Love Burns

Chapter 4

Olivia

"No Tati, I don't have a crush on him!" I better not, considering the fact that he keeps following me and acts like a total weirdo around me. "Oh, shut up Olivia, all the signs are pointing towards the same thing!"

"And that is?"

"That you like him, silly"

"Whatever, I don't have time for this nonsense, I have to wake up early for school tomorrow. Goodnight Tati." I could tell that she wasn't buying my excuse, but I mean, I wasn't lying, technically. Sure, he looks good, but that's about it. He has such a rotten personality. He keeps trying to flirt with me and whisper sweet nothings into my ear, as if I'm another one of his lovesick victims.

The dreaded chemistry class finally arrived. The entire room was filled with the classic sound of adolescent teenagers taking part in an active discussion about the depths of Chemistry — nobody studied and we were just skimming through the pages of our thick textbook. But alas, fate had other plans. Our teacher entered the classroom, slammed the test papers on our desks and told us to begin immediately-wait. Where is Quinton? Is he late? Did he get into an accident? I didn't see him on the bus either... I couldn't help but feel worried about him. No, I wasn't worried about him because I have a thing for him or whatever...I'm just worried because he's my seat mate and I tutored him that day and-my words got cut off with the familiar scent of men's perfume and his deep voice. "Sorry I'm late Mrs.Smith."
"It's okay Quinton, your dad had called the office beforehand anyways. Now, please, sit at that corner and begin the test."
"Why are you late?" I whispered as low as I could while also making it very clear that I was angry.
"Since when did you start caring about when I reach school, sunshine"
Oh. My. God. Now I see why girls literally drool over him. But I'm not gonna be swayed so easily.
"Stop calling me sunshine, loser, I don't even know you"
"Then let me get to know you, Olivia Carter."
Woah. Why does my name sound so much better when he says it? No. NO. No Olivia, get it together.
"I- um, just- Start the test already! Before the teacher catches us."
And then,
He did something totally unexpected.
He started laughing. And it wasn't a fake laugh or just a chuckle, It was a hearty laugh, the one where you throw your head back and your stomach starts hurting right after.
I might've be new in that school but I wasn't stupid. I'd heard a lot about him, and one thing that I distinctly remembered was that he was super reserved and didn't talk or even look at other people, especially girls. He was also known for not smiling or laughing or showing any sign of human emotion. So needless to say, this sight of Quinton DeMarco was quite a shock for everyone -including the teacher.
"Mr. DeMarco, Would you like to share the joke with the rest of the class?"
"Sorry Mrs. Smith"
"Just continue with your test, Mr DeMarco. And Olivia, please sit here at the front."
Well. That was fun while it lasted.
After completely flunking that test, I walked back to my locker and saw a girl standing there.
"Hey, you're Olivia right?"
I nodded. She looked me up and down and I thought she might tell me that I'm a nerd or that I'll never fit in if I tried.
"Are you on the fencing team?"
"Yeah"
"Awesome! Me too! I'm Alice by the way, and I noticed you always sit alone at lunch, so I wanted to invite you to sit with me today."
What is up with everyone today? Why would I sit with someone I barely know, I mean I'm not that desperate for making friends.
"Sure! Why not" Okay, maybe I am desperate. Honestly you can't blame me - new girl, new school might as well add some new friends to the mix.

Alice might just be my new favorite person, besides Tati of course. She's kind, smart and most of all, she's sarcastic — literally the exact copy of Tati. Maybe this school isn't so bad after all..
Finally, my first fencing practice with the best fencing team in California. I don't have to worry about fitting in here because they're in the same—thud. I didn't trip on any untied shoelaces this time. I was pushed. The girl who pushed me looked at me and said, "Watch where you're going, churro." Churro? I'm not even Hispanic. These bitches need to come up with better insults because these are literally hurting my brain. "I think the only person who needs to watch where they're going is you, you literally crashed into me." She scowls, looks me up and down and says, "A little advice for you newbie, you don't talk to Ashley Wang that way if you know what's best for you." Ashley Wang? Wait. She doesn't mean THE Ashley Wang right? The five time state champion and two time national champion. She's basically considered royalty in the world of fencing. Shes right, nobody talks to Ashley Wang that way. But that doesn't mean anyone can talk to Olivia Carter this way either. "Thanks for the advice Ashley, but I think I'll do well without it." She rolled her eyes at me and said, "I guess this one's got a little attitude, right girls? Let's spar. And whoever wins has to do what the other says for a month. Deal?" A spar against Ashley Wang? That's every fencers dream. But this time, I'm gonna make sure she loses to me, a newbie.
"Deal."
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BASICS ABOUT FENCING (images and sources are from google, forgive me if these parts aren't accurate I'm not a fencer myself.)