"Good," she replied, returning to her notebook. When the bell rang a few minutes later, she looked up in surprise. "Oh. Okay. Well, I guess I'll see you tomorrow."
"See you," Poppy replied, leaving the classroom. She stopped when she saw Evan waiting for her and quickly went down another hallway, praying that he hadn't seen her. He waited until she couldn't see him anymore and then followed.
He followed Poppy down the hallway and when she turned and saw him, she inhaled deeply. "Poppy, baby," he said easily, catching his hand as they walked. "Are you avoiding me?" She pulled her hand out of his grip, her jaw tight. "You know what happened, Evan," she replied, her voice deathly quiet. "Leave me alone." "Are you talking about what happened on our drive? Pops, listen. I'm sorry for what happened, but you have to know that it was just as much your fault as it was mine." "My fault?" Her eyes flashed with anger and she stepped back. "Evan, you hurt me. Look at this." She pulled her sleeve up to reveal the deep, ugly bruises that had remained previously hidden, and he squinted at them. "That wasn't all my fault, and you know that. You're being manipulative, Poppy."
Francis' eyes widened, and he frowned as he felt sudden anger. He stepped in, harshly putting a hand on Evan's shoulder. "Step back."
Evan looked over his shoulder and the anger that came into his eyes was immediate. "Step away, Craw," he growled. "Leave us alone."
Francis wasted no I'm time in raising a fist and striking Evan in the face as hard as he could. His hit was surprisingly strong.
Evan fell to the ground in a mixture of shock and pain. He touched his hand to his mouth, and when he pulled away, there was blood. "What the hell, Craw?"
"Is that how it is? I knew it! I knew there was something going on between you two." He stood up, his face tight with anger. "After everything I did for you, Poppy? You cheat on me?"
"There's nothing going on between us, Evan. And you haven't done anything good for her." He stood ready, just in case.
Poppy laid a hand on his arm, her eyes watching Evan nervously. "Let's just go, okay? Please, let's just go."
