Evan Elemental (The Evan Elemental Series) by Crystal Groszek Page A

Delia and see the satisfaction in
her face because she knows she got to me.
    "Evan,
we should go," Josh says in a low voice, taking hold of my elbow. I nod
slowly, careful not to take my eyes off of Delia.
    On the
way out of the clearing I pause and look at Jessie. "Jess?" I say,
nodding my head back toward the path in the forest.
    Jessie
bites her lip, a telltale sign that she's about to disappoint me. "I think
I'm gonna stay Ev ," she replies, her tone casual even though there's
an apology in her eyes.
    I turn
without another word and leave.
     

Chapter Eleven
    "Hey!"
Josh calls from behind me as I make like a bat out of hell through the woods.
It's so dark I'm practically blind, making it so that I'm stumbling through the
woods more than running, scraping my hands and arms against tree bark as I go.
Josh is following close behind, but I'm doing my best to ignore him.
    "Evan!
Come on. Do you even know where you're going?" he calls out in a
breathless attempt to rationalize with me.
    I
stumble over a tree root and brace myself against its trunk to keep from
falling. I'm barely winded, but my heart is pounding violently.
    My
momentary pause allows Josh to finally catch up with me. "What was that
all about? With my sister?"
    My already
strained heart leaps to my throat and I start moving again, this time pushing
harder through the tangle of trees and rocks trying to get away from his
questions.
    "If
you talk to me, maybe I can help you," he says, trying to grab my elbow to
stop me but I yank it away.
    "Fuck
off, Josh," I mutter loud enough for him to hear me.
    I hear
him sigh loudly but I keep going determined to get out of here and put as much
distance between Delia and myself. Between this whole night and myself.
    "Evan!"
Josh yells again, his voice demanding and no longer pleading.
    I stop
dead and turn to face him, seething. He's red faced and winded, which makes me
smirk.
    "What?"
I ask, my voice deadly calm.
    The
wounded look on his face makes me relax a little. He doesn't have anything to
do with what's happening; I know that. I roll my eyes and cross my arms over my
chest waiting for him to speak, my resolve already cracking.
    "I- uhm . I'm sorry?" he says, wincing.
    He
sounds so pathetic I have to laugh. "For what?" I ask, cocking an eyebrow.
    "My
sister. She can be so..." he trails off.
    "Malicious?"
I finish for him. I bite down on my bottom lip to hide my grin.
    Josh
lets out a short laugh. His shoulders relax slightly as some of the tension
between us fades. He's cracking just as easily as I am. "Yeah, and
jealous," he says finally. "My parents are kind of on her case all
the time, to be perfect. I got it easy. I've been at boarding school most of my
life."
    Both my
eyebrows shoot up this time. "I thought you said you go to Price?"
    Josh pauses
before responding, considering his words. "I do," he says slowly,
"now. When I said earlier it was my last year, I meant first and
last."
    That
explains so much: why he's so easy going, why he seems so clueless about
whatever the hell is going on in this town. I nod but don't say anything,
hoping he'll explain further.
    "So,
do you?" he says after an awkward beat.
    My
forehead wrinkles in confusion. He's the one who's supposed to be giving
answers. He didn't even ask a question. "What?" I ask, annoyed.
    His
face melts into his trademark easy smile. Even in the dark I can see the amused
glint in his eyes. It's unsettling how familiar he is to me already. "Know
where you're going?" he asks gently, a hint of playfulness in his tone
meant to assure me he's not being an ass.
    "Right
now, or for the rest of my life?" My voice is dripping with sarcasm but I
give him a playful smirk.
    Josh
crosses his arms across his broad chest and scrunches up his face as if in deep
thought. "Well," he says, "I was thinking more like right now,
but we could talk about the other, later, if you want." He matches my
sarcasm beat for beat. I can't bite back my smile any longer.
    "To
answer your