Forever and Always, Olive

Chapter 21: Shut Up, Maddox

"Oh... that," I frown and rub my tired eyes. "I'm sorry."

"I forgive you, even though you're a jerk," he sighs. "You know, maybe Raven was right. Maddox is rubbing off on you."

I groan again. There's another embarrassing thing I did. "I should regret it but I don't," I confess.

Abel shrugs weakly, as if not really bothered with her. "What'd she do?" he wonders.

"Tried to deter me from dating Maddox by trashing him," I explain in a quiet voice.

"Ouch," Abel shrugs. "I mean, maybe you should listen. Dating him is a bad idea."

"Shut up," I snap as I distract myself by pinning on my name tag.

"You should've taken that advice last night," Abel mutters thoughtlessly.

"Does he tell you everything?!" I sigh in slight exasperation. Abel gives a happy nod and instead of replying, I watch as a group of people walk into the fast food restaurant.

By the time work is over, I want to go straight to sleep. It's only two o'clock and I feel as if I've been awake for thirty years. Abel and I walk out to his car and I have a favor to ask of him. "Can you do me a favor?" I plead hopefully. I pucker out my lower lip as he heaves a sigh.

"What?" he wonders.

"Tell Maddox that the date is cancelled," I elaborate as I wave my hands around . "Say Caroline's sick, or something."

"Why?" he presses with a raised brow.

"It's going to be awkward. The purpose of the date was for me to tell him how I feel, but since he already knows, it's pointless," I elucidate as I get into his car

"Fine, but Maddox never listens to me," he responds as he buckles his seatbelt. "You should know that by now."

+ + +

It's 7:58 when the doorbell rings. I'm busy watching television on the couch when my cousin calls my name. "Liv, it's for you!"

I manage to get up and walk towards the door with a curious look written across my face. My eyes land on Maddox and I blink a couple times. Thanks a lot, Abel. He texted me at 3 o'clock that he thinks Maddox fell for his lie so I took a nap and relaxed.  "What are you doing here?"

"We have a date that we're supposed to be leaving for in two minutes and you look like you just crawled out of a trashcan," he acknowledges as he assesses my outfit.

"It's cancelled," I respond bluntly.

"Go get ready," Maddox nods into the house. I narrow my eyes at him and cross my arms tightly across my chest.

"I'm not going," I snap as I attempt to close the door. He stops it with his hand.

"I'll wait here until you agree to come," he threatens me. We stare at each other for a moment and I eventually give in with a defeated sigh. He's already prepared and ready for the date. 

"Wait on the couch; I'll be downstairs in fifteen minutes," I mutter, not really in the mood for an argument.

He steps into my house and closes the door behind him. I manage to get dressed in twenty minutes in an outfit that looks decent enough. I'm braiding my hair when someone knocks on my door. "Come in," I call dully as I finished off the lengthy braid. My cousin pushes open the door and peeks in.

"You're going on that date?" she wonders when she looks at my outfit.

"It was supposed to be cancelled but here I am getting ready," I mutter as I spray myself with perfume. "He's too stubborn. If he was a normal guy, he would've went home and slept or something."