I Love You To Death

Chapter Five

Daniel

 "Dude, that's her. That's feisty red head. It's Vivienne." Oliver looks stunned for the first time in his life, and I can't even begin to imagine how I look. So, the stranger that I ran into is Vivienne. Oliver was the monster that made her cry and we drank to Oliver tapping her. Suddenly I feel an overwhelming sense of guilt slap me in the face. This is too twisted.

"No way. Did you know that she was coming here?" I ask.

"Of course not, if I had do you think I would have still dated her?"

I look back at him utterly deadpan.

  "Okay, okay maybe I would have but still this is...unbelievable, what a freaking coincidence."

  "Tell me about it." I look back at him and resist the urge to grin at the bigger picture of coincidence that he isn't even aware of. "You have no idea".

  "Well it won't really make a difference to me now that she's here, never did and I won't let it now. Only because she's the first one to physically assault me doesn't mean she's any different from the others." He turns back to look at her, probably hoping to ridicule her with his eyes but she's talking to Jenny, thank god. Suddenly I feel glad that she punched him. In my defense it's not like he didn't deserve it. Oliver repositions himself in his chair after his failed attempt and turns his attention to Mr. Adams as he starts his explanation. I look at her a second longer and start focusing on the class.

Except I can't.

  All I can think about is Vivienne. This must be hard for her, not only is she new at this school but she also just found out that her jackass of a first will be taunting her till the end of high school. It's good that she has Jenny, not that I know her personally, but I know she's one of the few decent people here. The downside to this is that Jenny hates us. Vivienne must already hate me too, since I'm one of Oliver's friends. Does she even remember me? Of course she doesn't, she barely even looked at me. Focus, Dan. Keeping her out of my mind is like trying to move a concrete wall from its place; useless. I don't know why my mind is even dwelling on her for more than a fraction of a millisecond. I never think about girls anymore. I don't want to. Not after Leighton. I will myself to pay attention to each word Mr. Adams is saying and dissect it, eventually I focus on the class.

The bell rings and the class is suddenly animate, I get up, start making my way out the class and suddenly I stop at the door. Why did I stop? Oliver looks at me in confusion but then it dawns on him and his face is grim. Like a wrecking ball demolishing an unwanted house it slams back into me, knocking out whatever semblance of comfort that managed to sneek up on me. I remember that old habits die hard, and that's what this is: a habit. One that I developed after waiting for Leighton by the door after every period for three years.

I feel my heart beat a little too hard, expanding more than it should, stretching itself, trying to enlarge to fit all the pain that just settled in it. I breathe out and continue to walk with Oliver. He's silent.

"Did you watch the latest episode of Game of Thrones?"

"Yeah, the Red Wedding. It was mind blowing, I didn't expect it."

"I was so shocked I couldn't comprehend what just happened. But then after having thought it through the Lannister's point of view, I thought it was a really smart move." Enthusiasm is like legos in my mind, assembling, dismantling and reassembling until it forms the perfect figure.

 "I felt so betrayed man, I couldn't believe it, through it all I was still thinking that they would survive it somehow or someone would come swooping in to save them"