- "Yes, Dad. Got it. Okay. Okay. No, I will not forget to get the eggs! Milk, eggs, and bread. That is what you asked me to get, is it not? Three items. I think I can handle it. I'll drop them off in thirty minutes. Have Johnathan leave the door unlocked... Love you." Evelyn then ended the call quickly, sliding the phone into her back pocket. The doors before her slid open as she approached them, exposing her to a short breath of warm air from the vent above which shook off the chill of December. The store was fairly populated, but not bad. Which meant she hopefully wouldn't have to squeeze between people just to get three items for her father, who had somehow managed to break his knee after falling off a ladder while trying to change a light bulb. So now he was supposed to be resting for a few days before trying to move it. She'd moved out months ago, but since her brother was getting ready for some date with a girl she didn't know, the responsibility of getting a couple necessities was placed on Evie's shoulders today. Why they'd asked for the most typical, cheesy items, she didn't know. But they were paying her back, for the gas, food, and favor, so she was all for it. It's not like she'd been doing anything, anyway, except flipping through a newspaper to look for some kind of job. She was currently unemployed, and her father kept bugging her. To get him to shut up, she was at least trying. And, plus, she needed food. Badly. Her 'pantry' was 'full' of three packages of Ramon and a half-empty box of stale cereal. So, yeah, she needed a job.
Grabbing a small basket from the stack beside the door, she tipped her chin up to look at the signs above. Milk and eggs would be in the dairy section, but the bread area was on the bakery side. The two were on opposite sides of the store, cleverly placed. And between the two would be a bunch of stuff that Evelyn would look at and be unable to have, but would drool over it, anyway. Maybe if she was lucky, she could snag a banana or something and slip out without anyone noticing. It was just a banana. Nobody was gonna miss it. And she was pretty much starving. Her stomach was already starting to vocalize itself. With a frustrated sigh, mixed with a bit of a grumble, she started forwards towards the bakery section of the store, otherwise known as her favorite section. Fresh baked bread smelled amazing, and her stomach thought so, as well. She was a bit reluctant to go there, since the temptation to tear open something and eat it would be difficult to ignore. But, if she was lucky, she might be able to just snag a piece of the bread before she gave it to her father.
Evie was quick. She rushed to where the sandwich bread was layered on the shelves. She'd done this way too many times. Her father was rarely home when she was growing up, which meant she and her brother were in charge of the groceries for the most part. And she'd quickly learned that wasting money on candy and sweets was a terrible idea. It'd been a while since she'd treated herself at all to anything of that nature. Already knowing exactly where the whole grain bread was (her father would constantly encourage them to make the healthiest choices they could), she poked at a few loaves before pulling one out and setting it down in the basket. There. One down, two more to go.
Roughly ten minutes later, she was at the self-checkout, sliding items across the scanner until she heard the rewarding little beeping pop sound. Evie always preferred the self-checkout so she didn't have to risk possibly recognizing someone. While Evelyn could be social, she treated a grocery run like an important mission. No distractions. Conversing with someone would be a distraction. She didn't want to be here any longer than she had to. With a few presses on the screen, the receipt printed out for her to take, and her three items were in a plastic sack. Ready to leave, she took the bag and started to walk away, only to be confronted by a figure. She paused and looked up with a brow raised, only to see a tall, broad-shouldered man in a suit standing before her. Blinking, Evie took a step back to distance herself.
"Excuse me, Miss, do you happen to be Evelyn Grey?"
"No," she answered, lying easily. If she had any sort of common sense, it was working right now.
"Do you know a woman by that name?"
"Sounds familiar... Why?"
"We're looking for her."
"No kidding. Why?"
The man frowned, grunting quietly. "You're the ex of Richard Brown, yes?"
Evelyn was not thrilled with where this conversation was going, but continued to wear an apathetic face to try and hide her nerves. "That's right."
"Then surely you know his house was lit aflame by one of his girlfriends. I'm sure you're aware of that situation, but the woman's name who did it is Evelyn Grey. We found a picture of you both in his phone, and since he hasn't been able to give us a straight answer of who is who, we're trying to find the two of you."
"Well, unfortunately for you, I am Sydney Meyer; the other one. I don't know where that other chick is. Don't really care, honestly."
"I see. I apologize for the mistake, ma'am. Have a good day." The man bobbed his head, and then left. Once he was out of sight, the breath she'd been holding tight in her chest was released. Shaking her head and briefly licking her lips, she carried on, purposely walking just a notch faster.
No, she was not Sydney Meyer. That was the other girl. But Evie was more than happy to take on the other girl's name. Fortunately for her, Richard had been injured in the fire, though it was technically an accident. Evie had thought he was out when she'd marched over to his house, and so she thought she was igniting a vacant building. Imagine her surprise when it wasn't. He hadn't been killed, but had received a head injury from a falling beam that had managed to hit him. It'd knocked some of his memory out, and, thus, couldn't match a name to a face. He had pictures of both girls in his phone, but no idea who was who. He also had pictures of exes, as well, so that only added to the confusion. His parents didn't know anything, and couldn't contribute. So, for now, they were looking for the right girl, but didn't know which girl to find. How did they know it was a girl named Evelyn Grey? Well, for starters, she'd carved her name into the side of his car. That was probably a big clue. A stupid move, definitely, but it wasn't the first time she'd screwed up. So, for now, she insisted to her family that they had the name wrong, and she had been framed by the other girl. They hadn't said anything about it, and she wasn't bringing it up, so she figured they'd accepted it. Which worked just fine for her.
Departing from the grocery store, she crossed the parking lot to where her motorcycle was parked in a spot. Frankly, she would have preferred an actual car, considering the winters here were not exactly gentle, but she couldn't afford a car and still be able to pay for gas. This bike had originally been her dad's, actually, but he'd given it to her once he had saved up enough to buy a car. She was in charge of gas and insurance. It seemed like every time I managed to find some money, it was ripped out of her hands. Had the been able to hold a good job, this might have been avoided. But, alas, she had been fired after cussing out a customer. But she had her reasons. That guy was getting too close for just someone who wanted to order a coffee, and she wasn't having it. But, apparently, her boss wasn't too thrilled about her behavior - for this wasn't the first time she'd caused troubles with the customers - and finally gave up on her. That was only two months ago, but she was already starting to run out of cash.
Swinging a leg over the seat, she plugged the key into the ignition and twisted it,the bike purring to life once more. She shuddered, cupping her hands around her mouth and breathing a harsh breath into them to try and warm up her fingers. It didn't do much, and the feeling lasted for all of a couple seconds, but there wasn't much she could do about that. Tugging the helmet over her head, which was old, scratched up, and a bit too loose for her head, she pulled out of the parking lot and drove off to where her old house was only a few miles away from here.