The Hopeful, The Hardheaded and the Homework

Chapter 30: Simple as Defusing a Bomb : Olive

Olive had beaten herself up about the situation all night. She'd been so far removed from her usual chirpy self that her mother had known immediately that something must have happened with Enoch and her father grumbled threats against him until Olive insisted left, right and centre that it had nothing to do with Enoch whatsoever.

His shocked face when she'd made a complete idiot of herself in front of them was emblazoned in her mind and all she heard when she hung up the phone until she finally got to sleep, was Enoch snapping at her. He hadn't done that in months since he really had wanted nothing to do with her. Even if he didn't mean it, he had every right to be annoyed with her. Olive had been selfish, and let herself be tempted to poke her nose where she shouldn't. So she had made up her mind to try and smooth things over and apologise properly the next day. If nothing else they had a free period they could find a quiet place in.
But when she'd hurried onto the bus and looked down towards the back seat where Enoch always sat, it was empty. He rarely missed the bus, and was almost never late despite his obvious hatred for school most of the time. He must just have missed it this morning and was getting a lift to school instead. Olive swallowed a lump and slipped into the seat beside Emma who was frowning up at her.

"What's the matter?"

"Nothing...nothing." Olive faked a smile which her best friend saw through as plainly as if she hadn't bothered to try at all.

"Uh huh, you don't wear 'sad and bothered' very well, Olive. Something didn't happen with Enoch did it?"

"...No." She answered much too slowly and she knew it. She'd never been a very good liar but the last thing she wanted to do was go into any detail about it, even with Emma. "Okay maybe..."

Emma glared at the back of the seat in front of them and huffed. "Right. If he's turned around and is being a great big git to you again then he's gonna have a-"

"No, no. It definitely wasn't Enoch's fault, I promise." Olive couldn't help but smile a little at Emma's immediate willingness to leap to her defence, "It was entirely me. I...I think I kind of ruined everything."

"Oh come on, you can be a little dramatic sometimes, I'm sure you didn't ruin everything. Now spill. It can't have been that bad."

Olive just wrinkled her nose and shook her head, strands of hair falling loose from where they'd caught under her collar. "I can't really tell you. He'd never forgive me if I did. I just...I did something I knew he wouldn't want me to do."

Emma suddenly looked a lot more wary about asking. "...Do I want to know exactly what kind of thing you two were doing?"

"Emma!" Olive squeaked, her remorse momentarily forgotten in embarrassment of what Emma was suggesting, her whole face flushing pink. "Nothing of the kind! I'm just so afraid he hates me now, look he's not even on the bus."

"Yeah I did think that was a little odd. Don't worry so much, he's probably just late and besides...you of all people should know Enoch wouldn't ever hate you."

Should she or shouldn't she? She could message him and he could walk into class ten minutes late and keep his head down and ignore her. What if he was only late and she came off clingy and desperate for forgiveness. Or maybe Emma was right and she worried too much. So Olive did message him, only a few minutes before the bell would ring and quickly stuffed her phone into her bag in her locker after hitting send, as thought by doing that, she could pretend that she hadn't and wouldn't have to see his reply, if there was any, right away.

But all history, Enoch didn't show up at all and Olive was only distracted more than ever wondering if he really was avoiding her. So much so that Fiona asked her several times if she really was okay and Jacob mouthed "Where is he?" across the room to them.