Betrayal in the Bayou

Chapter 1

New Orleans, LA

Evie Andrews POV

I hurried to the bus stop on the corner as I can see the last few students heading up the steps. I already know that if they saw me coming they will make sure to hurry faster taking their seats. I wasn’t disappointed. Sure enough, I hear the laughter of my fellow school mates in the air as the bus starts to roll away and lumber down the street without me on it.

“Great,” I mumble under my breath as I try to figure out just how I will be getting to school today. I wish I was like the other kids, with a doting mom or dad who could drive me to school, but I have been an orphan since I was an infant. I live with my foster mom, Helen, who is really nice, but she is almost 64 years old, and she won’t want to put up with the traffic at the high school. I already know that I am going to be late now, and decided to just try to hurry as best I can. I end up missing the bus at least once or twice a month, thanks to my “friends” that ride the bus with me.

In all fairness, the bus driver should have been able to see me. I was only about 500 feet away from the bus, but my tormenter’s love this game. I could see how they distracted her from looking around and seeing me, by getting into a play fight. I saw my biggest bully, Preston Landry, smack his best friend Truman Broussard. I could see the driver looking up at the large overhead mirror and yelling at them to settle down. I saw Preston’s sister, Trinity, smiling at me out the window as the bus left me stranded. She was a year our junior, but she was just as mean and ugly to me as Preston was.

I have never done anything to any of them, but they have hated me since I came to live with Helen at 10 years old. Preston and Trinity live next door to us, and anytime they can cause me problems they are fine with doing it. Helen had spoken to their parents several times, but their behavior just keeps getting worse and worse. I asked her to stop interceding for me, I know that it will continue on until the day I manage to leave here. Helen supports me as best she can, but I know that they will never stop. Helen has told me that after I turn 18 next month, that she will continue to allow me to live with her, while I go to college. She is trying so hard to help me, as she feels bad for me. She has been my main supporter for the last 7 years. I just let my mind wander as I try to walk as fast as I can towards the school.

I will have to use my Jazzy Pass to get on a street car, or I am going to be really late. I continue to hurry towards the next street car stop when I heard a honk behind me. Despite knowing that I know it shouldn’t be for me, I stopped to turn and look. I am stunned to see a familiar black mustang pull up along side me and the window go down. Why is he honking at me? I am nowhere near the street, he could have just kept going, as I will not be accepting a ride from him at all.

“Hey, Evelyn, did you miss the bus again? I can give you a ride if you want” I heard my classmate, Rhett Coleman, call out to me. I managed to keep the stunned surprise off my face, but I don’t care how late I am, I will not be accepting a ride from him to school. I already have enough of an issue avoiding his girlfriend Hillary. If she were to see me in his car, she would never leave me alone. The reward of getting to school on time, is not worth the risk of accepting the ride being offered. I turned away from him as I continued on my way walking toward the streetcar stop.

“No thank you, I am good. You can go on Rhett, or you will be late too” I called out towards him and kept walking. I can hear the motor as he continued to slowly drive alongside me. It doesn’t matter what he is going to say to me, nothing on this earth could possess me to voluntarialy get into that car with him.

“You sure? Because I heard that we will be having a test first period and if you miss it, won’t that effect your GPA?” I heard the smile in his voice as he called out to me. I stopped walking and looked over at him. He seems serious, and Mrs. Larkin is known for messing with us like that. I bet he is right because for some reason he and his group always get a heads up to study the night before a big test. I know it is their coach pushing that so they can stay on the team. I bet he is right, it does seem like something that she would do, we have three more weeks of school, and two tests coming before the end of it. She can’t do it the last week, as were are seniors, and all of our grades need to be in. My shoulders sag as I admit defeat. I see him grin at me as he rolls to a stop to let me in.

I heard the door unlock and I pulled it open to get in, but I am not happy about it. We are two miles away from school so I should still make it. I buckled up, and I heard his light laugh as I do. He isn’t wearing his, but I have zero trust in him and his driving abilities. I sat back in the seat as he rolls the window up, and put the car in gear. I feel safe as the window tint blocks me from view of anyone we pass. I feel the need to ask him to let me out of the car before we get to school. I don't need any extra problems from his jealous girlfriend this close to graduation.

“Um, Rhett, if it is OK with you, could you to pull over and let me out before we get to school” I asked him softly. I am trying to be careful and not piss him off at me. I cannot afford to miss this test, as my GPA is something that I need to keep in place. My scholarships depend on it, and I cannot afford to lose any of them. I also can’t afford to have to hide from Hillary for the next three weeks either. I already know that if she can’t find me at school, she will come to my work for her to try to make me sorry. I get tired of those too, but I cannot control what stupid pranks she wants to keep doing. I am going to get another job, when I start college, but for right now, and the summer I just don’t need to hassle that will come from pissing Hillary off, and me arriving with him would do just that.

“Why? You can just get out when I park? I don’t see what the problem is, plus, I am doing you a favor anyway. You are going to make me late with starting and stopping instead of just going to school” Rhett tells me with a smirk, knowing full well why I am balking at arriving with him. She always meets him at school. If she hadn’t gotten a new car for her birthday last month, she would be riding with him still. But she got her mother two year old Mercedes C-class, because her mother upgraded to a new E-class. The whole school knows that there are several parking spaces that you better not park in, and two of them belong to Rhett and Hillary.

I closed my eyes to keep from rolling my eyes where he could see me do it. I was right, this is going to be a really bad day. Why did Helen have to stop me to remind me of things that she had already told me last night. Her memory is really getting worse, and she had honestly forgotten that she had already told me. I should have just told her I had it, and left, but that would have been so rude of me. Knowing now that I missed the bus in a deliberate attempt to not be ugly to her, or upset her, had gotten me in a bad spot.

I heard a light chuckle as he laughs at my expression of displeasure. Why? Why do I have to deal with this? I am a good person, I don’t bother anyone, and I stay to myself. Why am I having to deal with this, it just isn’t fair. I will not be stooping to beg him to stop now. I am wanting to kick my own self for getting into this bind. I know that he already knows that he has singly-handedly ruined my day, and he is waiting to see the show too when we arrive. It doesn’t take long to go the 2 miles to school. He parks right next to Hillary who is putting her lipstick on in the visor mirror. She turns with a smile on her face to blow Rhett a kiss when I open the door and try to hurry away from them.

“What are you doing in the car with my boyfriend? It’s a wonder I didn’t realize it when he was pulling up with the whole car leaning towards your side. Rhett, what the hell were you thinking? She is going to make you look bad, just by being inside the car with you. I have no idea why you would think that it was OK” Hillary makes sure to speak loudly as she exits her car. I tried to get away from them both, and thankfully Rhett holds his arm out for Hillary to snuggle up under it.

“There is a test first period, and I know she needed to get to class, she missed the bus again” I can hear Rhett tell her in an effort to calm her down. It is not going to work, her two best friends were in the car with her, and Amber Lynn and Lisa exited with her. They are both walking right behind me, and they are hot on my heels. They are willing to wait until we get to a blind spot before they strike, and as soon as I start up the stairs, I felt the push. With the strength of it, I immediately have to use both my hands to keep from falling down face first onto the stairs. I knew that getting here today with Rhett was the wrong choice. I can feel my hands stinging from being cut by the cement stairs.

I waited for them to pass me laughing, and then got up. I knew better than do get up with them near me. I learned that the hard way. My right hand is bleeding, but if this is the worst of it, that will be fine. I go to get my balance and I see Rhett looking concerned. He has to know that his girlfriend’s little friends did this to me. I am not clumsy, no matter the comments they make. Anytime I fall, it is always with their help. He go to step towards me when Hillary stops him.

“She is fine, Rhett, she needs to get to class before she is late anyway. Go ahead and walk me to my class babe” Hillary tells him, and the glare that she gives me lets me know that the next three weeks will not be any kind of fun for me. I sighed as I hurried to get to class. I cannot miss this test, and I do not want to get into trouble. I took a chance riding with him because of not wanting to be late, so I need to make sure I get their before the final bell. Rhett doesn’t have to worry about it, no matter when he shows up, he will not get into trouble. He just needs to make sure he gets the test completed, as best he can. He is pretty smart, for a jock, and it is an advanced calculus class. I heard that he has a C average right now, and I know he needs as good a grade as he can get to maintain his own scholarships.

His family had money, so his scholarships are not as imperative to him as they are for me. He has never known want in his life. I try to tamp down my jealousy at him having both of his parents. He has been loved and taken care of his whole life. I don't know anything about my family, I am an orphan. I was left outside a police station shortly after I was born. They knew there were cameras there, so they covered themselves to protect their identity. I was told that in the video, you couldn’t tell if it was a man, or woman, who had dropped me off. The only thing they knew was just the fact that they were tall. I fight back my tears of frustration, as head to class. I don’t have the luxury to have a pity party now. I already know that I have an even larger target on my back than I already had. I need to let it go, and just focus on this pop quiz. Getting out and getting a good job is what matters to me now, not any of this stupid high school drama. I will be glad to get out of here when the time comes.