Another two weeks of college has passed and college life is a hell of a lot more tougher then school. It's assignment on assignment and tests here and test there... sometimes it just feels like it's me, my laptop and my water bottle against the rest of the world. Lucky for me Jane, Aiden and Brad have been supportive and has been coping well with my stressful and bitchy moods and all that. I couldn't ask for better people during this time.
"Liv. What are you thinking?" Jane snaps me out of my haze and I immediately turn to her.
"Just that I'm grateful to have you guys here." I smile at the three of them and continue drinking my coffee.
"Maybe we should do a night out?" Aiden suggests and Brad agrees with him.
"I think that sounds like a good idea." Jane nods and I look at the three of them waiting for my answer in suspense. A small little flashback of my drunken nights pop up again and I shiver a little.
"You guys go. I've had enough drunken and clubbing nights to last me a lifetime." I shrug and they all frown. I've already let them in about my few adventures when college started and they were nice about it.
"You can't punish yourself forever Liv." Aiden says and I look down as I remember how he's saved me. Twice now.
"Okay yeah. Let's do it." I nod and they all smile in excitement. We agree that Jane and I will get ready at my house and the boys will pick us up. We head to the mall to find something decent and appropriate to wear.
"Hey Olivia." Kim hugs me and then hugs Jane.
"Are you guys going somewhere tonight?" She glances at our bags and then back up at us.
"Yeah we're going out tonight." Jane smiles and Kim nods.
"Okay well have fun. Remember to be safe and you have my phone number if anything goes wrong." She hugs us again and heads off to Zara. She really is such a pleasant person especially with someone of her status and popularity in college. Cheer captain means a lot in this place. Jane and I shop around for a few more things and after a light lunch we head back to my place to get ready.
"So Aiden and I were talking." Jane looks at me as she puts mascara on.
"Yeah?" I motion her to continue.
"He wants to get married at like the end of this year." She says and she really doesn't look to happy about it.
"Why so soon?"
"I don't know. He's just pushing it you know." She shrugs.
"Don't you think you should tell him how you feel then?" I reply.
"Yeah I'll have to eventually." She continues on and then there's silence for a second.
"I'm sorry. I hope you don't think all of this is awkward Liv." She walks closer to me and she really has a worried look on her face.
"No. I honestly support the two of you. You belong together and my history with him is like nothing anymore." I shrug as I straighten my hair.
"How did you guys meet?" She asks and I look away instantly. The memories of the lake house and my skinny dipping resurface and I still can't believe how embarrassing that was.
"I met him the one night I was swimming in the lake. He thought I was commuting suicide or something because it was like 12am." I nod. I'm not going to give her the gory details because it's in the past now and nothing serious happened. After we get the text that the boys are downstairs we head out and meet them.
"Dinner first before drinking." Brad says and we all agree. We head to diner and order four large milkshakes and four cheeseburgers. Well there goes my diet.
"Ready for tonight?" Brad asks as he munches away on a French fry.
"Yes. I'm not planning on drinking tonight so I'll be sober driver." I state and they frown at me.
"You have to drink Liv." Brad nags me and I look at him.
"No man it's okay. Trust me I'm not planning on showing you guys my split personality just as yet." I jokingly say and they all laugh. Luckily I know they won't force me to drink so they just leave it and we change the topic. After we all ate we decided to head to the club and I'm quite the rebel these days, Elaina made her and myself some fake IDs just before uni started as a going away present and I can vouch for the fact that Adriana Delson is a real person, she's my split personality if you know what I mean.
"It looks packed." Aiden yells over the loud noise and we all link hands as we try to make our way to the bar. The loud music, the heat, the smoke and the sweaty people make me kind of nervous. My track record in a club isn't that great but I'm going to put on my big girl panties and deal with it. I order everyone their drinks and I get myself a bottle of water. Sober Olivia is what I need to be right now. We all head to the dance floor and Brad leads me in the direction with his hand on the small of my back. Such a gentleman. I honestly respect him so much and I appreciate the fact that his so understanding especially when taking things slow. So far he's been nothing but a respectful gentleman and a really good friend and I need that. We head to the dance floor and we get lost in the music. Jane is very lightweight so after two tequila shots she's drunk and Aiden isn't far behind her.
"They are so wasted." He whispers in my ear as we dance and I laugh. He's quite a good dancer and I can tell his pacing himself because I'm not drinking.
"You know you can drink, I'll take care of you." I yell in his ear and he just smiles.
"Thanks." He says and he chugs his drink down. I did not expect that but his loosening up a bit and enjoying himself more so I'm glad. The night continues on and it's difficult to stay sober in a place where everyone is drunk out of their minds and not caring but I enjoy the dancing and the music so I couldn't be more happier. Jane is way over her limit and Brad might be to.
"Let's just sit down for a while." I fan myself and Aiden nods. We drag the other two along with us and sit in one of the booths by the aircon. I stare at my watch and it's already 1 in the morning and the place closes at 3.
"So Olivia told me how you met." Jane slurs her words and Aiden looks at me and then at her and his jaw clenches just a little bit.
"Why did you tell her about the skinny dipping?" Aiden growls at me and then my eyes widen.
"What? What skinny dipping?" Jane yells and her eyes stretch so far and her expression is horrible. Brad looks at me and at Aiden and he drinks another shot of tequila.
"I didn't tell her that part Aiden." I yell and he has remorse in his eyes when he looks at Jane. Jane is fuming and being drunk doesn't help.
"Jane let's talk about this." Aiden grabs her waist and leads her outside. I feel so bad I probably should've told her the truth but to me that stuff is between Aiden and I and nothing bad happened that night so it's nothing to worry about.
"L-Liv you and Aiden skinny dipped." Brad giggles like a little girl and I just can't help but laugh a little.
"No Brad. I was skinny dipping and he thought I was commiting suicide." I say and he rolls with laughter like it's the funniest thing I've ever said. I drag him to the bar with me and order a bottle of water for the poor guy. He is seriously wasted.
"Drink up." I order him and he starts gulping it all down. I feel bad for this fight between Aiden and Jane and I head out to find them with Brad following me. They stand outside and they're basically having a screaming match and people start staring at them.
"She skinny dipped in front of you and you leave that little piece of information out? Both of you?" She yells and she points to me when I walk to her. Aiden just stands there and he shuts up.
"He thought I was committing suicide. Besides he didn't even see me naked at all. His a gentleman Jane and that's why you are so in love with him remember?" I speak softly and she's completely quiet.
"I'm sorry I didn't think about that." She shyly looks down and it looks like she's about to burst out in tears. Drunk people.
"I'm sorry babe. And Liv." She hugs me and then kisses Aiden and gives him a long hug. He mouths a thank you and I just nod.
"Okay so can we go dance for one more hour please?" Brad interrupts us and the mood is a happy one again. We all head back inside and after two more shots of tequila Jane and Aiden have never been more close and I mean that in both emotional and physical context. Brad keeps looking at them and eventually I turn my back towards them, it looks like they both are trying to suck each other's faces off. The musics loud and the space is starting to empty out.
"Guys I think we should go." I yell at them and they all nod in agreement.
"Yes let's." Aiden looks at Jane and he winks. We head back to the car and I'm so thankful for the fresh air. We get in and I drive off to drop Aiden and Jane off at home. Gosh the two are hornier then the fifty shades couple. Brad is trying his best to not look at the back seat and he's just as drunk but at least he has some self restrain in him.
"Okay lets get you guys home. I park the car and get out and Aiden picks Jane up bridal style and he walks her to the door and I unlock it for them.
"Thanks Olivia I got it from here." Aiden winks as he carries his soon to be bride into the house. I gladly let them be and walk to the car to find Brad passed out on the front seat. His so adorable. I get in and drive to my house. I don't even know where he lives. I shove him and no response. Guess he's staying on couch à la Liv. The drive home is luckily short.
"Brad. Come on, wake up. You need to walk upstairs with me." I shove him and quietly gets out of the car. I run to his side and I pull his arm around my shoulder to support him. I don't think it helps that he's 6 feet and I'm not. He grumbles on as we make our way to the elevator and he looks like his going to be sick any minute now.
"Are you okay?" I ask and he just doesn't say anything. He starts pretending to press the elevator buttons and makes a plop noise every time he supposedly presses one. I laugh a little and he looks so out of it. We reach my floor and it's so difficult to get him to walk but he does and he listens quite well. We stumble to the door and I unlock it. Just as we enter my apartment with him hanging on me I switch the lights on and I lose my balance and I fall right on top of him. I laugh and he groans.
"What the fuck is this?" My eyes immediately shoot up and it's Nick sitting at the foot of my bed with his black leather jacket on, messy hair and grass green eyes. He looks pale and exhausted and I can see his not doing to good. I'm at a loss for words and this whole thing with Brad also doesn't look very good. Our eyes meet instantly and my stomach is in a knot. Nicks jaw is clenched and he looks beyond pissed of. He is fuming right now and if fire could come out of his ears it'll be there.
"Olivia. I can't breath." Brad breaks the silence and groans. I quickly jump off of his chest and my eyes don't leave Nick at all. I'm standing here and words don't leave my mouth. So many emotions run through me all at once and I just can't deal with it.
"Nick." I manage to say something at least but his eyes dart down to Brad who's still on the floor staring at the ceiling. I grab his hand and I pull him up and he's as green as the lockness monster. I immediately help him to the bathroom and just in time to the toilet. I let him sit there for a few minutes and I head back into my room where Nick is now standing. Still not saying a word. We stair at each other from opposite sides of my room and I look at him again and then only anger floods over me. I swear I literally only see red. I walk over to him and for a split second he relaxes and I slap him across the face so hard and he doesn't even flinch. I swear my hand is burning but I will not let him see the pain in my face. I look at him and he is tense.
"I deserve that." Is all he says and I just breath. I might actually be arrested for murder tonight.
"How did you get into my apartment." I yell at him and he just clenches his jaw again. Our eyes don't leave each other and he relaxes a bit.
"Does is matter?" Is all he says in a detested tone. He breaks my heart and now he breaks into my apartment to. I honestly just want to cry and be left alone but I have to be strong. I am not a weak person. The silence is so bad in this place that if a pin can drop you will hear it instantly or that is until Brad throws up again.
"Who the fuck is he?" Nick raises his voice and he points to the bathroom. He makes me go into full blown rage.
"It doesn't matter. You need to leave. I don't ever want to see you and just by the way maybe let your mother and the police know you're breathing." I yell at him and he avoids eye contact with me as best as he can.
"Let me explain." He sternly says.
"No you know what, get out of my apartment. Leaving is what you do best so get the fuck out." I motion to the door and he still doesn't move.
"I want you Liv." He softly says and he still avoids eye contact with me. I stand there still not saying anything.
"You had me and now you don't. I can't do this Nick." I motion to the door again and he finally looks at me. His still tense, jaw clenched and his eyes show remorse.
"I need you Olivia." He barely ever calls me by my real name so it's weird for him to be saying it to me now.
"And I needed you after you took my virginity and fucked off to who knows where." I yell and my voice cracks. I try to fight back my tears but unfortunately I lost the battle and they come pouring out. I hate it that I cry when I'm angry. I'm not this weak I keep thinking to myself. I look back up after clearing my face and Nick looks a bit more relaxed and he slowly makes his way towards me. I know he hates it when I cry.
"Don't touch me." I say and he takes a step back and he looks stunned.
"I need you to listen to me Liv." He says softly and I just can't look at him.
"I have a good explanation." He says again.
"No explanation in the world would be good enough after what you did to me." I yell and more tears come flying out of my eyes. I can not believe I'm freaking crying in front of him. I look so weak and pathetic.
"Fine if that's how you feel Olivia then that's just great." He storms off and slams my door shut and I burst out into more tears. What the hell just happened? I stand there in silence and then I hear Brad throwing up again. I dry my face, grab a bottle of water out of the fridge and I walk to him. His clinging to the toilet for dear life and he looks like he's half asleep.
"Here. Drink this." I make him down the water and two Advil's and luckily is compliant. I give him one of my dads shirts that I wear to bed and he changes into that and then he hugs the toilet again. I grab a spare pillow and blanket and I place it on the couch.
"Come." I help him get up and I lead him to the couch where he instantly falls onto.
"I'm so so so sorry Olivia." He says and he throws up into the bucket next to him.
"Don't be." I say softly and I cover him with the blanket again. I take a seat on the foot of my bed and I just take a deep breath in and out again. Did that really just happen? I breath in again and I remember that I left my purse in the car. I wait it out and Nick should be gone by now. I walk outside to find him sitting outside my door with his head in his palms. I immediately freeze and I honestly hope he didn't hear me open it but he swings around and he did. I close my eyes for a second wishing this is all just a dream but when I open my eyes his standing up straight.
"I need you to listen to me." He says calmly and I breath in and avoid eye contact.
"You have 5 minutes Nick and that's it." I shut the door behind me so that Brad can sleep and we're standing in the quiet corridor.
"I-I.." He begins and his searching for the right words. I glare at him and he breaths in and starts.
"I went to South Africa. After prom night and our night I got an sms at 2 in the morning saying that that my grandma has ovarian cancer Liv." He clenches his jaw and looks down. He breaths in again and continues, "She passed away a week ago." He says and tears start rolling down his cheeks. I want to give in and I want to comfort him but I just cannot being myself to go to him. He sobs and then he clears his face and looks at me.
"I helped look after her. The reason I acted weird around you so close to the end was because I was scared Liv. I was scared and I had to work harder then ever to get into Princeton to get a full scholarship because I don't have that kind of money Liv. I needed to do that and I never wanted to disappoint you because I wanted to be with you at college. That's part of the reason why I went back to SA as well... I needed to convince my mom that I needed the money and that's why I am here." He says and he doesn't break eye contact with me once. I frown and I look at this broken man in front of me but I honestly just cannot bring myself to even walk to him nor do I even have the energy to even put his pieces back together. I just stand there and I stare at him.
"Liv." He says waiting for me to respond. He says all of this and all that's going through my mind is that he could've said told me all of this and I could've helped him and supported him but he ran away like a coward.
"Liv." He says loudly and it makes me startle a bit.
"You need to leave Nick." I manage to say and he drops his face and walks closer to me.
"Baby I need you." He says and I pull back.
"Don't touch me." I firmly say and he clenches his jaw again. I think he's finally got the message and he turns around and walks to the stairs. I stare at him and his so angry and so tense. I just can't do this. I thought I was strong enough to handle him but I'm honestly not. There's no point in having this conversation with him when I hate him this much. I turn on my heels and walk back into my apartment. I lock the doors, take a long and ugly crying shower and I get into bed. My head is spinning and doing 10 million miles a minute. What even just happened?