OK I have been so overwhelmed with all the great reviews! I never imagined I would get this many for only the first 2 chapters…you are all fantastic!
Reference: Aunt Missy (Tranformation), Bobby (Dreamscape), Marylin's Necklace (Over There Part 1)
Song: All That She Wants – Ace Of Base (1994)
Chapter 3 – Clueless
"Olivia, honey. Are you hungry?" Olivia lay on her bed in her aunts house, just listening to whatever music had come on to the radio, but she honestly wasn't listening anymore, she did know however that All That She Wants had already started.
The gentle voice that talks to you won't talk forever
It is a night for passion
But the morning means goodbye
Beware of what is flashing in her eyes
Subconsciously Olivia was able to drown out the words and allowed herself to remembered everything that had happened over the last few years. All the hurt and anger, she was so lost in her own thoughts that she didn't hear the door open.
Her aunt found her laying in the middle of the bed, arms outstretched and staring at the ceiling. She moved closer to the side of the bed to look down at the niece. "Olivia, are you ok?" She knew that her mother's death had been hard of her, probably harder than Rachel. She could tell that some days, Olivia was still trying to come to terms with it all.
Her aunt took a seat on the side of the bed and placed her hand on Olivia's cheek. Much like her mother would do to her then she was ill. "Olivia, honey. Please tell me what's wrong…"
Olivia turned her head towards her aunt and sighed. Pulling herself into a sitting position, Olivia brought her knees up to her chest and rubbed her face. "I'm ok, Aunt Missy. Just someone said something at school today that hit a nerve. That's all. I promise." Olivia really didn't want to go into more information about her day and yet her aunt couldn't help but ask, "What did they say?"
Olivia just shook her head, "It's ok, really. I fine." She forced a smile and waited for her aunts reply. Since her mother had gotten sick, Olivia had taken to her I'm fine reply when people asked how she was. It had gotten to a point when people knew that she really wasn't fine but they didn't feel like they should be asking her again because they knew she would get upset.
Aunt Missy dropped her head for a moment but as she went to speak, Rachel turned up in the doorway. "Aunt Missy, can I go out tonight?" Her voice was small, afraid her aunt would say no.
Olivia looked up and her aunt turned her shoulders to face the young girl. "And where would you like to go? It's your first day at the school, how would you know where anything is?" Aunt Missy didn't really want to let her out of the house tonight, being that she had only just gotten there.
"Well, a few girls I met today have asked if I wanted to go and see a movie, and considering we don't start school until lunch time tomorrow because of some meeting thing the teachers have, I said it should be ok…" She was becoming hopeful now that their aunt had turned to Olivia.
"It's ok, I need some air anyway, I'll walk her to the cinemas, I know where they are." Olivia sighed and rose from her bed and reached for her converse runners that sat beside the bed. Pulling them on, she made sure she t-shirt sat right, because it was tight and had a bands name on it if it wasn't right it would look funny. Straightening her clothes she grabbed for her wallet and house keys and made for the door, where Rachel was waiting excitedly.
"Olivia, how about you stay out a little tonight and have a look around and get something to eat. And Rachel, please be careful ok." Both the girls nodded and turned from the doorway. Rachel was a step ahead of Olivia so Olivia took the chance to survey her clothing. Her tight tank top showed off the back of her bra, as it sat lower than the bra itself and her shorts sat around her hips nicely. Olivia shook her head as they went out the front door.
"Hey Rach, is that guy Greg going to be there tonight?" Olivia wanted to know if she should be worried.
"Um, yea he is." Rachel turned back to face Olivia and waited.
"Rach, please just be careful. Please." Olivia pleaded with her eyes more than he words and Rachel just smiled at her. "Always am Liv, you know that."
A small smile formed on Olivia's face as they continued to walk. "So what are you seeing?" Trying to make small talk Olivia asked the simple question.
"Oh, well we are seeing Clueless. You know that one about the girls at high school?" They walked side by side but neither looked at the other. Olivia only nodded. It wasn't long until they had made it to the cinemas and Rachel took off with a small goodbye, leaving Olivia behind. She watched as the girls hugged Rachel and Greg placed a hand around her shoulders and a kiss on the side of her face, just next to her lips. Olivia swallowed, she hated seeing her sister like this, so open to everything, because in the end Rachel was always coming home hurt and crying.
Turning her back to the scene Olivia looked around the strip of shops. Everything seemed to still be open at only 6.30pm and so she decided to look around. She always knew her mother had grown up here, that's why they had moved their after she died.
She would talk about the shops and the cinemas and the arcade. Taking a step into the arcade, she looked around and found many of the school kids she had seen in the halls that day. No one noticed her and she was happy. She walked through the isles and watched as people talked and played the games. Music and noises echoed through her head, lost in her own thoughts of her mother.
"One day Olive, I will take you to Boston, where I grew up and I will show you everything I did as a child." Olivia's mother spoke to her softly as they both sat in the hospital room, waiting for the doctor to come. Olivia's mom, Marilyn, placed her hand on her daughters and squeezed it reassuringly.
The door swung open as the doctor made his way into the room. "Now, Ms Dunham, I have your results from the last test and I think we need to have a chat." The doctor took a seat opposite Olivia and her mother and watched as the two glanced at each other.
"I'm sorry to tell you that your results have come back showing that the cancer is back and it is more aggressive than before the treatments. Now we can continue the treatments but you will be living on a half life. You will be in and out a hospital and constantly on drugs. The alternative is to allow your body to deal with the cancer as it sees fit. This will allow you to go about your life, as though nothing is different. No treatment will give you a full life."
There was a moment of silence as the doctors words sunk in. Olivia stared straight ahead of her trying to keep her emotions down.
"How long do I have doctor?" her mother's voice was strong but the undertone of fear was present.
The doctor sighed, "12 months at best." His voice was low, sympathetic.
Olivia zoned out then and there. To know her mother wasn't going to make it, to leave her alone in the world was not something Olivia had been prepared for at the age of 14.
She was 14 when they were told her mother was going to die and a year later July 20th her mother passed away.
"OLIVIA!"
Olivia was snapped from her thoughts when her name was called out. Turning on her heals she found Charlie making a bee line towards her with John, Beth and another boy in toe. "Hey Liv, didn't think we would see you here." Charlie smiled as they came up to her. She smiled back at them.
"This is Bobby. He is Beth's boyfriend." Bobby extended his hand to Olivia who shook it tightly.
"Hey Beth, John." Olivia smiled and greeted the others that were there too.
"Hey Liv did you want to go and get something to eat? Unless it's too late for you?" John spoke as Charlie and the other watched on smiling to each other.
A small smile was placed on her lips as she decided what to say but knowing that Rachel was going to be a few hours, she decided to go with him.
"Um, yea sure. Lets go." Walking off with him, Olivia smiled to herself at the thought of this boy next to her but quickly reprimanded herself knowing she couldn't get to close to anyone while she was here.
"So how was your first day?" John spoke, bringing her from her thoughts.
"Yea it was ok. My last class sucked but what are you going to do huh?" he laughed at her and placed a hand on her back as he moved her between the crowd that had gathered at the entrance. He made sure she was ok getting through the crowd.
In the background, Peter watched as John spoke to the familiar blonde girl and she laughed back at him. This girl was irritable and a pain in the ass and yet he was content with just watching her. There was something about her…
