olivia's heart practically jumped out of her chest as she exited the cave. she was half drunk, but sober enough to know why she was upset and the meaning behind it.
"olivia!" neil shouted as he ran over to the girl. her tears streamed down her cheeks as she walked through the cold woods. "liv, please." he said, grabbing her arm.
"what, neil?" olivia choked out shakily, just barely being able to say two words.
"what's wrong? i want to help you." the words spilled out of neil's mouth. worry laced in his words.
"it's charlie, neil! why is he such an asshole?! i want to be gloria. i wish i were her! some mistakes get made and this was one of them. one moment he seems like he's in awe of me and he's all lovey dovey sending me these solid yet mixed signals and the next moment he's in a cave with two random ass girls telling them poems that aren't even his and wrapping his arm around them and being all romantic! he told that one girl part of a sonnet and william shakespeare wrote that! he told me when he took me to go see the stars!" she exclaimed, her voice raising as she sobbed.
"i cant do it anymore, neil. i cant pretend like i don't love him. i love him, neil, i really do. i love him more than you and the other boys, and in a different way i think." she exclaimed with a sad chuckle, taking her pony tail out and running her fingers through her hair frustratedly.
she was so mad she was in love with him yet not.
neil frowned as he listened to his best friend cry out her emotions to him. "hey, breathe, okay? i didn't know you liked him like that. i just thought you were jealous 'cause of there being other girls. you really love him don't you?" he asked and she nodded, trying to control herself. "i don't know why he's acting this way, he's being a total prick. maybe he got the wrong impression or something? he's a flirt alright and i'm not validating what he's done, trust me." he calmly said to the girl as he looked down at her and they began to walk back to the school. "but wait... you guys stargazed?"
"i don't get it... maybe i'm being one of his stupid flirt victims. i shouldn't have ever opened that door." she groaned. "but yeah, we did and it was super nice, neil... it was so nice." she said with a sad smile playing on her lips as she recalled the night.
"don't say that. if you didn't, we probably wouldn't even be friends, you wouldn't have come to the meetings and todd wouldn't be coming out of his shell, this was a good thing that turned bad because of one person." he told her. "but that's adorable, you should've used that against him in the cave."
"i know but still... i've been hiding my emotions of being upset for so long they're just all coming out now and i tried to smoke them
away, drink them away even tonight but here i am and i cant escape. i should've said a lot of things against him in that cave. i feel like a fool, i'm stuck, neil." she chuckled.
"no you're not... your emotions just got so bottled up that here we are. i'm here for you, olivia." he said to her softly. "try and talk to him tomorrow maybe, i'm sure it'll help. i'll talk to him before classes start, y'know, knock some sense into him."
"thank you, neil, i appreciate it. maybe i will..." she said and the rest of the way they were silent, olivia let out even more tears once she got into the room hallways, a few boys who were out of their rooms stared at her but she ignored them simply as she hugged neil tightly.
"thank you, neil. good night." she said before letting go.
"night, liv." he said before walking into his room.
when olivia got into her room, she sighed of relief. finally some where she could rest.
she took a shower, got into pajamas, turned the light off and walked to her bed, crawling in. it took her not even five minutes before she crashed.
-
olivia woke up with a groan, burying her head under her pillows as the sun shone almost too brightly.
it took her ages to get out of her room and get ready, but she did it. her bag slung over her shoulder and her tie wasn't tied yet as she rushed out the door.
"olivia-" charlie tried to talk to the female quickly but it was no use. he got a long ten minute talk from neil that morning on how he basically broke olivia into too many pieces the previous night and he felt guilty, way too guilty.
"good morning, i'm going to be late for class, i got no time to talk." olivia said, completely passing over that it was even charlie, trying to tie her tie as she rushed down the hallway. she combed her hair out with her fingers as she rushed through the hallway, her brain scattered.
"wait!" charlie exclaimed trying to catch up to the girl who practically ran down the hallway. she didn't want to go to nolan's office, there was no way in hell she was facing the man alone.
"no, not now, charlie! don't get me started this morning." she snapped, her eyes puffy from exhaustion and from how hard she cried the previous night.
charlie stopped walking and sighed as he watched her run off.
that day went by slow, there was an assembly twenty minutes after final class that all were required to attend and olivia along with many others, dreaded it.
before the assembly, charlie had found olivia and pulled her aside.
her smile dropped from her face seeing who it was who grabbed her arm and pulled her around a corner. "charlie...what on earth do y-" she started but was interrupted by the boy quickly getting to the case.
"olivia, i am so sorry. i didn't know you felt that way about me and to be quite frank i thought you had a thing for neil... it's just that you two were and have been hanging out a lot more and i was jealous, super jealous. i thought seeing the stars with you would perhaps show if i were wrong and i thought it was wrong and i-i wanted to kiss you so bad but i got scared and when i noticed your didn't seem to care i didn't kiss you, god, i felt like a whole fool." charlie said, but he most certainly was noted done. he didn't even prepare what he was going to say, it was all from heart , truly.
"neil told me everything you told him and i get it. i understand your pain now that i think back on what i did. the thing is that i really like you and last night i made a horrible mistake. i don't like either of those girls like i like you, olivia. i'll never forgive myself. i heard you sob, we all went silent after you left and i just heard you break down. i didn't mean to, i didnt even think straight. i didn't know it would break you. hell, i'm in love with you, every time you smile, it makes me smile, it's contagious i swear. i could kiss you until i loose my breath..." he said and olivias eyes watered up.
"i wanted to kiss you so bad, i thought you were going to kiss me i truly did and when you didn't it-i felt my heart sink right into my stomach it hurt a little, but last night truly broke me, i wanted to be gloria or at least tina even though she was sorta a bitch." she said, trying to hold back the tears that welded up in her eyes "i was so jealous and this is so sweet of you. everything about you except for beings a massive jerk at times, makes my heart flutter. that stupid poem keating made us write was all about you and todd was the quiet one. he's actually a super good guy not gonna lie, you should uh get to know him a bit more. look, i was so nervous to say so but... now you know. i-i didn't want to seem so cheesy with it but it was cheesy as hell. i know love is just an oblivious shout into the void because you're so tied up with only that one person but god damnit, charlie dalton, i am falling in love with you." olivia spoke onwith a happy chuckle. her eyes weren't full of sad tears anymore, they were happy tears. her eyes flickered back and forth from his two brown eyes.
"i'm so sorry, i'll never do something like it again, or anything to get back purely out of my jealously, i swear. i didn't know it broke you, truly, i just thought it annoyed you and i sorta lost hope there because i thought you were gonna say something but you didn't other than snap at me. which i deserved." he said, placing a hand on her cheek, wiping the tear that escaped her left eye. "and i had a feeling the poem was about me. it was so clear but i didn't want to push you."
"good... and wow, can't believe you knew. i mean you're right i was clear but still." she said, wrapping her arms around his shoulders, fixing his hair. "you're so dumb. i truly need to teach you how to stop being dumb even though that won't ever happen." she laughed at the boy. she hated how she was giving in so quickly, but her brain was everywhere and she knew she couldn't stay mad at charlie no matter how hard she tried to.
"alright, lovebirds, that's enough for one day." said a voice that belonged to mr keating with an amused smile on his face.
olivias arms quickly flew off of charlie as she looked at the older man. "sweet jesus, how long were you there?!" she asked nervously.
"eh, long enough to know you two have both journeyed down the good ol' tunnel of love." mr keating said. "alright, now go on you goons i sure hope you you two aren't sneaking out to the roof again. skipping out on the assembly will get you two fried." he laughed before walking down the hallway.
"oh, you cheeky bastard." charlie whispered and olivia laughed at the comment.
it felt good to finally not be so mad at charlie. sure some anger still resided in her, she forgave him, but anger still resided there. she wasn't going to pass the event fully over her head. really good. they finally got their moment and closure of the past.
the two walked into the assembly hall, siting in the only open space after charlie made a pit stop to grab something.
~~
A/N:
1874 words!
UPGRADES PEOPLE UPGRADES
i'm very glad charlie somewhat redeemed himself pfft