From Me to Us

Chapter Thirty Six

OLIVIA

I'm sitting in the dining room off the kitchen in the football house, waiting for Daniel to finish his shower after a late afternoon jog so he can help me finish off the last of the paperwork we will be doing for Prof Morrell this semester. I'm relieved that its almost the end of my first semester at NRU and excited to finally see my dad in a few short weeks but i find myself sad that i wont be seeing Daniel for a full month. We have been hanging out some since the big football win but only as friends and almost never alone. We always had his friends and Elena around, but Shawn and Ronnie seem to always be off doing god knows what together. They are both smitten for each other and I'm so glad she's happy again.

Otherwise, I've been spending so much more time with Elena and she's has fast become one of my true best friends along with Ronnie. I haven't heard a single word from Zoey and my heart breaks over what has happened between us in the span of one college semester but it is what it is. Maybe we will be civil one day or even become friends again with time but a part of me thinks maybe this is it for us.

We haven't been the same since summer break between senior year of high school and freshman year of college, and i have no idea why. it was like a switch flicked in her when she realised there was more to friendships and dating than me and our small town back home in Texas. She was prom Queen and dated guys from the football team, sure, but that life was nothing compared to North Ryde university thats full of liveliness, opportunities and men.

I've got to stop thinking about this stuff though, it depresses me a little so I focus on what I'm doing in front of mr instead. I'm busy sorting through the papers like Daniel showed me when I hear whispered arguing. It's coming from the living room adjacent to the kitchen but I can't see who it is because of the closed layout of the house.

I put down my red pen that I was marking with and sit there for a second, trying to listen to whose talking. That might make me a nosey Nelly but I'm not caring at the moment.

"What the fuck are we going to do?"

"Nothing. The goddamn video is being used to get to me. I'll handle it."

"Fuck off we all have to deal with this. And besides, you're not even in the goddamn video."

"What did I just say? She's using it to get to me anyway. She knows I would do anything to stop her from sharing it."

There's silence for a beat.

"Guys," the fourth rushed whisper comes out of nowhere. "I can't have this getting out... I haven't... I just can't let anyone see what we did. It'll ruin everything."

Another beat of silence.

"I know. You're not the only one in the video, man. This implicates more than just you but us all. I won't let shit get out alright? It won't get out, trust me."

"Trust you when you don't even have a plan? Just chuck money at the problem right?"

I'm straining to hear them now so I move around the bend toward the living room slowly, making sure not to make a sound so they don't realise I've been eavesdropping on them. That would be embarrassing but I can't help my curiosity.

"Well it's mostly of me. Who do you think the star of the goddamn movie is? If he wants to chuck money at it, let him."