Poppy took a deep breath and returned to the dining room, where Evan was waiting. "Where is he?" he asked quietly. "Ev, calm down." "Don't tell me to calm down," he growled through gritted teeth. He advanced towards her and the veins in his neck stood out. "Where the hell is he, Poppy?" "Evan," she said quietly, "I think you should leave." He took her by the shoulders and shook her, none too gently. "Answer the question, Poppy." "You need to go," she replied, staring at him defiantly.
Francis turned looking in sneakily, his eyes widening as he watched. After a moment of consideration, he spoke up. "Evan, come outside and we can talk."
Poppy squeezed her eyes shut when she heard Francis' voice before turning to glare at him as if saying 'get out of here!' Evan let go of Poppy and turned to Francis with one raised eyebrow. "So... first you mess up the game, and then you try to steal my girlfriend? What the hell is wrong with you?"
"I'm not trying to steal your girlfriend, Evan. It's for an assignment," he said, frowning as he stepped outside.
Poppy wrapped her hands around Evan's wrist as he tried to follow Francis. "Stop this," she said, frowning at him. "You're better than this." He shook her off and followed Francis, his jaw tight.
"Francis," Poppy warned. Evan cracked his knuckles. "You need to leave us alone. Don't talk to Poppy or I ever again."
Poppy came around him, resting her hands on his chest. "Evan," she said gently. "Come on. Stop this. Let's just go inside." He shoved her aside and raised one finger at Francis. "You need to leave, Craw," he threatened.
Evan's jaw tightened, and Poppy recognized the look, grabbing hold of his bicep before he could hit Francis. "Don't you dare," he began, "tell me how to treat my girlfriend."
Poppy shook her head emphatically at him from behind Evan, but Evan's face had turned a dark red. "Back the hell off, Craw!"
"Alright," Poppy interjected, using the same voice she had used when she told her dog to stay. She pointed at Francis. "You. Here are your keys. Go get in your car and drive home. I will see you tomorrow in science where we will continue to work on our project." She turned to Evan. "You. Go inside. We're going to talk."
