The Trade Off | The Lost Boys

Chapter 3

After being pelted in the cold rain and endless wind Ollie was relieved to take a shower.  The warm water would do her some good. Closing her eyes, Olive let out a breath of relief. It was nice. She was glad to be off the boat. Standing there for a minute, or three, or she didn't remember how long, she reached for the shampoo, but poof, it wasn't there. Cursing herself, she looked over to see her bag by the door, and the shampoo and conditioner never made it over it her. Huffing, she pulled back the curtain and quickly made her way over to her bag, instantly regretting leaving the warm water. As she heard voices she stilled, straining to hear what was going on in the other room.

"It's been a long time."

"Has it?"  She could make out Max's voice, even with the water in the background.  "Sometimes it is all a blur."

"It's been long enough." Another voice added, a younger voice, and it made Ollie pause.  Who else was there?  Who was up this late? "Thanks for your help."

"I uh, I think I should introduce you to her -"

"You've done enough. We'll take it from here." Another hissed, clearly unhappy, and it startled Olive to the point of knocking over the bottle of shampoo. The voices stopped, and feeling suddenly found out, she quietly made her way back to the shower. How many people were there? There was no way they could have known she was listening, right?  She was red from embarrassment.  She shouldn't have been eavesdropping.

Trying to forget about the cryptic conversation, she finished her routine quickly.  Ollie threw her hair up in a towel and changed into a pair of pajama shorts and a long sleeved tee, her eyes locking onto her purple bruise on her leg. She let out a deflated smile into the mirror.  

Maybe no one would notice. 

There was a knock on the door, snapping Ollie back to her senses.  Her dad was on the other side, leaned against the door casually.  It must have been a long day.  He looked drained.  

"Max is grilling burgers. Are you hungry?" He asked, and Ollie nodded quickly.  She hadn't thought about it before, but they hadn't eaten since lunchtime.  Of course she was hungry.

"I'll be right down."

She finished brushing her hair and tidied up, worried about leaving her mess scattered around.  Ollie didn't want to mess with the not-lived-in feng shui of the room.  It was almost starting to creep her out.  It was like a hotel.  She followed the lights and slowed as she made her way to the living room. She was right. There were more people in the house than she thought. Three men stood between her and the kitchen, and they had their backs to her, engrossed in their own conversation.

They stopped and turned as she made her way into the room, watching curiously.

"Hey." Ollie began quietly with a wave.  She bit her tongue she watched as they observed her.  They were almost as still as statues.

The first guy had curly hair, and his arms were crossed over his chest which hid a bright yellow shirt. A  small but hidden grin crept up on his face, and he waved back. The second had a longer mane, and he looked like he just woke up from a terrible hangover. His shirt was ripped, and there were holes in his pants that made her think it wasn't just a fashion statement. It was...something.  The last of the three was clad in darker clothes, a dark shirt and jeans. It was a stark contrast to his platinum hair.  If his cold stature didn't scare her, the unimpressed expression on his face did. 

Olive didn't like the way he was looking at her.  At all.

"I knew we were having visitors." The latter of the three started, his voice sharper than she pictured.   His whole demeanor screamed trouble.  "Hope the weather didn't ruin your trip." He added dryly, and she couldn't tell if it were a joke.  She hoped it was.

"We made it here in one piece."  Ollie replied as evenly as she could, looking from him to the other two.  The other guys were smiling, sharing a look.  There was obviously and inside secret, and they weren't doing a great job at hiding it. The hair on her arms stood up and she shifted her wait after a moment of silence. Weird.

"I'm Ollie." She introduced, placing a hand over her chest. 

"David." The one who spoke before said, nodding to her.

"Marko." The curly headed guy spoke up, and he was much more chipper.

"And I'm Paul. The pleasure's all mine, chica." The last one smirked, nodding in her direction.  Maybe it was better when they weren't talking.  Trying to avoid rolling her eyes, she found her voice.

"Nice to meet you. If you'll excuse me." She concluded, heading towards the kitchen where she would inevitably find her dad.

"Hey, Ollie?" Paul piped up quickly, drawing her attention back to the living room.  She turned back to him, shifting her weight.  She nodded at him to continue.  "You must be quite the heartbreaker." He wiggled his eyebrows with a whistle, and Marko and David both scoffed at his comment.  At least she finally found some common ground with them.  

She didn't know how to reply to his blunt comment.

"And wouldn't you like to know." She jabbed sharply under her breath. His friends shared a chuckle, and Olive did a double take.  Did they hear her?

"Damn she's quick. Tough luck, Paul." his friend Marko mocked.

She shook her head and retreated, spinning around towards the kitchen. As she turned, she had little time to register something...er, someone else there, and ran head first into them.

Oof.

"I take it back.  I guess she's not quick enough." Marko finished, holding his hand up to his mouth to hide his expression.

Olive looked up as she saw an outstretched hand offering her help. The hand was huge and her gaze shifted, lingering on the arm connected. His triceps, oh god. Was it getting hot in here? What was she doing?  She blinked quickly, trying to delude her sudden thoughts. Her eyes landed on a chiseled chin, dark brows, and a charming smile. As she looked up at him, his smiled only widened.

"Here, let me help."