

Evelyn rolled her eyes and sped up some more. "So now it's my fault if she felt the need to butt into my relationship with some guy she doesn't even know?" she replied coldly. "Not my fault if I told her what she needed to hear. She really was being a judgmental bitch and I'm not sorry I said that to her. Someone had to." She crossed her arms over her chest, feeling the wind whip at her skirt.

But this was true. Evelyn was afraid for Alexis' state, but not sorry in the least that she'd said what she had. She was sorry Alexis had taken it to mean they couldn't live under one roof though.

James snorted, "Yeah maybe we should knock him over the head with pans more often." He walked out of the house standing on the small back porch looking out.

"I think so... where are we?" Jake asked tilting his head at Seth.

"....Then how about those blows to her ego?" Connor said more calmly this time, his head pounding from everything that evening. "She told me what you said about Ashlee and Luke."

Seth grimaced at Ashlee. "Um, we're in Greenwich, buddy. Remember? Red hit you over the head."

Luke leaned against the backdoor, arms folded over his chest as he stared over at Jake, Seth and Ashlee. He snuck a glance at James, who was standing nearby. "Are you..." he paused uncomfortably. He'd really rather choose any topic than Alexis. "Um, okay with Jake now? I mean, this is like karma, isn't it? For him being a tool earlier. And Ev does seem to genuinely like him, much as I hate to say it."

It kind of bothered him that Evelyn seemed to have gotten over James so quickly. Well, not quickly, but Jake was very similar. How the hell did she stand being around him?

***

Evelyn glanced over at Connor and then back at the pavement. WHere was that store? She turned the corner, seeing it up ahead. "I meant that. It wasn't a low blow. If she's going to stick her nose into everything and force her opinion on it, she won't get along with him. That's what I love about Ash. She didn't judge the shit out of me even though she knew the situation better than Alexis did."

She took a deep breath. "You know, while all this drama was going on with me and James in high school, Alexis completely cut us off, hanging out with her boyfriend and pretty much no one else. We didn't exist to her," she said honestly. She wasn't mad about it. It was natural since Alexis was in that new-couple high. But it had bothered Luke, she knew. Alexis had simply dropped their friendship and Evelyn told Connor this.

"So before you start judging me too, you should know she isn't as innocent as you think." She entered the store and headed down to the medicine aisle, picking out some painkillers and then grabbed a readymade ice bag.