Under the Bridge

chapter fifty seven- "starbucks"

I WAKE UP ALONE. Four days waking up with Liam happened to be one of the best experiences of my life, but now that the long weekend is over, I'm stuck in my bed, still alone. My bed feels bigger than usual, empty and over-sized and unnecessary. 

My alarm sounds like an atomic bomb going off, the sound rippling through the room. I groan and climb out, turning it off to cease the unnecessary sound. I yawn, quickly getting ready for school. 

Surprisingly, my mother was home when I came downstairs. She was sitting at the table, flipping through the pages of her newspaper. This is the first time I've seen her in weeks, our first interaction since she got the date of my birthday wrong. 

She smiles up at me, crossing her legs at the ankle and smiling. "Good morning, Olivia." 

I give her a faux kind look, still feeling a bit of guilty resentment. "Good morning," I say, grabbing an apple from the fridge and pulling my backpack over my shoulders. 

"You're going already?" She asks. 

I nod. "Liam's probably already here," I explain, putting my hands in the pockets of my jacket. 

She raises her eyebrows. "You're still together?" 

"Yeah, actually," I say, feeling a little bit of spite filling my voice. Thankfully, I saw Liam's car in the window and began to walk towards the door, leaving my mother in the dust.

The Oregon air is so much colder than that in California, and I find myself missing the beach house already. I take the passenger seat beside my boyfriend, lightly kissing his lips and leaning back against the old vehicle's seat. 

"Morning, Liam."

He smiles sleepily, squeezing my knee. "Morning, babe." 

He pulls the car out of park and turns the wheel, leaving the driveway, past the gates, and driving down the street. "We have a little bit of time, if you want to get coffee or something," Liam suggests, flicking on his turn signal and stopping at the bustling intersection. 

"Good idea, where do you want to go?" I smile, thinking about sugary coffee and mocha kisses before school starts. 

"Starbucks?"

"Starbucks." 

* * *

Elle stands at her locker, a yellow legal pad under her arm, a curve to her smile, a red tinge to her cheeks. She's giggling, flirting, standing across from a tall boy with familiar blonde hair. She wears a debate crewneck, matching his, with brown corduroy pants rolled up at the ankle. 

She's leaving for a debate tournament on the other side of the country at noon today, with a team that is full of people I dislike. 

Most specifically, the blonde haired boy standing across from her, a warm smile on his lips, a hand touching her upper arm for a brief second. James pushes up his glasses and grins at her. I hear her laugh again. 

I almost drop my coffee, clutching tightly to the cardboard cup. "Oh my god," I breathe. Liam follows my eyes, slipping a hand around my waist and bringing his head down to my ear. 

"Does she know what he did?" 

I shake my head. "I don't think so. By the way she described the guy she was talking to--" 

"--Should we--"

"No," I answer, feeling something painful bubble up in my chest, feeling my head spin. "She'll find out from Hope or s-something."