Chapter 10: Feeling Cheated

(TW: Panic attack, mentions of past suicide)

When Evan arrived back at the log cabin, he was still reeling from possibly the most unfortunate meeting he'd ever had. If he were in a romance novel, the scene he JUST had would be where the mc and ml meet for the first time and just seemingly fall for each other with no real reasoning behind it. This is reality, however, so that's just unlikely. He supposes that the guy must've found him somewhat interesting which is probably why he harassed him. Evan can still feel the mouth over his ear and he clutches it, cheeks a rosy pink. He grumbles to himself, before slowly opening the door.

"Mom, dad, i'm back. I brought the golden nuts." He says, letting his feet carry him to the kitchen. The scene he walks into is so domestic, Evan feels as though he swallowed a spoonful of sugar. His mother is standing in front of her stew, giggling, while his father has his arms wrapped around her body, whispering sweet nothings into her ear. Evan feels himself smile, enamored by the sweet atmosphere.

"Oh hun! Thank goodness you brought them back just in time." She walks over to him, grabs the nuts, and throws them into the pot. As the food simmers, she turns off the heat and lets the stew rest for a second. An irresistible smell flows throughout the kitchen, causing Evan to drool just a little bit. The last 48 hours have been extremely tough, with him being killed by his wife, then waking up to a whole new world where he'd never see his family again. This is the time for him to relax, with eating delicious food and being surrounded by love, despite that love technically being for the old Evan. He selfishly eats it up however, as he finds the love grounding.

If only his parents had given him another day before excitedly telling him about whatever news they brought, maybe he'd have had a lesser reaction.

"Ev, son, cmere! Sit down sit down. I know you were upset that you didn't make the qualifications to attend MAH." He bellowed, seemingly missing the way Evan scoffed. Yeah, he was so "upset". No, the old Evan was shattered from that revelation and yet the only thing either of his parents could think of was that he was upset. Honestly, that irked him.

"Y-yeah, I know Dad." He softly uttered, attempting to stay within Evan's character to the best of his ability, though he still had plans to slowly change "his" timidness into something far more confident. "I-is there a reason y-you're telling me this?" He questioned, having no idea where this conversation could be going. He could guarantee if it were the old Evan in his place, he'd feel as though he'd been slapped in the face or something of the sort.

"Of course there's a reason! I have a very special surprise for you!" His voice boomed through Evan's ears, as Evan watched his father place a sealed letter in front of him.

It took less than a second for sheer panic to flow beneath his veins as his chest constricted with pain. How could this be?!? Why why WHY is there a letter from the academy in front of him. Is this a sick joke?!? Only those who are accepted received letters and he damn well failed that exam. Evan felt his heart break, not just from seeing the damning letter in front of him, but also for the old Evan. He had killed himself over not being accepted and yet, right in front of him lays a letter of acceptance.

Slowly, he glanced back up at his parents, tears threatening to fall from his eyes. "O-oh i'm just, wow s-so thankful. I-i i'm going to my room for a s-second to calm down!" He hiccuped before rushing back upstairs, not even bothering to listen to his parent's response. He harshly opened the door to his room and slammed it shut, sliding down the door. His arms circled around his knees as he began to sob. He wasn't sure if it were his feelings or the old Evan's feelings, but damn it all. This was the cruelest joke.

If he were a protagonist in a novel, this would be the happiest moment for him, knowing that he still had a second chance at entering a famed academy of magic, but once again, this is reality. Evan knew life could be cruel at times, but this was just awful. He could still feel himself struggling to breathe as his sobs quickened, unsure of what he should do. The pain within his chest continued to expand, bringing back harsh memories of his time from the car crash. He wasn't sure what was real and what wasn't as his hands scratched aimlessly on his knees, blood slowly trickling down from the broken skin. It was just one thing after the other, it's been 48 hours and Evan just needs a break from all of this. He just wants to sleep it all away.

As he slowly began to pass out from the lack of air entering his system, the last coherent thought he had was that he felt absolutely cheated.