Evangeline forced a smile, a mere twitch of her lips. "Coincidence? I do not think so. I'm here for you."Leaning against the desk with a slant, she was the picture of laid-back grace, calm in every way.Minnie's eyebrow raised, and she said with a touch of surprise, "Did you come looking for me on purpose? Wow, I'm pretty honored.""No biggie. I felt bad about you getting embarrassed at the birthday party, so I thought I'd make it up to you by grabbing a bite together."Evangeline planned to use the casual chit-chat over food as a way to subtly quiz Minnie.To her surprise, Minnie snapped her violin case shut with a look of regret. "Oops, sorry about that. I've got plans today."Her voice sounded sorry, but her face? Not a hint of it. Her eyes darted past Evangeline, shining with smug satisfaction."Talk about bad timing..." Evangeline followed Minnie's gaze as she spoke.There was Walter, strolling over to them in a white casual suit, every step oozing elegance. He looked lik
The room went from buzzing to dead silent in a heartbeat.Walter's cheeks burned, and he then scowled. Evangeline could almost taste his anger, sparked by her cutting words.Well, well, Walter was ticked off!Her eyes flicked to Minnie, who was practically glowing with jealousy."Mr. Walter Gordon is really into that Julia girl, huh? I have to admit, I'm a bit green with envy. She has to be something special, right? How else could she get Mr. Walter Gordon's heart?"Evangeline could not quite put her finger on the mix of daze and longing in Minnie's eyes. She had meant to stir the pot by dropping Julia's name, but had she somehow become Minnie's wingman instead?Suddenly, this felt like the last place Evangeline wanted to be.With a huff, she spun on her heel and stormed out.Walter's voice floated after her."Ms. Kast, you're pretty amazing yourself. No need to sell yourself short."What Evangeline missed, as she marched away, was the sly trace of Walter's fingers over his v
"Alex, isn't it past your clock-out time? What's keeping you at school?"Alex, being the unique music teacher at Avalon University, had his work hours tailored to his own timetable.Alex gave an embarrassed chuckle, maneuvered his wheelchair closer, and said, "The nicer the school is to me, the more I feel I shouldn't just coast along, you know?"Evangeline paused for a moment, not quite catching his drift."Actually, a couple of students were struggling with the basics, so I stayed back to give them a hand with their technique. Just as we wrapped up the extra session, I spotted you out on the field."Alex offered an easy explanation and casually asked Evangeline, "Why are you here? You don't have classes today, right? What's up with the surprise visit?"The question caught Evangeline off guard, and she suddenly thought of Walter, who was all over Minnie like they were glued together."Just killing time," she shrugged. "Thought I'd swing by the school and get a taste of the good
The mood shifted to a somber note, tugging at Evangeline's heartstrings.She still had not mustered the courage to ask about the mystery of Alex's legs, his eyes always carrying a kind of sadness that made her questions die in her throat."Alex, I'll always be nice to you. Don't worry about that, okay?"Alex had been incredibly brave, more than Evangeline had realized. If she had to switch from being healthy to relying on a wheelchair just to get around, she was not sure she could have handled it. Seeing Alex, her heart ached even more for him."Hey, how about we go for a little adventure outside? Back when you were at Avalon University, I was still in high school. I always wished we could've been on the same campus."While talking, Evangeline started wheeling Alex toward the door. His voice, full of surprise and happiness, stopped her. "You wanted to be at the same school as me?""Of course! You're amazing. If you taught me just one or two of your tricks, I'd be the queen of my
Evangeline finally got what Alex meant by 'doesn't seem all that bad'. She forced a smile, her lips barely curving."That's history. I'm doing pretty well now… But Alex, you're not the same guy."Alex's eyes widened in shock, but deep down, he was nervous that Evangeline might know what he was thinking."How have I changed?""You used to be straight up with me. You'd tell me if I asked you anything. Now... you clam up. What about the good stuff, even if you don't want to dump your troubles on me? Like..."Her eyes danced with a spark of mischief, and she put on a sly grin. "Like your new student from abroad, Ms. Kast?"She played it up, acting all bubbly, like she was just innocently curious about this new woman in Alex's life."Why do you care about her all of a sudden?" Alex had a hunch. "You're not asking for Walter's sake, are you?"It was no secret—Minnie's crush on Walter was obvious to everyone."Well, yeah." Evangeline's gaze softened. "No point in hiding it from you.
Alex had a way with words that made it seem like he was saying a lot, but when Evangeline really listened, there was not much there at all."Ever seen her family around?" Evangeline was on a mission for the truth because she had a hunch that Minnie was actually Julia in disguise.If Minnie really had a family, then Evangeline was probably barking up the wrong tree.Alex's eyes flickered, and in their dark depths, only Evangeline's slim shadow was reflected.Their eyes locked, and Alex gave a small shake of his head. "I've never met Minnie's family. I only heard about them from the boss when he brought Minnie on as my student."Evangeline breathed a small sigh of relief. At least half of the weight on her chest lifted.For a second, she was scared stiff that Alex would drop the bomb—that Minnie really did have a family of her own.Alex's vague response was oddly comforting.She did not know how Julia could have turned into Minnie, but if there was one thing she knew about Julia,
Alex shook off the spell of the music, dropped his hands, and let his heart do the talking."Evie, the music world is missing out big time without you playing the violin."Evangeline packed up her violin, which she had just finished tuning, and shrugged off the compliment. "The music world is full of what-ifs, and I'm not that big of a deal. Alex, if you keep this up, I'm going to feel outclassed..."Sometimes, Evangeline was amazed by the quirks of destiny.Alex and Walter had a similar face, yet she could always spot the difference between them with ease.Looking at Alex, she wondered how she would feel if Walter were the one in the audience, clapping for her. She would probably be over the moon.How silly.Evangeline suppressed a smirk and pushed those weird thoughts to the back of her mind.Just then, a phone's ringing cut through the silence of the classroom. It took a moment for Evangeline to realize it was Walter on the line.What was his deal? Was he not supposed to be
Right then, Evangeline stared down at the messy orange splotch on her front."Uh... I need to hit the restroom."Evangeline quickly shrugged off Alex's steadying hand and dashed into the restroom, hoping for a miracle.However, the stain was a fashion disaster of epic proportions, beyond any quick fix.Gazing at her messy reflection, Evangeline's heart sank. How on earth could she show her face at Crystal Waters House? Walter would have a field day!At that moment, a knock came from outside the restroom door."Evie, you won't be able to do anything with your clothes. Change into something else. I've got a set of sample clothes a friend sent over for me to check out. I've left them at the door for you, see if they fit."Alex, ever the artist, had a wide circle of creative pals. It was not unusual for him to get fashion samples from designer friends for his opinion.Evangeline's worry took a different turn. "You're supposed to give those back, right? If I wear them..." How would