Despite seeming nonsensical to Hope, Eve seemed to be genuinely affected by what had happened. She would’ve assumed she’s being ungrateful at first, but she had to consider all the factors. After all, she’s known Eve for a while, they were on the swimming team together and Hope somehow became a person to be trusted.
She thought back to the origin of those rumors, appearing sometime after she’d been outed as gay. It was one event after another, completely isolating Eve. Her entire world must’ve changed, and Hope could guess how lonely she must’ve felt. It was almost too easy to become her friend. Especially jarring for someone like Hope, who was used to following a template of generic responses. Without them, she was completely clueless.
Once she thought it through, she continued. “It’s heartbreaking to hear that they couldn’t empathise with your struggles. Especially since I’m sure they’re aware of everything that’s happened.” She sighed. “I wouldn’t know what to do without my family’s support. They’re supposed to be the first people you’d come to…”
“Well," Evelyn spoke thoughtfully. "I guess it isn’t… or shouldn’t be at least. I didn’t have a whole lot of time to talk to him before school and… well one good thing about going to North Carolina was I didn’t use my phone as much.”
Hope smiled. “There was a positive thing! That’s good,” she leaned against her seat a bit, straightening her back. “And hey… If you want, it could be an opportunity to talk to him,” she shrugged. “If you want. Best not to leave problems for later.”
As the two spoke, Hope almost lost track of time. She’d barely noticed the headmaster was already on the podium, preparing to give her speech. When she cleared her throat, Hope turned away from Evelyn and focused her attention to the headmaster. She gave Eve a nod, trying to communicate that they’d finish the conversation later. Whether she’d understand her was a different story.
It was the usual speech, but Hope listened with full attention. She was almost frozen in place aside from her breathing, her eyes locked on the podium. If there was any opportunity to get information, it was from the announcement. From academical growth to personal skills, Hope grinned in excitement at the possibilities that awaited her. All the guest speakers and upcoming events were about to be living rent free in her mind, as she patiently waited for their beginning.
Once the speech ended and the students were dismissed, Hope turned to Evelyn. Her smile hadn’t faded yet. “Another year! I’m so excited! I can’t believe this will be my last,” she sat up, placing her bag on her shoulder. And then, her muscles tensed up as she stood in place. She wasn’t sure whether she should leave or wait for Eve. She didn’t have a lot of friends and it wasn’t common to be left alone with someone.
Hope took a deep breath. “Um, what are you planning to do after this?”
@eunoia ✿.*･~ Evelyn Bauer ~ I hope it’s fine that I added the speech part? 
So they’re not stuck in the auditorium after everyone else leaves
