Forever and Always, Olive

Chapter 5

I'm sitting in last period with a tapping foot. I look at the clock and sigh. When does the bell ring again? I just want to get out of school, but I don't exactly want to go back to my aunt's house. Vivica's probably going to have Chelsea and Tracy over so they can get ready together. Then, at eight o'clock, we'll just come back to school for homecoming. I'm not exactly excited for it. I barely know Maddox, and he doesn't seem very fond of me. However, he hasn't cancelled on me and I have a feeling he would've by now if he felt like he wasn't going to show up. Unless he wanted to wait until the last minute so I'd feel like absolute and utter crap. Then again, if he said he didn't want to go, I wouldn't be that sad. I guess I just don't want to spend four hours with him, especially because I'm depending on Vivica for a ride home, and if she sees that I'm having a bad time, she'll refuse to take me home until the school staff kick us out at eleven o'clock. She's still mad at me for many things, most of which I'm unsure about. I stopped caring after Wednesday. As long as she brings me to school and back, I'm fine.

Even if Maddox ditches me, I still have to go. My aunt bought me a dress and shoes and as far as she's concerned, I really like this boy. I don't know how she came to that conclusion seeing as I've been here for barely a week but I don't ask questions. Simply put, it'd be embarrassing if he cancels on me. It's worse because I won't know until I get to homecoming. He could've already decided he's not going to go without telling me and just stand me up. Now that I think about it, I bet he won't show up. We haven't talked since Tuesday, and he didn't seem very happy with me then, probably because I led him on an unintentional wild goose chase to my house on Monday. Or maybe it was the fact that I bumped into him.

Once the bell rings, I immediately begin packing up my stuff. Everyone else does the same. Mrs. Reanna is the type of teacher to yell at you if you make a move to put something back in your bag before the bell rings, even if it's an eraser. I jolt in surprise when a voice speaks in the quiet classroom. "Are we still on for tonight?" Maddox wonders in a strained voice.

I turn around as I swing my bag over my shoulder. Cassidy and Winona stand behind him with large grins directed at me. "Yeah," I confirm as I give both girls a confused look.

He groans and Winona elbows him in the side. Through gritted teeth, he questions: "Do you need a ride?"

I think about it. Would I rather sit through a tense, awkward ride with Maddox or a loud, obnoxious ride with my cousin and her friends, where they'd make fun of me and I'd have to refrain from ripping the door off its hinges and slapping them all across their faces with it? It isn't much of a competition, to be honest. "Yeah," I agree since he's offering.

"What's the address again?" he questions and I have a feeling Cassidy's pinching his side by the way he's cringing away from her.

"I'll write it down," I tell him as I reach for my bag.

"Or she'll just text it to you," Winona suggests quietly.

"Or you can text it to me," he blurts and I feel myself cringing for him. The two girls are using him like a puppet, poking and pinching him to get him to speak.

"I don't have your number," I state the obvious.

He digs into his pocket and retrieves his phone. I guess Winona pinched him a little too hard because he tosses it at me as he lets out a girlish squeal. I shuffle to catch it, almost dropping it several times. He has a terrified look on his face as he watches me fight gravity to grab the phone.

I notice that his phone doesn't have a lock on it. Huh, unusual. "Don't touch anything," he tells me in his normal, threatening voice. I glance at him and watch as his back arches in reaction to Cassidy pinching him. "Or touch whatever you want." His voice raises with each word he says.

I take my time adding a contact, glancing up at him judgmentally every so often to give off the idea that I'm reading his messages. At one point, I did look up at him with genuine judgment when I saw that he had several different female contacts; he had four Emma's and five Jessica's, if that gives you an idea of the lengthy list he had. When I finish, I hand him back his phone and he snatches it, which earns a pinch from Winona.

"I'll just text you when I'm going to leave my house. Reply with the address then," he informs me me. Winona and Cassidy drop their hands and he sighs in relief, hunching over.

"I'll see you later," I grunt as he leaves the classroom. He doesn't bother to acknowledge my farewell as he shuffles out. Cassidy, Winona, and I exit the classroom and begin walking in the same direction. "What was that about?"

"He didn't want to talk to you about your plans," Winona explains with a shrug. "So we had to use some force to get it out of him."

"Oh," I mutter in a slightly disappointed manner. If he didn't want to go with me, why didn't he just cancel? I'd rather go alone than go with someone who'll just constantly complain about my presence, which is something I think Maddox would do.

When I reach my cousins car, I find her waiting impatiently. She mumbles something about not waiting on me again as I buckle my seatbelt and I huff noisily in response. Halfway home, I turn to look at her. "I don't need a ride to homecoming."

"Why? Did he cancel on you?" she smirks in a somewhat satisfied manner.

I roll my eyes at her. "No, he's bringing me."

She doesn't bother to respond and only continues driving in her angry, dangerous manner.

+ + +

I get ready much quicker than the other girls, who arrive at the house at four thirty. I started getting ready at six and was completely prepared at 6:30. Given, I showered at 3:30 and curled my hair at four o'clock, but I wasn't in my dress. It wasn't until six that I got into my outfit, put on perfume, and then packed a small purse. I didn't put on makeup, mainly because I never learned how to. I only have an older brother and a younger brother, and my mother never wore makeup. There was no one to teach me. And I don't want to try and end up looking stupid because I followed a professional YouTuber's tutorial.

I planned on watching a movie until 7:30 or so, which is when I thought Maddox would come and get me, but he came a lot earlier than I expected. At 6:40, I get a text from him telling me that he's leaving his house so I respond with the address and put on a few finishing touches. I grab my jacket, put it on, and walk downstairs with my purse over my shoulder. "You look so pretty!" Aunt Gen announces when I come into her view.

I smile at her, wondering if she only believes that because she helped picked it out. "Thank you," I comment awkwardly.

"Red is your color," she winks at me.

I hear a car honking outside and assume it's Maddox. I starts towards the door and she quirks a brow. "That for you?" she wonders as she glances out the front window.

"Yeah, I've got to go," I tell her. I know Maddox will get frustrated and drive off if I'm not outside in a minute or so.

"You're to be home by twelve!" she calls to me as I approach the front door. My eyes widen as the number leaves her mouth. My mother and father would've given me until nine on a good day. Of course, I was never home by nine, but I usually gave them the satisfaction of letting them set a time without me arguing in response. I nod at my aunt before exiting the house.

As I walk towards Maddox's car, I'm surprised to find him in an actual tuxedo. I don't know what I was expecting him to wear, but it wasn't anything remotely formal. It was probably all black and leather because he seems to be fond of that. From what I've seen so far, his uniform is always accessorized with the two. When I get into the car and admire his outfit, he glares at me. "Don't say anything."

"A tuxedo?" I ask with a small smirk on my lips. I can't help but to tease. He glowers at me before he pulls off down the road. "Do you live far from here?"

"I'm not telling you where I live," he scoffs as if the idea of saying his address is preposterous.

"I probably won't know where it is, anyway. I was just assuming because it took you barely ten minutes to get here," I mutter as I stare out the window. We're silent as I continue to think. We never really introduced each other. I know his name thanks to Vivica and he knows my name... "Wait, do you even know my name?"

He looks at me with narrowed brows. "Yes, I'm not stupid."

"Oh, really, what is it then?" I inquire. He has to know, right? I mean, his friends knew.

"Olive," he announces confidently.

"It's Olivia," I correct him. At least he was close...

"I know. But Olive is better. It's a food," he mutters as he takes a left turn. Unlike Vivica, he turns normally, not with too much force or the goal of giving me a minor concussion.

"I don't like that nickname," I reply in hopes that he'll revert to using my real, birth name.

"It's not a nickname," he concurs with a slight head shake. "You have to like the person to give them a nickname."

We fall into silence again as he continues to drive towards the school. "Why'd you say yes?" I wonder aloud.

"You talk so much," he sighs.

"Answer the question and I won't talk again until we get to school," I propose as I pull at the end of my dress to yank it down. I forgot how uncomfortable these things are.

Instead of responding, he reaches for the radio. When I go to speak over it, he looks straight at, turns up the music, and rudely silences me. I dont bother to speak to him again.