Glasses and Tattoos

Chapter 42: You Need To Know

"What's up?" Ollie asks as soon as I get him alone.

"You're the first one to know." I reply.

"First to know what?" He asks.

"You need to know something very important. Promise me that when you find out you won't be royally pissed off."

"What? What are y-"

"Promise. Me." I emphasise.

"I promise." I hold out my hand and erect my pinky finger.

"Pinky promise." Ollie looks at me as if I've gone insane and I continue to look at him with determination. He sighs in exasperation and joins his pinky with mine.

"Pinky promise." He replies.

"There's a reason why we can't date."

"Yeah, but things are too complicated right? " He says rhetorically.

"Yes, but as much as I want to, I can't."

"Why?"

"Please shush until I've finished." I scold. Ollie obliges. "I can't be your girlfriend because I've been accepted into a college." I finish.

Ollie's eyes widen and he looks at me with delight and surprise and a tad of curiosity.

"That's great Robyn! But why is that stopping us?" He asks with a bit of hurt in his eyes.

"It's stopping us because this college is Cambridge University." I reply avoiding any eye contact

"Yeah, so? Where's that?" He asks.

"England." I mumble and I really hope not to repeat it again.

"What?" Ollie's voice reduces to a whisper.

"We can't date because I'm leaving for England soon."

Ollie turns away from me and I'm glad. I don't want to read his expression. Espicially not now.

"When do you leave?" He asks returning his gaze to me.

"16 days." I mumble once again.

"Why didn't you tell me sooner Robyn?!" He suddenly explodes. He turns to the wall next to us and punches it with so much force I flinch as I hear some of his bones crack.

"Don't get angry you promised you wouldn't." I shoot back hoping to calm him down. Ollie turns to look back at me with sorrow, regret and hurt mixed with sadness in his eyes.

"I'm sorry, I shouldn't have flipped out like that." He murmers looking sheepishly away from me.

"It's OK. I couldn't tell you earlier Ollie because it wouldn't have changed anything. What difference could it have made except more time?" I ask.

"More time could make all the difference in the world." He speaks loudly.

"I'm sorry but you had the right to know. You're the first person I've told so it can only get much worse." I laugh shakily.

"What do you mean I'm the first one you've told? Doesn't your mom know?" I shake my head in reply.

"I didn't want anyone to know because everyone would have been celebrating and trying to make the most of my existence with them. It makes it seem as if I've just told them that I'm going to die tomorrow."

I look back at Ollie and he stares at me with deep concentration.

"Why did you have to tell me first?" He asks. "Why not Milo? You two seem to have gotten very close." He hisses. Woah... where the hell is this coming from?