We watched a few movies after which I told her to stay for lunch and she agreed. We spent the afternoon in my bed just talking about our lives and cracking a few jokes until we ran out of topics to talk about at which time she decided she should get home.
So I didn’t get much out of Amelia as she was as clueless about what the matter was with Olivia and Heather as I was. I didn’t want to talk to Heather about this or about anything else really. So I had to confront Olivia again. I was starting to get tired of this secrecy between the two girls and I was determined to know what it was about.
So as soon as I figured out that it was safe to approach Olivia in the evening, a little before dinnertime, I took the opportunity of having no one around to disturb us and asked her about it.
I knocked on her door. It was like she had made a permanent place in the guestroom because I rarely saw her outside apart from the time when we all had to gather to eat.
“Come in.” Her voice was nearly inaudible to me and I wouldn’t have heard if I hadn’t been paying attention to her reaction.
I opened the door and gently closed it behind me. She was bent over a laptop, rapidly typing away on it.
“What’re you doing?” I asked as I took a seat in front of her on the bed.
She looked up and her face dropped and she seemed like she wanted me to get out. I didn’t understand her problem but I decided to remain calm and slowly work my way into what I was really here for.
“Just completing programming assignments.”
I nodded. “How’s college?”
“It’s good.” She said, still not looking at me.
“When are your university exams.”
“In a few weeks.”
I nodded again. “Vince’s party was really fun right? It was all mysterious and exciting with the masquerade theme and masks.”
“Yeah.”
I exhaled noisily, annoyed at her vague and short answers.
“Are you not feeling well?”
“I’m fine. Why would you think I’m not? I’m healthy and I have no problems.” Once again she answered without looking up from her laptop.
“Oh, it’s just that you don’t look too well. That night, at the party. You looked seriously ill. I accidentally overheard your conversation with Tristan.”
She didn’t look angry at me but she looked irritated by it. “Then you must have also overheard that I told him that it was just period pain. You know how bad it gets in the first two days. So why are you making a fuss about it? I told you it’s nothing, I’m fine so just drop it.”
“Then I should also let you know that I overheard you asking for Heather… and not? me.? Should I tell you how betrayed I felt when the first person you thought of when in a situation like that was Heather, despite me being your best friend for longer?”
“Are you seriously here to whine about that just because you’re a little jealous?”
“I’m not jealous. I just feel that you and Heather are hiding something big and serious from me and I need to know. I deserve to know what’s going on.”
“How many times are we going to go over this? I told you there’s nothing for you to know so just leave me the fuck alone.” She spat.
I wasn’t even shocked anymore.
“Is it something about Tristan?” I asked calmly.
“What? No.”
“Then why are you avoiding him as if something happened between you two.”
“If I remember correctly, you wanted me to stop hanging out with him so what do you want now?”
“I know I said that but this time it just feels different. Did something else happen between you two?”
“No! We just kissed once and since then things are awkward between us. Since then I had been avoiding him just like you ordered me to.”
I scoffed at her words. “I didn’t order you. I just told you that it was best if you did.”
“So that’s what I was doing and still am doing. What more do you want from me? If you haven’t noticed, I have a lot of things remaining to do and I’d appreciate it if you go away.”
“Why is it that every time I try to talk to you, it always ends up in a fight? Can’t we ever have a normal conversation where we aren’t taunting or yelling at each other or keeping secrets and not trusting each other?” I snapped.
Olivia groaned and moved her head from side to side as if my words were giving her a pain in the neck.
“Please leave.”
Knowing talking to her any further would turn out to be futile, I just stood up and without a word started for the door.
“You can’t hide it forever, Olivia. One day I will find out.” And with that I shut her door with a bang.
I was worried about her. She was clearly in some sort of a problem but she didn’t want to tell me. I didn’t know when or how we reached this point in our friendship. Before all of this started, we were basically family we were together in any situation and fought as one.
Just as I closed the door, I saw Heather coming my way, most probably headed to meet up with Olivia.
I was going to pretend I didn’t notice her but she made her presence known by speaking up. “What were you doing in there?” She looked curious but I could see that she was alarmed and guarded when asking the question.
“I don’t think I need to tell you. Olivia will fill you up on everything anyway because you two are best friends of course.”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about. We aren’t best friends.”
I scoffed. “I was worried if I’d look like a gold digger if all I want is to like Ethan back but I didn’t expect? you? to steal something that was mine. Olivia was all I had outside of this world and you’ve taken her away from me. What else do you want from me?”
“Are you drunk? Are you not in your senses? Do you know what you’re talking about?” She raised an eyebrow.
I didn’t answer her and instead shook my head at her and moved towards my room.
“It seems like you’re a little weak now. I’m not sure how long you’ll be able to hold back from Ethan but try hard. If not… well, let’s just say that I did everything I could to prevent a disaster. I know I’m putting a lot of pressure on you right now but honey, you two aren’t right for each other, just like how it’s not right for me to be here among these people I call family for which I did nothing to deserve.” She called out behind me.
I didn’t even know what the hell that last part meant. All I could focus on was,? you two? aren’t? right for each other.
Ethan and I weren’t right for each other.
I was starting to hate Heather for what she was doing to me. Was she even helping me anymore? Why was she being so harsh on me?
Why did the world use materialistic things, such meaningless and petty belongings as a measure of someone’s worth to love someone else? What power did that person have to set such a foolish parameter?
Once I was under the covers a little earlier than usual after dinner, I only hoped for Ethan to be near me. I hoped he would come lay next to me and for my bed to smell of his familiar scent and give me the happiness I got every time he showed up and crawled into my bed as if he rightfully belonged next to me.
Perhaps it might be true in a world where wealth and background were unimportant.
A too good to be true world.
A world of my dreams.