Background Character

Chapter 8

B, she saw me and she knew what I was doing. It's alarming to say the least, that she has some notion of my existence as I tell the story. Sure there are characters that break the fourth wall but few are insignificant to the story and none change a story that has already happened.

To clear up the confusion a little, I am the narrator. My job is to tell you the story, this story. Everything here really happened to me, this is my past and I'm sharing it with you. I'm given the ability to revisit everything, to see the story from all sides so that it is as balanced and as impartial as I can make it.

There should be no way for her to change that. I don't exist, I didn't exist. At least, I don't think I existed, telling the story as it unfolded the first time.

What if this is the first time?

I need to stop, I'm only driving myself in circles trying to figure all of this out. I have to focus on what is truly important; telling this story.

I'm going to focus the story back on Olivia now.

Olivia winced at the clattering of locker doors. Psychology had gone as well as it could have, under the circumstances.

The two walked down the murky hallway, ignoring the looks people shot Laura as they passed by. Olivia went pretty unnoticed as usual. That's the way she preferred it, she just wanted to wait out the next two years and go onto to college. High school drama was bred out of a closeness and proximity that she anticipated college would lack. She could get lost, meet new people every day and experience more than small town closed mindedness.

The thing she wanted most was to be able to surround herself with people unafraid to express themselves, people like herself.

"Why aren't we in all the same classes?" Laura glanced disdainfully into the classroom.

"You're a senior and I'm a junior. We're lucky to have two classes together and lunch."

"Just come inside with me. You can sit in the back, I bet my teacher won't even notice if you're there if you stay quiet." Laura shot her a pouty lip and puppy dog eyes, begging like a child to their mother, "Please?"

"I have my own class." Olivia took a few steps back, hoping the physical distance would ease their difficulty with the growing emotional distance. "I will see you at lunch. Text me if you start to feel lonely, my teacher is completely oblivious. I could text right in front of her face and she probably wouldn't notice."

"Fine." Laura muttered, clearly unimpressed with the turn of events.

Olivia ignored her as she turned and continued down the hallway. All alone, without her guard dog, Jake decided it was the perfect time to approach her to apologize. He had completely forgotten to do so earlier in the year and it had come to bite him in the ass.

He didn't want to just pop out of the wall and scare her, so he waited until she had passed and then rushed to catch up with her, "Liv!"

She whipped around and stalked towards him, "It's Olivia. Just Olivia."

Before Jake could respond, she twisted around. He was left awestruck, even I was little shocked by the change in her behavior. I had never seen Olivia so angry before, even her anger surrounding Taco Tuesday had been nothing more than silent seething.

"Wait!" Jake called after her and rushed to catch up. It didn't take much effort, Jake had long enough legs it only took a few strides. "I'm sorry, I realize you didn't like that name."

Olivia refused to look at him, "That's because you don't know me."

"I wanted to apologize," He began.

"Oh, you 'wanted to apologize' but you changed your mind? Decided not to?" Olivia said, cutting him off.

She swung around, trying to escape but he stopped her, catching Olivia's arm, "I want to apologize."

Olivia glanced down at his tight grip on her arm, "Well I guess I have no choice but to listen."

"I never apologized for running you over in the beginning of the year."

Olivia still refused to face Jake, silently fuming as he spoke. His grip on her wrist was loose enough that it didn't hurt but, firm enough that she couldn't easily get out of it.

"And you still haven't apologized." She pointed out.

"Well that's why I'm here, I really wanted to apologize to you."

Olivia waited for Jake continued, but he didn't. She wanted to hear the words come from his mouth, she wanted him to outright admit that he was at fault. It wouldn't be fair to her any other way. He didn't deserve to give her a half-assed apologies seven months late and she wasn't planning on accepting anything less than a full apology.

Jake, on the other hand, curiously watched Olivia. From the quirk of her lip to the way her fingertips tapped the hemline of her shirt, there was something so entrancing about watching her. So entrancing that all other thoughts simply left his head for a little while. He wondered how he had never noticed her before, she seemed like the kind of girl he'd want to notice.

They stood in silence for a few more moments before Olivia spoke up, "I'm waiting?"

Jake's brows scrunched up,"For what?"

Olivia, with strength she wasn't aware she had, ripped her hand from his grasp. As she stalked away, she shouted back, "For my damn apology!"

It then dawned on Jake that he had yet to apologize to her.

Whoops.

Olivia was seething, more so than ever before. She had managed fine, ignoring Jake for the most part after the initial period of waiting. Now, after he had just stood there, waiting for her to accept his bs apology, she was absolutely done with him. He had revived all the anger that burned through her as she hobbled down the hallways those first few weeks after she had broken her leg.

Laura found her in such a state, unable to control the shaking of her body as she attempted in reign in her fury. Instead of asking questions, Laura was quick to take Olivia into her arms and stroke her hair. As she carefully untangled the knots in Olivia's long hair, Laura couldn't help but wonder what had set her best friend off.

Olivia never gets this angry Laura thought to herself before pushing the thought aside. Getting to the root of the problem could wait, Olivia needed to calm down first.

Once most of the tension had left Olivia's shoulders, Laura pulled back and looked at her, "You good?"

"I can't say I'm good," She took a deep breath, "But I'm better than I was. Thanks for that."

"Of course, that's what friends are for," Laura threw an arm around Olivia, "If you're up to it, mind telling me why you were so...Yeah, I'm just going to come out and say it. Pissed?"

"Pissed is a good word, it fits. If you want to know what about, you can look no further than the jackass who broke my fucking leg." Olivia had begun seething once again, "He had to nerve to come up to me and say he should have apologized yet failed to actually apologize. He just stood there waiting for me to accept that as an apology instead of him actually saying the words. I swear, I have never been so mad in my life."

"I don't blame you." Laura coaxed Olivia forward, trying to lead her in the direction of her next class. "If you want me to, I promise I'll kick his ass."

"I want to be the one to kick his ass. I deserve it after what he did to me." She stopped a moment, nearly tripping Laura in the process. "I'm not overreacting, am I?"

"Of course not, it's not like he stole your pencil. He broke you leg and waited seven months to even acknowledge that he had done so. You are understandably upset by that, anyone in your shoes would be."