Paralysis

Chapter Fourteen

On Friday, Damian had actively strayed away from Olive. He never called her, messaged her, nor approached her the entirety of the school day. Georgia continued to spend her days thinking of any possible way to muster up the courage to tell Olive that she was not only becoming close with Damian, but that she wanted Olive to make amends with him. Although, Georgia believed that Olive could be a forgiving person, she couldn't help but worry that Olive would end up turning on her because of the growing friendship between herself and Damian. The longer it took Georgia to explain the situation, the worse it would look. Georgia told herself that she needed to inform Olive quickly before it was too late.
Olive's evening with Micah passed much faster than he or Olive would've preferred. The entirety of the remaining part of that day was shared with her mother and younger brother. She had even gone out into the front yard with Micah before it became dark so that they could run around, dispelling all their energy; completely carefree. When it came time for the day to end, Olive still found herself laying in bed with her eyes wide open. Yet, it wasn't out of anguish, but genuine happiness.
Olive was capable of sleeping far better than the previous nights throughout the week, knowing that the weekend would be there when she woke up. Olive decided to spend some alone time in her bedroom getting some more homework finished before she left for work. Olive only came out to greet her mother and Micah, while grabbing a mug of hot coffee, and refusing breakfast. Olive was in full panic mode, not knowing what would happen to her if Damian told anyone about her secret. While she spent the last two days in a nonchalant manner, the overwhelming thoughts never seemed to remove themselves from her exploitative mind. Her mindset became so overwhelming that she had gone without brushing her teeth for those two days.
Recalling the last phone call she had with Damian, Olive came to the realization that his attempts at being kind was just to fool her into falling into a false sense of security with him. The same inane thoughts and memories came crawling back at every moment of weakness. The repetitive notions of her mistakes wouldn't let her rest. Each time she exited her bedroom, Olive was visibly on edge. Micah, nor their mother asked her what was wrong, even though her anxiousness was fairly easy to catch on to. Olive was slightly set back by it, but in the back of her mind she knew she wouldn't have wanted to talk about it regardless. Once it was time for Olive to head to her shift at work, she walked out of her bedroom and closed the door behind her. She stepped into the kitchen, seeing her mother near the stove, likely cooking lunch for herself and Micah.
"I'm heading to work." Olive proclaimed as she hugged her mother. Micah walked into the kitchen from his bedroom. He had been reading quietly before hearing that Olive was already leaving. Micah rushed toward Olive, launching his body against hers in order to embrace her as well. It startled Olive, but she composed herself once gaining balance again. She chuckled, rubbing the top of his head softly.
"Have a good day at work, sweetheart. Take it easy, okay. You seem so exhausted lately and I don't want you collapsing on me." Olive's mother stated, worriedly for Olive. Olive could hear the heartbreak in her mother's voice, knowing that she could clearly tell how Olive was carrying her mental state around for her to see clearly.
"I know, Ma. I'll take care of myself." Olive reassured her mother and the two of them suddenly laughed at the notice of how energetic Micah was. Olive held Micah tightly.
"I'm only going to work until eight, macho man. You'll still be up by the time I get home anyways. When I get back, we'll hang out some more, okay?" Olive gleefully promised Micah. He smiled excitedly, looking forward to the evening arriving.
"Bye, sissy!" Micah exclaimed after releasing Olive from his tight hug. Olive beamed down at Micah.
"Bye, bug." Olive added before departing from him and their mother by walking to the front door. Olive walked outside to grab her bike from the side of the house. Grey clouds were rolling in from the distance, signaling Olive that it would most likely rain throughout the day. Olive was elated, as that was her favorite type of weather. Olive unlocked her bike and sat on the seat.
Olive rode to work through her usual detour and to her surprise, Damian was standing by the lamp post just across the street from the restaurant. Olive could suddenly feel her heart beat in her stomach, internally panicking. Olive was scared and enraged at the same time. She thought to herself that she clearly didn't make it obvious enough to Damian that she didn't want him anywhere near her, and yet he was standing just a few dozen feet from her workplace. Olive figured it was clever of Damian to be out of sight from Franky's radar and remain undetected from her.
While Olive had halted after seeing Damian, she continued to press on. She placed her foot on her bike pedal and strolled towards Damian. Upon seeing her coming, Damian began to walk across the street, toward Olive after checking for cars. Olive halted once again, that time, her body wouldn't move. She simply glared at Damian as he inched closer to her, completely unfazed of her warnings from two days prior.
"What is wrong with you?" Olive sincerely questioned him, gazing at Damian with an annoyed expression. Damian stood at a distance from Olive so he wouldn't make her uncomfortable. He felt horrible, but the proper words refused to come out for him to express the emotions that were constantly weighing over him.
"Olive, I really need to talk with you." Damian attempted, sounding demanding towards Olive. He mentally slapped himself.
"Shove it up your ass, I don't wanna hear it." Olive cursed, getting off her bike to walk passed Damian. He followed behind her, catching up quickly and walking on the side of her. Damian was desperately trying to grab her attention, even if it were just for a moment. He needed her to hear him out. Olive ignored him.
"Olive, I really am sorry. Please, you need to let me explain." Damian's voice nearly broke as he continued to walk with Olive. Olive felt a pull in her chest at the sound of his voice, but decided to disregard it. She refused to let herself become vulnerable.
"Fuck off! I don't need to do anything and I'm finished listening to your bullshit." Olive growled. Damian stepped in front of her, forcing her to stop walking forward. Olive seethed, glowering in Damian's direction. He was sincere and she could tell, but she wouldn't fall for it.
"Olive, I'm not leaving until we talk." Damian insisted. Olive laughed sarcastically.
"Oh my fucking god, didn't you hear a damn word that I said? You're wasting your time." Olive shouted, nervously still standing in front of Damian. It was difficult to keep her cool, remaining blunt and uninterested. Olive being aggressive was all she had to keep people at a distance from her, almost out of fear. However, Damian wasn't startled by it at all.
"I'm not going anywhere, Georgia and I talked on Thursday and we're worried about you." Damian mentioned. Olive looked at him, offended. She grit down on her teeth, feeling betrayed.
"You have absolutely no right to talk to my best friend and discuss my life as if you fucking know me. You don't know shit about me and you never will. Leave!" Olive yelled louder. Damian didn't move a muscle. Olive kicked her bike stand forward to balance it. She walked forward, standing just a few inches from Damian as she stared up at him. Her expression was bleak, yet still holding some fight behind it. Damian was as still as a statue.
"Leave." Olive stated calmly. Damian took the hint, but he still refused to move an inch. Olive laughed, biting down on her lip aggressively as she looked to the side.
"You do realize that the moment you step in front of the restaurant where Franky can see you, she'll come out, right? And I won't hold her back this time." Olive looked up at Damian, trying to intimidate him. Damian was well aware of what would happen, but he was hoping that Olive would listen to him before that could occur.
"I don't care what she does, I just need you to listen to me." Damian was persistent. Olive scoffed.
"Listen to what? Listen to you try and bullshit me so you can continue blackmailing me? So you can force me to be part of your ridiculous anti-boredom routine?" Olive asked Damian in a tranquil tone, smirking the entire time as she ended her sentence with a hefty laugh. She knew exactly what game he was playing, and she wasn't going to let him be the winner.
"I never forced you to do anything." Damian stated, knowing the full extent of what he had done. He was remorseful, yet the way Olive made it sound didn't sit right with him.
"But I didn't have a choice, did I? Coming from the douchebag that told me I'm all talk, you're not looking too good yourself. You haven't told anyone jack shit, have you? This was just some sick game you wanted to play to see how far you could take it and you're still trying by playing the good guy." Olive's smirk shifted to a blank slate once Damian had nothing to say. All of her energy was drained just from speaking with him about a matter she wanted to forget. She grabbed hold of her bike handles, kicking the stand back up and walking passed Damian.
Damian didn't follow behind her that time, nor did he mutter another word. Olive walked to the entrance of the restaurant and locked her bike up. She looked back, seeing that Damian was walking away in the opposite direction. Olive exhaled, commending herself for remaining calm and not letting her guard down. Damian clenched both of his fists tightly as he walked away, frustrated that he couldn't manage to talk with Olive properly. Olive continued to watch as he left, before pulling her phone out of her pocket. She immediately called Georgia, impatiently waiting for her to answer the phone call.
"Hey." Georgia answered, in a fairly good mood.
"What the hell are you doing? Damian was waiting for me at work today. How the fuck does he know my schedule, and why did he say you two were talking on Thursday? Did you see him after you left my house?" Olive questioned Georgia, all of her patience had dissipated. Georgia was silent for a moment before answering.
"I told him you were working tonight. He and I are worried about you, Olive. I did go see him after I was at your house, but it isn't what you think it is. I've been wanting to tell you for a while that him and I have been talking." Georgia explained, understanding why Olive was angry with her and not wanting to argue.
"Why?" Olive interrogated, furious as she paced around at the front of the restaurant.
"Because he wants to talk to you. You should listen to him, Olive. He really does care about you. He feels like shit for putting you through all that stress." Georgia pleaded, making Olive laugh.
"He doesn't give two shits about me, I'm just a play thing to him. He only wants me to relieve his boredom and I told you that two days ago. But yet, in the same day that I told you, you still talked with him." Olive wanted to say a ton more to Georgia, but she held back.
"You've got the wrong idea, Olive. Believe me, when I called him to meet up on Thursday, I was pissed. He didn't tell me that he was blackmailing you. But he did tell me how awful he feels, and I trust him. Besides, I think you've met your match because he's just as stubborn as you are." Georgia attempted to lighten up the conversation. Olive only became more irritable.
"I don't care how awful he feels, Georgia. It's over and done with. It's too late, I'm done with him. I've discussed with you why I don't like him and that's a damn good fucking reason. I'm not doing this." Olive continued, trying to make Georgia understand.
"Olive, I really wish you would at least hear him out." Georgia stated with a soft voice.
"I'm not going to listen to the shit that spews from his mouth and that's the end of it, alright?" Olive said with a raised voice. The phone conversation went silent between the both of them for a few seconds. Georgia, nor Olive had anything left to say to each other about the situation. What Olive had uttered sounded like a threat. It nearly made her apologize, but she soon reminded herself that how she was reacting wasn't uncalled for, nor was it out of character. Olive still sighed, feeling bad for becoming so agitated with Georgia.
"I have to work, I'll talk to you another time." Olive's voice was becoming sore.
"You never do shit on your shift so what's the big deal? If you want to change the subject that's fine, but don't shut me out just because you're pissed." Georgia mentioned, trying to convince Olive to stay on the phone so they didn't end it with such negative aggression.
"I'm sorry, Georgia. I just really don't want to see him ever again." Olive felt tears coming.
"Are you afraid of him?" Georgia asked, wanting honest answers.
"No, it's not that. I just—" Olive stopped herself, trying to swallow the sobs. She covered her mouth with her forearm.
"Are you okay?" Georgia asked, severely uneasy with Olive's sudden silence. Olive sniffled against her arm before answering.
"I hate him, Georgia, I really do. I'm so scared to trust him and I don't want to. Every time I think about him, I'm reminded of his threats and if he'll eventually tell everyone about what I did. I get enough shit at school and this would just add more on top of it. Not to mention the off chance that my family finds out and I don't even want to think about how they would react." Olive sobbed through the phone, now indifferent to the idea of Georgia hearing her cry.
"For what it's worth, he told me that he regrets doing all of this after getting to know you. I also think he would've told everyone by now if he were actually serious." Georgia tried to console Olive through telling her this. Olive sniffled again, wiping away her tears.
"I refuse to believe anything he says and you should do the same. Despite what you believe, he doesn't want to get to know me for me, he only wants to know what he can use against me." Olive informed Georgia over the likelihood of Damian's plans.
"I think you're wrong but if that's the choice you want to make I won't argue with you." Georgia told Olive her stance on the situation. It irked Olive to hear Georgia practically tell her that even though she hated Damian, she still thought he was somehow a good person.
"I don't want to talk about this anymore and I'd much rather work and just deal with being in this mood that Damian put me in on my own." Olive spoke with anguish in her voice.
"Okay then, call me anytime you need to Olive. I love you." Georgia stated in a saddened tone.
"Love you too." Olive mumbled, then ended the phone call. 
  Georgia sighed, putting her phone in her pocket and walking back over toward Damian.
  "What did she say?" Damian asked, worried.
  "Want the truth?" Georgia started.
  "Yes." Damian insisted.
  "She fucking hates you, a lot." Georgia replied, coldly.
  "Oh." Damian responded, sounding defeated.
  "Yeah, I honestly feel like it would be best to just avoid her as much as possible and move on, dude." Georgia advised him.
  "I don't want to do that." Damian shook his head.
  "I know, but you can't force her to forgive you. She wants absolutely nothing to do with you." Georgia explained honestly.
  "I know that, but I'm not just going to stop trying." Damian assured.
  "Why do you care so much? I never actually asked you that." Georgia questioned, curious to know Damian's future intentions.
  "I can't really say, but, I just want to be near her and hear her voice and what not." Damian shrugged his shoulders, not thinking too far into his feelings.
  "Sounds to me like Cupid came early this year." Georgia spoke, smirking playfully.
  "Well, not really like that. I just wish I knew what really goes on in her life. I want to get to know her better. I want to see her differently than how I viewed her before." Damian expressed. Georgia suddenly stopped to look around, hearing noises coming from behind the two of them.
  "What is it?" Damian followed suit, looking around with her.
  "I thought I heard something." Georgia mentioned, scanning around the trees and bushes to spot anything. She jolted her eyebrows, sighing as she dispelled the curiosity from her mind.
  "It was probably a deer or a squirrel." Georgia suggested, shoving her suspicions to the side. She and Damian walked on together once more.
  "I can tell you some things about her if that helps." Damian gave Georgia his full attention.
  "I'll take that as a yes." Georgia added, laughing.
  Damian and Georgia went on talking for about an hour, discussing Olive. Georgia knew that Olive would kill her if she found out, but she truly trusted Damian, and to her, he seemed to really care for Olive.
  "So that's how it is, then?" Damian questioned.
  "I would assume so, she started acting this way right after it happened. I don't blame her either." Georgia looked down at the ground as they both continued strolling onward.
  "But that's not a good reason, or a healthy way to cope with it." Damian added.
  "That may be, but you try telling her what I've told her for the past five years." Georgia pursed her lips nervously.
  "I'd like a challenge." Damian smiled as he and Georgia walked towards her house.
  "She's a stubborn one." Georgia mentioned.
  "So am I, and I don't plan on losing." Damian considered
  "You'll need that mindset. See you at school, Damian." Georgia stated, walking up to her porch.
  "Bye." Damian replied, waving at Georgia as he departed from her.