I Know Places / b.s.

Huit

Olivia

I cried into my knees, occasionally wiping my cheeks with my already wet sleeves. My head is throbbing with this awful headache and I can't feel anything except pain.

I'm a little surprised to see someone sit beside me but I'm not surprised to see its Brad. He glanced over at me and pulls on knee to his chest.

I cried into my arm, hating that he was here mostly because he had just broken my heart too. There was silence between us for a few minutes while I let it all out.

"What are you feeling?" he asked, his voice shaking a little.

I sniffled and grabbed a small rock that was beside me and tossed it into the lake. There was a lot that I couldn't put to words, but for him I wanted to cry.

"It's been a really hard few days," I cried. "Between my parents coming here and them rehashing everything with the accident. I feel like like I'm suffocating."

"I'm sorry," he breathed. "I shouldn't have been such an asshole earlier. I had no right to treat you like that. I'm right here, Olivia, and I'm willing to help you through this."

"Why?" I groaned, "you shouldn't be weighed down by all my drama-"

"Because I think I'm falling in love with you and I know that means loving all of you, not just the happy side. I'm not letting you go through this alone."

I stared at him, furrowing my brows but feeling more tears spill from my eyes. He pulled me closer and let me rest my head on his chest as he wrapped his arms around my body.

"It's alright, love," he cooed. "I promise it's going to get better."

"It was getting better for a while but I said the worst thing to my mom yesterday. My parents ended up leaving before I even apologized. I don't want them to hate me," I cried.

"That's not possible," Brad insisted.

"I don't know how to move on. Every single day I'm reminded of the accident. Is it even right that I want to move on?" I questioned.

Brad brushed back my hair, taking a moment to respond as my words settled in his head. He pulled me a little closer, and this time I rested my hand on his belly, gripping his shirt.

"I don't think there is anything wrong with moving on," Brad stated, "I just think shutting it all out is wrong."

I looked at him; my watery eyes locking onto his. I felt his hand brush across my cheek and his face screamed concern.

"I'm not shutting it out - I am constantly feeling everything," I cried, "this is so pathetic."

"It's not pathetic, Olivia," he assured.

I took a sharp breath, wishing that somehow the tension in my chest could be relief. Brad pulled me back into his arms and we sat like this for over an hour my not once did he loosen his grip around me.

-

"Okay, we have two choices, we can either go get ice cream, or we can just sit here all night wishing we had lives," I said.

Brad grumbled something under his breath but I knew I wasn't meant to understand. I laughed at his annoyance and tore the blanket off of him. He had been laying in bed all day, while I've been just sitting here for the last two hours trying to watch a movie. It was nearly 8 o'clock and I think got out of bed twice.

"Let's go, sleepyhead," I whined, "I want ice cream."

"Kira has plenty of ice cream in the freezer, Olivia," Brad groaned, "just let me be."