Only if you know (Book 1)

Chapter 13

Olivia went to her locker to keep her books after receiving little comfort from Drake. She was about to leave for the library when Sia grabbed her arm and dragged her to the cafeteria.

"I still can't believe you know Prof. Drake." Sia gushed to her long-lost best friend. All four of them were sitting at the table in the canteen.

"It's not that big of a deal. He used to be a substitute teacher at my old school, as he mentioned in class." She shook her head casually.

"Whatever it is. But the look on Jenna's face was hilarious when you and Prof. Drake were flirting. Jenna always tried to do that, but he never retaliated back." Mason told her.

Olivia was about to reply to Mason when she noticed two familiar faces who had been close to her as best friends and with whom she had a special bond.

"It's great to see you back, Livy." Stella and Zack exchanged a sad smile.

"It's great to see you all again." She replied to them. Stella and Zack went in separate directions to sit with their friends.

"When did you become so buddy-buddy with them?" Sia asked her curiously.

"They have also been in the same batch as us."

"Zack is kind of rude, you know. I mean, the first time I tried to talk to him, he didn't even bother to reply back courteously. And after I started playing centre-forward for the football team, he had formed some kind of hatred towards me." Caleb said.

Olivia was able to understand where Zack was coming from. Even Mason and Sia decided to keep their mouths shut.

Sudden silence at the table reassured Caleb that all three of them knew the reason for Zack's hostility toward him.

"You know, I have a right to know what I did wrong to earn Zack's hatred. But, except for me, he appears to be fine with everyone else." He stated.

"Zack doesn't hate you. Just give him some time." Olivia told him.

"Three years isn't long enough for him?" Caleb cocked his brow.

"Sometimes it isn't. Caleb. You did nothing wrong. Let's just say you were in the wrong place at the wrong time." Olivia tried to reason with him.

She couldn't tell him the truth unless she broke down her own barriers. She herself is not strong enough to face the truth. Zack thought Caleb was replacing his best friend. It wasn't easy for anyone of them to deal with the pain.

"Why didn't you tell us about your parents, Olivia? Is this why you have come back?" Mason asked her, which made Caleb look guilty.

Even after a week, Caleb didn't make any attempt to figure out why Olivia was here.

"Yes. His parents are apparently my godparents. His and my families were very close." She pursed her lips.

"How did it happen so quickly?" Olivia tensed as Sia asked her a curious question.

Caleb sensed Olivia stiffen beside him. How could Olivia tell them the truth?

"It doesn't matter." She stated this in a firm tone, indicating that she will not be discussing the matter further.

"So, Olivia, did you date any guys there?" Sia asked her curiously to change the topic.

She very well knew her best friend, and she could see that Livy was hurting.

"Now I am interested as well." Mason raised his brows amusingly.

"Yeah, I did. But, it did not work out in the end." Olivia carefully answered them, leaving out all the details.

"Come on, tell us what his name is." Mason was adamant.

"How does it matter? I dated, and it didn't work out, so that's the end of the story." She snapped. Olivia took a deep breath and explained it to them. "Look, guys, it doesn't matter what I did there. But, since I am here, can we please stop talking about my last three years?"

"You can't blame us for being curious, Livy. You abruptly left the state three years ago with no contact. And now that you have returned, we have the right to know." Mason said this with a clear tinge of annoyance in his tone.

"You didn't even bother answering our messages. You haven't thought about calling us. We have tried calling you several times. But, I don't remember you answering the phone. We even considered calling you on your landline, but no one knew your phone number. So, you have no right to lash out at us." Sia snapped.

"Maybe because I didn't want to talk to you people. Have you ever thought about that?" Olivia's statement made both of them flinch.

"Wh... But why?" Sia stuttered.

"Because it was annoying me, okay. The messages you guys were sending irritated me, and the frequent calls were giving me a headache. I didn't have the time or energy to waste on you. I had stuff that was more important than you." Olivia then walked away.

Sia and Mason were completely taken aback. They'd never seen Olivia like this before. Her sudden outburst drew everyone's attention to their table. Mason was trying to comfort Sia, who was sniffling. Zack and Stella were both taken aback by her temperament. Even sitting few feet behind her, they were able to hear her voice.

Caleb, on the other hand, was enraged once more. Olivia was always doing something to cause his loved one pain. Caleb was aware of how much Olivia meant to both of his best friends, but she did not value them.

He got up from his seat angrily and followed Olivia. He grabbed her hand and pushed her to the locker. The sudden action caused Livy to freak out. She was ready for the unknown person to beat her. But to her surprise, it has been just verbal abuse from Caleb.

"What the hell was back there in the cafeteria? You know, Sia and Mason love you so much. All this past years, they had been talking nonstop about you. It's as if I already know you, but you are not the same person they have been describing to me. You are, in fact, a monster in disguise. Here I was feeling guilty for the way I treated you all along when you have been going through the phase I don't even want to imagine. I wanted to apologize to you for acting like a jerk while you were grieving the loss of your parents. But you know what? It's a good thing they are no longer with you. You are nothing more than a worthless person with no values." Caleb then walked away from her, but not without giving her a death glare.

Caleb's unexpected behaviour took aback Olivia. As it was, she was too stunned by the locker's impact to think clearly, and Caleb's harsh words were not helping. She was gradually fading into her haunted memories and collapsing on the floor. Olivia would have hit her head on the floor if it hadn't been for Drake.