Both Sides | ✓

Chapter 42

Olivia's POV

It was Will that answered the door, not Cleo.

I was gripping a casserole with both hands, just behind my mom. It felt like it was the only thing holding me down. Will scrunched up his face when he saw her.

"Um... hey, how can I help you,"

"Hello there! I'm Carol Hansen-"

"Hey Will," I interrupted, peeking out from behind her.

"Oh, Via. Good to see you. I'll go grab Cleo," he said before escaping behind the door again.

"It's rude to interrupt, Olivia," mom said.

We waited another minute before Cleo opened the door, work uniform still on. She looked at my mom, and I swear I could see real fear on her, before she looked over at me.

"Hi, sweetie," my mom said. "I was so sorry to hear about your mother passing. Are you doing alright?"

"Yeah, thanks," she replied. "She wasn't really in the picture, so it didn't impact me too much, but... you know. Thank you. For stopping by."

Mom shook her head. "Oh, alright, dear. We brought you a casserole."

Cleo reached out and took the dish from my hands. I wanted to hug her, touch her, something. It'd been a few days since we'd seen each other. I was starting to worry

"Thank you," Cleo said

Mom smiled at her like she smiled in the court room. "It was no trouble. I just know how broken up Olivia would be if she were to lose a parent," my mom said.

I knew it would come eventually, but Cleo staring into me hurt still. I wished my mom had never come with me.

"Yeah... yeah, that'd probably be really rough," she replied slowly. "Um, I'd love to talk, but I have to head to work in a minute so..."

"Okay, sweetie. You just need to bake that casserole at 350° for 20 minutes and it'll be good to serve. You stay save, now."

Cleo closed the door and mom whipped around. "I cannot believe you continued to spend your time with her," mom whispered.

"Why does it matter?"

We walked to the car and got inside, all the while my mom just kept speaking.

"She seemed like bad news from the start. And you know I'm on the PTA right? She was suspended a little while ago. Suspended! Olivia Grace, if you ever got suspended... God, you'd be in so much trouble. I would send you away, have you go to some military school across seas. Do they have military schools for girls? Anyway, I don't think you should be too public about your friendship. You do have a campaign you're running, honey. What would it look like if you suddenly were seen as her best friend?"

"Her mom just died," I said shortly. Sometimes I wondered if my mother spoke just to hear her voice.

"Yes, and we did the polite thing by stopping by. But you should be spending time with Daniel again. People who are more like you."

I just watched out my window for the rest of the ride. Mom didn't shut up once.

"I noticed that you brought your government grade up," my mom said when we pulled into the driveway. "Thank you, Olivia." She seemed almost proud, like I'd actually impressed her. Then, she added, "But if you show that same performance in school again, there won't be an option about who you spend your time with."

When I made it into my bedroom, I got an incoming call from Cleo. I wondered if she'd calculated how long it took for me to get home from her house.

"Hey," Cleo's voice sounded through the phone.

"Hi," I said. There was a break. Cleo's silence felt loud.

I heard her take in a breath. "I thought that your dad..."

"He passed away when I was little, like I told you," I replied quietly.

"But, your mom at the door-"

"It's complicated, Cleo." There was a beat of silence where she waited for me to explain. I hesitated before continuing. "My mom doesn't like to tell people about him. She thinks... She thinks it's a bad look. We didn't have a funeral, or take down his photos, or anything. She still tells everyone that he's stationed overseas. It's... it's really weird."

"Shit, Via," Cleo said. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have brought it up."

"No, no. Don't worry... are you doing okay?"

"Actually, yeah," she said. "I know that's weird, to be more at ease after a funeral. But, it felt kinda good to talk about her."

"That's really good."

"How're you feeling about elections?"

"Alright. Terrified." I left out the insomnia, the nausea, the never-ending tension headaches. She had enough on her plate.

"No position you do or don't get will change anything," she said. "You're still incredible."

I closed my eyes and smiled. "Thank you."

"I'll see you tomorrow, okay?"

"Okay," I replied.

I almost said it to her right then, just because it felt like the next thing that should come out of my mouth. Cleo paused, and I wondered if she was thinking the same thing. But she said, "Bye, Via," instead. And I said, "bye, Cleo."