She belongs with me

27

{Caleb}

I throw my bag on the table and take a seat next to Isaac. He has bags underneath his eyes.

'Didn't get much sleep?' I ask him and he shakes his head.

'Nora spent the night,' he explains. 'She had some issues at home.'

'So you finally sealed the deal then?' I ask him. 'Got to the last base?' Isaac laughs and gives me a punch on my shoulder.

'Shut up,' he says. 'But what were you up to? It doesn't look like you had much sleep either.'

'Just thinking,' I sigh. 'I was up all night because of it.'

'Olivia?' Isaac asks me and I nod, replaying everything said last night in my head.

'I feel like she might not be able to let Liam go,' I admit. 'And I don't know if I should let her or if I should fight for her.'

'It's hard,' Isaac mumbles. 'But everyone can see how much you like her and I can see she likes you back. If you really want her, you should fight for her.'

Maybe he's right. I shouldn't just give up on Olivia because another guy wants her as well.

'Hey,' I hear someone say. So I look up, only to find Camila take a seat in front of me. I haven't seen or spoken to her in a few days. I wonder if she's okay. She doesn't look too bad, but I know she can easily put a mask on.

During lunch break Isaac and I sit down at our usual spot in the cafeteria. We're soon joined by our other friends.

'Levi, why didn't you tell me Amy is Liams best friend?' I ask. He shrugs his shoulders.

'Why is that so important?'

'Oh, I don't know,' I say sarcastically. 'Maybe because I have feelings for Olivia, who is Liams ex?'

'It's just sex,' Levi sighs. 'Relax. Besides, it's not like you cheated on Olivia.' I want to say something else, but Isaac stops me by shaking his head, glancing behind me. I look around and see Nora and Olivia, talking as they make our way to us.

'Hey,' they greet us. I smile back at them and watch how Nora sits down on Isaac's lap. I chuckle at the surprised look on his face before I focus on Olivia.

'Did you sleep well?' I ask her as she sits down next to me.

'Yeah, it was alright,' she mumbles.

'Guys, I have an idea,' Nora suddenly says. 'How about we do a double date?'

'Yeah, cool,' Isaac says before he looks at me, raising his eyebrow.

'Seems fun,' I shrug and Olivia nods as well.

'Okay, that's settled then,' Nora smiles. 'Let's go to that diner tonight.' Olivia nods as she grabs her phone. She goes back and forth between a few apps, not really doing anything on them. Something is off, but I don't know what to do about it right now. People will give us some real strange looks if we start acting like a couple, which we're not.

'Are you sure you're okay?' I ask Olivia quietly so no one else can hear it.

'I'm fine,' she says, giving me a short smile, but it doesn't reach her eyes. Liam is probably still in her head. For a swift moment, I take her hand in mine, giving it a gentle squeeze to let her know I'm here for her. Olivia stares at our hands for a second before she pulls away and gets up.

'Olivia,' I say, but she's already heading to the exit of the cafeteria. Did I do something wrong?

'Don't worry,' Nora says to me. 'She's been grumpy all morning. I bet she thought too much about Liam last night.' I hope she comes around by the evening. I don't want it to ruin our date.

After a long school day I've finally arrived at home. I have to meet everyone at the diner at 6.30 PM, so I have about two hours left.

'I won't be home for dinner tonight,' I tell my mother as I walk into the living room.

'Oh, do you have a date?' She wiggles her eyebrows and I laugh.

'Something like that, yeah,' I admit, taking a seat.

'Who is the lucky girl?' My mother puts her book on the coffee table and focusses her attention to me. Should I tell her about Olivia already? We're not together and I'm not certain we will ever be.

'It's not Camila, is it?' my mother asks when I stay silent for a few seconds.

'No, of course not,' I say quickly. 'Camila and I are done. It's just... I don't know if it'll work out with this girl.' My mother gives me a compassionate smile and grabs my hand.

'Caleb, any girl would be lucky to have you,' she tells me. 'She would be crazy if she doesn't like you.'

'Thanks,' I mumble.

'I guess I'll have to eat alone then,' my mother says then. 'Your father has a meeting at work so he won't be home until eight.'

'I could stay here if you want,' I propose.

'Don't be ridiculous,' my mother says as she gets up. 'You're not going to cancel your date. I can take care of myself for one night.' I nod and watch her as she makes her way to the kitchen. She's still not walking as fast as she used to, but she's getting there.

I grab my phone and decide to send Olivia a text.

[05.04 PM]

Hey, shall I pick you up tonight?

And bring you home of course

[05.10 PM]

Oh, no need. I'll meet you guys there

[05.11 PM]

Are you sure?

[05.12 PM]

Yes, thanks though x

I frown as I put my phone away again. She's acting strange today. I wonder what's wrong. Maybe I'll find out tonight.

(So quick question, do you still like this book? Since almost no one is leaving comments...

There is about to be some kind of plottwist so stay tuned x)