Guilt weighs heavy on me as I turn off my bike and dig the bat out of the saddlebag. Ollie left it there last night, and after the fuss she made over it, I can only assume she's going to want it back. My harsh words have played over and over in my mind since I got home last night, and I'm dedicated to at least apologizing to her this morning.
The small, quiet house sits nestled into wild ferns and mature triple maple trees. Like the coward I am, I waited until I knew Andy would be at the gym before showing up. The last thing I need is for the bossman to teach me a boxing lesson this morning for hurting his baby's feelings.
Might as well get this over with. I swing my leg over my bike and trudge up to the house. Usually, I don't have to knock to go in. With our families being as close as they are, we treat each other more like family. But I find myself on Ollie's porch staring down at the black and orange bat, debating on whether to knock, go in, or run.
Running sounds more than tempting but doesn't exactly solve my problem. So I go with the middle option. The jiggly brass knob turns, and I push my way into the house. All is quiet, which is unusual if Ollie is here. I noticed Andy's pickup is gone, so is Tee's blue Jetta, but the rolling turd Ollie calls a car is still parked on the curb. So unless she and Tee went somewhere together, she should be here.
If not, maybe I can leave a note with the bat and call it good?
Yeah, that's probably not the best choice either. I head down the short hall that leads to the two bedrooms, and stop in front of the chintzy brown door with a bold red and white sign that now reads 'Beware of Ollie, she will bite' tacked to it. The old beware of dog sign now has her name spelled out in magazine clippings. It looks like something I've seen in some serial killer movie, which is ironic really as I've never been able to get her to watch one with me.
The door is slightly ajar, and I push it the rest of the way open. The tiny room barely has enough space to hold her full bed. The frame stretches from wall to wall, leaving enough of a gap for the door to open. Andy even had to take the doors off her closet just so that she could reach her clothes.
Ollie is tucked under her pink ballerina blanket that she's had since she was a kid.
I crawl up on her bed and flop down next to her. She's still sound asleep, which is weird for Ollie. Usually, she's the first one up. I poke the end of her small sharp nose until her face scrunches up. When she cracks a lazy eye open at me, I notice how bloodshot they are.
"Morning." I move the bat in between us. "Your friend here was broken-hearted, you forgot him."
Instead of taking him, like I thought she would, Ollie grunts and covers her head with the blanket making her look like a poofy pink marshmallow.
My stomach drops, realizing this is going to be more challenging than I expected.
"Come on, Ollie." I fish for the edge of the blanket and tug it up to look at her. "Talk to me. I'm really sorry for yelling at you last night."
"And?" She raises a golden brow at me.
"And," I draw out, not sure exactly what else to apologize for. A blanketed apology falls from my lips, hoping that works, "And for being an ass."
When an unamused look crosses her face, my stomach tightens. She's never this pissy with me. Usually, if I've made her mad, a simple sorry works, and we move on. "You don't want your bat anymore?" I dangle it in front of her, but it doesn't even get a tiny lip curl, to my dismay.
I tilt my head, watching the broody fluff shoot death glares at me. I danced the bat closer to her, making its wings jiggle in the process. Then, jokingly, I change my voice to a more Russian-sounding accent. "I vant to suck your blood." I tease before nuzzling it into her neck. "You taste like regret and greasy fair food."
Finally, she snorts, and a small smile creeps upon her face. A lightly tanned arm snakes out of the blanket and wraps around the bat before pulling it to her.
Relief washes over me like warm water. "Am I forgiven?"
"For yelling at me, yes. For leaving me in that maze to go off and have a romantic hay ride with Becca, no. Or for not taking me on the Ferris wheel." Ollie's face cutely scrunches up into a less than terrifying scowl.
Though the glare isn't effective, a tsunami size wave of guilt rolls over me. "Fuck, I forgot about the Ferris wheel. Sorry." By the time I got off the hayride, the only thing I could think about was wanting to bash Creed's face in as he aggressively grabbed Becca's arm and dragged her off.
"And abandoning me in the maze." She raises a brow, bringing me back to that point as well.
I sigh and sit up. She soon follows suit. As she maneuvers from out of the covers, I quickly realize she's only wearing an oversized Grimlens tee-shirt. She crosses her smooth bare legs under her as she sits to face me. Thankfully the tan tee pools around her bottom half, blocking my view of whatever underwear she might be wearing.
"I was going to go in and look for you, but Becca pointed out that in that maze we'd probably never cross paths, and that eventually you'd find your way out. I was going to wait by the exit. Then it was the last hayride of the night and Becca begged me to go to protect her." A slight grin crosses my face as flashes of Becca huddling up to me flood my mind.
"I was scared." Ollie throws an arm out as a look of disbelief plasters itself on her face. "I was running through that fucking maze screaming for you hoping you would find me, but you abandoned me."
"I didn't abandon you." I roll my eyes at her overdramatic response. She's acting like I left her at the damn fair alone. I went on one fucking ride. "I was still on the fairgrounds, and I came right back. It was my chance to get some time with Becca, you know you didn't have to go in with us."
In a flash, Ollie raises the bat and thrashes it down hard, knocking me upside the head with it. If it were anything but a plush animal, it would have hurt, but it only shocks me into a stupor as the stuffed animal abruptly squeaks.
"YOU WERE WITH ME, NOT BECCA!" Genuine hurt filled anger shows up on Ollie's face. "She left you and is with another guy now, why can't you get that through your thick skull?"
Her words cut deep as my brows pinch together. I didn't need the reminder.
"Last night wasn't a date with Becca. Last night was supposed to be a night with just you and me, and you threw it all away to chase after her. Thank God Korbin, Miles, and Creed ran across me or I'd still be trapped in that goddamn maze."
"Creed?" His name instantly puts me on edge.
Ollie's jaw ticks as she scoots across her bed toward her closet. "Don't start. You're just pissy he was there, you don't even care that I mentioned Korbin or Miles."
I don't like the idea of Korbin finding her either, to be honest. The guy is an asshole not only to everyone around him but to her. Though I am glad she got out of the maze, I wish it wasn't Korbin or Creed that got her. "I'm glad Miles found you."
She's right. I would have trusted my instinct and gone in after her. I knew she'd hate the maze, and it might have taken all night to do it. It would have been better if I had found her.
"Wow." Ollie shakes her head and grabs a lightweight sweater out of her closet. "You can be so petty sometimes." Ollie pulls her shirt up over her head. I quickly avert my eyes to her door to avoid getting an eyeful as she changes.
"This isn't going well." I sigh and run my hands through my hair, trying to brush away my irritation. I'm only making the situation worse, not better. "I didn't come here to fight with you. I'm sorry for being an ass. I'm sorry I didn't take you on the ride you wanted to go one. I'm sorry I dragged you into the maze and lost you. I'm sorry I didn't go in after you like I wanted to, and for not being there when you got out." I see movement out of the corner of my eye and turn to see Ollie kneeling right in front of me. "I was an extremely shitty friend last night, and I wanted to make it up to you today."
I stare up into the deep blue eyes. Two deep ocean blue water pools swim with a certain child-like innocence yet wield a dangerous, mischievous tempered storm. She searches my face for a bit before invading my space and almost getting nose to nose with me. "How?"
"How what?" With her this close, I can see the faint freckles scattered across her cheeks and the bridge of her nose. Ones that fade completely away during the winter when she can't surf as often as she'd like.
"How are you planning on making it up to me?"
I was hoping that returning the beloved bat would be enough, but since I blew that, I suppose more is needed. I think about it for a bit before an idea finally dawns on me. "How about this!"
I tackle her and start tickling her ribs. She squeals and wiggles beneath me, trying to get away from the tickle monster.
"Have I made it up yet?!" I chuckle as her cheeks start to turn red.
"No!" She screams out as she tries to fight me off with her bat. The black poof repeatedly slams me in the head and shoulder, but I don't relent. The tickle shower continues until she finally caves. "Okay! You're forgiven!" I stop and collapse next to her on the bed. Both of us are out of breath from the wrestling.
A wide smile is plastered on my face as I watch her try to catch her breath. Seeing her back to her light-hearted self is comforting. Ollie's been the ray of sunshine in my life after Becca cheated on me with my best guy friend. I need Ollie. I need her light in my life.
I poke her in the shoulder to get her attention. "What do you say I treat you to a round of mini golf at Swashbucklers, then a bowl of ice cream?"
It might be Ollie's work, but the fun center is the most entertaining place to go that's wholesome and fun that won't have pissy parents on your case.
Ollie's eyes light up with excitement as she springs up, bounds over me, and heads for her bedroom door.
I take that as a yes.
Hello, lovies.
Thanks for reading chapter 9! I hope that Zane has redeemed himself a little.
Exciting news! SFS got top 50 in #highschoolromance. I'm really excited about it. I know it's just a small accomplishment, but it means a lot to me. I hope you enjoyed this chapter, and the next one has a nice dash of drama in it.
I'm really excited about the upcoming chapters because in either the next one or the following chapter there will be a special cameo appearance! If you're a Guardians of Freecaster reader you'll know who I'm talking about, if not... then baby you're missing out.
In the very near future, ChelseaFrey's Jace will be showing up! I am so stoked. I've been reading Kissing My Ex like a madwoman and enjoying every second of it. I can't over-emphasize how excited I am to have Jace in my book and for working with Chelsea on it.
I've been trying to stay on top of chapter updates and teasers over on Instagram so if you'd like some sneak peeks, then find me at reading_mermaid08.
See you next time.💋