chapter 18 | the test
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OLIVIA OPENED THE ALVAREZ APARTMENT, AND IMMEDIATELY WIDEN HER EYES. She started laughing as she saw Schneider in a weird outfit and really tight shorts and a helmet on his head.
"Dude, cool shorts." The redhead snorted as she tried to hold in her laughter. "Oh come on, this is my new workout outfit. I look good, don't I?" Schneider smirked with confidence as Olivia raised her brows at him in disbelieve.
"Yeah you do." Lydia smirked and everyone looked at her weirdly as they cringed slightly.
"Oh Lydia, I was actually inspired by you teaching dance to become an educator myself. I started teaching spinning." Schneider said.
"Isn't spinning riding a stationary bike? Why are you wearing a helmet?" Elena chuckled.
"It's for my own. I may have fallen off a few times.... Anyways, could you post these flyers for me on campus?" Schneider asked Penelope.
"Oh, are you too busy?" She scoffed.
"Slammed. I barely have time to meditate before my sunset hike." Schneider said.
Penelope rolled up her sleeve as she wrote 'murder Schneider' on her arm causing Olivia to laugh whilst Schneider glared at her.
"Come on, let's go."
"Wait, I don't have my lunch." Alex informed. "Oh, I don't have my lunch either." Elena said.
"Ay! Papito, lo siento! I forgot!" Lydia gasped dramatically.
"What about me?" Elena asked, but she got ignored. Olivia tried to hold in her laughter at the look of Elena's face. Elena noticed her laughing before smacking her on the arm causing the redhead to glare at her.
"I was just so distracted with my dance class." Lydia continued.
"You're teaching ballet to five year olds. What do you have to prepare for?" Penelope said.
"Disappointment. Those kids are terrible." Lydia pointed out.
"Wait, here. Here is your lunch." Penelope took out some money from her bag as she gave them to Elena and Alex, even Olivia even though she tried to deny but Penelope forced her to take the money.
"Why does she get ten bucks and I get 5?" Alex scoffed.
"Take out the freaking trash, let's go." Penelope mocked Alex causing Olivia and Elena to chuckle as he looked at them with a glare, Olivia putting her hand up in surrender jokingly and laughed slightly as he just shook his head, a slight smile on his face.
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It was now night time and everyone were doing their own stuffs. Alex was 'practicing' his cello, Elena was doing some type of gay protest thing and Lydia was teaching ballet to the five year olds.
Olivia wanted to go home but Alex forced her to stay because he was bored and needed help with his cello but apparently he wasn't practicing and was just looking at his phone .
"Ugh! I'm so bored!" The redhead groaned in annoyance as she laid on couch the of Lydia's room.
She looked over her best friend who was looking at his phone and scoffed at him, mad that he wasn't paying any attention to her."Hello?? Alex! Did you not hear what I said?" But he didn't reply.
Olivia smirked before walking up behind him and going up to his ear, "Alex!" He screamed loudly as Olivia started laughing like crazy. Alex looked at her with a glare.
He went over to the couch and started tickling her causing her to shriek. She started laughing and tickled him back as they both laughed.
Olivia tried to sit up but she tripped over his feet making her fall on top of him. Their eyes widen as their lips almost touched by a few inches. None of them moved as they just stared at each other, wide eyed, not knowing what to do. Alex admired how Olivia looked up close, he stare at her in awe at her perfect features on her face. Alex stared at her lips, leaning in slightly.
(idk if this makes sense but just try to imagine it 😭)
The curtains then opened as it revealed Penelope. Her eyes widen at the sight until she cleared her throat making them look at her. They quickly got up from the weird position they were in and sat down on the couch and Alex went over to take his cello. They were blushing like crazy of the sight of how red their faces were.
Penelope looked at Olivia and gave her a look that said 'what the hell just happened'. "I-I'm just gonna go..bye!" The redhead quickly said a awkward bye to Alex and Penelope before leaving the apartment and going to her own.
She sighed deeply, her mouth wide open. " what the hell just happened?" She thought.
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"Should I go, or maybe I shouldn't.. or maybe I should? Ugh! I don't know!" Olivia paced around her room as she was deciding whether she should go talk to Alex about what happened a few hours ago.
She huffed before grabbing her things and making her way out of the apartment. She stood at the Alvarez apartment doorway, hesitating to open the door. She took the courage to open it, seeing Alex playing his cello and Lydia listening to him playing it.
"Ay, pelliroja! Come, come. Papito has been playing the cello." Lydia said to the redhead. Olivia chuckle slightly as she went over to sit next to Lydia.
"Oh papito. If yo-yo ma heard you play, he would quit." Lydia said after Alex was done playing and the two preteens chuckled. Alex glanced at Olivia but quickly looked away as she noticed he was staring.
"Yeah he would." Elena deadpanned.
"All right! Test is done. And tonight, I'm shaving my left leg." Penelope smiled in victory as she walked in the apartment. Elena started tearing up her posters making everyone frown at her.
"What's happening here? Did the school shut down your GSA protest?" Penelope asked with worry on her face.
"Worse. They said yes! They think it would be a 'positive influence on the educational community'. And then they gave me a meeting room and a snack budget!" Elena scoffed and they looked at her with a weird look.
"Okay, I'm sleep deprived, but I think she said happy words in a mad voice?" Penelope questioned and they nodded.
"What? Like I'm suppose to believe the Catholic school is suddenly pro-gay? Yeah, nice try!"
"You know I think being a lesbian has made you very angry." Lydia said. "That is such a stereotype!" Elena scoffed.
"Is it?" Alex chuckled jokingly before going in the kitchen. Lydia and Olivia followed behind, letting Elena and Penelope to talk.
"Hey, why not you two get me some plates and napkins, I'll start cooking." Lydia said to the two preteens and they nodded and they did what they were told.
Alex looked over Olivia, seeing her gather up some plates. He decided to go and talk to her about what happened.
"Hey, Livi.." Alex said, standing beside her, helping her with the plates. "Um, about what happened I-" Olivia's eyes widen slightly as she turned her full attention to the boy.
"Right! Um, maybe we should just act like it never happened at all. I mean it was just an accident, and I tripped so ..yeah." Olivia said awkwardly.
"Oh.. yeah, sure. That's fine with me.." Alex mumbled, smiling slightly.
"So... can we stop being awkward and be normal again like how we used to?" The redhead smiled widely and Alex nodded with a smile before helping Lydia.
Olivia could tell that there was a slight of sadness in his eyes when she told him to forget about it but she decided to shrug it off.
Truth be told, he actually wanted to kiss her but then Penelope came in the room. But if he kissed her what would have happened?
Everyone went to the dining table, setting up the food as Schneider came into the apartment as everyone turned their attention to him.
"Hey, do you guys have an ice pack? I may have overspun." Schneider said in pain. Lydia went over to get the ice pack whilst Penelope and Olivia helped Schneider on the couch.
"Hey, did you get your test score yet?"
"Oh yeah, it's after 5!" Penelope exclaimed, dropping Schneider in the couch, causing him to groan in pain as she ran over to her bag. "They probably posted it."
"Schneider why don't you lay down, huh? Okay?" Lydia said. Schneider groaned as he turned his body to lay down on the couch. Olivia pressed her lips together as she tried to hold in her laughter at him, going over and sitting next to Alex.
Penelope suddenly slammed her computer shut causing Olivia to jump slightly. "Come on!" "What is it?" Lydia asked with worry in her voice. "Don't tell me that you did so much better than the rest of the class that they are now cyber bullying you?"
"No Mami. I did bad. I did really bad." Penelope mumbled.
"You don't do bad. You're always killing it." Elena said, trying to light up the mood.
"We know because you always say 'I'm killing it'." Alex said causing Olivia to smile at him.
"This is all my fault. You needed to do real studying, and I distracted you with my spinning and beautiful globes." Schneider sighed.
"No i did study. I tried really hard and I still didn't do good." Penelope sighed.
"Do 'well'. I'm sorry." Elena gulped as she received a glare from her mother.
"It's just one test, Pen. You'll do better next time." Olivia reassured her causing the woman to smile softly at her and cupped her face with her hand.
"That's the thing." Penelope took out all her test papers and placed it on the table as everyone looked through it.
"75?...68?...62!" Alex said all the marks and everyone gasped dramatically.
"I would faint, but I don't want a below-average nurse to help me." Lydia joked.
"Mom, maybe you need to study more." Elena suggested. "No, that's not it. It's me I can't do it." Penelope said sadly.
"Of course you can!" Lydia said and everyone else tried to hype her up.
"No Mami! I can't. I obviously can't! I'm sorry. I let you all down and I really wanted to do this for all of us. But I think it's time to admit it that i tried and I failed." Penelope said as everyone gave her sympathetic looks. "And now I think it's time to quit."
"What? Really? Mom, this is your dream." Elena said.
"Yes. But this..this is also my dream. You know, a great family. I already have a a great job." Penelope explained.
"And a Rich best friend." Alex joked, putting his arm around the red headed shoulder causing her to scoff and push his hand off whilst Penelope chuckle.
"Yeah, sure, and a rich friend. But When you add schools on top of it, it's like I'm trying to do three things great, but I'm just doing them all badly. So I think this is the right decision, and I think it's time to quit." Penelope continued.
"Okay." Lydia smiled reassuringly. "I can go back to showering every day." Penelope smiled widely. "I can take you to protest so you can yell at people. We can yell at people together." She said to Elena.
"Oh that's gonna be great because you're so loud!" Elena exclaimed.
"This is Great. This is gonna be great. And who knows, maybe after a couple years, when you guys are out of the house and it's not so crazy, maybe I can tackle school again."
"Yeah, sure."
"Oh my god, you guys ...you guys. Do you know what I'm gonna do tomorrow morning? I'm gonna sleep..until 6.30 in the morning!" Penelope smirked and everyone chuckled before getting into a group hug.
"Aww...keep it going, I'll get there. Nope, fire in the junkyard." Schneider mumbled.
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