_EVELYN_
The sound of my cell phone ringing reverberated in my bedroom, my eyes fluttering open.
"Make it stop," I groaned, covering my ears with my pillow as I rolled over to the other side of the bed.
The phone rang for a few seconds before finally going silent.
With a contented sigh, I drifted back to sleep.
My ringtone cut through my sleep again, making me groan loudly as I forced my eyes open.
Who could be calling so early in the morning, and why call so persistently?
Do not call me twice unless I owe you.
Irritated, I reached out to my bedside, searching for my phone.
Bringing my phone to my face, the sight of the name of the caller made the sleepwear off instantly as I jolted into a sitting position.
Well, shit.
"Mr. Steve?" I muttered under my breath, my hand pushing my hair away from my face.
I could feel the pain in my eyes from having cried for too long, and I wouldn't even dare to look in the mirror.
I had gone along and jinxed myself when I had said not to call unless I owed you.
"I can't take this call,"
Mr. Steve was someone I owed and I had planned to pay him back after getting my paycheck from last month.
But unfortunately, I don't think that would be happening because I had gotten fired earlier.
Now I'm in big trouble since I had hoped to get the money from Logan.
Without thinking I turned off my cell phone, throwing it aside.
It was better if I avoided his calls than answering them to receive loads and loads of insults.
I buried my face in the pillow when the phone began ringing again; what used to be my favorite ringing tone now sounded like my death song.
My heart raced as I watched the phone vibrating on my bed.
The last thing I wanted was to hear his angry voice demanding his money when I quite obviously didn't have it.
Maybe if I ignored him, he would finally leave me alone.
But the ringing didn't stop, it persisted. I groaned, turning onto my back.
"Just leave me alone," I muttered, but it seemed like that was too much to ask for.
After a few minutes of persistent ringing, I picked up the phone in frustration.
I looked at my phone screen, my eyes widening in surprise. Fiona?!
I quickly answered the call, bringing the phone to my ears.
"Fiona!" My voice cracked and the joy of speaking to my best friend after such a long time washed over me.
A wave of relief washed over me as I let out a deep sigh.
Fiona, my best friend had been on a business trip and we hadn't spoken for ages.
"Hey! What's wrong?" her familiar stern voice rang through the phone when she heard me sniff.
"I'm back in the country; I wanted to check on you; why are you crying?"
The floodgates opened and everything spilled out before I could control it.
"Fiona…. It's Logan," I began, tears filling my eyes. I felt sorry that this was the first time we had spoken in a long time, and the first thing I was doing was crying out.
"What did he do? Do I have to beat his ass?" Fiona asked, and I couldn't help but laugh at how serious she sounded.
"He cheated…. we're done. It's over,"
Silence followed afterward, Fiona trying to comprehend my words.
The next minute, she snapped.
"What?! That snake!" She gritted her teeth in anger. "How dare he do that to you?!" Her voice was so loud that I had to pull my phone away from my ear, but her dramatic reaction warmed my heart.
Trust Fiona to always make me feel good no matter what.
"Yeah… it's finally over." I sniffled.
"That jerk! I knew it! He wasn't good enough for you; I'm glad he's gone now; you deserve better!"
I tried to stop the tears that threatened to escape, blinking them back.
I shouldn't cry for that man when he didn't deserve it.
There was another brief pause, and then Fiona's voice softened.
"You'll get through this, Evie. It's his loss, not yours. You deserve better than that idiot. You've always deserved better."
Though she couldn't see me, I nodded my head, cleaning my eyes.
Her words reminded me of everything else that had gone wrong, something that was important but just managed to slip my mind.
"It's not just Logan; I lost my job, too. On the same day."
The bitterness in my voice was hard to miss as I recounted all that had happened to me.
I was expecting my boyfriend to cheer me up after I got fired, but he ended up causing me more pain.
"I don't even know how I'm going to pay Mr. Steve back now."
"Wait… what? Evie, you lost your job? How? Why? It all happened all at once? I'm so sorry. What are you going to do?"
Fiona's voice was filled with concern and I sighed heavily.
"I've already applied for something new. The Imperial Grande Hotel called me for an interview in two hours,"
I looked at my phone screen, making sure of the time I had left.
I needed to start preparing so I'd get there on time; I wouldn't want to rush.
"Really? That's so great!" Fiona squealed loudly and I once again pushed my phone away from my ears.
The Imperial Grande Hotel was one of the biggest, if not the biggest, hotels in the country.
It was hard to get a job there, and I somehow managed to secure myself an interview.
No matter what, I just had to make sure that I didn't jinx this.
"Before you go, can you pick up something for Jonathan at the marriage bureau?" Fiona asked and I blinked back, surprised.
Marriage bureau?
"Are you getting married, Fiona?" I asked.
I wouldn't be surprised if she said yes at this point.
She and Jonathan, her boyfriend, were practically almost like married couples.
I was just waiting for him to seal the deal properly.
"Why? No! Jonathan worked at the hotel too; I was thinking maybe you could ask me for some tips. Also, I work at the bureau." She replied immediately, and I could tell that she was flushed.
After a few moments, I finally agreed.
Maybe I should be able to clear my head and collect myself before I go for the interview.
After we hung up, I stared at the ceiling for a moment longer before forcing myself out of bed.
If I stayed in bed for a while longer, I might miss this interview.
An hour later, I found myself sitting in the back of a taxi, heading to the Marriage Bureau.
My mind swirled with too many thoughts, going from Logan, my debt, and then my impending interview.
I was nervous, really nervous about this interview, and all efforts to calm myself down seemed futile.
The taxi came to a stop and I immediately came down after paying.
In a hurry, I tried to cross the road, not bothering to check for incoming cars.
My heart dropped when someone yelled out from behind me and my head snapped up.
A car drove towards me at an incredible speed, and at that moment, my brain seemed to fail me.
Panic surged through me as I stumbled backward, but it wasn't enough.
My foot caught on the pavement, and I lost my balance, falling heavily to the ground.
For a split second, time seemed to slow. The screeching tires, the distant yells of people, and the rush of adrenaline flooded my senses.
As I lay there, the world spinning around me, I realized how close I'd come to something much worse than my boyfriend cheating on me.