familiar street lazily examining each house as she passes. Nothing has changed since her family abandoned the neighborhood and didn't look back. Even their old house is unchanged, save for what seems to be a fresh coat of paint.

The time-capsule that was her street both comforts and unnerves Evangeline. She can see her younger self biking down the gravelly street huffing as she lags behind her friends who had always been so much faster than she. Then she sees Steven, holding her scooter over his head and laughing as she jumps as high as she can, to no avail. Eric stands off to the side, cheering him on, but never actively engaging in any of his antics.

Despite the immediate trauma of those events as a kid, she thinks back to her childhood fondly and holds a special place in her heart for this little town.

Evangeline shoves her hands into her pockets as a cool breeze rustles the trees above her. She can feel a storm coming. It was something she had a knack for predicting; her grandmother said it was a sort of magical gift passed down through their family, though Evangeline suspected it was most likely intuition and experience in weather patterns. Despite the warmth her jacket brings, her shorts do little in the realm of insulation and the dropping temperature turns her skin to goose-flesh.

"Evangeline?" The voice brings Evangeline's movements to a halt as she turns to face the shadowy figure semi-hidden in the foliage. Evangeline slowly approaches Steven. With a groan, he pushes himself up into standing with one hand, the other hand occupied holding a smoldering joint. "What are you doing out here so late?"

Evangeline crosses her arms over her chest, the corner of her lips turned down in a frown. "I could ask you the same thing," she says quietly.

"Well, I live here," he says, gesturing over his shoulder to the inviting house behind them, "but you're not living over here now, are you?"

Evangeline shakes her head and pulls her lips into her mouth. "I'm staying with my grandma."

Steven nods and closes his eyes as he takes another drag, the smoke he blows out from his nose barely visible in the dim light. After a few seconds, he reopens his eyes to see Evangeline studying him curiously. "You want some?" he asks, holding it out towards her.

"No, I'm good," she says, shaking her head and pushing his hand away gently.

Hyde puts the smoking mass to his mouth again. "You don't smoke?" he asks, the words coming out muffled from rolling the joint between his lips.

"I did," she says, shifting her weight and pulling her bag in front of her body, "until a couple days ago."

Hyde stares at her unmoving; Evangeline squirms under the intensity of his icy blue eyes. "Why'd you stop?"

"I don't think that's any of your business." Evangeline lifts her wrist and pulls back the sleeve of her coat in an attempt to see the time, but the dim glare of the house lights do little to help. "It's late, so I should go—"

"Why don't you stay?"

Evangeline's head whips towards the boy who's sunken back to the ground, his back against the hedges, acting as if he hadn't said anything. "What?"

"I'm about to go back inside, we can watch TV or something." Hyde shrugs and glances up at her for a brief second, but it's long enough for her crinkled nose and furrowed brow to make him smile. "I'll walk you back to your grandma's later."

"I-I don't know, Steven, I mean, my grandma's already salty about me staying with her, if I come back late—"

"Evie," Steven drawls, reaching up to tug gently on her flowy shorts, "can I call you Evie? Evangeline is a fucking beautiful name, but it's way too long." When Evangeline says nothing, Steven continues, "Look, just call her and tell her you've made a friend. It'd be nice not to be alone for once."

Evangeline swallows the lump forming deep in he throat and nods, holding her hand out for Steven to take hold of. "Fine. But only for a bit. I do need to sleep at some point."

Steven grins madly, enthusiastically accepting her help and jumping to his feet again. He drags her towards the basement stairs, tossing his finished joint to the concrete and stubbing it out with his foot before kicking it under the bushes. "Don't worry, you'll sleep."

▂▂▂▂▂▂▂▂▂▂▂▂

next morning in a bed she doesn't recognize—which is less like a bed and more like a cot—with an unfamiliar arm wrapped around her waist and a bearded face nuzzling her neck.

The distant sound of pounding rain on the roof is comforting and Evangeline slumps against Steven's warm body, his arm instinctively tightening around her in his sleep. Although she had fully intended on staying no longer than an hour, they'd started out by watching late night TV which had turned into a long conversation and ended with her yawning so loud that Steven laughed at her. He'd offered to take her home, but she told him she probably wouldn't make it back awake.

Evangeline blanches as a small wave of nausea washes over her. She wrenches herself out of his grip to sit up on the edge of the cot and take a deep breath. Her movements stir Hyde awake. He blinks rapidly at the girl hunched over, fingers woven into the hair on her head and elbows rested on her knees. "Evie?" he says, his voice low and full of tiredness still. "Y'okay?"

Evangeline swallows and nods her head. She turns to look at him with a smile, brushing a strand of hair back behind her ear. "I'm fine. Just not feeling too well."

"Do you want some water?" Hyde runs a hand through his unruly hair and slips off the bed. Evangeline shakes her head and follows him out of his little room into the main area of the basement. "Breakfast?"

"No, thanks, Steven, but that's a little weird, yeah? And wouldn't Eric's parents care that I'm here?" Evangeline frowns and rubs her elbow absentmindedly as watches Hyde expectantly.

Hyde shakes his head and laughs quietly. "They complain about having all these mouths to feed 'cause of our friends, but since everyone's been gone I can tell they miss 'em all. At least, Kitty does." Evangeline smiles at Eric's mom's name and nods. Hyde adds that she always makes too much anyway and they end up having a leftover night every week.

"I'm gonna just go back to my grandma's." Hyde shrugs as Evangeline grabs her jacket and shorts off the back of the couch and slings her purse over her shoulder. "So, I'll see you again?" Her voice is hopeful as she peers up through her eyelashes at him.

Steven smirks and crosses his arms over his chest. "Maybe. I mean, I'll need my sweatpants back at some point." His eyes linger on her legs for a moment before sliding up her torso clad in a cut-off Zeppelin tee to her pretty face, her mouth forming an 'o' of surprise.

Evangeline looks down at her legs. She had completely forgotten putting them on before falling asleep. "Oh, yeah."

"If I don't get them back, wouldn't be the end of the world," he says, stretching his arms out to the side and behind his back. "'Sides, they look better on you."

Evangeline blushes despite herself at his cheesy comment and hides her flustered look by bending over to pull on her converse. When she stands back up, cooled off and ready to leave, Steven is still staring at her with one corner of his mouth quirked in a pleasant smile. "I'll bring them back. Promise." She crosses her fingers over her heart and gives him a smile of her own. With one last check of her purse to make sure she has everything, she opens the creaky wooden door to the basement stairs.

Immediately, she's met with a gust of wind and rain pouring down on her. She shuts the door again and turns around, lips pressed into a thin line. "On second thought," she starts as Steven's smile morphs into a smirk, "I will take you up on that offer of breakfast—after I call my grandma."

"C'mon, eat breakfast and I'll drive you back," Steven grabs her wrist and pulls her up the stairs. To both of their relief, no one is in the kitchen and Steven grabs a box of cereal, placing it down in front of her along with a bowl and a spoon.

As he goes to grab the milk, the kitchen door swings open and a short, older lady saunters in singing, "Good mo-orning, Steven, I—?" The lady stops at the sight of the blonde leaning an elbow on the faux-marble table. Evangeline recognizes her immediately. In the past eight years the woman hadn't changed.

Evangeline stands up and holds out a hand to her. She says, in words not unlike Steven's to her yesterday at the Hub, "Mrs. Forman, you probably don't recognize me, but—"

Kitty ignores her hand and wraps the girl in a tight hug, lifting her off the ground about an inch. She is surprisingly strong for such a tiny person. "Evangeline! It's been too long. How are you? How are you parents? You have a little sister now, don't you? Oh—"

Hyde steps in as Evangeline's face twists into an uncomfortable expression from the hug becoming too tight and the rapid-fire questions. "Okay, Mrs. Forman, you're gonna squeeze the stuffing out of her." He pries Kitty's arms off the tiny blonde and sets her back onto the ground. Evangeline backs up into Hyde's chest, a small smile on her face as Kitty immediately announces she must make breakfast for her.

"See, not weird," Hyde says as he ushers her back to the table, puts away their untouched making for cereal, and then takes a seat across from her. He grabs the newspaper from its resto spot and opens it to a random page. "Carter's looking old as ever."

"Steven, how many times have I said not to touch the paper before I have?" Mr. Forman enters the kitchen with a frown on his face, his eyes shining as Hyde lowers the paper and peers over the top. "I don't want your grimy hands gumming up the ink." Red snatches it out of Hyde's hands and fluffs it, taking a look at the article the page was open to. Then he lowers it, suddenly realizing there is another body in the room. "Kitty, did you take in another stray?"

Evangeline looks down at her lap as Kitty laughs, the sound like a squeaky dog toy. "Red," she says admonishingly, "don't you remember? That's Evangeline Ross! She used to live down the street 'til her family moved away."

"Ross, eh? They the ones whose kid—" He makes a crude motion across his throat, eyes wide and tongue out.

Kitty glares at him as she flips a pancake at the stove. "Red. Not in front of company."

Evangeline glances up, having missed their short interaction, in time for Red to turn back to her and give her a rare smile. "Well, welcome back. Feel free to eat Steven's food. Or Eric's. God knows that idiot doesn't show up for half our meals anyway." Red laughs and takes a seat beside Hyde, who scoots his chair slightly to his left.

Evangeline returns his smile and says a quiet thank you as Mrs. Forman dances over with the first plate of pancakes. "Here you go, sweetie belle, syrup's right on the counter there if you want some."

"Thank you, Mrs. Forman," Evangeline says, her stomach growling as she suddenly realizes how hungry she is.

Hyde laughs at her as Mrs. Forman tells Evangeline it's her pleasure and makes more for Red, Hyde, and herself. When they've all been served, they eat in a somewhat comfortable silence and Evangeline decides these are the best pancakes she's ever eaten. Before long, Red excuses himself to wash his dishes and read in the living room. Kitty grabs hers and Steven's empty plates before either of them can move and tells them not to worry about cleaning up.

With a small wave in Kitty's direction, Evangeline follows Hyde out the sliding door to the porch where he leans against the railing. The rain is still pouring, but the roof above them keeps them dry. "I'll drive you back if you're still set on going to your grandmas."

Evangeline winces at the thought of her grandma's lecture she is sure to receive upon her return, but she knows it will only get worse the longer she puts it off. "Yeah, unfortunately I need to get back. Man, am I gonna get an earful."

Hyde grins and pulls a key from his pant pocket, tilting his head in the direction of the black truck parked in the drive. "Car's unlocked; make a run for it."

By the time they manage to get in the car and shut the doors, their hair is all but soaked and their shirts are dripping. They laugh all the way to her grandmother's house at their appearances, the radio drowned out by their cheerful demeanors. When he pulls into the driveway, Hyde turns to look at the blonde who looks like she'd rather be anywhere but back home. "Do you really need to go back?" Hyde asks, glances between Evangeline and the curtains that move in the front window. Someone is watching them. "I'm sure Kitty and Red wouldn't mind having you around."

Evangeline sighs deeply and gives Hyde a grateful look. "Unfortunately, yes. There are—family matters I have to deal with and I don't think I can do that anywhere else right now." She lays her hand on Hyde's knee and gives him a small smile. "Thanks for the offer, anyway."

"Well, I'll see you again, later, sometime?" Hyde stares straight ahead of him, his heart racing at her touch.

Hyde feels the loss of heat as Evangeline lifts her hand straight to his core. "Later," she agrees. Evangeline gives him a long, last look before opening the door and waving to him as she runs to the side of the house where a woman he assumes is her grandma stands with her arms crossed and a stern look on her face.

He backs out of the driveway as Evangeline's grandma pulls her into the house and shuts the door behind them. "Later," he whispers to himself as the house disappears behind him.