The next day, when I pull into the parking lot, Damen’s not there.

Excuse me while I alert the media.

While I’m just the opposite: paranoid, secretive, lurking behind sunglasses and a hoodie, and hoarding a burden so heavy there’s nothing simple about me.

Oh, yeah, you’re just so fucking deep and complex, aren’t you?  Sweetie, you’ve had all of two thoughts in your head this whole book: “Damen doesn’t like me” and “why doesn’t Damen like me.”  That’s it.  You’re as deep as a puddle and as simple as primary colors. Don’t try and pretend otherwise.

Damen isn’t in the classroom, and he isn’t at lunch, and for some reason we actually spend page time on this fact.

Much more interesting is Haven reporting that Evangaline is still missing. When Haven mentions Drina’s comments on the “missing friend” matter, Miles starts to make disparaging comments about Drina and then stops.  Haven gets mad at what she perceives as an attack on her new buddy.

And…yeah.  Of course she does.  Miles and Ever are both jerks.  They hate Drina for no reason (and it came out of the blue for Miles there) and act like Haven hanging out with her is some terrible sign of impending tragedy.  Let’s recount the things Drina has done, shall we?

Exist.

…

Well, that’s all I’ve got.

“You guys don’t even know her! And you have no right to judge her! For your information, I happen to like Drina. And in the short time I’ve known her she’s been a way better friend to me than either of you!”

 “That’s so not true!” Miles shouts, eyes blazing. “That’s such total bullsh-”

“Sorry Miles, but it is true. You guys tolerate me, you go along with me, but you don’t really get me like she does. Drina and I like the same things, we share the same interests. She doesn’t secretly want me to change like you do. She likes me just as I am.”

Yeah!  You tell them, Haven!  Because, really, we can see inside Ever’s head and we know all that’s absolutely true.  Ever only hangs out with her because she thinks no one else will.

“Now, ladies and gentlemen, behold the big dramatic exit!” Miles scowls. “I mean, are you kidding? All I did was ask if she was still here! That’s it! And you turn it into this major ordeal. Jeez, sit down, find your happy place, and chill-lax already, would you?”

And then Miles goes off and mocks her.  Excuse you, Miles, that’s not all you did.  It was two pages ago; we remember.  You started to say more and then took it back, and only after you got edgy and defensive about whatever you didn’t say did Haven get mad.  But sure, way to belittle her and then mock her for getting mad at you.  I’ve heard that Haven turns evil later, and frankly, I’m looking forward to it.

They talk about Haven’s “snake eating its own tail” tattoo again, in case you forgot that’s supposed to be ominous.  Then Haven storms out, as well she should.

After school, Damen swoops in to take Ever out to dinner.  Oh joy, will this finally be the time that Ever stops undoing dates at the end of them? 

Damen takes her to a racetrack where he made reservations at the restaurant.  Ever balks because she’s too young to be there.  (18 to get in, 21 to gamble, she’s only 16.)

“Rules should always be bent, if not broken. It’s the only way to have any fun.

…orly?  I guess that’s why Disneyland is illegal?

And ice cream?  That’s against the rules, too.  Concerts aren’t fun, because you can legitimately buy tickets for them.  Bonfires on the beach are right out, because those are actually encouraged.  Slumber parties with movie marathons?  Only fun if you kidnap an unwilling participant, I guess. 

Also, I guess all the adults at the track are just there out of a sense of obligation, because it’s legal for them and therefore, of course, no fun at all.

Seriously, book, you’re aimed at teenagers.  Don’t teach them this shit.  It kind of feels like the author just wants to write adult stuff, or didn’t know what teenagers do for fun, so she was like “fuck it, get thee to a racetrack!”

Ever psychical picks the winning horses and then Damen buys her stuff, because why not.  They go home, making that whole scene just pure pointless.  Ever turns him down when he asks to come up to her room, saying she’ll see him at school, only to find out he plans on ditching again.

What’s the point of having him go to school if he never goes to school?

“Well, just for the record, truancy and dropping out? Not a better way. Not if you want to go to college, and make something of your life.” More lies. Because with a few more days like that at the track, one could live very well. Better than well.

BOOK.

YOU ARE MARKETED AT TEENAGERS.

STOP IT.

NO.

NO.

NO.

THIS KIND OF THINKING IS HOW GAMBLING ADDICTIONS START, AND YOUR READERS DO NOT HAVE PSYCHIC ABILITIES.

STOP IT.

The next day, Sabine comes by to mention that she’s going out of town with her new boyfriend.  Kind of fast, but whatever.  Ever is still being a snot and going on about how the guy lives with his mom and this makes him a loser, because she’s a bratty little snot and I hate her.  She even brings up the fact that he’s a nice guy and genuinely likes Sabine, but apparently none of that counts because he lives with his mom.  She hasn’t even said that he’s not a “swanky investment banker” as he claims.  She’s said not one word on if that’s a lie or not.  Just the living-with-mom thing.  He could be the most successful business banker ever, but she cares not, because as we all know the worst thing ever is to live with your parents?

Ugh, what an insufferable brat.

I mean, now that things are starting to stabilize with Damen, now that we’re growing closer and I’m feeling more like a couple, I’ve been thinking that maybe it’s time I stop pushing him away. Maybe it’s time we take the next step. And with Sabine out of town for the next couple days, well, it’s an opportunity that may not come around again.

Apparently it doesn’t occur to her that if she’d just not pushed Damen away, there wouldn’t be any need for this ‘stabilizing’ thing. 

In fact, that whole line of logic is just weird.  Like she assumes the normal course of a relationship is to say no until the guy forces himself into your life anyway.  Does she really think this is how things are supposed to go?  Creepy.

“We’re leaving today, after work.

Okay, what gives?  Is the author just making this up as she goes along?  “I want to do a sleepover scene!  Oh, shit, got to get rid of the aunt.  Um…sudden trip that she’s taking right now and with no lead-in or forewarning.  Yay!”

Sabine nods, clearly relieved at having avoided the S- E- X talk almost as much as me.

You know, I try to not judge when it comes to say, but I feel pretty safe with this ultimatum: if you’re not mature enough to say the word sex, you’re not mature enough to commit the act.

Ever gets to school and talks to Miles, and there’s this running gag about how Miles got the female lead role in a play.  Because this book just can’t give up on the whole “gay guys are the same as girls” bullshit.

Before they go into the school building, Damen convinces Ever to play hookie again.  Good God, book, you clearly don’t want to be about teenagers, why didn’t you just set yourself in college or some shit?

And even though I can think of a million good and valid reasons why we absolutely should not ditch, why the weekend should wait until three 0’clock just like any other Friday, when he gazes at me, his eyes are so deep and inviting, I don’t think twice, I just dive right in.

I swear, there’s times I think this book was written as a cautionary tale by some uber conservative.  She’s literally breaking the rules and committing sins just because he’s “attractive” and making her lusty.

They go down to the beach and have milkshakes.  Damen takes her to a secret cave where they can lay about while he tells her she’s pretty.

I don’t know, I’m getting a really creepy vibe all of a sudden.  Her guardian is out of town, she’s ditched school at his request so, no one knows where she’s gone or that she’s gone anywhere, and they’re in a cave that no one knows about, while he’s creepily asking her why she wears so many clothes.

Are we sure this isn’t a conservative cautionary tale?  Because it’s getting really, really creepy.

I close my eyes as he removes my sweatshirt, surrendering, yielding, allowing him to unbutton my jeans and remove them too. Consenting to the press of his palm and push of his fingers, telling myself that this glorious feeling, this dreamy exuberance surging inside me could only be one thing, could only be Love.

I….

Just…

…

…

…

Can you go back to promoting gambling addiction?

Because this is downright disgusting.

Mind you, I really don’t have an issue with teenagers having sex.  That’s not the disgusting part.  But telling kids that their lusty feelings is the same as love?  Throwing that little gem into the utter mess that is teenage confusion?  They’ve got enough to deal with, and it’s hard enough trying to separate out flashy hormones from more enduring feelings, and god only knows how many kids have gotten into serious messes because they confused lust for love.

And then you go and shove that steaming pile of horror on top of everything else?

You know what, this is the reason I’m not entirely against book burning.  Granted, I don’t advocate censorship and I don’t want to round up every copy of Evermore to destroy it and keep it away from the masses.  That’s wrong.

But there are occasions when my hatred for a thing can only be expressed by violently destroying it.  And sometimes, when it comes to a single, solitary book that I already own…

You know.  Just to really show how I feel about it.

They don’t go through with it because Ever doesn’t want her first time to be in a cave, but really, that should be the least of her concerns.  Unless you ask this book, because in this book as long as he’s hot and gives you squishy feelings, it’s all okay, but maybe don’t get sand in your vagina along the way.

Instead they fall asleep, and when Ever wakes up she’s alone.  She finds a note from Damen saying he went surfing, but when she goes outside the cave she doesn’t see him.

Clearly this means he must have ditched her, and not that, oh, I don’t know, he’s drifted out of sight or he’s up on the beach somewhere and if she’s just patient for a bit she’ll see him.  Nope.  She doesn’t see him right this second, so it’s time for drama!

Ugh.