Chapter 16

Calling the past week "uncomfortable" is an understatement. Though Maddox seems to have forgotten about what one would call "a moment" at the cliff the other day, I did not. My mind is racing whenever I see him. I'm now oddly aware of his attractiveness and I've discovered a few new talents. Stuttering is one of them. It only happens when I'm around Maddox. No one at the table says anything about it but they all took notice of my new found impediment. Another talent I've unmasked is the ability to avoid people at all costs. I've let Maddox know that I no longer need rides before and after school via text message and I don't speak to him unless I absolutely had to.

All of this awkwardness and discomfort is happening because of one thing: a realization I made on Sunday. Though I promised to leave the happenings of Saturday in Saturday, I woke up on Sunday morning with fleeting thoughts of Maddox. And once I sat down for breakfast, those thoughts hit me like an earthquake. I realized that I might have a crush on Maddox.

A crush would explain the urge to hug him and talk to him all of the time, plus the pain I feel whenever he says something that could be seen as an insult, even if he's joking, which is hard to tell. It also explains why I blush all the time and feel the need to express to him that I do not like his brother. I mean, with our friends, I honestly don't care what they think, but I always need to let Maddox know that I have no feelings for Abel.

After much research, I've understood that the first step to getting over a crush is admittance. I'm skipping the second step, which is where you tell your crush that you like them. The third one is accepting the fact that they don't like you back. The next step is to put some distance between you and your crush, which will be hard because we have the same group of friends. And the last step is to stay over your crush, meaning no falling back into the pattern of gushing over them. I guess I'll have to start today.

"Are your friends coming?" my aunt asks me as she plops down on the couch beside me. I nod as I look at my book bag. They sure are, and Maddox will be here too. "How'd your date go, by the way? Was Maddox a gentleman?"

My neck snaps in her direction and I find that she has a grin on her face. "What?"

"Kyle Parker?" she corrects with a knowing smirk. "When you got in the car, I heard you say 'Step on the gas, Maddie' and I could only assume that this Maddie person was Maddox."

"You can't tell my dad," I beg her and she shakes her head.

"I didn't know you liked Maddox," she smiles as if entertained by my teenage drama.

"I don't," I assure her. Well, I do. But I'm not telling anyone. No one will know.

"Then why'd you go on a date with him?" she continues to hound me.

"Because his brother was supposed to go on a double date but the other couple cancelled. Maddox and I filled in. I told you this already," I reiterate, which gets a nod from her. "I lied a little bit. I just didn't want you to tell my dad about Maddox."

"You shouldn't have lied," she comments and I give her a slightly fearful look.

"Am I in trouble?" I ask after a few seconds of us just staring at each other.

She lets out a somewhat evil cackle, which gets a confused look from me. The doorbell rings and she stands up, most likely going to the kitchen to call the pizza and gather up some other snacks. "I think your friends are here."

I walk to the door and pull it open. Abel smiles when he sees me. "Olivia!" he greets with a hug. Maddox just slips past him and lets himself into the living room. I close the door once Abel releases me and motion for them to sit down on the couch. I make small conversation with Abel about Caroline until Winona and Cassidy arrive, followed by Nicholas and Jackson. My aunt comes in only moments later and drops down on the recliner.

Everyone goes silent when she looks at each of them. None of them ditched their usual dark and depressing clothing. Cassidy is the only one wearing a color other than burgundy, dark purple, black, or dark blue. She has on a bright red shirt with an inappropriate saying on the front of it.  "I'm Genevieve, Liv's aunt."

My school friends take turns introducing themselves and my listens with an excited beam, which only grows wider as they say their names. Maddox is the last one to introduce himself and he doesn't even need to do so. As soon as my aunt's gaze falls on him, she chuckles. "So you're Maddox?"

He blinks a few times before nodding in confirmation. "I am."

"I've heard a lot about you," she informs him. "Mostly from Liv's dad, but Liv's had her fair say about you."

"Has she?" Maddox asks as he props himself up a bit to look at me. He's at one end of the couch and I'm at the other, completely squished against the arm by Winona, Cassidy, and Abel. This sofa is only meant to seat three. Meanwhile, Nicholas and Jackson are relaxing on the other couch, completely comfortable and not at all cramped.

"Yeah," my aunt nods. She goes to continue but is cut off by a loud ringing. She approaches the front door and opens it, which means the pizza is here.

"So you talk about me a lot?" Maddox questions with a smirk as he leans forward on the couch to look at me. I try to sink into the couch so he can't see me but we make eye contact so I scoff and look away. 

"No," I deny quickly.

"Surprised you didn't stutter," Maddox responds once my aunt places the pizzas on the table. I glare at him from my spot in the corner.

I allow my friends and my aunt to do the talking and only open my mouth to shove pizza into it. "Olivia, go see if your cousin wants any food" my aunt insists and I put my plate down, sigh, and walk up the stairs.

I pound on my cousin's door and wait for a response. "What do you want?" she barks from the other side of the door.

"Do you want any pizza?" I ask her. "It's going pretty quickly.

She practically rips the door off the hinges just a second later. She appears before me with with messy hair, makeup smeared across her face, and old, ugly pajamas. "Move," she snaps and with a smirk on my face, I step to the side and lead her downstairs.

I reach the landing before her and hurry back to my tight spot on the couch. She emerges from the staircase and lets a loud burp rip. When she's greeted with complete silence, her head snaps up and she takes in the scene before her. Her face blushes red and she immediately backs up into the staircase, taking the stairs two at a time. I seem to be the only one who finds this funny because I'm burying my face in Winona's shoulder as I shake with hysterical laughter.

My aunt stares at me and I slowly stop laughing. A slow grin spreads across her face and I start giggling again. It feels great to embarrass Vivica.

+ + +

At six o'clock, my aunt gets called into work and figures she's had enough time to meet my friends. She tells me that they're welcome to say until whenever and that she'll be home later. Nicholas has to leave, however, because he had a date. Winona and Cassidy have a study session to attend with Parker, who says he'll help them with Psychology seeing as he's majoring in it. Abel had left at 5:30 because he had to work. Jackson just claims he doesn't want to be a third wheel to me and Maddox, who said he has to talk to me.

"Can you help me with my math?" Maddox asks once everyone leaves. I look at him in his seat at the opposite end of the couch. His legs are stretched out on front of him and his eyes are focused on me. He looks as if he's assessing me with a curious gaze and I immediately look for something to do. I begin getting rid of the empty pizza boxes while trying to think of an excuse.

"I, um, I have to go to the supermarket," I lie as I drop the empty boxes on the kitchen table.

"I can bring you. I mean, you'll need a ride," he calls from the living room.

"I'm going with Vivica," I blurt.

"And after?" he wonders as I reenter the now neater room.

"I-I have to do my chores and clean my room," I fib again as I wipe the crust off the table into my hand and hurry to the kitchen to discard them.

"Why have you been acting so weird lately?" he blurts, which causes me to freeze up a bit. I head back to the living room and he quickly stands up from his place on the couch, which brings him awkwardly close to me. I swiftly step to the side and stare down at the floor. I only look up when I see that his feet have moved from the spot they were at before. He smirks at me before walking to the door.

"I'll see you on Monday," he announces and I stare at his back as he reaches for the doorknob. I feel guilt drip through me for being a bad friend because of my feelings.

"I'm free on Monday!" I inform him. "I can help you after school."

"Okay," he confirms the plans with a mischievous grin. I hope he doesn't know about the influence he has on me. He walks down the path of my house and I peek out after him.

"But study today, too. I need to know exactly what you need help with," I insist. "If you need help with a question on your study guide, just take a picture and send it to me! I'll do my best to help!"

"I'm not going to study! I'm going to party!" he informs me over his shoulder. I sigh loudly and press my hand to my forehead before shutting and locking the door. I really hope he's joking about the partying part. I stare at the closed door and internally cringe at how weird I behaved.

"You totally like him," Vivica's voice announces from a few feet behind me.

"What? No I don't," I deny as I whip around to face her. She's wearing actual day clothes now and fixed both her makeup and hair. It's quite the transformation.

She scoffs as she shakes her head. "You lied to him," she states the obvious.

"I didn't! I actually do have to clean my room," I reject her statement once again.

"I know if a hot boy asked me to help him study, I would," she narrows her eyes at me in a slightly judgmental manner. "Whatever 'study' may mean."

"But he didn't ask you, he asked me," I bite before walking upstairs.

+ + +

At midnight I wake to find my phone ringing off the hook. I normally keep the sound on in case of emergencies, but I have a feeling this is Winona and Cassidy calling to ask me a question like: "Who's hotter- Channing Tatum or Alex Pettyfer?" I sit up in the dark and lift my phone from the bedside table. I squint at the contact name and feel my eyebrows tug together as I scan the bright screen. Seven missed calls from Maddox.

I quickly answer the phone and put it to my ear. "What?" I ask groggily.

"Olive, I need you to pick me up," he requests without skipping a beat.

"What?" I repeat, but this time a bit more conscious.

"I'm at a party and Abel won't answer his phone," he hiccups. "I think he's with his girly-friend."

"What's wrong with you?" I grunt as I sit up.

"I'm car-less at a party," he explains again slowly. His words are slurred and he sounds off.

"Are you drunk?" I question as I let out a slightly flustered sigh.

"No, I'm Maddox," he replies bluntly.

I sigh again, only louder this time. "How do you expect me to come pick you up? I don't have a car. You should've called someone with a car, like, I don't know, Parker."

"He lives an hour away," Maddox groans. "Please, Olive." My stomach clenches when he says the last part and I know the decision is made.

"Where are you?" I ask him. I start getting out of bed. I feel around in the dark for my lamp and successfully turn it on. I grab a sweater and jeans and tug them on, along with some shoes. I duck out of my room and into the darkness of the hallway. I slither further down the hall and into my cousin's room. I push open the door and find her passed out asleep in her bed. I know this is a bad choice but they're the only kind of choices I'm good at making. I quickly snag the keys from her dresser and tip-toe down the steps and out of the house. I jog over to her car and put the address Maddox repeated eight times into the GPS before hurriedly pulling out of the driveway.

I'm breaking so many laws right now. I don't have my license. I should not be out driving. The only reason I know how to drive is because my dad thought it was important to teach me in case of an emergency. Plus, my friends would let me joyride their cars back home. I sigh quietly as I drive to the house Maddox is supposed to be standing in front of. Instead of being greeted by the intoxicated boy, I find a large group of people holding one kid upside down as he chugs alcohol. How illegal.

I let out a quiet groan as I search for a parking space. Cars line the entire street so I'm stuck having to park around the corner, right near a forested area that travels up to the side of the house. I walk the three minute back to the party, where I notice a small path cutting through the woods. Perhaps I'll take that shortcut on the way back.

I call Maddox once and then again. When he finally answers, he tells me that he's in the backyard and that he's in trouble. I curse under my breath as I slip through the groups of people. When I reach the large backyard, I see an assembly of guys in the form of a circle and I have a feeling that Maddox is in the center. I peek between two of the guy's and swear loudly when I find that my theory was correct. Maddox glares up the much larger guy with an unwavering look on his face. 

I slip between the guys, who are too busy watching to keep guard of anyone trying to get in the group. The guy Maddox is glaring at is at least 6'4", maybe 6'5" with the build of a house. Maddox has his sleeves rolled up as he glares at the guy, who is staring right back. I want to say something but before I can do anything, Maddox reaches up and punches the guy straight in the jaw. The guy stumbles slightly and his friends all look at him in shock.

The guy goes to hit Maddox back but I yank the green eyed devil backwards, and I continue yanking him to the opening in the circle. Everyone seems so shocked that Maddox had actually hit the guy that they react a little too late and I'm already making an escape with a stumbling Maddox behind me. I keep close to the wooded area in search of the path I came upon earlier.

I slip onto the trail in the forest, which will hopefully lead out to my cousin's car, unless it cuts off midway. I hear a clamor of footsteps and shouts of "Where'd they go?" and I groan quietly. Maddox struggles to run beside me and I'm more dragging him than leading.

"What is wrong with you?" I rant once we reach my cousin's car. My hands are shaking as I struggle to unlock the door. "That guy was way bigger than you."

I finally manage to get the door open and I shove Maddox into the passenger's seat before running around to the other side. I manage to get the key in the ignition just as the guys exit the small section of woods in search of us. I drive off down the street, leaving the loud house behind.

I look at Maddox as I drive, swearing loudly. "What is wrong with you?" I repeat, this time expecting an answer.

"Do you have your license?" he asks me as he plays with the set of pink dice hanging from the mirror.

"No, Maddox, I don't. I stole this car from my cousin and drove out here just to pick you up," I rant before noticing that he's leaning forward. "Buckle your seatbelt."

"Okay, mom," he mutters as he does as he's told.

"Why would you hit that guy?" I ask him once again.

"Because, Olive, he was feeling up some girl behind the shed. She was telling him to get off of her and he wouldn't stop," Maddox explains. "I shoved him and she ran away. He wanted to fight me."

"Oh," I mumble, unsure of what to say. I yelled at him for being a good citizen.

"Is that my sweater?" he blurts when he assesses me. I glance down and nod when I realize that it is.

"Yeah," I confirm. "I forgot to give it back to you."

"Keep it," he mutters. I expect him to say something rude but instead, he looks out of the window. "It looks better on you than it does on me."

My face goes red and I feel my stomach clench. "Thanks," I mutter nervously.

"My stomach hurts," he complains. I continue to drive to his house, finally entering familiar territory.

"Just hold on, we're going home," I comfort him and he groans once again. After fifteen minutes of him complaining about his stomach, we finally pull onto his familiar street.

We slow to a stop in front of his house and I get out and walk over to his side of the car. I open his door and take his hand. He moves to get out but is immediately pulled back, which results in him laughing hysterically. I lean over him and unbuckle his seatbelt, rolling my eyes as he giggles wildly at the concept of the seatbelt holding him in. When I finally manage to get him out of the car and onto the sidewalk, he wraps his arm around me and I lead him up to the porch.

"Where's your key?" I ask him and he furrows his eyebrow.

"In my pocket, where else would it be?" he responds as if this is common knowledge.

"Get it," I demand.

"Why don't you?" he smirks and wiggles his eyebrows suggestively. "You know you want to."

My face burns up again and I glare at him. "Just get your keys, Maddox."

He digs in his pocket and retrieves his keys. "Where are your parents?" I ask as I put the key in the lock.

"At my grandmother's house; she's sick and needs help. You'd know if you paid attention during lunch instead of ignoring me like a child," he mutters as I drag him into the living room. "Bring me to my room please, Olive."

I sigh loudly and begin yanking him up the steps. He swears as his ankle hit the stair and he begins lifting his feet up. "Where's your room?" I hiss as I lead him down the dark hallway.

He doesn't say anything but pivots us in the direction of his bedroom and when I almost pass it, he yanks me and shoves open the slightly cracked door. The walls, like most of his clothes, are red and keep the room from getting too dark. I don't even bother to be silent as I walk across the dark, wooden floors with him in tow. I nearly bump into his television and video game stand, which could've been bad. I set my eyes on his bed and try to lead him to it but apparently, a dresser gets in his way and he clips his hip on it. He trips over his own feet and ends up bumping into me.

"Oops," I mutter as I move him away from it. He stumbles over something on the floor and he almost falls again but I manage to catch him by grasping his shoulders. He stands up and looks down at me.

"You're a lifesaver, you know?" he whisper and I look up at him. I'm about to make a comment about how catching him when he was about to fall a few feet to the floor wouldn't classify me as lifesaving when I notice that he has a weird look in his eyes. Slowly but surely, he leans down and my eyes widen. His hands, which were originally on my forearms, fall down to my waist and he wraps them around me. I nervously keep my arms around his shoulders and he closes the space between us and even goes as far as to push me against the wall. He tastes of alcohol, which drink I'm not sure, but he kisses me hard and it's sloppy but it still manages to send butterflies to my stomach. My hands grip at his shirt tightly and his arms are wrapped tightly around my waist.

Suddenly the door swings open and Abel  bursts into the room and turns on the lights. I pull away from Maddox, who barely releases me from