hey now. (matt press).

Chapter Ten: Breaking Points

I awoke from my very comfortable slumber with a pounding headache. I definitely regretted my choices from last night. I quietly exited Marcus's room as he slept peacefully and made my way out of his house as silently as I could.

I groaned as I stepped into the daylight, my head beginning to hurt even more and my steps becoming uneven. For some reason, I decided to walk back to my house. Maybe some fresh air would do me some good.

"Fuck my life," I mumbled, looking at my phone. I had school in an hour, and I looked like a hot mess.

As soon as I made it to my house, I ran up the stairs to take a shower and then get ready as quickly as possible.

After showering, brushing my hair and teeth, I began doing my makeup to look less hungover. As I started applying mascara, my phone rang. I glanced at it and saw Matt was calling. I rolled my eyes and grimaced.

"Fuck that," I scoffed, declining the call and continuing to get ready.

I managed to make it to school on time. Thankfully, no one I knew was in my first two classes of the day. Today, I just wanted to be left alone; maybe I shouldn't have come to school. Nevertheless, after my last class ended, I decided to make an appearance and headed over to the berry tree where Brodie, Jordan, Ginny, and Hunter were seated. Along with Matt. Great.

"Liv! There you are! I feel like I haven't seen you in forever," Brodie gasped, giving me a bone-crushing hug.

"Here I am." I did my best to muster a smile while Matt eyed me from where he sat. Brodie pulled me down to sit between him and Matt. Could this get any worse?

"Have you guys seen Norah anywhere? I feel like she's been really MIA," Abby asked as she walked over. "Not as MIA as Max, who has utterly disappeared."

"Max is over-scheduled, so she's having a nervous breakdown," Ginny explained as she looked up from her phone.

"Ah-ha! There you go. That's exactly it. That's what happens when you become a couple. You completely disappear... from your friends," Abby sarcastically laughed, looking at Ginny.

"Aww!" Brodie chuckled. "Well, if you're lonely, I'll date you, Abs." He made a face at her as Jordan snickered.

"You're welcome to give me head," Matt smirked at her, and Brodie shot me a quick look.

"Screw you, Press," Abby scoffed, while Jordan chuckled.

"Hilarious," I scoffed, pushing Matt's shoulder harshly. I stood up, leaving them all without another word or glance.

"Olivia!" Brodie called after me, but I kept walking out of the school and to the bleachers where I knew I could smoke a cigarette undisturbed.

I inhaled the last of my cigarette deeply, then flicked it onto the ground, standing on it to put it out.

"What's up with you?" Matt's voice rang out from behind me. I turned around to see him looking at me with a confused expression.

"What's up with me? Are you kidding?" I scoffed.

"Well, yeah, you're acting all weird with me again, and I don't know why," Matt shrugged, hands in his jean pockets.

"Is this a fucking joke?" I exasperatedly said. "Matt, I've liked you for the longest time, and I thought maybe you liked me too. But clearly not, since you like Sam and Abby and whoever else so much. Maybe I should've admitted that to you the first time we kissed, but I didn't because, fuck it, I'm afraid. But obviously, if you had any feelings for me, they're gone because you'd much rather be with Abby at this point. But, whatever, congrats. I'm happy for you." I gave him a sarcastic thumbs-up and began walking away.

"Olivia, wait—" Matt tried to stop me.

"Press, just leave me alone. Please," I sighed and left, walking back to my house since school was finished for the day. Thank God. I wasn't sure how much longer I could have lasted.

I was sprawled out on my bed that evening, listening to some depressing music on my speaker when my phone rang again.

"I swear to fucking—" I seethed, thinking it was Matt, but to my surprise, it was Abby. "Hey... Abby," I greeted, confused. I didn't think I had ever had a full conversation with her, let alone a phone call. I didn't even know I had her number saved. "What's up?"

"Hey, Olivia, um..." Abby began, sniffling into the phone. "I'm sorry I'm just calling you out of nowhere. I just have no one else to talk to."

"No, it's okay." I sat up on my bed, worried. I had nothing against Abby, other than the fact that she and Matt were hardcore making out last night, but that wasn't her fault. She didn't know about my feelings for him. The last thing I wanted was for her to feel so upset that she couldn't talk to her own friends. "Are you okay?"

"No," Abby's voice shakily replied.

"Shit. You want to come over and talk about it? We can order food," I suggested.

"Are you sure?" She sniffled again.

"Yeah, of course. Get your ass over here," I told her without hesitation.

"Okay," Abby laughed through her cries. "Thank you."

It didn't take long for Abby to get to my house, and I was already letting her in, welcoming her onto my bed where we sat in silence.

"What's going on?" I asked her softly.

"It feels like my own friends don't have time for me anymore, you know? The one time I need someone to talk to, they're nowhere to be seen," Abby sighed deeply as she sat opposite me with her legs crossed.

"You have me," I said, placing a comforting hand on hers. "I know we barely talk and aren't the best of friends, but I'm here for you."

"Thank you, Liv. I really appreciate this," she smiled sadly and sniffled. "My parents are getting a divorce, and I just feel so alone."

"Abby, I'm so sorry," I apologized, pulling her into a hug and letting her cry.

"It's okay," Abby spoke through her sobs, her voice muffled.

"You know, sometimes it's better for parents to go their separate ways. Having them apart is much more calming than having them at each other's throats. It may seem like the worst case scenario right now, but trust me, it's for the best and will benefit your mental health," I tried my best to comfort her.

"I know. They were together for so long, it feels like a part of my life has been ripped away," Abby said, resting her head on my shoulder.

"I know, it'll get better. I promise," I told her, wrapping an arm around her. "You can stay the night if you want. If you don't want to go back home."

"Really?" She looked up at me with hopeful eyes full of appreciation.

"Yeah, of course," I smiled at her. "The worst thing when you feel alone is actually being alone. I'd hate that for you."

"Thank you so much. I—I don't—just thank you," Abby thanked me profusely.

"It's okay," I said softly, laughing a little.

"How was your day, anyway? Better than mine?" Abby inquired, letting out a sigh as her cries finally came to an end.

"Slightly," I shrugged. "I told Matt I liked him."

"Really? I never knew. I wouldn't have—" She began, but I cut her off.

"I know, no one knew, except for Marcus and Brodie. But I think it's too late now," I sighed. "You know, you and Matt would make a cute couple."

"Oh god, no. He's a dick. Definitely a drunken mistake on my end," Abby scoffed, regretting her choices with him. "But seriously, if I had known, I would've kept my distance."

"Yeah, well, like I said, I think it's too late now," I chuckled sarcastically. "And besides, like you said, he is a dick."

"Yeah, I don't get what I ever saw in him. I don't get what you see in him either," she said half-heartedly, letting me know she was messing around.

"Me neither, to be honest. Maybe it was the fact that he could be nice. And when he was, I held such a soft spot for his kindness," I pondered with a sad look. "But whatever, fuck him."