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1 step forward, 3 steps back -- Olivia Rodrigo
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"Yo Baker! Get your stinking ass out here!" Olive exclaimed, Marcus then jumped out of the window and ran to Olive in panic, clasping his hand to her mouth.
"Keep it down,"
Olive removed his hand, "What do you mean? It's like barely evening," she crossed her arms as they began walking away from the house.
"Where's Aspen?" Marcus brought up, noticing the absence of a certain friend.
"His mum asked him to drive out to Boston, some family gathering or some sh**," Olive answered, although it wasn't the full truth. If there was one she and Aspen had in common, it was their toxic family.
"So it's just you and me?"
Olive nodded before grinning at Marcus, "Wanna make it a date?"
Marcus' face flushed red before Olive let out a chuckle, elbowing his stomach.
"God, I love seeing you flustered, it can be casual if you want, mop head," she said softly before leading him to the open cinema.
The two sat on the grass, leaning on their arms as they ate candy bars and popcorn.
"The beauty about this film is in its ambiguity really, so much can be answered but still so many questions are made simultaneously, it's genius. It reflects reality in a more poetic manner," Olive whispered, unable to stop the urge to observe the film.
Marcus only nodded gladly listening to her ramble on as he felt her slowly lean her head on his shoulder.
It all seemed right.
...
"Why am I doing this?" Olive asked as she stood in front of the school in her PJs and her phone, nothing else.
Aspe stood next to her with a grin, "Because your mom found out and paid for you to go?"
"Oh right! Thanks for reminding me, jerk," Olive replied sarcastically, playfully kicking Aspen on the shin, "You're just gloating that you're not going."
"Oh yeah, I'll be wrapped in comfy sheets, in my comfy bed, watching good movies in my own room," Aspen teased, pretending to be all lovesick.
Olive reaches to grab him but he narrowly avoids her, running to his bike as he waves goodbye, "Don't miss me too much!"
"F*** off!"
Aspen blew kisses before cycling away. Olive sighed before turning to the school, clicking her tongue, contemplating whether she should even go to this thing.
"They said there would be food," she sighed, "Might as well make the most out of that hundred bucks."
A black car pulled over as the MANG group got out confidently with their initials on their shirts. Rather tacky but Olive could care less.
"OMG, Olive you're here!" Maxine walked over to grab Olive, pulling her in with the rest of the group.
"We should have gotten you a shirt, too, we would've been MANGO," Max exclaimed.
Olive shook her head with a fake chuckle, "Yeah, no."
Gods help me. She whispered as the group dragged her to the school.
"This is a carnival on crack," Ginny exclaimed with excitement as the party was already ongoing.
"You guys have fun, I'll check out the food," Olive said, quickly prying herself out of Max's grip and away from the group.
The brunette proceeded to grab pretzels, popcorn, and an entire box of pizza like she was about to go into survival mode before walking out of that gym and to the hallway.
"Finally, air, breathe, fresh," she exhaled, walking around to find a small spot where nobody would dare go.
She snapped her fingers, "No sh**, the showers, duh." she no longer cared if it was disgusting, it was the sure way to have no human interaction.
She kicked the door open and checked around, cheering when she saw all the stalls were empty. Until she walked to the showers.
"F***- Marcus?" the raven-haired boy looked up, eyes red and face gloomy. His eyes widened as Olive stood right in front of him with food occupying her hands. Her face softens as she holds up the food.
"Guess we had the same idea, scoot over," she sits beside him, incredibly close, before handing out a piece of pizza.
"Ever had pizza on the school gym shower floor before?" she joked, Marcus chuckled.
"When I'm with you, it's pretty on brand," he quipped, taking the slice.
"Why are you here?" Olive wondered, mouth full of pizza. Marcus grinned before wiping a bit of sauce from the side of her lips.
"You mean on the floor?"
"No, here at school. You don't like this stuff," Olive said with such certainty it felt familiar to Marcus. Olive acted like they were long long friends and this familiarity was what he's been yearning for all year.
"How do you know I don't like this stuff?"
Olive scoffed, "Oh please, a boy like you, into this tacky rich ass tradition, might as well call me a unicorn."
"This sleepover sh** sucks ass," Olive complained, eating the pretzel, "Like, the food great, well nah, what am I talking about, I'd never eat these sober."
"You're high?"
Olive pulled out a small flask from her pocket, "Just a teensy weensy drunk."
"Besides, you're no sober man either, Baker." Marcus flushed, embarassed that Olive could easily see that he was hig. Olive leaned back as Marcus observed her with reddened eyes.
"Come on, we've been friends for like a week, you can quit with the Baker," Marcus jokingly complained.
Olive looked over her shoulder, "You'd rather I call you mop head, huh? All right, I'm flexible."
Marcus shook his head when suddenly Olive was silent.
"Ever just have that moment with someone where you remember this important memory that you miss so much?" her voice suddenly went deep and somber, as if she was recalling the wilting of the flowers as the world turned gray.
He looked at her, fully agreeing. Countless times Olive has made him feel like himself again. It was strange. But he couldn't complain either.
"Yeah," he whispered, leaning on the floor, eyes darting on Olive's free hand resting on her lamp. He couldn't shake off the urge to hold it.
"No need to be a wuss, mop head," Olive grinned then grabbed his hand and held it tight
"Sh** your hands are cold," she gripped it tighter before smiling before their clasped hands.
Marcus held her hand tight, not wanting to let go as they held eye contact.
Olive felt her heart skip, for the first time in her life, it took her so much in surprise that when a voice echoed in the stall, she jumped.
She looked at Marcus with panicked eyes before calming down as he held her hand, which made her chuckle with thrill by accident.
"Is somebody there?" Ginny's voice called out.
"Sh**," Olive whispered.
Ginny turned the corner and saw the two having food before them and hands held together.
"Hey," they greeted in unison.
"Why are you two here?" Ginny asked, Olive shrugged.
"Taking a twist in your classic picnic... I guess," the brunette answered, "What happened to your hair?"
Ginny combed her frizzled locks as she drenched them with water, "Nothing, it got brushed out cause stupid ol me thought I could pony up like the rest."
Olive quizzically looked at her before shrugging it off, getting up, eyes darting from Marcus to Ginny as they held an intense stare down.
"Hope you can fix it, I'm gonna go and grab some soda," she said before grabbing the box of pizza and darting out of there. She desperately wanted to avoid whatever was about to happen between those two.
And also the strange bubbling feeling in her chest.
She rested in a random hallway where Abby had coincidentally ended up running.
"What's up, Abs!" Olive drunkenly states, lifting up the flask as she beckons the girl to sit beside her, "Come come, I have pizza and booze. Like the strong ones."
Abby sits beside her and grabs a slice of pizza, "What are you doing in a random hallway?"
"Why else, this place is way better than whatever sh**show going on at the gym, besides, booze," Olive pointed at the flask as if it was the clear answer.
"Yeah, okay," Abby trailed off as Olive handed her the flask. She looked at Olive quizzically.
"Come on, I know for a fact you got something going on too, drink up," Olive casually stated and the two just sat there, talking like good friends would.
"So, what happened?" Abby brought up. Olive looked at her quizzicaly. Abby felt embarassed under her gaze, thinking she had struck a nerve but Olive looked away with a sigh.
"Are Baker and Ginny a thing?"
Abby looked a bit shock at the notion, Max and Ginny? Well, it kinda made sense, Max has been gushing over Ginny ever since the girl arrived in Wellsbury but for them to date?
"Max and Ginny?" Abby asked. Olive almost choked, realizing her mistake.
"No, I mean Marcus, Marcus and Ginny," Olive corrected. Abby practically laughed.
"Marcus doesn't to be Ginny's type, also she's dating Hunter," Abby answered, glancing at Olive to observe her reaction.
"Ah, but there's no denying the tension between the two," Olive added, trying to deny her jealousy.
Abby looked at her, "What do you mean?"
Olive took a long swig from her flask, "I was with Marcus earlier when Ginny popped in and I swear there was tension was so thick I could cut it with a knife but why should I care so much right? Marcus is just some random boy," Olive muttered to hersefl while Abby just sat there listening.
It was not hard to catch on that Olive definitely is feeling something for Marcus but Abby was smart enough to know it wasn't the time to tell the brunette that.
...
The following morning, Marcus was frantically searching for Olive. The brunette left him with Ginny the rest of the night and he couldn't help but worry, she was clearly drunk and had stuff on her mind and he had that weird urge to help her.
He walked over to where Max and her friends were, "Have you seen Olive?" Ginny looked at Marcus with a weird expression he couldn't understand but that was the least of his worries.
He waited for them to answer when Abby pointed to his left, "She went thatway, said she was grabbing a donut."
"But the donut shop is on the other side," Hunter replied.
Abby nodded with a drunk giggle, "She's still like super drunk."
And with that information, Marcus rushed to find Olive, still drunk in the morning, it wasn't a good sign.
"When did they get close?" Max asked but all of them shrugged while Ginny watched as the boy became out of view.
Marcus continued to run forward till he found Olive swaying around the sidewalk, flask hanging on her fingers.
"Olive!" he rushed to her side. The brunette drunkenly looked at him, eyes red with tears.
"Marcus! What's up, my good old friend, how are you?"
"I'd ask you the same question, what's going on with you?" he wrapped an arm around her shoulder as she leaned on his chest.
"I miss her, mop head," she cried. Marcus was taken aback as the girl he was so used to acting comically and close up was crying rivers on his shoulder, mourning for someone she clearly cared for,
"Okay, it's okay," he took her into a warm embrace, combing through her hair. "It's okay," he whispered softly.
07 | end