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Excuse the mistakes
I wrote a lot of this chapter on a school computer, which for some reason didn't have working spellcheck...
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“I’m sexy and I know it!”
My eyes opened slightly, and I groaned. I could hear my phone vibrating wildly against the top of my bedside table, as well as the blasting sound of the ringtone Olive demanded I assign to her. After a moment, the somewhat annoying LMFAO song stopped, and I breathed out a sigh of relief. However, I relaxed too soon, and the song started up again.
“Dear god,” I muttered, and reached my hand out of the warm cocoon formed by my comforter, and I fumbled around on my bedside table until I grasped my phone. I pressed the send button and then held it up to my ear. “Hello?”
“I’m in your driveway,” Olive stated, bypassing even the slightest of greetings.
“What?” I mumbled, propping myself up on my elbows, “Why?”
“Like you don’t know!” Olive cried, making me wince. Then, before I could ask her to elaborate, because I really didn’t have any idea what she was talking about, the phone went dead. Instead of curling back up and falling asleep, which is what I really wanted to do on this Saturday morning, I sat up, ran a hand through my snarled hair, and prepared myself for the impending Olive attack.
Sure enough, a minute or two later, I could hear feet stampeding up the stairs. The door to my bedroom swung open loudly, and Olive hurried in. I noticed that she was a lot less put together than usual, clad in only a pair of sweatpants and a gray long-sleeved shirt. Her hair was up in a messy bun, and Olive’s skin was pale and a little puffy.
Olive hurried across my bedroom and sat down on the end of my bed. She looked at me expectantly, and when all I could give her was a blank stare, Olive groaned and threw her hands up in the air. “Seriously, Harper?” she cried, “Are you not going to tell me about it?”
“About what?” I replied, “You keep telling me I know what you’re talking about, but I’m so confused, Olive.”
Olive harrumphed and folded her arms over her chest. “Harper,” she said slowly, as enunciating every word carefully, like I didn’t speak English, “Tell me about last night at the party.”
“Oh,” I breathed, and I bit the inside of my cheek as I remembered Justin and the woods, and then Duke decking Justin in front of everyone. “Well,” I said, shoving my hands under my covers and pushing myself into a more comfortable sitting position, “Justin is an —”
“Asshole?” Olive finished, and she added, “A disgusting pig? A grabby, diseased, tool?”
“How did you know?” I asked with a frown. As soon as Duke had driven me home last night, I’d practically run up to my room, stripped out of my clothes, and dove under my covers. My cheeks were still bright red and hot with embarrassment, I’m sure even after I’d fallen asleep.
“Harper, this is high school,” Olive stated with a shrug, “Word travels fast. I found out maybe five minutes after it all went down when Monica Chess texted me about it.”
“Monica Chess?” I echoed, “How does she even have your number?” Monica was the school gossip; Like, Gretchen Wieners is her spirit animal. She knew everything that was going on in the lives of everyone in our school, and she made it her job to spread the news.
“How the hell should I know?” Olive replied, like it wasn’t her responsibility to keep control of her phone number, “And, I’ll admit, I was a little hurt that my bestest friend in the whole world didn’t call me herself and tell me that a douchedick tried to get in her pants.”
“Olive, I—”
“Chill, dude,” Olive interrupted with a laugh, “I was kidding. Frankly, I know you, and I wasn’t expecting you to say anything until this afternoon at the earliest. That’s why I came over here at eight in the morning.”
“Wait, what?” I asked, and I unlocked my phone and squinted at my phone, “It’s eight in the morning? Seriously, Olive, you couldn’t let me sleep in until at least nine? Saturdays are meant for sleeping; literally every teenager knows that.”
“Yeah, whatever,” Olive replied with a dismissive flick of her hand, and she patted the top of my bed. “Now, get dressed. I want to go get soup at Panera, and I want you to tell me every single detail from last night. I’m pretty sure Monica wasn’t an accurate source because she said Justin ran out of the woods with no pants or boxers on.”
I snorted and shook my head. “Yeah, no, that didn’t happen.”
“I thought as much,” Olive muttered, and she sounded almost disappointed. She pushed herself off of my bed and gestured towards the door of my bedroom. “I’m going to go wait for you in your living room, okay? Hurry up and change because I can practically taste the chicken noodle soup.” Then, she was out the door, and I could hear her bouncing down the stairs.
Reluctantly, I swung my legs over the side of my bed and pushed myself up so that I was standing. I stripped out of my pajama pants, which were covered in sledding penguins, and I tugged off my powerpuff girls t-shirt. I pulled together a simple, and incredibly comfortable, outfit, and I opted for my sports bra because I didn’t feel like dealing with underwire.
After changing into a pair of leggings and an oversized sweatshirt, I threw my hair up in a snarled ponytail and walked into the bathroom. As I brushed my teeth, I glanced over at the door that opened into Duke’s room. After a moment’s hesitation, I leaned over and quietly pushed it open. I peeked inside, but Duke was nowhere to be seen, and I frowned and closed the door.
Olive yelled up the stairs for me to hurry up, and I winced at her volume. Even from a level below me, that girl was loud. I walked quickly out of my room, stopping for only a second to grab my phone and wallet, and I slipped down the stairs to where Olive was waiting.
“It would be much appreciated if you didn’t wake up my parents,” I said, gesturing back up the stairs, towards where their bedroom was. “Like me, they reserve their Saturdays for sleeping.”
“Harper, your parents could stay asleep even if I was in their room banging pots and pans together,” Olive replied, her eyebrow raised. I didn’t know how to respond because, frankly, Olive was right. My parents are heavy sleepers, which is a quality I was sometimes envious of.
This was one of those times.
“You’re driving, right?” I asked as Olive and I walked towards the door. She nodded, but as she reached out for the door knob, it came towards us as the front door swung open to reveal Duke.
Once again, Duke was shirtless and sweat, and he grinned at Olive and me. “Morning ladies,” he said as he pulled his ear buds out of his ears. “Where are you off to this early in the morning?”
“Panera,” Olive quipped, crossing her arms over her chest, “We’re going to go get soup.”
“At eight in the morning?” Duke asked slowly, and Olive nodded once. Duke glanced over at me, and I noticed that he had this look in his eye, like he was trying to tell me something. It took a moment, but I finally realized he was silently asking if he could come. After last night, and what Duke did for me, I would be a bitch not to respond.
“Do you want to come with us?” I said, and I ignored Olive as her eyes widened and snapped to me. Obviously, she wasn’t expecting those words to come out of my mouth; not after the colorful rants I’d had about Duke.
“Yeah!” Duke replied, and he jutted his chin towards the stairs, “Let me just grab a fresh pair of shorts and a shirt, and I’ll be right down, okay?”
“Okay.” Duke grinned and pushed past us to the stairs, and I watched as he bounded quickly up them. A moment later, after Duke had disappeared from sight, I felt Olive grab my arm, and I was yanked around to face her.
“You wanna tell me what the hell that was?” she hissed, pointing her finger to where Duke had just been standing.
“Well,” I drawled, rocking back and forth on my feet, “Last night—”
“I’m ready!” Duke announced, cutting me off as he stepped down the stairs. “Are we taking our car, or yours, Olive?”
“Mine,” Olive stated, and Duke smiled as he walked past us and out the door. As Olive and I followed behind, she whispered in my ear, “I will find out what happened last night, Harper. You will tell me.”
“Olive,” I whispered back, “Put away your sleuthing kit; I’ll tell you all about it when I get the chance. It’s not exactly a secret, especially for my best friend.”
Olive rolled her eyes and stuck her tongue out playfully at me, and I laughed. Olive was all about the dramatics, if you haven’t noticed, and this was one of those things I knew she would blow out of proportion. I didn’t exactly need that, seeing as I already had a rocky history with Duke and we hadn’t officially been friends for twenty-four hours yet.
We reached Olive’s car, and Duke immediately climbed into the backseat because it was quite obvious he wasn’t getting shotgun. Olive and I ducked into the car, and a few moments after I buckled my seatbelt, we were pulling out of the driveway and heading towards Panera.
As we drove the seven minute trip, I fiddled with the radio until I landed on a radio station that was playing Wings by Birdy. It was one of my favorite songs, but at the same time, it was a bitter reminder that this girl was seventeen and had more talent in her pinky than I had in my whole body.
Also, as she drove, I noticed how Olive kept glancing at Duke using her rearview mirror. She had a suspicious, but also curious, look on her face, and I had to keep from bursting into laughter. As much as Olive wanted me to be outgoing towards new people, she was also really picky when I started hanging out with new people. Sometimes, it would really piss me off, but most of the time, I just found it funny. She was like the protective older sibling I never had, and sometimes never wanted.
Olive pulled into the parking lot of Panera, and she parked in the first spot she came to, which was fortunately right in front of the door. We all got out of the car, and Duke held the door of Panera open for Olive and I.
“Well, he’s not a total asshole,” Olive commented, and I shoved her gently. Olive smirked and winked at me, and we were both delighted that there wasn’t a line for food, seeing as we were impatient teenagers.
Olive stepped up to the bored looking cashier, and she didn’t bother to look at the menu. “Can I get the biggest bowl of chicken noodle soup, please?” she asked, and the cashier raised an eyebrow.
“You do realize it’s morning, right?” he asked in a deep monotone.
“Yes, I’m very aware of that fact,” she snapped, “and I would appreciate if you could keep the judgmental tone out of your voice.”
I pressed my hand to my mouth to stifle my giggles as the surprised cashier quickly tapped Olive’s order on the screen in front of him, and after Olive ordered a milk to go with her soup, the only thing he said was the price. Olive smirked at him and dropped a ten dollar bill in his hand. “Keep the change,” she said, then she walked away to the area where you wait for your orders.
I glanced at Duke, who was also suppressing laughter, and I swallowed before stepping up to the cashier. “Can I get a bacon, egg and cheese on ciabatta minus the cheese please?” I asked, and I glanced up at the menu before adding, “and a hot chocolate.”
The cashier just grunted in response, and then his fingers danced across the screen before he read out, “Eight dollars and twenty-seven cents is your total.”
“Okay,” I replied, and I pulled my wallet out of my pocket and unzipped it only to find that the only cash I had on me was a five dollar bill. I swore under my breath, but as I opened the change pocket to try and scrounge together what I was owing, since I wasn’t willing to give up either item I’d ordered, Duke stepped up next to me.
“Can I get the same thing she got, except I want my breakfast sandwich with the cheese,” he stated, and the cashier just huffed and rolled his eyes as he added Duke’s order.
If I didn’t have enough money to pay for myself, I sure as hell didn’t have enough money to pay for Duke’s breakfast. I grabbed Duke’s arm to tell him, but I didn’t get the chance to say anything because Duke just smiled and shook his head at me.
“Relax,” he said, and he held up his wallet, “I got this.”
“Oh,” I breathed, “Thanks, Duke.”
“No problem,” Duke replied with a shrug, and after he paid for our food, we walked over to where Olive was standing. Well, actually, she was tapping her foot against the floor impatiently and her eyes kept snapping open to where the cooks were preparing her food.
Whenever Olive got sick, which wasn’t often, she would always come to Panera for soup because it never failed in making her feel better. The downside to this was that she didn’t have patience in waiting for her remedy, and she would end up looking like a pouting child. It was funny and embarrassing at the same time.
“Why don’t you guys go find a seat?” Duke suggested suddenly, and he nodded towards the empty tables and booths all around us. “I can wait for the food and hot chocolates.”
I opened my mouth to say thank you, but just like before, I didn’t get a chance to say anything. This time, it was Olive, and she was practically dragging me away from Duke. “Thanks!” she called cheerfully.
Olive and I disappeared around a corner and out of Duke’s sight, and she dropped her purse in the first empty booth she saw. Then, she placed a hand on each of my shoulders and forced me down so that my butt landed painfully on the cushioned seat of the booth. If I hadn’t been somewhat speechless, I’d probably be laughing.
“Alright,” Olive said seriously, and she sat down across from me, “Spill it, bitch!”
“Well that was blunt,” I muttered, and Olive kicked my leg lightly. It didn’t hurt at all, and I just rolled my eyes at Olive, who was glaring at me.
“Tell me why this guy you hated is suddenly your friend,” she demanded, and I could sense a sort of pleading in her voice as well. I couldn’t blame her, though, because if I were in Olive’s place, I’d also be impatient for this juicy information.
“Okay, okay,” I said with a smile, “first, tell me what you heard about last night, just so I know what I have to fill you in on.”
“Monica said that Justin led you into the woods,” Olive said slowly as she thought back to their conversation, “she said that you were in there less than five minutes, and then Justin came out after you calling you a bitch and a prude. Then, she said some guy punch him in the face, and you had to stop it from getting messier. Monica said she didn’t see the guy who punched, Justin, though.”
“That was Duke,” I stated simply, and Olive’s eyes widened.
“Duke hit Justin?” she asked, and I nodded once.
“Yeah,” I said, “we kind of fought before the party because Duke was telling me how Justin was this bad guy, and I told him he was wrong, even though he was right. I guess I was blinded by my crush in that regard.”
“He did only just learn your name, even though you’ve been in classes together since forever,” Olive commented, and I shot her a glare.
“Anyways,” I continued, “Duke wasn’t going to the party, but he told me that after I had left, he decided to anyways because he still didn’t trust Justin. He found me right as Justin was coming out of the woods after me, and then you know the rest of the story.”
“Damn,” Olive muttered thoughtfully, “I guess you sort of have to be his friend after that.”
“Well, I don’t have to,” I replied, “But I would be an asshole if I didn’t accept his apology and offer of friendship.”
Olive laughed and I smiled, and just then, Duke appeared in front of our table with our hot chocolates in his hands. “Thanks,” I said as I took the hot, ceramic cup in my hands.
“No problem,” Duke replied as he placed his cup down next to me. He pointed back towards the pickup area and said, “I’ll be right back; I didn’t have enough hands for the food and the drinks.”
‘Oh, I can—”
I couldn’t get my offer to help out by the time Duke had turned and walked back to the pickup area. He returned a few moments later, balancing all three plates in his arms with ease. As he slid them across the table to their respective people, I chuckled.
“That was quite impressive,” I said, “were you a waiter in a past life?”
“This life, actually,” Duke replied as he sat down next to me, “Before I moved here, I worked at a local diner as a busboy and occasional waiter.”
“Oh.” Honestly, when I look at Duke, I don’t picture someone who’s had a job before. Maybe it was because when I first met him, Duke came across as spoiled and irritating, or maybe it was because he just never mentioned it.
“Duke, I have something to tell you.”
I was pulled from my thoughts by Olive’s voice, and I glanced up at her to see that she had her serious expression on. My eyebrows shot up, and I looked from Olive to Duke, who seemed a bit apprehensive. He didn’t exactly have a super friendly relationship with Olive; not since the first time they met when she completely shut him down.
“What is it?” he asked cautiously.
“I don’t think you’re an asshat anymore.”
Then, as if she hadn’t said anything, Olive picked up her spoon and started eating her soup. Duke and I took one look at each other and then started laughing
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Sorry for the super late upload, but I have lots of stuff going on and it's been hard to find the time to really make good progress on a chapter, both for this story and Thin Ice. Please, don't send me messages asking when updates are going to be because not only can I not give a straight answers, but it shows you aren't really listening when I say I have almost NO time right now. Once this play is over, though, I should have a lot more and I want updates to pick up.
So what do you think? They have Olive's blessing for a friendship!
I'm currently posting this chapter at school cuz I'm a rebel (I don't think I'm allowed on this website during school hours whoops sorry not sorry)
Song on the side is The Man Who Can't be Moved by the script because I love it!
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