Going the Distance ✔️

Chapter forty four.

When the day ended, the ride home was silent. Nobody knew what to say and I found it hard to say anything because I had no idea what they were feeling. They had both been hurt by this girl and they had both witnessed her come back into their lives when she caused it misery in the past.

I wanted to comfort them and I wanted to tell them that everything would be okay, but I couldn't make that promise as I had no idea what was going to happen. Olivia might decide to leave it and give nasty glares in the halls or she might continue on with the rumors she created at their old school.

We were half way into the ride home, I cleared my throat and decided to drop the pin on the silence. "If you don't mind me asking," I began, "what were the rumors about?"

I was sitting in the back so my eyes were darting from Liam, who was concentrating on the road and to Xanthe, who was staring out the window. "They were horrible." Xanthe said in a whisper.

"It's okay," I brushed it off, "you don't have to tell me."

Once we arrived home, Liam got out and stormed inside. I sat in the car, waiting for Xanthe to get out so I could make sure she was okay. It was then that she turned around and met my gaze. "I received a lot of it. Yes, Liam's photo's got leaked around the entire school, but what she did to me what something that ruined my reputation. She told all of my secrets to everybody and spread rumors about me that weren't even true."

"You don't have to say anything." I told her, knowing that it must've been hard to relive it all.

Xanthe sighed. "No, it's okay," she said, "it was rumour after rumour that Olivia had spread, either via text or by whispers in the halls." I gave her a sympathetic look as I saw tears swell up in her eyes. "She first told the entire school that I had slept with the entire football team and that I had gotten pregnant by one of them. Then she started telling my secrets. She told everyone about how I wasn't in love with my boyfriend anymore, which caused him to break up with me and then he made a scene in the cafeteria when he heard the rumour about the football team."

I gasped. "That's horrible, Xanthe."

She nodded. "I told Olivia that I wasn't in love with him anymore and I was going to break up with him, but Olivia got to him first. I never thought my once best friend could be so nasty towards me when I barely did anything wrong."

"All you did was keep one secret from her to protect your brother and she does all of that? I can't believe it." I said to her, took shocked to say anything else.

She nodded. "Yeah, and Liam also got some of it too. She spread the photos, told everyone that Liam gave her aids when they hadn't even slept together. You know Liam is still a virgin, right?" She told me.

"Huh?" I frowned. "He told me that he wasn't."

She laughed. "He tells everybody that," she said, "he only made out with the girl while he was still with Olivia. They didn't sleep together, they only kissed."

My mind couldn't believe what Xanthe was telling me and I wanted to laugh at the fact that Liam had lied to me so damn good that he had me fooled. I guess he really was the king of lying. "Wow," I said in disbelief, "and Olivia still spread those rumours."

Xanthe nodded, sighing. "I can't believe she's back in our lives again. What if she finishes what she started?"

"She won't," I said quickly, "she should be over it by now."

She laughed, opening the car door to get out. "You don't know Olivia."

*

She was right. I had no idea who Olivia was and I knew I was about to find out very soon.