Forever and Always, Olive

Chapter 11

It's raining on Saturday. I wake up at noon only to find that both my aunt and cousin are gone. Slightly grateful that I don't have to face them with my tear stained face, I shower and get ready for my three o'clock meeting with Maddox. I have my book bag packed and I even text Maddox at two to see if we're still on. He says that we are with a nicely worded insult, and so I set off at 2:30. I mostly play in the rain, swinging my umbrella around and around, trying to see how fast I can spin it before it flies out of my hands and I have to run and get it.

I arrive at Maddox's house soaked in rainwater. When I knock on the door, the only thing he can say is: "Really?" I just shrug in response, close my umbrella, and then shed off my jacket. After hanging the coat up where he points and putting the umbrella down in the entrance hallway, I wipe my feet on the mat and pray that I don't mess up his floors. They look expensive and I know for a fact that if I did mess them up, he wouldn't hesitate to slide the bill into my aunt's mailbox.

"Just take off your shoes," he requests impatiently after four minutes of me vigorously wiping my feet on the mat. My eyes widen slightly when I realize that I'm wearing mismatched socks. Hesitantly, I take off one shoe, revealing the neon pink ankle sock, and then the other shoe, revealing the bright green and orange knee sock. He sighs when he sees my feet and shakes his head but motions for me to follow him. We enter the living room and I look around, allowing my eyes to settle on the fancy furniture. Everything is so...clean. There's no mess anywhere. Since it's basically one large room, I look to the kitchen and there's not a drop of anything anywhere. There are no dishes in the sink. Every cabinet is closed and the house seems like it isn't lived in. I feel like I don't belong.

"It's nice," I tell him with a nod. He doesn't bother to respond. He drops onto the couch, grabs his book bag, and takes out his American Literature folder. "What's the main character's name going to be?" I ask him once we decide to do a book about a boy who learned what responsibility is.

"Fernando Ferdinand," Maddox suggests.

"I was thinking something that small children could pronounce," I correct him.

"Carlos," he responds and I figure that's good enough.

"Okay, Carlos it is," I reply and jot it down. "He has to babysit his neighbor's cat for a few days."

"Babysit?" Maddox asks me with raised brows. "A cat?"

"Cat-sit," I glare at him. "Okay. The cat should run away for a day or so."

"And then magically return?" Maddox asks me with an annoyed look on his face. "You're giving these kids false hope."

"If you have a better idea, I'd love to hear it," I scoff at him. He rolls his eyes but writes down my idea anyway.

After we figure out the plot of the story, my phone starts ringing. I look at it and pick it up. Maddox is busy getting something to drink from the kitchen. "Hey mom."

"It's me, Olive," my little brother's voice enters the phone. I grin widely at the sound of his babyish voice.

"How are you doing?" I inquire as I get comfortable on the couch.

"I'm great, how are you?" he responds like a little adult.

"I'm good, too. Did you have fun last night?" I continue the conversation.

"A whole bunch! But I ate a lot of my candy, so mommy took it away," my brother explains sadly.

"I still have mine!" I respond in an evil voice.

"That's not fair! Can you try and convince mommy to give mine back?" he pleads.

"I'll try," I reply with a large smile.

"How's your boyfriend?" he giggles teasingly and I'm filled with confusion.

I furrow my eyebrows. "Who?" I ask.

"Maddox," he attempts to say his name. It sounds like a slush of words because of his absent teeth but I understand where he's coming from. My cheeks immediately heat up.

"No, we're just friends," I tell him. If that, I think to myself.

"Mommy thinks you guys are boyfriend and girlfriend," he sings into the phone and I shake my head.

"What? Did you tell her that we aren't?" I ask him. The seven year old laughs evilly.

"I'll do that when you get me my candy back!" he cackles deviously.

I roll my eyes at him but join in on the laughter. I notice that Maddox has returned to the couch and is now sitting with furrowed eyebrows so my laughter dies down. "I have to go now."

"You'll call mommy and get me my candy back, right, Olive?" he checks with me one last time.

"I will only if you tell her that we're just friends," I enlighten him.

"Okay, I will!" he responds and I can tell he's bobbing his head up and down excitedly.

"I love you, Charlie," I say into the phone. Maddox's eyebrows shoot up and then drop back down.

"Love you, too, Olive," he replies before hanging up. I smile at the phone before putting it in my pocket. Maddox tosses a water bottle at me and a bag of Doritos.

"Thanks," I mutter. He actually brought me food. I didn't expect him to, if that wasn't obvious.

"I figured we could take a break," he shrugs as he opens his own bottle of water.

"Yeah," I nod as I open the bag of chips.

"That was your brother?" he asks me.

I slowly nod. "Yeah, he called me from my mom's phone. He wants me to convince my mom to get him his Halloween candy back."

"Are you going to?" he questions.

"Only if he tells my mother that we're not—," I begin as I open the bag of chips, lost in a trance. "I mean, only if he does what I asked him to."

"What was that?" he interrogates.

"What was what?" I mumble as I shove a chip in my mouth.

"The first part," he clarifies as he holds his bag of chips in one hand.

"How he called asking me to convince my mom to give him back his candy?" I reiterate as I sip my water and avoid eye contact.

"After that," he presses with a nod.

"How I'll only do it if he does what I asked him to?" I grin sheepishly. He gives me a flat look and I shake my head, deciding not to beat around the bush any longer. I don't do that; I'm known for being blunt. "My mom thinks we're dating."

"Who?" he asks with wide eyes.

He's really going to make me say it. "Us," I announce.

"Us as in me and you?" he proposes. I nod slowly with a red face. His face contorts to one of disgust and he scowls. "Ew, never going to happen."

"I have feelings!" I reply when he shivers.

"So do I! Your mom thinks I'd date you," he retorts with a wrinkled nose. Before I can call him rude and tell him that he's a jerk, the sound of the front door opening cuts off all means of conversation. Maddox's eyes widen as he attempts to see who just entered the house.

"Maddie, are you talking to yourself again?" Abel's voice calls from down the hallway. Maddox looks somewhat relieved but still on edge. I just sit there with my half-finished bag of chips in my hands and my water bottle beside me.

Abel comes sliding down the hallway with his Burger King uniform on. When he sees me sitting there, he looks confused. "Maddox, care to explain why there's a girl here and there is no parental supervision?"