Losing Oliver

Chapter 9

After that awkward night with Lucas, I dreaded going to school. My alarm clock buzzed at me for the second time, and I decided that I couldn't avoid getting up any longer. I shifted to my side and pushed myself off my bed. The wooden floor of my bedroom was cold against my feet as I made my way to the bathroom.

The light was still on from last night when I had taken a shower, so I instantly saw my face in the mirror. It was obvious that I was crying, but I covered the bags with concealer. Pulling my bangs back, I clipped them into a bump. The little makeup I put on worked well, and it was safe to say that I looked decent.

The clock read 7:55 AM. School started at 8:20, so I picked up the pace and changed out of my pajamas before heading downstairs. Unwrapping the granola bar that I took from the pantry, I walked out the door and onto the sidewalk that led to the school.

"Hi," a light voice said behind me. I turned around to see Emmy coming up behind me. Her hair was pulled into a high ponytail while her face didn't have a lick of makeup. She was naturally beautiful, but anyone could tell she was still in grieving. Her eyes wore bags under them, just like mine.

"Hey, Emmy." I said. I didn't have the heart to be mean to her. She was going through exactly what I was. The initial shock of Oliver's death made me lash out, and she was the easiest target to blame. I didn't feel angry anymore.

"I was just wondering if something happened last night. Lucas was acting out last night when he got home." She asked as we continued to walk. Her big brown doe eyes were on me, like she knew I was the one who caused it.

"No, something must have happened after he dropped me off." I lied and chewed on my lip. It would be awkward to try and explain what happened with Lucas to his sister. That would be weird.

"Hmm." She huffed in thought. Her eyebrows knit together while we walked, until she looked back up at me with a small smile. "So, how are you?"

"Good, but you know how it is. It's been hard." I admitted quietly.

"Yeah, I totally get it. I'm happy sometimes, but it seems like I just keep getting pulled down into a deep funk," she says to me. Her eyes watered slightly, but she didn't let them go. Blinking away the tears, she stopped at the parking lot of the school. "It was nice to talk to you, Lucy. If you ever want to talk about Ollie, let me know."

"Yeah, same to you." I let out a slight smile before we parted ways. She headed toward her friends while I headed inside.

I just got to my locker when I heard someone call my name. "Lucy!" my old friend Abigail walked towards me with her bag on her shoulder. "What happened on Friday? I didn't hear from you all weekend."

"Nothing, I just got worked up." I waved it away and saw a rush of blue hair come at me.

"Lu!" Payton shrieked. Her round eyes were blazing with curiosity. "What the heck happened last night?" She stole a look towards Abigail after her squealing. "Oh, I'm sorry! I'm Payton."

"We'll talk later, Payton." I whispered before Abigail spoke.

"I remember you from my AP Math class. I'm Abigail," She smiled then held out a hand for Payton to shake. Payton had other plans when she wrapped her arms around Abigail's waist. Payton was in AP math? I never would've guessed.

"It's so nice to meet you! Sorry, but Luce and I have to go. Bye!" Payton chirped and pulled me away from Abigail, who wore a confused look.

~

"So, Luke has had a thing for you?" Payton asked with wide eyes. "I should've known when he brought you over to the group on Friday! He usually is so brooding, but after he brought you, he lit up!"

"Yeah.. He tried to kiss me, but I couldn't.. I couldn't share his feelings." I admitted. My lips turned downward at the thought of last night. "I just don't like him like that."

"..There's another guy isn't there?" Payton rose an eyebrow. Wow, she was perceptive.

"No, I just don't want a relationship right now." I denied with frustration. I didn't want to be questioned any longer.

"Okay." She dropped it after she picked up on my irritation. "Would you want to hang out after school?"

"Sure, we can hang out at my place." I offered.

She smiled and nodded, "Sounds great."

~

It was lunchtime when I first saw Lucas after our awkward encounter. His golden brown eyes darkened when he saw me in the hall. The instant our eyes met, he turned away and headed out to the back of the school.

"Lucas! Wait!" I shouted and ran after him. I knew I should leave him alone, but he was already a ticking time bomb without me adding to it.

I got close to him when he whipped around and glared at me. "Why should I, Lucy? So you can just hurt me again?" His voice was laced with vulnerability and anger as he stared at me.

"Please, I didn't mean to-"

"You didn't mean to, what? It's pretty clear what you meant." He rolled his eyes and crossed his arms over his chest.

"I didn't want to hurt you. You've helped me so much; I want to do the same for you." I tried to reach for him, but he backed away.

"I'm not your charity project. I can't be fixed." His voice was getting angrier and angrier, and I wasn't helping anything. "Just leave me alone."

I sat in silence. He walked off toward his car, leaving me alone behind the school.

"This better not go on for long," Someone said next to me. I looked over to see Declan's leaning on the brick wall. "He's been extra touchy today, and he told me what happened. You really know how to bruise a guy's ego."

"You know nothing about what I'm going through right now." I sneered and shook my head.

"Don't I? You're in love with a dead guy."

My heart stopped. He couldn't know about how I felt about Oliver, could he? "Shut up. Like I said, you know nothing."

"So I didn't hear you drunkenly murmur that you loved him when you fell asleep on the night of the party? Must be my bad hearing." He drawled sarcastically and winked at me. "But it's obvious that I did."

"Declan Pierce, you psycho son of a-"

"Luce, I'm not going to tell anyone. I'm not a complete monster." He stopped me before I exploded on him. His features were relaxed, no smirks or twinkle of mischief in his eyes.

I searched him for some sign of lying. Nothing gave him away; he looked completely honest.

"I wouldn't do that to someone when I've felt the same pain." And with that, he walked away and left me alone once again.

~

This one's a bit of a filler chapter, but trust me, it'll heat up again soon.

There's a lot in progress. What do you guys think of Declan's sudden change of emotion? Is he trustworthy? What about Lucas and his anger?

Thanks for reading! I promise the chapters will lengthen once I get more into the plot.

~Rachel