Only if you know (Book 1)

Chapter 19

Olivia has been doing much better in the two weeks since her breakdown, at least from the outside. Caleb's concerned looks made her suspect he had somehow witnessed something more than she wanted him to.

      When Sia and Mason eventually confronted her about abandoning them that afternoon, she repeated the same vague explanation she had given Caleb. They reluctantly accepted it, and she made sure to spread her time evenly between Mason, Sia, Caleb, and the quieter pair, Stella and Zack. 

      She had wanted to give a piece of her mind to Jenna, but it was pointless.

      Stella, thankfully, was doing better too. Time didn’t heal her, but presence helped.

Today, Olivia wanted to talk to Zack because Caleb had spent half of yesterday complaining about Zack’s coldness. And Olivia had had enough of hearing him mutter about it.

      She spotted Zack at his locker.

      “Hey, Olivia,” he said, noticing the two girls approach. “You want to talk to me?”

      “Yes. What’s the deal with you and Caleb?” she asked bluntly.

      “I don’t know what you are talking about.”

      “Zack,” Stella deadpanned, “even I know what she’s talking about.

      He sighed, shoulders dropping. “Look… sorry. It’s just…” he stopped, inhaling slowly. “When Caleb came here, I didn’t like him. It felt like he was replacing Jason. I know that’s stupid. And unfair. I never apologized, but I did stop giving him a hard time.”

      “But he still thinks you despise him for some unknown reason,” Olivia explained, remembering Caleb’s frustrated rant.

      “If it makes him feel better, I will just apologize...” His words died mid-sentence as his gaze drifted across the hallway to a particular girl.

      Stella smirked and jabbed him in the side. “Gabriella. Not bad, Zacky-poo.”

      “It’s not what you think,” he muttered defensively.

      “Ya-ya,” Olivia teased. “Stella and I aren’t idiots. We’ve seen the way you look at her.”

      “I might have a tiny-winy crush on her,” he confessed, cheeks heating.

      “Then ask her out, you moron,” Stella said.

      “I’ll think about it,” Zack mumbled, scratching the back of his neck.

      “You won’t think about it, but you’ll do it. Today,” Olivia ordered.

      He rolled his eyes and walked away. “Whatever. During lunch, I’ll pass by your table to apologize to Caleb.”

      The moment he left, Olivia and Stella exchanged wicked looks.

The break arrived quickly. Mason, Sia, and Caleb were seated at their usual table when Olivia, Zack, and Stella approached.

      Sia and Mason were surprised Olivia had spent so much time with Zack and Stella lately, but they didn’t comment.

      “Can I talk to you, Caleb?” Zack asked.

      Caleb blinked, startled. Zack never willingly spoke to him unless football required it. “Sure thing. You can join us if you want.”       

      Zack lowered himself into the seat beside them. Stella settled beside Olivia.

      “Caleb, I’m sorry,” Zack said genuinely. “I know I haven’t exactly been warm to you for the last three years. When you arrived, I shouldn’t have been so… hostile. That was totally uncalled for.” He told him with sincerity.

      Caleb already knew this had Olivia’s fingerprints all over it. “It’s all right. I just don’t understand why,” he admitted.

      Zack hesitated. Olivia gently nudged him to tell the truth. “Before you, I had a best friend who… well, filled your spot. After he left, I wasn’t ready for anyone else to take it. You were popular, good at everything, and it just… felt like you were replacing him. It was stupid, but I acted out of anger.”

      “Oh,” Caleb said softly. “Okay. So… who was your best friend?”

      Zack’s face shuttered. “Doesn’t matter. I just hope we can move past all that.”

      “Not a bad idea,” Caleb said, smiling as they did a quick guy handshake.

      Zack stood abruptly. “Well, all unspoken issues resolved, I’ll get going.” He had a sneaking suspicion that Olivia and Stella were up to something.

      “Not so fast, mister. There is still unfinished business.” Olivia stated.

      “I am not sure if there's anything else I need to finish.” Zack pretended to be innocent. 

      In response, Stella and Olivia crossed their arms and raised their brows.

      Sia frowned. “Wait, what’s going on? He apologized.”

      “Exactly,” Zack echoed, trying to stand only to receive a smack to the head from Stella.

      “Ow! Stella!”

      “Zack,” Olivia warned, “be a man and ask her.”

      “I’m not asking anyone anything,” Zack insisted. “And I don’t even know what you’re talking abou—”

      A double smack landed—one from Stella, one from Olivia.

      “OW! God! Can you two STOP assaulting me?”

      “Not until you ask her out,” Stella said sweetly.

      “It’s just a crush! It’ll pass! It's not like I love her!”

      “Oh, really?” Olivia lifted a brow. “So, it wasn’t you who spent that entire summer drooling over how cute Gaby was?”

      Zack froze.

      Stella folded her arms. “Let it go, Livy. If he doesn’t like her, that’s fine. Trevor mentioned he was going to ask Gaby out soon.”

      “No. He can’t.” Zack shot upright, annoyed.

      “Why?” Olivia asked innocently.

      “Because I am!” he blurted. “I’ve liked her for four years! Trevor’s not stealing her from me!” And before any of them could blink, Zack marched straight across the cafeteria, grabbed Gabriella by the hand, pulled her to her feet, and kissed her. Right there. In front of every student.

      Stella burst out laughing. “Leave it to Zack to do something dramatic.”

      “It’s a miracle she didn’t slap him,” Olivia snorted.

      “Well, considering how red she is… I think she liked it,” Mason said.

      “They’d make a cute couple,” Sia swooned.

      “Oh, yes, they would,” Caleb agreed.

      Olivia and Stella squealed happily and hugged each other, celebrating the success of their not-so-subtle matchmaking.

      Caleb found himself smiling without meaning to. Seeing Olivia playful, laughing, and teasing. It lit something inside him. Something warm. Something unfamiliar.

      Sia and Mason exchanged a soft, relieved look, too. They could feel pieces of their old Livy resurfacing, not whole, not healed, but alive. And a large part of that was because of Zack and Stella, who carried more of Jason than any of them.

      The six of them once had their own world. It was loud, bright, and filled with laughter. Jason had been the thread tying them together. And when he disappeared, everything tore apart.

      Sia and Mason had no idea when Livy became close to Zack and Stella. It could be during the summer, long before tragedy reshaped her life. But one thing was clear. Olivia had been changed forever.

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