TEA! (es)

CHAPTER TWO!

     The sounds of chimes echoed around the front porch that belonged to the Normanson family, a soft breeze blowing by. Blonde hair flew over glossed lips, sticking to Olivia's face. She carefully peeled the hair off of her, sighing. Elaine was late to pick her up.

     Elaine and Olivia had been friends for a while, somewhere in the few-years range. No one in the school, at least no one who cared, had seen them separated unless they were in different classes. Becka later joined the two, making a group of three that seemed almost famous to the school. They were stuck somewhere between semi-popular and just average people. Of course, Olivia was too modest to admit that, and Becka would have never agreed to it unless someone had stated it as a fact. Elaine, however, dangerously honest, and knew where her place was in the school's food chain. In many ways, it was a wonder that she and Ramona weren't best friends, as Ramona was much the same.

     The familiar car pulled up just in front of the mailbox, coming to a complete stop. Olivia ran down the steps and into the back seat, seeing as though Becka had called shotgun. The car was kept clean, but the exterior might have fooled you. It wasn't exactly dingey, just aged. Elaine never minded it much. It lessened the chances of someone breaking into it.

     "You're fifteen minutes late, Elaine." Olivia sighed in frustration, tossing her backpack into the seat beside her. Olivia had a habit of correcting people, but she was nice about it, so no one really minded. 

     "Sorry. Traffic." Elaine was rather quiet, compared to how she usually acted. Amongst her friends, she wasn't loud but wasn't introverted either. She was more or less just existing, in sort of a funny way. But never was Elaine quite so ominous, especially as to not tell her best friend a viable reason for being late.

     "Yeah?" Olivia asked. She didn't believe Elaine, and that was because even Elaine sounded like she didn't believe Elaine. There was something off about this situation. It didn't make any sense, in Olivia's mind, for Elaine to be caught in traffic if the three of them all lived within the same five blocks of one another.

     "Yeah," Elaine muttered. She didn't sound bothered, but more like she wanted to avoid the conversation at hand. It was curious, too curious for Becka to pass up the chance to speak.

     "Traffic my ass, more like she went on a date and didn't make it home until eleven!" Becka all but shouted. 

     "Jeez, tell the whole world, why don't ya?" Elaine hissed, glancing over at Becka with pleading eyes. Olivia was confused, unsure of why this was a big deal, but left it be. Olivia was the type of friend to not talk about something if she saw that the other members of the conversation didn't want to talk about it, but it didn't mean she wouldn't bring it up later.

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     The chimes were heard for the second time that day as Olivia entered the band room, brushing her fingers across the set of chimes in the percussion section. Walking up to the marimba, she could see Ramona and Jess talking. Ramona sat in the very last chair on the back left of the back row, and Jess sat directly in front of her in the second row. Olivia sighed in relief. Usually, Ramona was up her ass about something at this time in the morning, but today it was Jess' turn to hear all about whatever Ramona wanted to complain about today. She was a good friend, but a lot to handle, and a little too ADD and ADHD for her own good.

     But, of course, Ramona had noticed her and came to give her a daily greeting. With any luck, she wouldn't be in a bad mood.

     "Hey, did you do the French homework?" She asked Olivia, running a shaky hand through her hair.