“I can’t believe I’m saying this because I’ve waited a long time for this moment, but we have to stop. I loved you, but things have changed. I need some time to figure out what I want and to decide how I want all of this to go. I . . .” she managed to say before I cut her off.
“Olivia, the smartest woman I ever met gave me some good advice. She said to just go with it - no labels and no expectations. Just let this be what we both want,” I said and kissed her again.
She wrapped her arms around me and embraced me. I had the girl of my dreams in my arms. I had no idea where this was going to end up, but I was excited to find out.
Within a couple of minutes, we had moved to the backseat. As things grew more passionate, I gently slid my hands down her thighs and pulled her on top of me. Then she took my shirt off and gave me one more kiss. When I slid my hands down to the button of her jeans, Olivia stopped.
“Wait a minute,” she said.
“Why? What’s wrong?”
“Everything. I don’t know where we’re going with this. I have a boyfriend, so probably nowhere. I do know that I want this to happen one day. I don’t want it to be in the backseat of a car, though.”
“What are you saying?”
“I’m saying that I want you to do what most guys can’t. I want you to wait. Can you live with us not taking things any further than this right now?”
“Yeah, all I really wanted to do when I came over was talk and steal at least one kiss. This has already gone better than I thought it could.”
“You really are a nice guy, Eric. Thank you.”
“Yeah, I am. I really hate that right about now.”
“Don’t ever hate it. I love this you. Don’t change a thing about yourself. Now, it’s getting late. I think it’s time we headed back home before anyone gets too suspicious. My mom would be pretty mad about me cheating on him, and let’s just say that Richard would put your head somewhere you wouldn’t like if he found out about this.”
“Excuse me, but I’m not scared of the two minute man.”
“You should be.”
“Well, it’s worth the risk for you. I know this has all been a shock to your system with me just dropping in out of nowhere. I wouldn’t expect you to break things off with someone immediately just because I’m here, but eventually, I think you’re going to see.”
“And what is it that I’m going to see?”
“That there’s a reason I’m here. I’m supposed to be with you. It’s that simple.”
“Well, that and the drugs your parents were selling, right?”
“That’s not funny, you know,” I said and smiled.
“I beg to differ. What’s even funnier is that you actually thought you were going to get lucky tonight,” Olivia joked and started the car.
“Hey, I almost did. If I had turned my charm on, you wouldn’t have been able to resist. I can promise you that,” I said while grinning.
“Let me spell this out for you. I’m not that easy. If it tells you something, you had to get hit by two cars for me to give you your first kiss. What do you think you’ll have to do to get into my pants?”
“Hey, if you can find a bus anywhere around, I’ll walk in front of it right now, so we can get this show on the road,” I joked and gave her a quick kiss on the cheek.
She simply smiled. I had only been back for a few hours, and in that time, I had been happier than I was in the last year and a half combined. I can’t say for sure how Olivia felt, but I would like to think that she felt the same spark I did. It was then that I knew I was always going to need one more laugh, kiss, and touch from her. My heart was beating specifically for her, and no matter how complicated things got, I wouldn’t have had it any other way.
Chapter 7
Friends and Enemies
The following morning, I awoke ready to face the day. The night before had been better than I could have ever hoped for, and I couldn’t wait to get off to my new school. It was going to be nice to start over. I could remake myself into whoever I wanted to be. Best of all, I was sure to see Olivia there.
I got ready quickly and walked to the door. It was in that moment when I realized something. I didn’t have a car there. How was I even going to get to school? Just in time, my uncle provided some clarity on the issue.
“I almost forgot to tell you. I know you’re going to need a car to get to school, so I’m going to let you use my old one. It’s nothing to look at, but it runs good. Here, these are yours,” he said and handed me the keys.
I thanked him and walked out to the garage. I was excited to see what I would be driving. I had all these fantasies in my head about how great it would be. My uncle had told me it was nothing to look at, but I was sure he was just joking. When I saw the car, I knew one thing. My uncle was joking in no way. A bright green Volkswagen was sitting there. Well, at least I’ll make some type of impression, I thought while looking at the bright green paint that was sure to attract a lot of attention. I quickly shook off my doubts about the car. It was free. My uncle didn’t have to give me anything. I just decided to leave for school and find out what my new environment was like.
After I had gotten to school and found my homeroom, I took a look around. I didn’t know anyone there, and honestly, none of the people looked like they were going to break their necks to get to know me. As a matter of fact, most people seemed like they would rather be anywhere other than school. That wasn’t an uncommon thing. The kids back in Miami didn’t exactly love the idea of sitting in classrooms all day. I decided to lay low for a while and let everyone wake up. After all, it was still early. Surely they would be friendlier later in the day.
Time marched on, but I found that I was just as much of an outsider as before. Just when I was about to give up on anything being good on my first day, I walked into my last class to find Olivia sitting in it. I smiled and took a seat by her. Unfortunately, so did Richard. She paid me absolutely no attention. As she chatted with her boyfriend, I started to question what I was doing. I had an amazing connection with Olivia, but if she wasn’t even willing to break things off with this guy, then what did it matter?
“Hey! Earth to Eric,” I heard Olivia say.
“Sorry. What’s going on?” I asked.
“Richard saw you looking over here, and he was wondering who you were. I thought I would introduce you. This is my neighbor, Eric. We were friends when I was fourteen. He just moved back into town yesterday,” she said as if she were simply pacifying him.
He introduced himself and gave me the fakest smile I had ever seen. I knew why he was asking about me. I had been shooting Olivia more than a few glances over the last couple of minutes. He was suspicious about who I was and maybe a little jealous. He should have been. I didn’t have any idea just how suspicious he was, though. After class was over, I walked out to my car alone. Olivia hadn’t spoken to me at all after our one exchange. I was just ready for this day to be over. As I unlocked my car, I had a surprise visitor. It was Richard.
“Hey, I wanted to talk to you about something,” he said.
“What’s that?”
“It’s about Olivia. She’s really pretty, isn’t she?”
“Yeah. I think she is, but that should be obvious to anyone.”
“She’s also smart and fun. She’s pretty much most guys’ dream girl.”
“I can see that. What are you getting at, though?”
“Anyone can dream, but only certain people get to live that dream. Do you get what I’m saying?”
“Not at all. If you’ve got something to say, just say it.”
“All right, here it is. I don’t like you staring at my girlfriend, and I sure as hell don’t like the idea of a creep like you being friends with her. Keep your eyes and your hands to yourself when you’re around her, or there will be consequences.”
“And what will those be?”
“Do you really want to find out?”
“Yeah, I think I do.”
“Oka
y, I’m going to cut you a break. You’re new here, and you don’t know who I am. If you did, you wouldn’t take a threat from me lightly. Google me, and you’ll see why you should be very careful not to piss me off,” Richard said and walked away.
I simply rolled my eyes. I probably should have been a little scared. Richard was 6’4, and he outweighed me by at least seventy pounds. He could have crushed me like a bug. For some reason, I wasn’t afraid, though. I just knew that if it ever came down to it, I would find a way to deal with an idiot like him.
Just as I was about to leave, I heard a voice behind me.
“You got pretty brave there.”
I turned to see a short and very skinny guy. He looked like he was probably my age. I wasn’t really in the mood to talk to anyone, but at least I had a chance to make a friend.
“I can handle myself against him,” I said.
“I doubt that. You must be new here.”
“I am. So tell me what’s so impressive about Richard Burning.”
“Pretty much everything. You’ll find that out the hard way soon enough if you don’t get on his good side. My name is Mike, by the way.”
“I’m Eric. Where are you headed, Mike?”
“I’m walking home.”
“Do you want a ride? You could tell me all about this place on the way and maybe even how a guy like him got a girl like Olivia.”
“Sure. That sounds good,” he said, and we got into the car.
As we were driving, he told me all about how great Richard was. I hated hearing it. The guy that my girl was with seemed perfect. He was an athlete who played football and basketball. Then there was the fact that he volunteered for a lot of charity work. He was not only an athlete. He had a good heart, too. He wasn’t the standard dumb jock that I thought he would be either. He did well in school, or well for someone who mainly focused on sports. It sounded like Richard was a good guy who I might have admired, if he weren’t in the way of me having something with Olivia.
“So what’s the deal between you and him? Why does he hate you?” Mike asked.
I didn’t know why, but I felt like I could trust this Mike guy. Even if I shouldn’t have, I told him exactly what was going on.
“I like Olivia. We’re something to each other. I don’t know what to call it because he’s in the picture, but we’re definitely more than just friends. I think he picked up on that, and it made him angry.”
“So let me get this straight. You’re new, and you’re already going after Olivia Winters. Do you have a death wish or something?”
“No, I don’t. I’ve known her for a while. She was my first love. It’s not like I came into town with the idea of making the biggest guy here mad by going after his girlfriend. It’s just kind of happening that way.”
“You don’t know it yet, but you’re so screwed, my friend. Let me give you some advice. Stay away from that girl. If you don’t, he’s going to rearrange your face. Guys like us don’t get girls like her, especially when Richard Burning is standing in the way.”
“What do you mean guys like us? What’s wrong with us?”
“I don’t know you, so I don’t want to insult you. Let’s just leave it at he has something we don’t. Actually, he has a lot of things we don’t.”
“Name one thing besides the fact that he plays football.”
“Well, that’s kind of important here. He’s also going to the college of his choice. He’ll probably be a millionaire one day, too. I didn’t even mention the fact that he’s a lot taller than both of us.”
“What does height have to do with anything?”
“I don’t know, but most women seem to think it’s important.”
“Well, if it’s really that way, then let me ask you something. As a guy like me, what would you be willing to go through to be with a girl like Olivia? Would you risk him rearranging your face for a chance with her?”
“Okay, point taken. Of course I would. Just realize that guys like us don’t end up with girls like her. That would be true even if Richard wasn’t in the picture.”
“Why? It’s just Olivia. Yeah, she’s special, but she’s also the most approachable person I’ve ever met.”
“You really don’t know her as well as you think you do. Richard is the guy every kid here wants to be, and Olivia is the one every girl wishes they could be. She’s a completely balanced person. She’s smart and absolutely gorgeous. Then there’s the fact that she’s funny and great to be around. Most of the time, you don’t get that all in one package. Can you say with confidence that you actually deserve someone like her because the only person I know who can is Richard.”
“I see what you’re saying. I don’t know if I deserve her, but I’ve got to try, right? I mean, I would regret it if I didn’t,” I said as I pulled up to his house.
“I guess so. Anyway, I know you’re new in town, so I doubt you have any plans. It’s Friday. A few of my friends usually come over around seven, and we hang out. If you want to join us, we could always use one more.”
“That sounds good. I’ll see you a little later, Mike.”
As I drove, I thought about how much I could really use a get-together about now. I used to go to a lot of parties back in Miami, but with everything that had happened, I hadn’t been able to enjoy anything over the last two months. Then there was what was going on with me and Olivia . . . or to be more accurate, what might not be going on at all. I needed some time away from it all to just cut loose and not worry about anything.
When I got home, my aunt met me at the door and asked how my first day went.
“It was eventful, if nothing else. I sat through a lot of lectures, made a friend, and even an enemy,” I said.
“An enemy? Don’t tell me you’re getting into trouble already.”
“No, it’s nothing like that. I’m sure it’ll be fine.”
“Well, who is it? If you’re having a problem with someone, your uncle and I can talk to some people about it and make sure everything is all right.”
“I can handle it. Richard Burning just has a problem with me being friends with Olivia. He thinks that I have an ulterior motive for being her friend.”
“He’s not right, is he?”
“That’s complicated. Let’s just leave it at she’s with him . . . for now.”
“All right, don’t get into any trouble, though. I remember plenty about high school, and love triangles never end well. Get her to choose you soon, or back away from the situation. You don’t need to get hurt over a girl who won’t even choose you.”
There it was again. Why did everyone think that this was going to end with Richard hurting me? Wasn’t there at least a chance that he should be the one worried? Sure, I wasn’t very big, but it wasn’t like I was weak. I could hold my own if things turned ugly. She was right about one thing, however. If Olivia didn’t choose me, then there was no sense in continuing to pursue her. Then again, it had only been a day. I had to give her time to think about everything. I was sure that she would come to her senses soon enough.
I nodded to Aunt Kristen and headed off to my room. I did some homework until it was time to go to Mike’s. When I got there and his mother let me inside, I was very disappointed to find three guys upstairs playing video games. There was nothing wrong with enjoying a lazy night with friends, but it was Friday. Didn’t these guys have a life?
“Hey, I’m glad you made it. This is Rusty,” he said while pointing to a red haired boy on the end of the bed. “and this is Stan,” he said and motioned toward a short and rather plump guy.
I introduced myself and sat down. At first, I was a little underwhelmed. I had been what some might call a loser for the first fourteen years of my life, but then I had turned it around. Back home, people knew me, and I had a certain level of respect. Had I just landed right back at the nerd table?
I quickly scolded myself for that thought. Who was I to judge them? They were probably like I used to be - a little too reserved and without much conf
idence. I just had to bring out the best in this group. It might take some time, but these guys would learn to have a new kind of fun before it was all over. I was sure of it.
“So what are we going to do tonight?” I asked Mike.
“This is it, unless you’ve got a better idea.”
“I might. I assume people throw parties around here and that you guys have plenty of movie theaters in town.”
“Yeah, but we’re not usually invited to the parties.”
“Well, I think we need to do something outside of the house to get seen a little. I’m new, and I would love to see what the place has to offer. How about we crash one of these parties?”
“I don’t think that’s a good idea,” Stan said quickly.
“Trust me. It is. We’re all in our teens here, and we’re not going to sit in this room all night with no girls and no possibility of anything unpredictable happening, are we?”
“We’ve been to parties before, Eric. We just don’t enjoy them,” Mike said.
“Why not? If it’s about the alcohol that’s going to be there, we don’t have to drink. I just want to meet some new people and see how things are done here.”
“It’s not about alcohol at all. We find that we’re basically invisible when we get there, so we all end up hanging out together. Eventually, we just decided to hang out here. Why go somewhere and be unnoticed when you can do it in the comfort of your own home?”
“All right, I get it. You just need a way to get noticed. I’m going to help all of you out. Back in Miami, I used to go to a lot of stuff like this. If there’s one thing I know how to do, it’s get noticed. What do you say? Will you guys give it another shot?”
They agreed to go, but I could tell that none of them actually wanted to. With no enthusiasm, we piled into my car, and Mike directed me to a party that was supposed to be a lot of fun. The guy who was throwing it was a senior, and his name was Jason Watt. His parents had plenty of money, and they were the types that a lot of kids thought of as cool parents. All that really meant was that they provided alcohol for minors, though. Jason was one of the most popular kids at that school, but it was only because of what he could provide for people. Still, I welcomed the idea of free alcohol and meeting some new people. Who knew? I might even run into Olivia. That would complete the night, as long as I could stay away from Richard. That was probably going to be a challenge, though. He seemed like the type of guy who would always be attached at the hip with his girlfriend.
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