Evan had always known Jared's family was more affluent than his. There were two parents, after all. And his dad made good money. Walking through the house now, Evan wasn't an impressionable young child, but he still thought the Klienmen must be millionaires or something.
He followed Jared, awkwardly stepping over and around Arwen. The cat stuck close to him, rubbing against his legs and meowing at him when he stood still as Jared listened to the voice mail from his mother. He focused on the cat, grateful for the distraction especially toward the end of the message. Jared's mother telling Jared to 'have fun with Evan' seemed like a private moment, one Evan shouldn't be eavesdropping on. He felt his cheeks flush, felt his palms start to get clammy. He shifted his stance, gripped both straps of his backpack and tried to calm his growing nerves.
It wasn't his usual anxiety creeping up. No, this was something entirely different. This was...it was almost an excitement. Jared hadn't impulsively stopped by. He'd been planning to spend time with Evan while his parents were away. On one hand, that didn't make much sense. On the other, it made Evan feel special. Important, even. It was a strange, new, unexpected feeling for him.
And then Jared was moving toward the kitchen, and Evan dutifully followed. Arwen very nearly tripped him up. He managed to stay on his feet, and looked up just as Jared was opening the cabinet above the stove. It was jammed full with bottles, mostly amberlike in color. Evan knew that it was alcohol, even though he'd never had a drop in his life, even though his mom didn't keep any at the house.
"Oh. I..." he started, fell silent. Arwen was still moving around his legs, weaving in and out more so now that he was still. "I don't...I'm not...sure. We...we probably shouldn't?" He didn't want Jared to think he was scared or something like that. He wasn't. He just didn't think it was a good idea to get into his parent's alcohol.