Take Me Higher

Chapter Two-Reggie

 "You brought her tampons?" Frankie laughs, hanging up really shitty party streamers. "How close are you guys?"

I chuck a bag of confetti at him, taking the unfinished joint off the counter and light it up.

"So?" Frankie prompts.

"Olivia's...cool. I've told you we're friends," I remind him, holding the joint between my lips as I inhale deeply. Frankie gives me a blank expression, like I've wounded him or something. "Don't worry, man, if you were a chick, I'd bring you tampons too," I joke.

He tosses the bag of confetti back at me, it hits me square in the chest. "Shut the fuck up," he laughs. "So she's doing good then? I know you were a little worried about her adjusting away from her parents when she first got into town."

I nod, but him asking about Olivia just reminds me that I haven't been around as much as I should be. It's been a little over a month since she moved in with me and the first week went really well and once she was all settled in, I started slipping to my old habits. Well, not that I ever stopped, it was just more hidden. Olivia know's how I am though.

Obviously I need to pay more attention since she's been getting around without a car. I'll have to take a look at it, I'm sure it's something minor. I still can't believe she didn't fucking tell me, I've always made it clear that she can come to me with anything. Part of her living with me was so she'd have somebody there for her. Not only that, I don't want some douche-fuck she works with giving her rides home.

Her mom made sure to get that across when she talked to me over the phone the night before Olivia drove down here. Because her mother, Loral was battling cancer, Olivia spent a lot of time at home, helping take care of her. Loral was especially worried that she wouldn't make friends or that she would fall into the wrong crowd. I'm honestly shocked that they let her make the four hour trip here by herself.

Don't even get me started on my disbelief when Loral and my mother asked if I would let her move in with me rather than her being alone on campus. Loral may be a little blind to my debauchery, but my mom knows about it all. I just can't believe they thought having her live with me would be a good idea.

Our schedules conflict a lot of the time. She has classes most mornings and works at Al's Bar and Grill a few nights a week. I definitely never would've seen her working at a place like that, but she seems to be doing well. Occasionally Frankie and I go up there for drinks, my way of checking on her.

As far as Olivia falling into the wrong crowd, she's definitely one that doesn't just follow what everybody else is doing. She's become really close with one of the girls I was casually hooking up with last year, Keely, which was kind of weird at first. I'm just glad she's making friends.

In high school, when she was a freshman and I was a senior, that whole year we were kind of attached at the hip— and not the way I usually go for. It was obvious she didn't have any friends. I don't mean that she was a loner or an outcast, I just think she missed a lot of school to take care of her mom and didn't want to be a charity case. I never wanted to be like that either, I just made sure to have a social life on the weekends to get...well, for lack of a better phrase, fucked up.

Once I left for school, there were occasional texts and calls, but the only time we really hung out was when I came home for the holidays. I honestly only did it to see Olivia, I looked forward to our PG flirtations. I look forward to her. She's always had this sense of understanding for me, like she knows exactly why I do the stupid shit I do. She knows and she still willingly stays around, she's constant while everything is up in the air.

The party is in full swing around eleven and Angie apparently knew about the surprise party the whole time. She didn't look too impressed by all the work that Frankie put into this. Like, of course the decorations are frilly and over the top, but he went out of his way to invite her sorority sisters and even the fraternity that they usually socialize with, despite how much he hates that scene. He really did put a lot of effort in and she's being a little...bitchy.