Greenridge Academy

chapter ten

"Okay, how am I going to find... thirty pieces of art to display?" I moan out into my pillow. "Well, you can make a post on social media?" Haley says more like a question than a statement. I slowly sit up, "Mr. Andrews said they have to be practically priceless." I weave my fingers through my long strands of hair. "Wait. I might have an idea." I feel like I just took two shots of espresso as the fear and adrenaline race through my veins. I pull my phone out and call the only person who can help me. "Hey girly pop, what's up?" Libbi's voice rings through the somber air. "Hey." I'm short, trying to come up with the words to form the question I need to ask her. "So, that party that I went to at your house..." I pause, saying words without speaking them. "Mhm!" She says enthusiastically. "Well, I may have been snooping around and I found myself in a room with a bunch of art." I take a deep breath and vomit out the rest of the words. "I need a recommendation letter from my English Lit teacher to get into college. He is having me organize the art exhibit in exchange for the letter. I was wondering if your parents would be willing to donate some art?" I suck in a few breaths quickly. My fingers are trembling while waiting for her response. "Oh, yeah I could talk to my parents about it for sure. If I tell them what it's for I'm almost certain that they will donate. We have way more art than was in that room by the way, it's my moms guilty pleasure." "Oh my god Libbi, if this pulls through you have no idea how much you'll save me. Seriously." My breathing begins to return to normal. "Yeah of course, I'll talk to my parents about it tonight at dinner! Talk to you later babes!" Before I can say anything she hangs up. At dinner... like family dinner? With Lachlan? It's fine, I mean... I would have to tell him at some point. In case we were to plan something for the project, and I couldn't come. I just can't take the chance of anyone messing this up. This is my one chance, without this letter I don't think I'll be good enough to get into Stanford. "Hey, you got this. Stop overthinking." Haley assures me. I nod in response. Words have completely left me. I have four weeks to set this up, I have an insane amount of work to do. "Hey why don't we take the kids to get donuts or something. There's nothing fun to do outside really, it's getting cold out there." "Haley... it's the last week of October." She stands abruptly, "I know! By the way, we got invited to a Halloween party." She says with a mischievous grin. "No. You can go, I want you to go. I'll even pick you up. I however am not going. I have to take Lilac and Auggie trick or treating." I blow out a breath making my hair fly in a few different directions. "Liv! You've taken them the past three years, ask Jessie to take them!" "Jessie goes out every year, and I don't mind taking them. Auggie only has a few more years of this, and I basically had to pull out Lilac's teeth to get her to agree to come this year." "But—" "Haley...no. I don't care whose party it is, or who will be there. I'm not going." She gives a sigh of defeat and nods her head. "Okay, I won't ask again." As we walk downstairs I hear Lilac and Jessie arguing in the kitchen while Auggie is sitting on the couch watching Dora the explorer. An episode where her cousin Diego is in it, I miss the old days. Where the only thing I had to worry about was if they were going to switch up the programming of my favorite cartoons. I can't even understand what they're arguing about, it just sounds like muffled screams and weird whispers. "Hey Auggie bear. What do you want to do today? I have work in a couple hours, but I have some time." I ask. He places his little finger on his chin, making a show of thinking about what he wants to do. "Can we play super heroes? I'll be the hero and you and Hales be the villains and robbers?" A smirk takes over my lips, "Of course we can buddy. Set the scene."

***

After two and a half hours of playing heroes and villains with Auggie I'm exhausted. I'm convinced that that kid could go for hours and hours without getting tired. I don't understand how he does it. As I'm changing into some black leggings and an oversized crew neck my joints are groaning. I throw my long strands of hair into a loose ponytail, and grab my keys. "Hey, I'm leaving. Text me if you need anything, mom should be home in an hour or two." I say. "Alright cool, I think Haley is going to stay to help keep Auggie distracted." My facial expressions change into a look of complete shock before I can help it. "And... you guys will be okay? You're not going to start arguing so bad Auggie will start crying again are you?" He has a small smirk from the left side of his dimpled face. "Don't worry big sis. I've matured, let's hope she has too." I roll my eyes in response. I'm sure this is going to end in a disaster... but Haley truly loves Auggie like he's her own little brother and I trust her.
Once I'm parked in front of the library I decided to walk across the street and get a coffee, Auggie really took a lot out of me. I order the same coffee I always get, a caramel frappè with no whipped cream. Except this time I add an extra shot of espresso, on the walk back I play Sabrina Carpenter's new song 'Espresso' in my air pods. It seems like a perfect fit for the day. There have been a few things I've splurged on over the past few years. In a house always full of yelling kids and lots of commotion, air pods were a must in order to get any studying done. I also am caffeinated ninety percent of the time. I pull the heavy wooden door open and walk back to the backroom to drop off my stuff in my personal closet. "Oh, hey Liv. I didn't know you were scheduled today." Denis says from behind me. "Hey Denis. Yeah, originally I wasn't but I texted Sheila a few days ago asking if she needed any help... so here I am." I motion to myself. He nods more to himself than me. "I think James is coming in a little later. Packed house tonight." He says with a wide grin. His reaction is confusing me. "Yeah— sounds like it." I slowly made my way out to the floor, racking my brain trying to figure out why he was being so weird. I busy myself with scanning the few books that were left in the drop box, checking some books out for a few people, and returning books to their home on the shelf. I check my phone after an hour to make sure there's no text from Jessie or Haley. There isn't, mhm... maybe they really are maturing. I'm so proud of them, I never thought I would see the day.
"Woah." I bump right into someone. The books in their hands are tumbling to the floor, without looking up I immediately drop down to the floor and begin picking up their books. "I'm so sorry, I wasn't looking." I get flustered and decide to stop talking when I hear a chuckle. My eyes travel up the length of the boy I ran into. He's wearing white sneakers, black jeans that are kind of form fitting, and a tight plain black tshirt. James. A smile instantly forms, "God. I'm sorry. I was checking to see if my brother texted. He was watching Lilac and Auggie until my mom got home." I ramble out. "It's cool. Don't sweat it, I barely saw you down there. When I did... it was too late." He chuckles again. "Man, we should both pay more attention then. Huh?" I say breathlessly. His fluffy hair is half wet and half dry, like he got out of the shower and shook his head a few times before walking out the door. He cracks another smile and nods, showing off his perfectly straight bright white teeth. "So, what's new since the last time we caught up?" He asks, putting his hands in his pockets. I look around making sure there aren't any customers around before setting the stack of books on the counter. "Well, I talked to my English Literature teacher about the recommendation letter. He said he would write it for me." "Really, that's great Liv!" He cuts in before I'm finished. I nod my head and continue, "Yeah it's great. However, to get said recommendation letter I have to completely organize and set up this art exhibit. Have it go smoothly with no hiccups to get it." I pause and his eyebrows shoot up so far I can no longer see them from his fluffy hair. "Oh yeah, I also have to do it in four weeks." I mumble out. "Wait what?" He questions. "I have to completely organize, set it up, and put it on... in one month." I stumbled out. "Liv, that's nearly impossible. Why're you here?" He looks around motioning to the space surrounding us. "Well, I texted your mom a few days ago... and I just found out about this today. I didn't want to flake." I shrug my shoulders. "Okay..." He looks around before continuing. "We're slow. Why don't you sit down, start planning —" "No absolutely not. Sheila is paying me to work. I don't want to take advantage." The words quickly fall out. "My mom." he says overdramatically, "Would completely understand and tell you to do the same thing. I promise. If I need your help, I promise I'll ask for it." "You're sure?" I question. "Absolutely." He gives me a soft heart shattering smile. I nod my head and walk to the back room to get my bag. He's come a long way from the scrawny nerdy book kid with braces, that's for sure.
After a few hours I have almost everything I can at this point done. The venue is set up, it'll be at the Santa Rosa golf and country club. All it took to book that was name dropping Libbi's parents... apparently her parents are members there. She's the one who told me to call and check out their availability. I could seriously kiss her after tonight, her parents agreed almost immediately, and I couldn't be more thankful. I gave them full reign on whatever pieces they wanted to donate. I told them the theme was abstract along with power pieces, they loved the idea. I'm currently going through every decor website I can find, trying to figure out what decor you have for an art exhibit... what colors... without seeing the pieces of art I'm kind of at a standstill. I grab my phone to check the time as my stomach growls. I haven't eaten since lunch, and even then I only ate a few baby carrots. "Hey, are you at a good stopping point?" I hear Jame's voice but I don't see him. "Yeah, I think I've done all I can do tonight." I smell it before I see him. "Oh my god, are you serious?" I swiftly turn toward the smell. "As serious as I could ever be, I'm afraid." He says with a shit eating grin on his face. He sets down two plates, giant hot ham and cheese sandwiches on each plate. "I figured you would need it after the day you've had. I sent my mom a text a few hours ago asking if she would pick them up for us." He pauses briefly. "Whenever I'm home... both of them kind of do whatever I ask..." Before I can change my mind I ask the question I've been wondering for years. "Did I—" I stutter out, before cleaning my voice. "Did I do something to upset you?" He turns his head toward me, his brow knitted and a blank stare. "You never came back... anytime I asked your parents about you — they changed the topic as soon as they could. I didn't know if I did something to upset you, or if they were just hurting." I pause steeling my voice. "You stopped emailing me back, you don't have to answer. I've just been confused." I finished. He presses his lips into a thin line before blowing out a breath. "It wasn't — it wasn't you." He looks around to make sure we're alone before continuing. "I never asked you, you know." My blood instantly chills. "I never brought up anything about what you were going through. Not to you... or my parents." He leans his head back on his chair before continuing. "That was until right before I left for college. I didn't think my mom was going to tell me the truth when I asked her. I don't even know what I thought the truth was..." He says quietly. "When she told me, I was angry. I was angry that it happened... that I didn't know about it." I pull a breath into my oxygen hungry lungs when I realize I haven't been breathing. Goosebumps run over the course of my skin, leaving no stone unturned. He knows, he knows. That's why he stopped talking to me. My breaths start coming in quicker and quicker until I begin to start hyperventilating. I close my eyes, trying to calm my racing heart. I try to count my breaths, another technique my therapist taught me. When I feel like I'm about to burst into tears I feel arms wrap around me. First they were weary, and soft. After a few seconds he pulls me in tighter, wrapping me up until I stop shaking. When the buzzing in my ears stops, I can hear him whispering into my ear. "It's okay." "Shhh — Livvy. It's okay. You're okay." When I finally calm down, I feel embarrassed. He must think I'm some mentally unstable girl, that he has to now coddle. He pulls back, wiping away the one tear that escaped from me. "Why... me? Why could you only hang out with me?" He asks softly. I full blown laugh escapes my lungs before I can stop it. "Actually, because you never asked. You never treated me differently." I shrug my shoulders. He pulls in a deep breath and opens his lips, "Wow, your mom's the best. She drove so far just to get these hot ham and cheese for us. I haven't had one of these in like four years." I say before picking up the sandwich and taking a big bite. The melted cheese spreads across my tongue and I moan. Moan! "Man, I think I forgot how good these were." He says, following my lead in changing the subject. I watch him as he picks up his sandwich and takes a bite. James. The little nerdy boy is still there somewhere, my best friend. My only friend. The only person I could trust to be around. The same James who never asks questions, and just lets it be. I will forever be grateful to have him, I hope I never lose him.

Lachlan's Pov:

I overheard my mom and Libbi on the phone with Olivia after dinner, when Libbi asked mom and dad at dinner about donating some art for her friend... she didn't say her friend's name. I would never have guessed it was Olivia. They were sitting in the library, Libbi's phone on speaker between them on the table. Apparently, she needs a recommendation letter for her college application. The scumbag of an English Lit teacher pushed his responsibilities onto her, taking advantage of a girl just needing to get into college. It's despicable really, how a grown man could pawn off his work without a second thought. I decided to take a drive to clear my head, which turned into a walk. I parked my car in a park about twenty minutes from town. I didn't know where I was going when I decided to walk. I just wanted something to numb over the thousands of thoughts rolling around my brain. Now, I'm standing in front of Sheila's library... the same one I used to come to everyday as a kid. The same one Olivia works at... I've been standing on the side of the building for ten minutes. I know she's in there, her old car is parked right in front of the building. This is ridiculous, I'm Lachlan fucking Richards. I don't hide, if I run into her I'll just say that I didn't know she was working today. Which — technically I didn't. I walk up to the big wooden doors, and grab the metal door knob. As soon as my fingers brush the cold metal, my eyes snap to the movement in the window. It's Olivia. With that same guy's arms wrapped tightly around her. My entire body turns into a statue, all I can do is stand there and stare at them. As soon as I have control of my body my fingers fall from the handle. I fist my hands, squeezing them as tightly as I can. In the distance I hear a phone ringing, it takes me a few seconds to realize it's mine. I pull it from my front pocket reading the called ID. Scar. "What's up?" I answer. "Hey babe, was wondering what you were up to tonight? I'm lonely." She says in a whiney voice. The voice I hate the most, I roll my eyes and sigh. "My parents aren't home." She purrs into my ear. "I'm on my way." Hanging up before she can respond. I turn on my heels, I look over my shoulder one last time. Eyes catch mine, his. He smirks out of the corner of his mouth. I pull in a shaking breath, turn around and walk back to my car