Love and Submission

Chapter Nineteen

The lunchroom was even more treacherous than usual. Olivia could smell Connor already inside although in truth his scent was laced around the school, just varying in degrees of intensity. If she wanted she could have followed his trail all over finding the exact path he walked, but that was crazy stalker behavior. Besides, she didn’t need to stalk him. She was an adult. If she wanted to say something she had his number. She didn’t have anything to say so stalking him was unnecessary. At least, that was what she tried to tell herself. Yet there she was standing on the wrong side of the cafeteria doors, staring at them. Any minute she would convince her feet to stop being chickens and make their way inside. Yup. Any minute now. “Hey Liv, you working on your telekinesis?” Kitty’s eternally chipper voice yanked Olivia from her thoughts.

“No.” She stuck her tongue out to prove her point. “I thought I’d forgotten something and was trying to remember it.”

“Like how to make your feet work?” Olivia turned a level stare at her best friend. The friend in question smiled broadly. “You wouldn’t perhaps be avoiding a tall dark and brutally handsome someone who is probably behind those doors now would you?”

“No.” That one came out with less force than the first.

“Well then, I’m starved.” Kitty linked her arm through Olivia’s and dragged her through the doors. It was an effort not to scan the room for him but she managed. Kitty was prattling away about the horrid visit to the dentist and didn’t really require much of a response. They sat down without incident and finally Olivia caved and scanned the crowd for him. She didn’t want to be too obvious and smell her way to him. When her eyes finally settled on the back of his oh so familiar head she felt her eyes pop and her mouth drop open. He was sitting with Molly. Molly who looked pleased as punch to be receiving the attention from the rich handsome new boy. Olivia felt a white hot anger tear through her bloodstream making it pound through her body. Her eyes felt sharper as they tracked every minuscule movement made by the two of them. She was going to get up. Calmly walk over to their table and then grab a chunk of that fake blonde hair and smash her face into the table. Maybe she’d do it more than once, to make sure there were no mistakes on the message. Then and only then was she going to sink her teeth into Connor’s throat and then rip it out. “LIV!” Olivia snapped out of her murderous fantasies to stare at Kitty who was now wide eyed.

“I’m sorry did you say something?”

“Uh yea. You snapped your fork in half and looked like you were getting ready to make someone eat their own shoes.” Olivia looked down at the halves of the plastic fork gripped tight in her palm. Damnit. She was about to get up and toss them away when Kitty’s head turned in the direction where she had been looking, mimicked her own reaction though severely less homicidal, then turned back to Olivia. “What an asshole. You want me to go kick his ass?” No she wanted to do it herself. She wanted to take him apart with her own two hands. “Again with the look.” Olivia once again pulled herself out of the spiral. “Seriously you just got back from suspension. I don’t think another fight, no matter how well deserved, is the best idea.”

“You’re right.” Olivia could still seethe from where she was after all. Of all the stupid idiotic stunts he could pull he had to pick her. “Besides, we’re on a break. What do I care?” Kitty gave her the ‘yeah right’ face but didn’t comment further. They ate in silence while Olivia snuck glances over at the table where he was sitting and tried not to growl at them. During one of these stealth recon sessions a faded t shirt came into view and made her blink several times. When she looked up she saw Todd beaming down a smile. That was right she’d invited him to come eat with them. Perfect! Another person to distract her from how badly she wanted to introduce Connor’s face to his colon. “Hey!”

“Mind if I sit?”

“Not at all.” Kitty grinned at Todd and stole his fruit roll up off his plate when he wasn’t looking.

“Hey I’m sorry that guy turned out to be such a jerk.” It took Olivia a moment to realize he meant Connor. She shrugged. “If you want me to…you know say something to him I will.”

“It’s cool Todd really. We are taking a break he’s free to do as he pleases.”

“Still a d**k move if you ask me.”

“So Todd I hear you are the player to watch for the most gratuitous violence this year?” Kitty asked deftly if not subtly, changing the subject. Todd smiled and even flushed a little at the compliment.

“Yeah I’m the best defense we’ve got this year. I’m really excited.”

“I except to see copious amounts of ‘gray area’ blocks mister.” Kitty warned. Todd laughed no doubt unsure if she was serious. With Kitty it was always better to assume she was.

“You should stay with Olivia and watch practice today.” Kitty turned wide eyes to Olivia.

“Yeah I’m staying. I have been out of touch with the real world and I want to get back in it. Besides, anything I can do to avoid my mother at this point is totally in my good graces.” Kitty smiled at that.

“I second that notion. Alright I’ll be there. Maybe you might toss a bloody nose in there for me?”

“How am I going to bloody anyone’s nose Kitty?” Todd asked with a nervous laugh.

“I don’t know you’re the star defense man.” Kitty batted those wide eyes thick with black eyeliner at Todd and had him blushing again. Having Todd to banter with reminded Olivia of Henry. She hadn’t seen him in weeks either.

“Hey, anyone know where Henry is?” Todd smiled and pointed to a table at the far end of the cafeteria.

“Henry is now dating Clara, and she doesn’t approve of us. He disappeared almost right as you did. But trust me, this one is welcome.” Olivia raised an eyebrow at him. “Henry’s moon eyes are ten times more disgusting than yours, trust me.” Kitty bust into laughter and Olivia smiled.

“I do not have ‘moon eyes’.”

“For the last two weeks you did. In fact if you looked close enough your pupils spelled out Connor Wahl, respectively of course.” Olivia stuck her tongue out at him which earned her smile but she also noticed Connor’s head turn at the sound of his name. She resisted the intense urge to glare over at him and settled for ignoring him, at least on the surface, to let him get a grasp of her anger level.

“That’s ridiculous.” She scoffed and listened as the conversation turned to the chemistry homework that Todd still had to do. Kitty was adept at all things chemical, extremely disturbing if you didn’t know that ahead of time, so they talked without needing Olivia’s participation. Which was a good thing because she was using her werewolf hearing to eavesdrop on the conversation where Connor was sitting. Molly was trying to talk him in to listening to Taylor Swift. Olivia would have laughed her ass off if it had been different circumstances. The idea of Connor with all of his tricked out bass systems listening to that music was too much. The bell rang saving her from another round of suspension and or an episode of embarrassing display of public affection. This werewolf territorial instinct was a strong thing that was for sure.

“Hey, walk you to class?” Todd offered. Olivia agreed with a smile and Kitty shook her head.

“I have art so I’m peeking.”

“Kitty.” Kitty stopped and looked at Olivia with wide innocent eyes. No Olivia had not forgotten that Kitty and Connor shared that class next. “Don’t.”

“Would I do something like that?” Olivia mouthed ‘I mean it’ as they walked away.

“What don’t you want her to do?” Todd asked as they meandered down crowded hallways to get to their own classes.

“Say anything to Connor.” Todd’s mouth made an ‘o’. They walked the rest of the way in silence but she had a feeling he wanted to say something more. She tried to walk slower to give him more time but soon enough they were in front of the gym doors.

“So I know this isn’t a great time but I was wondering if maybe you wanted to go to a movie with me? Sometime?” Olivia blinked a couple of times.

“Uh, Todd…”

“I like you Olivia.” He laid a warm hand on her shoulder but it wasn’t the same. She had no spark, no feeling for Todd beyond the friendship they shared. When Kitty was right she was right.

“I like Connor.” Todd nodded like that was the answer he was expecting.

“Even now?” She could only nod back. The complicated twists and turns of her relationship with Connor were not easily explained. Even to someone who knew the werewolf bits.

“I’m sorry Todd.”

“It’s ok.” He said with a sigh and a sad smile. “You better get to class though; don’t want to get in trouble.”

“I’ll see you at practice?” He smiled again.

“Definitely.” Well that hadn’t been too horrible. At least she hoped so.

Olivia made her way to the bleachers beside the practice field marveling at how they seemed to be filled with girls huddled in coats. It wasn’t that cold. Olivia had hers on but open because it was easier to transport that way. “I hope you let him down easy.” Kitty said, popping up beside Olivia for the second time today. Trust Kitty to know exactly what was going on at all times.

“I hope so.”

“What did you tell him?”

“The truth.”

“But you said it nicely right?” Olivia rolled her eyes as they sat down on the cool benches.

“I said I liked Connor.” Kitty smiled.

“Oh, well, that isn’t so bad. Don’t give me that look Liv. Sometimes you’re almost male with your lack of tact.”

“I resent that.” Olivia said and turned her attention to the field where she waved at Todd. Her hand froze in the air like that when she spotted Connor jogging onto the field in a uniform. He noticed her too and looked even more shocked than she was.

“Oh did I forget to mention that Connor was the striker?” Kitty asked with an overdone innocence. Olivia turned and glared at her.

“Must have slipped your mind I’m sure.” Todd had jogged over to them and was now smiling over the railing.

“You going to cheer me on from over here? You’ll have to be super loud.” He said with a wink.

“Oh don’t worry about that. This pleasant surface demeanor of mine is all a façade. A false sense of security if you will.” Kitty retorted with a malicious grin. Todd laughed and rejoined the practicing teams on the field. Just one more thing she hadn’t known about Connor. “You know Olivia, if you like Connor enough to turn down other offers, maybe you should hear him out?”

“It’s complicated, Kitty.” She held up her hands defensively.

“Okay just trying to meddle.” She smiled and then the whistle blew. Olivia’s new sharp eyes were much more capable of keeping track of the ball and now she was even able to guess, most of the time, where it was going to end up. When Todd blocked a pass Kitty screeched loudly and Olivia cheered as well, though much less loudly. Olivia was trying to be obvious about watching Todd and not so obvious about watching Connor. There was something oddly satisfying about watching her man succeed at this physical activity. They formed a line again and the whistle blew once more this time Olivia watched Connor more closely. This of course made it all the easier for her to witness the dive and ankle grab he performed on the unsuspecting Todd, sending the former crashing to the ground with a loud thud. The girls on the other end of the bleachers erupted in cheers. Olivia didn’t have to turn to know that Molly was among them.

“Wahl, take a bench. Simmons, come here.” The coach ordered sounding pissed. Kitty and Olivia made their way to the side lines and listened tensely as the coach inspected Todd. “He’ll be fine, just sprained I think.” The coach told the girls after a few moments. Connor turned to look at Olivia so she glowered at him.

“Well I suppose I’ll be heading home then. Sorry Todd, I’ll come watch the next one.” He nodded and tried not to grimace as Kitty offered him a shoulder to lean on back to the school. Olivia turned on her heel and made her way to the parking lot sparing no further glances for Connor. What was he thinking? She didn’t know the rules of soccer but even to her untrained eye that looked like a cheap trick. Not only was he going to taunt her with her hated rival but now he was going to beat on her friends? Man she wanted to hit him right now. She wrenched her car door open and got inside, slamming it with force. When she looked out her windshield her eyes locked with those of the boy from the grocery store. The one she had felt hyper territorial near for no discernible reason. Was he following her or something?

No wait. This was a school with a sports team practicing. He probably had a younger sibling on the team. Maybe that was why she got all territorial before, she recognized him. She shook her head, breaking the link, and also smiled to herself. Of all the stupid things to get worked up over. Just as she was getting ready to pull out of her spot her pocket vibrated eliciting a shriek. She dug for her phone and saw a text message from Connor. She frowned put the car back in park and read it. Dinner? He wanted to go to dinner?

Why? It took a minute but his response was just as terse.

Talk.

Fine.

Pick u up @ 8.

K.

Well this was turning out to be one bizzaro day. As opposed to all the previous days she mused ironically.