All the things said and unsaid

Who: Evelyn and Dodge
Where: Evelyn’s boarding house
When: late

Dodge had left Jessie on a mission. He stopped briefly, telling a few of his boys where he’d be, and to pass the word on to Roach. Roach could come find him if they found out anything about Pepper. Dealing with that would obviously take priority but right now Dodge needed to talk to Evelyn. Badly.

So he waited out on her stoop for most of the afternoon. He’d chatted lightly with her neighbors, passing on offers to come in until the sun started to set. Only then did he let himself be escorted inside to take up place outside her apartment deciding to wait there for her return. She had to come back eventually.

Evelyn just wanted to go to bed. She didn't know if sleep would hit her when she got there, but she was willing to give it the old fashioned try. She was all for that, actually -- one hundred percent behind the idea. Ian hadn’t been the only person made aware that it was her last day, and some of the staff had planned an impromptu get-together as a send-off. Of course, some of them she knew were happy for just any excuse for socialization and alcohol, but the event had still been fun.

And it had been nice, considering just how awful her last shift had been. She hadn’t felt any better once the conversation with Ian was out of the way. It had left her in a pretty shitty place emotionally up until she got off and a group of staff had descended upon nearby working-class club. And there her spirits had lifted a little even if the tiredness increased. So she was happy to be home, and to be done climbing the stairs to her floor, and to be heading toward her apartment itself...

...until she saw Dodge there. Which she wasn't particularly enthused about. Not the fuck at all, actually. A part of her didn't care one way or the other that it was Dodge, only that she just wanted to go in and lie down and apparently wasn't going to get that; but the fact that it was Dodge just added that extra level of Not Happy. Oh, she sure as hell had planned on talking to him, just sometime in the Later on the other side of her sleeping -- she certainly hadn't planned on it now. She closed the distance toward her door, stopping only a foot or so from him. She didn't say anything, but her expression spoke of the levels of Not Thrilled she was at the moment.

Dodge had been waiting for a long time. A really, really long time. That no one had come after him meant no one had found anything about Pepper, and since he’d been sitting there he’d alternated between practicing making things disappear in his hands and going through the list of issues he wanted to talk to Evelyn about. Like why she’d made a list of horrible things about him to tell Jessie, or why, if she’d been so hurt by him not being around she didn’t come looking for him. Why, if she missed him so damn much, had she sent him away in the first place.

When she did finally arrive he’d already started to get tired, legs stretched across the hall from where he sat on the floor, fedora in his lap and the mop of dark brown curls spilling across his forehead. Leaning back he looked at her closely. “You look like you’ve had almost as shitty a day as I’ve had,” he told her before getting to his feet to make sure not to lose any of the small amount of space between them.

"I need to talk to you about my niece," was all she said. She didn't step back -- it was the door to her damn apartment -- but there was nothing remotely inviting about her demeanor. She didn't move to open the door or invite him inside. And she didn't bother to respond to his comment -- either to mention her day or ask about his. She was tired, and not really in the mood to humor niceties she certainly didn't feel right now. She really just wanted to know what the fuck he was on about with her niece. She meant what she had said to Jessie, in the end the intentions just didn't change that the situation and actions were messed up -- for her they only changed where it was on the sliding scale of Thoughtless to Fucked Up in his behavior.

“Funny,” Dodge said, surprised that she didn’t mind when he invaded her personal space. “That’s what I wanted to talk to you about. Or at least part of it.” He gave her another moment in close before leaning back to rest his shoulders against the wall. “Shall we go in or would you rather have our discussion here in the hallway?”

That thought had actually occurred to her. She wasn't one for scenes. This? was none of her hallmates' business. But she just wasn't up for inviting Dodge inside either. It was late, and at least some of her roommates were probably home. And even if they weren't she had other reasons. In her personal, private space, in that familiar setting and her so tired and her bed or couch nearby, it'd be harder to deal, harder to focus on what she needed to. Especially as this mess really needed her damn focus right now. But, lastly and most importantly, inviting Dodge in at all, especially at this hour, required a trust she just didn't have in him right now.

"Not in the hallway," she answered, "Downstairs." And then she turned around, heading back to the stairs. Not that she was happy about trekking back down them, but she still stuck with the option as best. There were common rooms, some with doors, and most she knew would be empty right now. As long as they didn't start yelling -- which she really wasn't up for -- it was a good shot at privacy. And if anyone did yell? Nobody lived on the ground floor, so yelling there would reach less ears than yelling here, with her roommates and her neighbors and her hallmates and the thin walls.

“Downstairs it is,” Dodge said, trailing behind her. He couldn’t help but wonder what she had to say to him, especially after he’d been going over his list of what to say to her. His pace and long legs kept him close but he still granted her more space than he normally would. Once they were both in the small common room he close the door behind them. “So Evelyn, what is it you wanted to talk to me about?”

There was the slightest of frowns when he closed the door all the way -- she hadn't really planned on complete privacy. But, really, that was just a side point with everything else going on. "After Sunday you started hanging out with my niece, and told her that you liked her just yesterday." And her tone clearly stated how Not Cool she was with that. Because, with the timing of it all and how it was her niece, it was just worrisome and disturbing no matter how Evelyn turned it over in her head.

Dodge was of the firm belief that based solely on what Evelyn had just said, she had no reason at all to use the tone she’d used with him. She was merely stating a fact, not her reasoning behind it. When he thought about it, though he only did briefly, he supposed it really had been only a week since he’d last seen Evelyn. So much had happened in that short span of time that it was hard to imagine. Maddy, Pepper, Jessie. So much in so little time. “I ran into Jessie outside of the high school while I was working on Monday. We started hanging out, yes, but mostly just walking with her on her way home from school.” There was also the incident with the kiss, but there was no need to bring that up if Evelyn didn’t. “And yes, I told her I liked her. She told me she wasn’t interested.”

She was speechless for a moment, the look on her face somewhere between incredulous and something unreadable. Wary? Appalled? Disturbed? Did he really not see the issue there? Or was he just pretending not to? Really, the wrongess of it all, the blowing off of some serious boundaries, was just sort of there and glaring at her that it was hard to accept that he was completely unaware of it -- that it was more than a bit on the effed up side. So a part of her was thinking that he had to know and was jut playing dumb. But she also knew she had near-paranoid issues about manipulation. And there was a part of her that didn't like believing the worst, and wanted to give the benefit of the doubt... but, speaking from personal experience?, it was exactly the benefit of the doubt thing that got one screwed over. "She's my niece, Dodge. It's disturbing, and messed up. What the hell were you thinking?" She was tired, she'd been tired, and Tact and her weren't really getting on at the moment.

“Disturbing and messed up?” Dodge returned on Evelyn, knowing full well she had something in her head that he couldn’t grasp, something he couldn’t see that she was deeming the end of the world about this. Whatever it was, she’d told Jessie and the younger girl hadn’t bothered pointing it out directly either. Moving across the room, Dodge dropped on a nearby couch, watching Evelyn from under the brim of his fedora. “I was thinking a lovely, spunky, independent and intelligent girl at the high school started talking to me and I enjoyed spending time with her. What exactly did you think I was thinking?”

"That lovely, spunky girl is my niece, which really? Brings issues enough in and of it's self, but when it follows directly on the heels of our talk Sunday?," i.e. her rejecting him, "That kind of timing? Is just suspicious as hell no matter what way you look at it. I'm not going to pretend to know what exactly you were thinking -- whether you were being manipulative or, really, just thoughtless and not thinking at all. Wherever your thought process was on the spectrum, honestly, just brings up different issues that aren't working in your favor. In the end, it doesn't change the fact that you were here last Sunday pressing on about taking me out and 'love' or whatever, and in a week you're hitting on my niece and pressing on about feelings for Jessie. My niece. And, really, that you seem to have no appreciation for the issue in that fact, just seems to show massively poor judgement on your part or that you just don't give a damn." It was just... it was just along the same level of Not Okay that happened when one guy moved right from one friend to another, or really Not Okay when the occasional guy might shifted from one sister to another; so going from her to her niece? Was just... no. No no no.

Dodge still felt like Evelyn was talking in circles without actually saying what she meant to be saying. She had this idea in her head as to what he did wrong, but since he was supposed to know she refused to come out with it. He stayed sitting on the couch as he went over what she was saying, back and forth and finally he got through her roundabout talk to what he think she might be meaning. “That kind of timing? Manipulative? Jesus Christ Evie are you really truly that self centered?” Dodge looked as surprised as he felt. Sure perhaps deciding he liked Jessie was following in the wake of liking Evelyn, but Jessie was an awful lot like her aunt. To fall for one and then the other? It wasn’t exactly a stretch. “You think I started spending time with Jessie because of what happen with you? How did your niece feel about you shooting down my actual feelings for her and making them about you? I’m sure that gave her the self esteem boost every teenaged girl needs.”

Anger flared up hotly in her gaze, and she didn't do a great job at all of hiding it. She had been struggling with reigning her emotions together anyway over the past week, and had really kind of used the last of her composure in getting through that last shift at work. So, yeah, she was angry -- because the accusation that this was some 'my feelings over my niece's' ploy was an unbelievable insult. "Let's get one thing straight here, Dodge. My priorities in this matter? Are for Jessie. That's it. Not making myself the center of the universe for some seventeen year old boy," she spat, hot anger in her eyes pairing with a tone that was downright ice. If this talk had happened later, with sleep and the right frame of mind for holding onto emotions, she would have left the last bit out. She knew damn well the 'kid' issue had kinda come off as a major one, and it probably wasn't something he'd handle well even after this conversation -- or argument -- was over. But Evelyn wasn't up for pulling punches right now.

"And yes, the timing of that? Of you starting hanging out with my niece the day after I rejected you? Was suspicious. From a rational, objective standpoint, that doesn't come off as anything but something to be wary about. And I was concerned. And, when it comes down to a concern for my niece versus my concern for you?, I'm going to go with my niece every time. So I told her about Sunday. And I didn't make excuses for that behavior, or try to guess at or pretend to honestly know what you were or weren't intending there. I told her what happened, and I'm not going to apologize for that. Jessie is a smart girl, and she can make her own decisions. But there was information that she was missing, that I knew, and that I felt she deserved to know, and make of it what she will."

Her anger spurred Dodge’s, even if he hadn’t started off the night angry. Frustrated and confused yes, but not angry. This time he stood, pulling himself up to his full height and hardly looking seventeen years old at all. “That’s right Evie, the attention of some boy, who wasn’t worth your attention, who was just a silly child with a crush huh? Someone who needed to find someone his own age,” he said, voice terse. The comment about him being a child was unnecessary besides to hurt, which it did. “As for the timing, it was purely coincidental. I work at the high school sporadically. Though you should know, your niece talked to me first, she called out to me. What was I supposed to do? Be rude because her aunt was too busy rubbing elbows with the high and mighty men over at the Drake than to consider someone who might actually care about her as a significant other?”

Maybe she’d clued her niece in on some timing issues, but she’d not clued her in on the right information, and she’d tainted it with her own feelings. Sighing Dodge took off the fedora and ran a hand through his hair before putting it back on again. “You’re right, she is a smart girl, and you know what that smart girl did with the information you gave her? She put together that what really happen here is that I hurt you. Not the other way around. For a moment, a small moment,” he started sounding a mixture of hurt and frustrated. “I believed her. I did. I believed that you were hurt by what happened. That you might have missed me.” Dodge swallowed hard against the urge to stop being angry to just move in and kiss her. It wouldn’t solve anything and he’d been wrong about her all along. “I judged you wrong though. I thought your lies and double life were just your way of protecting your family, same as I would mine. But I was wrong about every part of you. You didn’t give a shit about me. You’re just a self centered bitch Evelyn Amelia James. I thought you were better than being some rich boy’s trophy wife, but I was wrong, that’s exactly where you belong.”

There were certainly some bits that stung, and some that just hurt. But Evelyn was damned to hell if she was going to admit to any of that. And there were a lot of things she could have responded to -- about Ian, about not giving shit, and other things. The most random and ridiculous response coming to mind was 'it's Audrey!' in regards to her middle name. Which was completely the least important thing in any of that and wholly not the point. In fact, Evelyn pretty much pushed off most of her initial responses to be not the point. Even if there were some issues there that seriously bothered her, and that burying such things was again flying in the face of what Jesse had pointed out yesterday; but showing her vulnerabilities (if at all) had a time in place, and it was not while some boy was calling her a self-centered bitch and painting her with what seemed every vile trait possible for a woman. "Bringing the conversation back to my niece?" she nearly whispered, in a bordering-on-furious way. Jessie was her main concern, and Evelyn wasn't up for playing who-can-hurt-who, or just admitting to hurt of any kind, or getting into the mess with Ian and leaving the Drake. That was all Bad Territory right now.

"The fact is Dodge that I don't trust you around my niece -- even if you never mentioned anything about feelings, or the crush had never come into the picture." Which was actually a valid point, albeit one she had initially aimed to express in a more diplomatic tone when it first occurred to her last night. But that certainly wasn't the tone she was using right now. Emotionally she had kind of shut down, her anger not taking on any form more fiery than ice cold. "I trust you to go into the tunnels for a friend, to be there for those boys, but I don't trust you when it comes to women, or girls. Because you're a flirt, and a charmer, and your actions have only ever emphasized that. Whether you meant them to or not. I don't trust that you can remain just friends with a girl. I trust Jessie. I trust if that she just wants to be friends, then she'll keep things that way. But I don't trust you to respect those boundaries enough to not try pushing things at every opportunity you find, even if it's something you think as 'small'. I don't trust you to ever really just back off. And I don't trust you to not flirt and behave in a manner that'll lead other girls on once someone is out of sight." She didn't mention DG specifically, but she certainly recalled that the young girl had it pretty set in her idea that Dodge was 'hers'. And, really, Evelyn couldn't honestly bet that Dodge hadn't done something to help that along.

Dodge had an urge to point out that none of this had been about Jessie, all of it had boiled down to Evelyn and himself. Like even now, she didn’t trust him and thus no one else should. “Well then, my dear,” he said sarcastically. “You’ve your point and in making it you proved most of mine as well. One of these days that girl is actually going to do what you and her dad keep saying she does oh so well, and make her own decisions. Hopefully for you, you’re actually there for her when she needs you, and not the likes of me, who stepped up last time she found herself in need of someone to be her friend. Lucky for you, this time she listened to you and she wants nothing to do with me.” Dodge was still bristling with anger, but Evie had gone cold on him, ice cold and it was something he had no idea how to deal with it. When she went to stone it took everything in him not to move into her space, to try and soften her rough edges and even now he felt the anger subside no matter how badly he wanted to hold on to it. “As for you, none of this was to hurt you. If you know me at all, then you know that’s true. I kept expecting you to show up on my streets looking for me again. Sometimes I get it wrong,” he said shrugging.

"Dodge, I rejected you. And since I wasn't planning on retracting that, the last thing you needed was me around right afterward. Not unless I wanted to go fucking with your head." Which she hadn't, and still didn't. Mindgames were in no way cool with her. She refused to play them, or -- well -- tried not to. ..Not that she had always been suceeding as of late (lying? didn't help). But mind-fuckery was still a really fucking sore spot. Unfortunately, even if her words were genuine, it wasn't as if her tone had gone warm and fuzzy with that. She still wasn't in the mood for warm and fuzzy, and his words had hurt her, and so her voice was still very much cool. Not collected, per se?, but cool. "But think about how you are with women -- with girls. Not just Jessie or me. Because you keep on like that, it gives people an impression whether you meant it or not." And, boy, did she have her own personal rude awakening on unintended impressions.

"And it can get in the way of someone you're serious about, because they won't believe it for a second. Or you'll end up hurting somebody because they thought you were serious when you were just flirting. And, really, the situation just might not end with at the girl -- she may have friends, other people she's connected to that'll also be concerned, or affected." A lot of which certainly applied in this case, but Evelyn had also meant it to be something that Dodge consider in regards to girls in general. Like that DG girl, who certainly had some kind of idea in her head. Or, again, just Dodge with females in general. Unfortunately, that tone? The distance in it probably wasn't conducive to him being receptive.

Dodge could barely believed his ears. Here Evelyn was, giving him relationship advice, advice on how his actions were being perceived and yet she delivered the whole thing as disconnected as if she were doing a book report in school. “I hardly think how I act is any of your concern Evelyn,” he said, dropping all attempts of even feigning intimacy between them. “You said it yourself, you rejected me and I’m nothing but a stupid boy.” He reached up to right the fedora, tugging it low so his eyes were hidden. “Don’t pretend to worry about what happens to me Evelyn. You’re absolutely horrible at bullshitting anyone.”

There was another flash of emotion. Anger, again. She couldn't pull the unperturbed poker face right now, but she could at least go with the emotion that didn't display her wounds to have salt thrown in them. "I wasn't telling you that just for the joy of wasting my breath," she shot back, teeth gritted, glaring at him. "I didn't call you stupid. I said that your actions around girls lends itself to being perceived a certain way, a way that could end up hurting you or the girls around you. Maybe you don't care, or maybe you never thought about it -- in the end that's all irrelevant to the point that they can be perceived that way. And I wouldn't have wasted my time in pointing that it out if I thought there was zero chance of you at least turning the thought over in your head. But it's up to you to do whatever you will with it. For whatever girls you care about in your life, or care for in the future, I hope you'll at least keep that in mind for their sake!"

But her tone was escaping her, all hot and angry in a way she didn't appreciate. So she headed over to the door and yanked it open. She would have said more, but she wasn't able to get a handle on that annoyingly angry tone, so she just stood there, staring pointedly at him, holding the door with her jaw tensed.

Dodge could take a hint, even when he didn’t appreciate it. Moving across the room he stopped in front of Evelyn, slipping back into his instincts and staying as close to her as he dared. “I do care about the girls in my life. But you left and now you’re taking Jessie away.” Dodge shrugged, reaching up to touch her cheek but stopping a little short. Frowning he pushed the fedora back, showing eyes that looked hurt but resolute. “You know where to find me if you need me.”

She didn't appreciate the proximity, and her gaze turned cooler at the sudden lack of personal space. She pulled her head away the second she caught onto his hand's movement, even if he didn't complete it. She didn't like being touched when she was pissed, and she didn't take it well after her mentioning how she didn't trust him not to push things. And he had just confessed to her niece, so it was in no way at all okay for that physical contact. But apparently he thought better of it, which certainly didn't work against him, but still left her a bit on edge. "I'll keep that in mind," she answered, the tone coming off much cooler than she felt. She caught the hurt in his eyes, and didn't like seeing that there, and -- despite herself -- a sting of guilt hit her at causing pain at all; but she wasn't going to show it. So, Ice Queen Bitch it was, apparently.

When she pulled back his hand clenched into a fist, which he held for a moment before releasing it and tucking his hand in his pocket. She didn’t care, he could see it in her eyes and her tone, which hurt more than he was willing to admit out loud. Nodding he stepped back silently and the out of the room with silent steps. In fact the only indication that he’d even made it across the floor to the door was the sound of it closing softly behind him as he left.

Evelyn didn't watch him leave. She heard the door shut, and when it did she finally shut the door she was holding, closing herself in. She leaned heavily against it as one shaky breath broke through all the restrain and composure she had been holding onto up until now. It seemed that, even when she thought she had run through all the strength for her composure?, there had always been more left that came crashing down once she was alone. She stayed there for a long moment, just... breathing, and not doing a steady job of it either. What the fuck? Seriously? This hadn't been how that was supposed go. And she had no idea how she had ended up in a position to feel so... wrecked.

She didn't regret telling Jessie about her and Dodge; Evelyn wasn't going to risk the possibility of him fucking around with her niece, and wasn't going to regret being cautious where Jessie was concerned. But, still, that didn't mean she had taken this talk well; or that the things Dodge had said that she had pushed away at the time hadn't all come crashing back in full. She didn't no how long she was there, but the moment she felt her body start slumping against the door she forced herself up, took a deep breath to steady herself and then a deeper one when it didn't work, and headed out the room. To sleep. ...Or just another attempt at that.