ONE: THE UNWANTED SURPRISE
Olivia drove down the busy freeway, her heart thumping with so much excitement she could barely breathe.
This is happening, this is really happening.
She silently squealed under her breath.
After almost a year of living from paycheck to paycheck, barely scraping by on food, and having to beg her parents just to be able to pay her electricity and water bills, she finally has a ray of sunshine in the darkness she has been in.
An internship at Knight Enterprises, her dream job.
Olivia could hardly believe her eyes when she saw that letter in the mail when scrolling through her pile of bills.
After a series of interviews and a message that they would get back to her a few months ago, she lost hope that she was never going to hear back from them again.
But there it was, a letter in the mall.
At first, she was preparing for the rejections, but when she saw the word congratulations she couldn't stop herself from crying tears of joy, even though she knew her eyes were going to be puffy and red.
It was the break she desperately needed, the breath of fresh air in the weight she was being crushed under.
And she didn't want to breathe it alone.
Just then her phone rang, interrupting the music playing through her car's Bluetooth.
“Lilo is calling,” the automated voice said, and a smile found its way to Olivia's lips. She picked up the call, focusing her attention on the road.
“Hey,” she said once the call clicked, trying to stay as calm as possible so as not to give away any hint of the news that was bubbling inside her, ready to bust out.
“well someone sounds super chipper this afternoon” Leo, her best friend, said, suspicion ringing in his voice.
“what do you mean? I sound perfectly normal” She said, trying not to give her happiness away.
“you have something to say, now spill it” Leo ordered, and Olivia couldn't help but sigh.
She could never seem to hide anything from him. Ever since sophomore year he always knew when she had something to say, but she never knew how.
“well, I was planning on telling you tonight, but I guess that's not part of the opinion so, drum roll please” She paused for a few much for the dramatic effect.
“oh my god, you're such a drama queen, spill it out” Leo urged.
“I got a job at Knight Enterprise” she burst out, unable to hold back her grin.
The phone was silent for a few minutes and Olivia thought the line had disconnected before Leo was able to speak again.
“Are you for real?”
“Yes!” Olivia laughed, turning right off the freeway “ I got in” she giggled.
“holy s**t! Oh my god, this is huge” he exclaimed through the phone.
“yeah, I know! I can't believe I got in” she spoke.
“I can, I always had faith in you,” he said softly, and she beamed.
“ And now, we can always work together, like we dreamed of” she declared.
When they were graduating high school they always swore that they were going to work in the same establishment no matter what. It was a silly dream, but Olivia held it to her heart, and now, it was finally going to come through.
“We should out and celebrate, my treat” Leo offered, the happiness still in his voice.
“Absolutely, but first, I have to tell my boyfriend. We'll probably meet you there” Olivia informed.
Leo let out a disappointing tsk but otherwise said nothing. Olivia rolled her eyes at him.
“What now lilo?” she asked, using the nickname she gave him.
“Nothing, it's just, I think it better we didn't tell him. It could be our secret” he insisted.
“what do you mean? Of course, I'm going to tell Chad. He's my boyfriend”
“It's just, he's not the most supportive when it comes to this kind of thing,” he said.
Olivia glared at the phone “Of course he's supportive, I can count all the times he's been supportive of me and my decisions”
“Exactly, as your boyfriend you shouldn't have to have a number. I don't like him oli”
Olivia rolled her eyes “You don't like any of my boyfriends”
“That's because you have a shitting taste in men..”
“Okay,” she interrupted “Well it's my big news and I want to share it with him. And you” she pointed to the phone “Are going to get along with him tonight. Got it?”
Leo sighed in defeat “Fine, I have to go, call me when you're ready to go” he hung up just as Olivia was pulling into the parking lot of the apartment building.
She got out of the car and closed the door, praying her boyfriend would be home.
She's been calling and texting him nonstop for almost an hour, but yet hasn't gotten a reply from him. It wasn't rare for him to not pick up her calls, but what was weird was for him to not pick up her calls on a Sunday. That was his free day.
As she walked closer to his apartment door she could see the lights on but when she knocked, nobody answered
This wasn't like Chad at all. No matter the situation he always saves on electricity bills, and would never leave his light on even when he was home, talk less of when he isn't.
She decided to call him again, but as she placed the phone to her ear, she heard what she was sure was a groan.
She knocked again, but nothing.
When the call wasn't going through she started getting worried and decided to use the spare key he always leaves under his mat.
She knew someone was home from all the weird noise coming from the house. If Chad wasn't home was it a break it?
She felt tempted to call the police, but chose against it just in case Chad was home and maybe too drunk or something. That would be a great waste of the officer's time.
Olivia inserted the key into the lock, her heart beating, but this time not for excitement.
Olivia didn't understand why she felt so nervous as she opened the door, but something felt wrong.
Terrible wrong.
The first thing she heard when she walked through Chad's door was the sound of panted moaning and groaning, and she knew exactly what that sound was.
Olivia felt her heart drop to her feet, but she kept following the sounds up the steps as they became louder with each step she took.
It felt like she was being pulled by some invisible string, forcing her to put one step in front of the other, forcing her to see what she didn't want to.
Olivia's stomach churned uncomfortably as she neared Chad's bedroom where the god-awful noise was coming from.
As She cracked the door open to find her boyfriend of two years sitting on the best completely naked, with a random girl she has never met better between his tights sucking on his d**k, she was sure she was going to be sick.