I Know Places / b.s.

Deux

Olivia

Normally, I sit on the pier and stare out into the lake for hours. Today, however, I was more upset then I had been all week. For the third time, I suppressed my tears. Some days are better than others.

Beth was worried about me, but it's so hard to explain to her what I truly feel. Every day I have to thank some out of world force, for me being here because the odds weren't in my favor that night.

The sun was out and there wasn't a cloud in the sky. I looked up, taking a deep breath. I'm here and I should be grateful, but I can't find it in myself to be happy.

Footsteps carried down the pier, towards me. I glanced back to see some guy walked towards me. His curly brown hair looked so soft and he wore a pair of black skinny jeans and a t-shirt. He had to be hot in is outfit, considering it was nearly 90 degrees.

He sat a few feet away from me, his legs dangling over the side of the pier. I was a little confused, realizing that I remembered him from Sally's a few days ago.

"Hi, I'm Brad," he said.

"Uh, I'm Olivia. I saw you at Sally's the other day, right? With Jeremy," I pointed out.

"Yeah, he's my cousin," he shrugged, "never been here before, so this is new to me. I'm used to... the city."

I laughed a little. "Me too, but I like it here. It's pretty peaceful."

He blinked a few times at me and looked away. I couldn't exactly tell if I liked him or not yet, but he seemed like a brat.

"Where are you from?" he asked.

"I live in Brooklyn, but I'm here with my aunt for a while... what about you?" she asked.

"Birmingham, England," he sighed.

There was silence between us, filled only with the sound of the water lapping at the pier and birds chirping. In the far distance I could hear a lawn mower.

"No offense, but you don't seem happy to be here," I stated, "so why are you?"

"Good question," he laughed, "I guess my attitude needs adjusting or something like that. I don't know - my family thinks sending me to live with my cousin and his wife for a few months will do me good. I just don't see how it could help."

"Ah, yeah, I understand."

"I'm sure you don't," he scoffed.

I furrowed my brows at him. He wasn't very nice and now I could really see that he did need an attitude adjustment. His smugness was just dripping off of him.

"You know, you're parents were wrong for sending you here. The only thing that will rid you of this awful attitude, is yourself."

He glared at me, "I'm sorry?"

"I'm just saying," I shrugged, "you just don't seem happy."

"I'm not happy! I'm in the middle of nowhere, surrounded by freaks. This isn't how I want to spend the next four months," he vented, "all I want is to go to London to be with my friends."

"I don't think anyone here is a freak. You're being way too negative," I laughed.

He rolled his eyes, "why are you here?"

"You're not the only one here beyond their will, but this place isn't new to me. I've been coming here since I was little. Our lake house is," I looked back and pointed it out - the one sitting a few houses down with a large back hard, "that one with the big porch in the back."

"Yeah, we're only a few houses down on the other side," Brad said, "but I guess you know that because you know Jeremy."

"Yeah, Jeremy and Kira are cool. They're so down to earth," I said, "it's a shame they have to deal with you."

Brad rolled his eyes again. He was shaking his head and scoffing. I could tell it wouldn't take much for him to lose his temper, but I found amusement in it.

"So, if you're here beyond your will, then why are you here?" he asked, "let me guess - your boyfriend broke up with you and now you're trying to move on. Pathetic."

I laughed. "You're right, I dedicated my entire life to him and he let me down," I joked, "only time will heal my heart."

He smiled a little, and I couldn't help but laugh even more. There was another layer to him that I wanted to see. This walk he had put up was there for a reason.

"Honestly, though," I began, "I'm still trying to figure out how to be happy too. Sometimes, you just have to open up to whoever will listen. Being stubborn and putting up a wall, is only going to make you more unhappy. If there is no reason for you to be like this, then lighten up a little. For once, you're surrounded by people who don't care what you do or think and trust me, it's refreshing."

He nodded slowly, looking away. I hoped he had really taken my words seriously, because it took a lot of me to admit that. My heart ached in my chest as my mind trailed off to Charlie. I sat on the pier with Brad for another hour, both of us sitting in silence and taking in the breathtaking view. Somehow, we found this comfort in each other that couldn't be put into words.

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Note: shorter, but pretty progressive chapter. Leave comments below!