Songs from my Bewilderment

Chapter Sixteen

Flashback - April - Junior Year of High School

Prom had just ended, and Max and Olivia decided to take a quick drive downtown. They are walking along the Sacramento River. She's wearing a long navy blue evening gown with pleats, and her hair is falling past her shoulders in curls. He's wearing a gray suit with a navy blue tie and clean white shoes.

"Didn't I tell you prom was going to be fun?"

"I guess you did," Max says. He grimaces at Olivia and has been noticing how beautiful she is all night.

"I have to say it was better bringing someone," Olivia says, smiling as she looks at the river. 

"You know... you've enhanced most of my high school experience. Dragging me to football games, dances, all the cliche things you love," Max says, as he laughs.

"Oh... shut up," Olivia says, laughing along with him. "I guess I've just always wanted the perfect high school experience."

"Not everything has to be perfect," Max says. "Sometimes you just have to let things be, Liv..."

"But, you know... my parents have always pushed me to do everything at 110%. It's hard to see it any other way."

"At least you know who your real parents are..." Max says. The energy between the two of them has suddenly shifted.

"Hey... hey. We talked about this," Olivia says, comforting him. She knows he eventually wants to find his birth mom and dad... but Olivia has comforted him whenever he got sad about it. She puts her arm around him, and they start hugging each other as they look at the Tower Bridge ahead of them.

Max feels her touch and is starting to get a tingly feeling through his body. He doesn't know if Olivia feels the same way, but they did just go to prom together. In his jacket pocket, he has a gift for Olivia. Max wanted to do something sweet since she's been there for him since his break up with Mia. 

In his spare time, Max plays the Ukulele and writes songs. He secretly wanted to be a musician, but he didn't know at this moment how he would tell his parents that he wanted to pursue this as a career. Olivia didn't even know about this secret of his. So, in the past month, he had written one song titled "A Sure Thing." It was a song about how his friendship with Olivia has always been 'a sure thing' and how much he's starting to like her.

"I have a surprise..." Max says as he looks at Olivia.

"What?" Olivia says, smiling.

He hands her the CD with his song on it.

"Max, we have got to stop giving each other these mixed CDs! I swear, my trunk is going to be filled with them by the end of high school," Olivia says, laughing.

"Let's just head to my car and listen to it," Max says, smiling and he gestures them back to the car. As they get in, he turns up the speakers and starts playing. Olivia's face is shocked the whole time she's listening, and she's wondering if that's Max playing Ukulele and if he's singing.

"Is that you?!" Olivia says with a shocked voice.

"Well... yeah... I just wanted to say... you know..." he says shyly.

"Awww, Max... you wrote this?" Olivia says interrupting him.

"Yeah," Max says, smiling.

"I know you've been super sad about you and Mia breaking up, but look what came out of it!" Olivia says, positively.

Oh, shoot, she thinks this is about Mia, Max thinks to himself. Oh well, I guess Olivia and I will always be best friends.

After a few more listens to the song. They end the night with Max dropping Olivia off at her house. They give each other a hug and Max looks at her as she's walking off to open the door. He knew that she'd never fall for him and that he probably had to move on.