Forever and Always, Olive

Chapter 22: Under Pressure

Chapter 22

"Guess what's coming up?" Winona grins widely at everyone at the lunch table.

"What?" Nicholas prompts as he stares at the taco on his plate.

"Valentine's Day!" she answers jubilantly. "Does anyone have plans?"

"No," Nicholas mutters unhappily. I want to pipe in with a 'same' but decide against it.

"Maybe," Jackson shrugs. I discreetly nudge Cassidy and she elbows Winona, who glances at us.

"What do you mean by that?" Winona questions Jack once she catches on to what we're getting at.

He shrugs again as he twirls his fork around. "I might have a date. I might not. I still have to ask."

"What about you, Liv; do you have any plans?" Winona wonders with a stupid simper on her face. Everyone at the table seems to find humor in this, seeing as they all wear matching smirks. I repress the urge to say that I do and leave it at that but decide not to lie.

"Well, do you?" Maddox wonders with his lips upturned in a smug kind of way.

Scowling at all of them, I suck my teeth. "No," I state the obvious.

"Well, that's unfortunate," Winona frowns, earning a glare from me before I return my attention to my food. "Maddox, do you have plans?"

I try hard not to listen, mostly because I don't want his answer to affect me. I know everyone will look at me if he answers yes, and I don't know if I'd be able to face the awkwardness of admitting that said plans do not include me. "Maybe," Maddox answers with a shrug as he glances at his phone.

Instead of sitting on his answer too long, Winona hops on over to Cassidy. "And you, Cass?"

Cassidy's eyes flicker to our friend and she gave her an annoyed smile. "What do you think?" she retorts sarcastically.

"I think you're a very pretty girl and any guy would be lucky to spend his Valentine's Day with you," Winona winks at her. "You too, Liv."

Cassidy rolls her eyes and shakes her head. "No, Winona, I don't have plans."

"Do you have plans?" I turn the question on Winona.

She seems elated that someone asks and prepares to go on a rate. Cassidy makes it a point to plug her ears. "Isaac and I are going on our second date!" Win announces

"When'd you go on the first?" Jackson wonders curiously.

"Saturday," Winona tells him.

"He asked you?" Nicholas inquires.

"No, I asked him," Winona clarifies.

"I thought you said you'd never ask a guy out," Jackson pipes and she shrugs.

"I was doing it to prove a point," Winona blurts as she gives me and Cass a short glance.

"And what point was that?" Maddox wonders like the nosy idiot he is.

"I was trying to show the girls that asking—," Winona starts but I quickly fall into cough.

"Shut up," I hiss through the coughs. Winona doesn't seem to hear me, and instead, waits patiently for me finish my violent coughing fit. Maddox smirks at me before his eyes flickers back to Winona, who starts speaking again. He definitely heard me.

"I was trying to show the girls that asking out their crushes isn't that hard," she finishes before I can say anything else. I'm too busy trying to soothe my throat with my juice. The coughs had scratched it a bit.