In My Mind

Chapter Twenty Eight - Olivia's POV

At school I find Aria sitting down at her locker looking at her phone. What is she looking at I wonder? I walk over to her and sit down next to her. I can feel the stares of people surrounding us wondering what I'm doing sitting next her her. "Hey, you feeling better after last night?" I ask her with sympathy. She just looks kind of shocked that I'm speaking to her at school. "Ah, yeah. I thought you didn't want to be seen around us at school," she says sounding confused. She's talking about her, Cara and Ruby. After last nights talk, fight, or whatever it was with Cara, I guess I thought she had a good point. "I've had a change of mind," She just looks at me, "People are going to judge you know, your reputation?" she asks like I haven't thought this through. "I know, but you matter more," I tell her with a smile coming across my face. "Anyway I got to go and get ready, but I'll see you later, Okay?"

"Okay," she says and I start to stand up. I just get up and head down the hallway when Tyler comes up beside me. "Hey,"

"Hey,"

"What were you doing with her?"

"Talking,"

"Why were you talking to her?" he says stretching out the her.

I wait a few seconds, "She's cool," I say biting my lip not sure what to expect.

He laughs shaking his head, "Her?"

"Yeah her," I stop walking.

He stops walking and faces me. "Liv, come on, you kidding right?"

"No actually I'm not!"

"Hey," He goes to grab my waist but I just fling his arm away.

"Seriously?" I ask with anger or annoyance in my eyes. I'm not sure quite how I feel about this. I start to walk off.

"Liv, come on?"

"You just dissed my friend!" I keep walking off and don't look back. I just called Aria my friend out loud.

During recess Alex is off who knows where. It's just Ellie and I sitting together. We talk about random things for a while and eat our food. Should I tell her about Aria, Cara and Ruby? I mean she's going to find out sometime and it's probably best to come from me not Tyler or whoever he's told. "Hey," I say I feel nervous.

"Yeah," she replies.

"What would you do if someone like, I don't know Aria for instance...you know like the other day, wanted to be friends with someone like us?" I ask biting my lip not knowing how she will react, Tyler didn't take it well.

"Ah, mmm, I don't know really, I mean I've always kind of just igno...." Her voice trails off quieter and quieter.

"What if they were friends with you and people didn't know, and they tried to say hi, and you ignored them because of other people?" My voice is quiet now.

She pauses for a second, "You and Aria are friends aren't you?"

I just nod my head all shy.

"Liv, it's okay. I'm not going to judge you, personally I wouldn't be friends with her but I'm not going to hate you for it!"

I'm glad to hear that because I didn't want to lose her because of this.

"Cara too.....I think," I say as well.

"Cara? But you two hate each other,"

"I don't know, maybe we're not, maybe we are"

"What about Ruby?"

"Ruby and I haven't exactly met on good terms..."

The bell goes and we head off to our next class. I have art and then lesson goes really quickly unlike the rest of the day. When the last lesson for the day finally finishes I quickly walk down the halls to find Aria and Cara. Ruby is there with them too. "Hey,"

"So the rumours are true, you are speaking to us!" Cara says holding her books up and moving her eyebrows as she speaks.

"Yeah, I've though about what, anyway,"

I want to move off of that, Aria shouldn't know what we talked about last night, unless Cara already told her.

"So," Ruby chimes in, "It seems pretty suspicious, you know, someone like you just changed your mind," She snaps her fingers, "Like that!"

"People change you know!"

I don't know what we do for so long but slowly everybody files out of the hallways and it's only us left.

"Again?" I hear a voice behind me. It's Tyler. "Twice in a day. Seriously Liv, why do you keep talking to these rejects?"

I move my jaw in annoyance and roll my eyes. I turn around to face him. "What's your problem? Huh?"

"They're rejects Liv!"

"They're not rejects and why do you have such to make such a big deal out of it,"

"You can't be seen associating with them, thats like breaking the status quo! You just can't do it!"

My voice is getting really angry now, "Do you really have a problem with me hanging out with them?" I fold my arms waiting for a response.

"Yeah I do, it' going to make people think they can start doing whatever they want! Everyone is going to start thinking they can hang out with us if you let them.

"What's wrong with that?"

"There has to be social rankings Liv!"

"Why?"

"There just does ok!"

"What if I don't follow those rules?"

"Liv, you can't do it. I forbid you from hanging out with rejects!"

"Really? Well guess what? I am also forbidden from hanging out with jerks!"

He stops confused for a moment, "What?..."

"Yea that's right. I said it!"

"Are you,"

"Yeah I am!"

Aria stands there in shock, her mouth open. Ruby looks entertained. And Cara she just, I don't even know.