Dear Readers-

HAHAHA! YESSSS! I'm done! FINALLY!! MWAHHHHHHHAHAHAH!!

-SDSL

Disclaimer: I own nothing. Unfortunately.

Olivia Kay

I sat alone in the cafeteria, like every day since moving here. My school contained all the grades from 6th to 12th, which made everything that much more intimidating. But today, that changed. While I was sitting all by my lonesome, someone came up randomly and sat beside me and someone next to them as well. I looked up from my book, raising an eyebrow.

The first person, who had sat down right next to me, was a thin, petite girl. She had soft, straight, light brown hair, ice blue eyes and pretty face. Next to her was a boy with short brown hair and the same ice blue eyes as the girl, and he had his eyebrow pierced.

The girl smiled at me as I continued to look at her with an eyebrow raised. "Hi." She said. I finally put my book down with a sigh.

"I'm not getting rid of you, am I?" I asked her in good humor.

"Nope." She said, still smiling.

"She's shameless." The boy joked.

"Oh be quiet you." The girl said, smacking his arm lightly. She then turned to me, smiling once more as she said, "Don't mind him, he's a jerk." She held out her hand to shake as she said, "I'm Dawn Evans."

"Olivia Kay Simms-Hayes-Garwin." I smiled, taking her hand, shaking it.

"Wow, what a mouthful." Dawn teased.

"I know, I know. You can just call me Li-" I started, but stopped myself. Livvy. I was gonna say Livvy. That was what Caleb used to call me. But… but I didn't want to remember, to be reminded of the family, 

friends, and the life that I left behind back in Ipswich. Suddenly, I realized that all my old nicknames stemmed from my first name. So, I decided to change that. Even if it was just for a moment. "You can just call me Kay for short. Kay Hayes." I mean, it was my mom's name.

"Great!" Dawn said, smiling. "Oh shoot! I forgot my lunch in my locker. I'll be right back." She got up, running out of the room, leaving me alone with the boy.

"So," He started, "you're new here, aren't you?"

I nodded. "Yea, um, I just moved in here with my Aunt Phoebe."

"Phoebe Hayes?" He asked, and I nodded again. "No way! That's awesome! We live right next door!"

"Really? That's-" I started, but stopped. "Wait, we?" I said, confused.

"Oh, yea. I meant Dawn and me. She's my little sister." He explained. "I'm sorry, she forgot to introduce me. I'm David."

"Kay." I smiled, then said, "So, little sister? That's funny. I could've sworn the two of you looked as if you were twins."

"Yea, we do look alike, don't we?" He smiled. "No, I'm in 9th grade, and that little ankle-biter who has the same face as I do is only in 6th. How old are you?" He asked me.

"Oh, I'm the same age as the 'ankle-biter'." I said, teasing him. He blushed for some unknown reason, which actually, in turn, made me blush as well.

"So, where's the accent from? You definitely do not sound as if you're from around here. And you're definitely not pushy enough; although I'm sure my sister has enough of that for the both of you." He joked.

I laughed a little bit, and said, "She's not that bad. Anyway, I'm from Massachusetts. Although I'm sure you've never heard of it." He shook his head, giving me a shrug that said 'sorry'. "Nah, don't you worry about it. It's a pretty small town." I smiled at him and he stared at me for a few moments. "What?" I said, becoming a little paranoid. "Do I have something on my face?"

He laughed. "You're too cute." He told me, causing me to blush once again."No, um, it's just, has anyone ever told you that you have the most uniquely beautiful eyes that they have ever seen? They're almost identical to the sea." He told me.

I was pulled back into a memory of my old life… of Ipswich… unwillingly so. I was pulled back to Caleb and myself, stand on the beach, facing Caleb only a moth before while my brothers and Pogue were horsing around in the ocean nearby. We had been sitting on a rock during the sunset when Caleb turned to me, brushing a strand of hair out of my face as he said the only nice thing he'd ever said to me… 'Your eyes are beautiful… just like the ocean; just like you.' He had whispered to me, leaning in as our lips met once, twice, three times… I pulled back. 'Why me?' I asked him. He ran his hand over my cheek, and then cupped my face. 'Because I feel different when I'm with you… I am different. I don't know what it is about you… but I definitely know that it's because of you.' He told me as our lips met once more.

I nodded, snapping back into reality. "Yea… yea, I have been told that before."

Suddenly, Dawn entered the cafeteria with a spiky-haired blonde boy with brown eyes on her arm. "Oh for God's sake." David said in an irate voice as he glared at the boy.

"What?" I said, confused.

"That's Dawn's boyfriend. Figures that she'd leave for her lunch and come back with a dirtbag." He snarled. I looked at him confused, so he continued on, explaining. "He's too old for her; 5 years too old, to be exact. He's in 11th grade."

"Hey there, guys, so sorry I forgot to introduce you to David." Dawn said, finally arriving at our table. "I'm just forgetful that way. I hope you two have been getting acquainted." She said.

"Oh, yes, we have. And so I see you found what you were looking for?" David said.

"Oh, yes." She told him, lifting up her lunch, even though she knew that was not even close to what her brother had mean as she narrowed her eyes at him. "Everything I need is right here." She then turned to me, smiling once more as she sat on the other side of me, and the blonde sat beside her. "Oh! Where are my manners? Kay, this is James Henderson. James. This is Kay Hayes."

"She's new here." David said. "She just moved in with her Aunt, Phoebe Hayes."

"Oh, no way! That means that she lives-"

"Right next door." David said, smiling at me as he finished her sentence.

"Oh my goodness! This is going to be so awesome! Oh, you should sleep over next weekend!" Dawn said excitedly.

"Oh, um, I dunno-" I started. I didn't want to get attached to any one. I didn't want to set down any roots. You see, I have a bad tendency of leaving people.

"Oh, come on!" Dawn whined. "It'll be fun! Please?" She begged. Sitting here. Looking at her, begging for me to sleep over, I just couldn't say no.

"Okay, okay."

I woke up, my eyes snapping open as sat up suddenly in my bed. The cafeteria of my school in New York, as well as the voices and feelings of my past there, faded away, into the back of my consciousness. But I felt them, they were all still there. Such a memory… it was one that had trigged such things that I wanted so badly to forget, things that I had been trying to bury for six months. Why were they surfacing? Why now?

My thoughts were interrupted when my hand touched bare skin and I jumped. I turned to see… Caleb. He slept soundly beside me on the bed, his hand was draped around my stomach as I stared, confused, at his sleeping form, hoping dearly I hadn't made the mistake of having one too many shots of tequila. Been there, done that, do not wanna go back.

The events of yesterday suddenly floated across my mind, and I felt relieved as I remembered why we were in this precarious position. Caleb and Pogue had found out that I had been raped… Caleb took me to my dorm room instead of back to class to keep others from witnessing my breakdown. Then, I had begged him not to leave me alone. A part of me just didn't want to deal with Chase, but he didn't have to know that. After all, another part of me just wanted to be with him, wanted him to stay. I don't know why. So he had stayed, lying down beside me, holding me when I cried. He did everything in his power to comfort me. We must have dozed off, because both of us were still fully clothed in our school uniforms. I stared at the clock that read 3:56 am.

I don't know why it comforted me, but it did. I slowly lay back down, draping his arm over my stomach without a care in the world as I felt sleep claim me once again.

I sat on the Evans's couch, in-between Dawn and David, as Mrs. Evans (who insisted that I call her Mary on account of the fact that it made her feel 'not so old') did the dishes.

"So dear, you're Kay Hayes? You're Phoebe's little sister?" Mary called to me, smiling. I froze.

"I beg your pardon, Mrs.Eva- I mean, Mary?"

"Oh, well, dear, Phoebe used to tell me all the time about her sweet little sister, Kay Hayes. But that was 11 years ago... which is actually how old you are… that's funny, why is that?"

"That's because I'm not her sister. Her sister was my mother. Her name was also Kay Hayes. I'm Phoebe's niece." I explained.

"Oh, was?"

"My… my mother died giving birth to me 11 years ago."

"oh my, you poor thing, I'm so sorry." She said as David took my hand.

"Mother!" Dawn said, embarrassed.

"No, it's okay, really." I said.

"I'll be right back. I need to go to the bathroom." David said, making an exit.

"Kay?" Dawn whispered.

"Yea?" I whispered back.

"Can I ask you something?"

"Yes, but… why are we whispering?"

"Oh hush, we don't have much time. Kay, do you… do you have a thing for my brother?"

"I… huh?"

"You heard me!"She hissed.

"I… uh, I… maybe, I dunno, kinda… yes." I said.

Dawn smiled at me, clapping her hands together softly. "Really? That's great!"

"I- wait, what?" I said, really confused. "Shouldn't you be mad at me?"

"For what?" She whispered.

"For me liking your brother." I hissed back at her.

She tapped her chin for a moment, as if mulling over my last words. "Hmm, yes, I would consider that a problem…" She started, and then leaned over, positioning her mouth right beside my ear. She then whispered to me in such a low voice that I had to strain my ears to hear it. "…except for the fact that he likes you too." She said, sitting back up fast.

"What?!" I said just a little too loudly.

"Be quite!" Dawn hissed, clamping her hand over my mouth.

Mary paused on the dish she was currently washing. "Is everything alright, dear?" She asked me, true concern in her voice.

I pulled her hand off my mouth so I could answer. "Yea, yea, I'm fine." I said, turning back to Dawn. "What do you mean?" I said in a hushed tone.

Dawn sighed, "David likes you, Kay, he told me so himself." She hissed as he entered the room once again.

"I'm back!" He said as she straightened up and he plopped down in-between us, putting his arms around the two of us. "Did you miss me?"

"You were gone?" Dawn joked.

"Oh, you wound me sis." He said, and they laughed.

"Mary! Could you come help me with these figures? They don't add up." I heard their father, Mr. Evans (aka Jon) call down.

"Yea, hold on Jonathan! I'll be right there." She shouted back, turning off the faucet, wiping her hands with a towel. "Dawn, could you come do the rest of the dishes? I've got to go help your father."

Mary rolled her eyes, sharing a look with Dawn, who pushed her self up off the couch, shaking her head as she said, "What is it with the men in this family? They're incompetent beyond the realm of normal."

"Oh, sweetie, it's not just the men in this family; all men are incompetent beyond the realm of normal." Mary said, leaving the room as Dawn went to the sink to do the dishes.

"Hey!" David shouted as if he just got it. I burst out laughing. He looked t me, giving me a fake glare. "Listen, you are five seconds away missy…"

"Oh, Dawn, help! He's gonna scold me." I teased.

"For God's sake." I heard her mutter as she rolled her eyes at us. "Stinkin' dishes."

"That's it." He said, grabbing my waist, tickling me.

"AH! No! Dawnie, Help!" I gasped in-between my laughter.

"You asked for it, Kay." She smirked.

"Dawn!"Mary shouted from upstairs. "Can you come up here and explain to your father that even when I am wrong, I am always right!"

"Yea, coming Mom!" She shouted back up to her mother as she started to leave.

"No! Help! Dawn! Wait!" I shouted between my laughter.

She turned around, grinning evilly at me. "Play nice, kids." She said, leaving me.

"NO! UGH! Worst. Best. Friend. EVER!" I shouted after her.

"Love you too, Kay!" She shouted back at me.

I finally grabbed his hand, holding it, keeping him from tickling me. He laced his fingers in my own, and I blushed as we turned back to the screen, watching the movie… well, trying to watch the movie anyway. I was too distracted by the boy sitting beside me.

Suddenly, he cursed under his breath, "Damn it."

"What? I asked, looking at him, confused.

"If only you were older, Kay." He murmured as he continued to stare at the screen.

I froze, staring at him, searching his face. "David." I said as I pulled my hand back from his.

He looked at me, confused. "What? Kay, is everything alright?"

"No, David! Everything is not alright." I said, shaking my head.

"I don't… what did-"

"David, you cannot just drop that big of a bomb on me and then just expect everything to be normal between us." I said.

"What are you…? Shit. Kay, did I actually say that 'I wish you were older' thing out loud?" He questioned as I nodded. "Oh fucking hell. Kay, I-"

"David, do you… like me?"

"Well, of course I like you, Kay, you're a nice perso-" He started to say, but I shook my head at him, cutting him off.

"No, I mean do you like me like me." I said.

"I, well, you see, Kay, that would make me a HUGE hypocrite. I've always been on Dawn's back about James being so much older than her and… and yes. Yes, I do like you. A lot, actually." He finally said. I sat there with my mouth wide open like a flytrap. Finally, I snapped it shut, turning back to face the T.V. screen, shell-shocked. He liked me. He actually, really liked me… I can't believe it. It's impossible… and yet, the words came out of his mouth. "Kay." He said, pulling me out of my thoughts as I snapped my head to look at him. "Why would you ask me something like that?"

"Can you guess?" I finally answered him.

He looked at me, searching my eyes to see if it was a joke. He seemed to be having a huge internal struggle as we stared at one another. I reached slowly for his hand, as if making any sudden movements would make him disappear. He grabbed my hand, fast, startling me. He rubbed the back of my hand over with his thumb looking down at my hand, then back up at me. We inched closer and closer to one another until he finally said, "Screw the age difference." And finally closed the gap between us, our lips meeting in a kiss.

I shot up in my bed, breathing hard. I put my hand to my head, rubbing off the sheen of sweat. "Holy fuck…" I swore under my breath. What was it with these memories? Two in a row? In the same night? Why now? Why ever? I rubbed my eyes, and realized that there was a wetness on them. Tears.

"Bad dream?" Came a silky voice.

I turned towards it, reaching over Caleb's still sleeping form to turn on my lamp. I glanced at the clock. 6:09 am. Jesus Christ, I am going to be the walking dead when I get to school. I looked at the form in the chair by my window, and resisted the strong urge to roll my eyes at none other than Chase, the creepster of all creepsters. Of course, the creepo would be watching me sleep.

"Whatever, Chase." I said, not answering his question directly on purpose. I slid out of my bed, leaving Caleb to sleep soundly. Suddenly, I looked at Chase, alarmed. "Chase, you can't be here. If he wakes up, you'll be exposed! They'll never trust me again." I hissed at him.

"Fine. Let's get out of here." He said.

"I have to smoke, anyway." I said, grabbing my purse, sliding on my leather jacket over my uniform. We went out back, behind the dorm building as I lit up my cigarette, taking a puff. He suddenly shot out his hand, backhanding me, causing me to fall to the ground. "What the-" I started, but he yanked me up by the back of my collar, slamming me against the brick wall that was the back of the dorm room building.

He held me there with one arm across my chest, and the other gripping my jaw- hard. "You lied to me, Kay." He spat softly at me.

"I-I-" I started, but he shushed me.

"You did, my dear. You lied about your feelings for Caleb. And you never told me about the rape." He said.

"Well, it's not exactly something you bring up in everyday conversations." I spat back at him.

"Point taken." He said. "But just know, my dear, I'll be watching you. Like always," He said, kissing me hard on the mouth. "love." He threw me to the ground, and disappeared in a puff of smoke. I stood, finding my cigarette, putting it out to prevent forest fires. I don't want a big grizzly bear knocking down my door because I forgot to put out my cigarette.

Anyway, I went back into the room, putting my purse back on my dresser, taking off my leather jacket and throwing it onto the chair recently occupied by Chase. I walked slowly back to the bed, sitting down facing away from Caleb. He stirred, and I turned to face him. "What am I… Olivia? I… oh my fucking God!" He shot up in the bed. "I didn't… we didn't… I'm so sorry, I don't even remember-"

"Caleb, calm down. We didn't sleep together." I told him. "Well, actually, we did sleep together, in the same bed, we just didn't do the deed." I explained.

"Oh thank god." He said, falling back onto the bed as I raised an eyebrow at him. "No, I didn't mean it like that, it's just… Reid and Tyler would've killed me." He explained.

"I know. Let's just… let's just go back to sleep." I said, sliding back between the sheets.

"Liv, what happened to your cheek?" He asked, running a hand over it lightly, concerned.

I froze for a second, remembering Chase smacking me. "Oh, I, um, slept on it wrong." I said, lamely.

He bought it, however, lying back down as I did so as well. I turned away from him as he turned off the lamp. Even in the dark, however, I could still see the sparkly shine of the ring on my left ring finger.

Dear FAITHFUL readers-

Seriously, to put up with me, you all are saints. LOL. Anyway, R&R, lemme know what you think!

-SDSL