Hate Only Last So Long.

Guess Who's Back

"You got everything settled?" Billy Baker inquired, leading on the doorframe of his daughter's bedroom, observing the mesh of decor that adorns her walls.

"Yeah, pretty much," Olivia answered, continuing to unpack her last box compiled of old photos of friends and memories she'd made over the years. Some were of her the small circle she befriended while overseas in England with her father. Places that visited like the Tower of London and Big Ben. However, most of her framed pictures were of her Crenshaw crew. The long-time friends she left behind when he father got a job consulting for the Arsenal football club based in London.

It was something out of Billy Baker's regular comfort zone, but it was a good job choice at the time. Only weeks before the offer Olivia's family was forced to say goodbye to her grandpa Willie, or G.W as she and her twin brother came to call him in their childhood years. Although Billy and his father had a rocky relationship, Willie's death hit Olivia's father hard and he needed a change of pace. So when the rare opportunity of an overseas football gig presented itself Olivia encouraged her father to take it.

As a result, she was faced with two options. Move overseas with her father or return to her old home in Beverly with her mother and twin brother, Jordan. Her parents divorced a while back when Olivia was ten, and the kids choose which parent to reside with. Her brother, hating the idea of living in his comfortable bubble of Beverly stayed with their mom and her boyfriend. While young Olivia, desperate for a chance to bond with her dad who hardly spent in previous years, took the chance to finally build a relationship with her father.

Long story short, she moved with Billy back to his home city, Crenshaw Heights. She was eleven or twelve by then, away from the only home she knew. All the while, trying to adjust to newly her divided family. So when she started at Alliance Jr. High, Olivia faded into a wallflower for the first few days of sixth grade.

But for every wallflower, there is a flower picker. Olivia's flower picker and new best friend was Taylor Johnson. A fun-loving, extroverted girl that made Olivia laugh during one of the most confusing times in her life. After meeting Taylor, the Crenshaw crew began to form. They met Patience in fourth-period music class. Kia came along a few days later in 2nd-period history class after she gifting Olivia notes for a quiz. Those were her girls. From weekend sleepovers to late-night girl talk over the phone. They did everything together.

As that year went on the boys fell into the orbit of, enlarging their clique. Darnell met Kia after face-planting a dodgeball at her during P.E. Chris knew Patience from elementary, so one day joined the crew for lunch and never left. And he was followed by the last joining member of the Crenshaw crew fellow little league teammate, Spencer James.

Together, they all balanced out. Darnell and Kia were the brains of the group or Mom and Dad as everyone else called them. Patience and Taylor were the non-stopping comedic duo that kept things entertaining. Chris was the middle man with a little bit of both worlds. Meanwhile, Spencer and Olivia found themselves as the glue that held everything together. When there was a problem they were there to help. When someone had a secret, they were there to listen. When there was a rift they were there to mend it.

It all worked, well until it didn't.

Things change when they reached entered high school. Feelings and complications got in the way for some of them while others just grew distant. And before Olivia or any of them could fix things, she left.

But that was over a year ago. Now it's the middle of junior year, and while the crew may not have stayed as tight as they were before, they were still friends. Well, most of them were. All but one person was going to be excited that she was home.

And it sucked too because he was the one person she looked forward to seeing the most.

Placing Olivia grazed her fingers across the edge of the framed picture of her friends before sitting it on the bedside dresser.

"Oh, and before I forget, Principal Carter called about some of your transfer credits. Some classes you took back at the Academy can't be transferred over so he wants to come in before Monday." Billy explained to Olivia, breaking her out of her reminiscent daze. "Says y'all need to discuss other options for your class schedule."

"Cool." Olivia smiled. "I will head up there after this," She grinned, happy to have the chance to surprise her friends who she hadn't seen for over a year.

"Oh, and when you see the gang invite them over. Christina wants to meet this second family of yours that will be storming in and out of our house in the coming days." Billy chuckled, knowing how Olivia's friends always treated each other's home like their own. Showing at any hour, walking in and greeting him like their own daddy.

Olivia eyed her father with conflict, before nodding, unsure if she wanted his girlfriend to meet all of her friends just yet.

"Please, Liv, be nice," Billy warned. "We are home now. And Christina is a part of that now too. Someday you will get how quickly love throws you off course too."

"I will tell them, Dad," Olivia promised, compromising as she reached for her car keys, kissed him on the cheek, and bolted from the room.