Chapter Text
Falling out of a tree doesn't sound very fun. Truthfully, it's not.
He had hit the ground hard, blood alive with adrenaline, his elbow and the palm of his hand scraping against the dirt and gravel. He had fallen on his other arm and it had felt strangely numb until he caught his breath and tried to get up. Instantaneous pain flashed through him, and his arm felt like it was a cross between splintering and blistering. Evan had to lean against the very tree he had fallen out of to steady himself, and as he let himself sink down and sit against the trunk, he realized his cheeks were wet with tears. That made him feel a little pathetic.
His ears had buzzed and his entire body felt weak. It was probably shock, or something like that. He scrubbed the tears off his face, looking up at the tree with the sky filtering through. With its huge trunk and limbs and countless leaves, it had been thrilling to climb– the only time he ever wanted to take a risk was when he was climbing. He had always wondered how the world might look from up so high, and today he got the courage to do it, and he felt so alive, he really did– because if he climbed higher and higher, so that the only thing he could see was the sun shining bright and the leaves, he could escape.
He slowly got his phone out of his pocket, relieved that the screen wasn't cracked. It was a generic brand, the kind Jared always teased him about. Of course, it's not like his heart didn't sink a little when he saw that he had no missed calls or unread texts. That made sense, he told himself, because his phone said it was only 3:37 and he didn't get home until almost 5– if anyone was going to text him, they'd do it when he was off work. Not that Jared texted him much.
Evan didn't know how long he had been sitting there, trying to breathe through his pain, but by now, someone had to be coming, right? Wrong.
He eventually got up, feeling a little wobbly at the thought that he didn't seem to matter, because no one had gone looking for him. His phone hadn't buzzed. He hadn't heard any calls or footsteps of one of the workers or someone he knew to help him. Or maybe he was just feeling wobbly because of his arm. Evan told himself that it was his arm, because the other option was one he didn't want to face.
Not today, and if he could help it, not ever.
Evan straightened the collar of his shirt, tried to brush off his knees, and loosened some of the pebbles out of his palm. Then he walked back, feeling terribly alone with just him, his phone with no messages, and his injured arm.
---
It was still bright when Evan made it back to the main building of the park. He felt like it had taken him hours to walk back. Apparently not.
The park where he worked– well he didn't really work there, he was an apprentice–it was a large park, and the main building was large, too. Not ridiculously large, but made out of modest materials with a sign that declared "ELLISON STATE PARK" with a logo of a pine tree next to it. It almost felt like home sometimes, it was like a sign of comfort–he didn't like to go inside the building that much, he would just check in with the manager and sometimes go out with a ranger– but every time he saw that building, afterwards he could relax and walk in the woods.
The parking lot was mostly empty, and he figured it was maybe about 4:15. Honestly, he didn't really want to check his phone because it would jostle his arm more than it had already been when he had walked the trail back. Only a few cars were there, because the park closed around five. Well, actually six, but most of the employees were rushing to get out by at least 5:30, and the park encouraged visitors to leave by five. Evan knew if he couldn't catch a ride from one of the employees, he'd have to call his mom, and he really didn't want to do that.
He inconvenienced his mom a lot. If he wasn't so afraid of everything, she wouldn't insist on paying for therapy and medication that sometimes made him feel worse– she already was in graduate school and she already worked almost nonstop– it made Evan feel guilty beyond belief. Maybe he would just try to call Jared, even though Jared drove like a lunatic.
As he made his way down to the pot-hole filled parking lot, he saw a car that didn’t look as familiar as the others. He saw someone laying on the hood of it, the back of their head against the windshield, and it looked like they were on their phone. Alright, well that was a little strange. He began to walk to the main building on the sidewalk, hoping that the manager wouldn’t think he was ridiculous or stupid.
“Hey, Hansen, is that you?”
Evan turned nervously, albeit slowly because of the way his arm throbbed. Oh no. Nononono. Someone from school had seen him. He was screwed. There’d be rumors, or he’d have to see them in the hallways.
The figure, not too far off, slid off the hood of the car, slipped their phone in their pocket, and walked right up to him. He had dark hair down to his shoulders and wore a jacket even though it was a little warm out, and had that sharp look to his nose and cheeks and even his eyes that was kind of intimidating. Someone he had seen at his school for, well... Years. As long as he can remember.
“....Oh, uh, hey Connor.”
Connor’s eyes searched him, and the look he gave him seemed almost disgusted, and Evan wished he could just sink into the dirt. Evan didn't see Connor as much as he saw his more popular sibling, Zoe. Zoe was pretty, funny and she played in the jazz band. Not that Evan knew anything about that, or had tried to talk to her but didn't because he had felt sweaty. Jared had a field day with that one.
"What happened?" he said simply, instead of greeting Evan back, face seemingly blank instead of that look he had given him just a second ago.
"What?"
"To your arm." Connor said, looking to where Evan was cradling his arm against his chest.
"Um.. Well, I- I fell out of a tree, actually."
"Fell out of a tree." Connor stared for a moment and then snickered with a very small twist of his mouth, saying, "Well, that is just the saddest fucking thing I've ever heard."
Evan flushed in shame, because he knew it was true, but he still mumbled an, "I know." He knew it was kind of pitiful, it was just definitely real now that someone had said something. He shifted his arm again.
“Wow." Connor said.
“Sorry, I know that’s kind of–that’s a little weird, I was just clim-”
"Calm down," Connor said sharply, now looking kind of irritated, and Evan looked back up at him, feeling embarrassed.
"I'm sorry, I jus-"
"I said. Calm. Down.” Connor growled, instantly losing his chill, and Evan shut his mouth. There was the Connor he normally saw at school. Connor scared him most of the time, but at least this was familiar, this was something he could deal with. Connor was already walking away, apparently done with this conversation. Evan felt that pulse of panic as he saw Connor walk away. Connor was the only person here that he could probably hitch a ride from, and he didn't want to call his mom right now because she was at work–
"Hey–" Evan sucked in a breath, stepping forwards and tugged the sleeve of Connor's jacket with his good arm. He turned with a sigh, brushing some hair out of his face, and looked Evan right in the face.
"What?"
"Can– can I get a ride to the ER? My mom–she– My mom normally drops me off, I can't– I don't have– Um.." Evan took another breath and tried again, finally getting out a coherent sentence. "Can I just get a ride to the ER?"
"Don't you have that Jared asshole to pick you up?"
Evan blanched, feeling his palms get sweaty. Riding with Jared as the driver was almost as bad as driving with a near stranger. "...Um, well, he's probably busy."
Connor looked like he was stuck between pity and wanting to laugh at him (again), but he looked down at Evan's arm and seemed to realize he was actually still hurt and said with a sort of strange, slightly unsure and half suspicious look, "Alright."
He walked slowly when Evan followed him across the parking lot and to his car, but Evan figured that was just because Connor was sort of a relaxed guy. Sometimes.
"That's my car," Connor said flatly as they approached, like Evan was the stupidest human alive. Evan looked at him, in a sort of confused way, and Connor looked back, and Evan swore he saw a smirk on Connor's face, like Evan was very amusing.
Evan was grateful Connor's doors were already unlocked, because he just wanted to sit down and he didn't want to have to feel the embarrassment of pulling on a car door just to see it still locked. He sat down stiffly, the way you sit down when you’re not sure if you’re allowed to relax, because that might be a little weird if you relax too soon. Connor started the car and Evan buckled. Connor didn’t.
He wondered why Connor was at the park. He didn’t seem like the outdoors type. Evan glanced at him and opened his mouth, but Connor must have seen it on his face, because he said, "My mom makes me go out to ‘nature’ and do stuff like hiking."
Evan sat wordlessly, trying to find the right words to say he didn't think that was really that weird or embarrassing, but Connor huffed, turned the radio on to a generic radio station, and placed his hands on the steering wheel. He found himself wondering how Connor felt about the weird rambling kid from school sitting in his car. Evan tried to cushion his arm a little. He also tried to get over how useless he felt. That wasn't quite a new feeling.