Class A

Chapter Seven:

Bad Blood

"I thought we were going to be one-hundred percent honest with each other?" Fitz turned around, abandoning the spinach-stuffed chicken he was in the process of making and glanced from his mother to Olivia. Annalise shrugged her shoulders, giving her son a: "You deserve everything you're about to get" look. That confused Fitz. What could his mother have possibly told Olivia that set her off like that?

"When were you planning on telling me about Maddelyn?" That shocked him. Of all the things going through his mind, he wasn't expecting that name to come out of Olivia's mouth. His mom folded her arms across her chest, giving him a smug look. Fitz groaned internally. His mom could be as happy as she wanted to be about her hand in this argument – he wasn't going to give her the satisfaction of playing into it.

"Who?" He tilted his side, acting like the name was new to him. As far as he was concerned, it was.

"You know – gorgeous brunette, about average height. Kickass artist." Fitz sighed. So his mother had told Olivia about Maddelyn and had either introduced the two or shown her photos. He didn't like the thought of either scenario. Maddelyn was someone he wanted to keep buried in his past – he wasn't sure he was capable of stringing two polite words about the woman together in a sentence let alone giving the type of glowing review Olivia had just given.

"I don't know a Maddelyn." He barely shrugged, turning back to the kitchen counter. As far as he was concerned, the conversation was over. He and Maddelyn had decided years ago to pretend like neither one existed and he wasn't sure why his mother would even bring her up to Olivia. There wasn't any reason.

"We were together how long and you never once thought it was important to mention that you have a sister?" Sighing in frustration, he slammed the knife in his hand on the counter and spun around. Olivia took a step backward at the fiery glint she saw in his eyes – he was not happy.

"Had a sister. That bitch is not my sister." He squared his shoulders, tearing his eyes from Olivia's and turning back around. This time he was almost willing to bet the conversation was over. Resuming the work in front of him, he cordially called to his mother, "Are you staying for dinner?"

"I don't believe so," Annalise responded coolly. "Olivia, dear, the invitation still stands if you can convince him to attend."

Olivia nodded at that, saying her goodbyes to Annalise before the older woman left. Fitz scrunched his brows – invitation? What invitation? He took his time prepping their food, ignoring Olivia's agitated sighs as she settled onto the sofa and turned the television on. After he had finally slid the dish into the oven, he made his way to the sofa and sat beside Liv.

"What invitation?" He was willing to admit that he was curious.

"Your sister's art show." She said it quietly, barely looking at him. It made him feel like an ass. He had overreacted a little earlier, but he'd been so shocked that she had said his sister's name and then…then she had pushed the topic. Just hearing Maddelyn's name brought all the bad feelings between the two to the surface.

"Mom invited you?" He tried to keep his voice low. He didn't want to scare her again or upset her. That's not something he wanted to happen in his home. She needed a safe haven.

"She invited us." He nodded, falling silent and staring at the television. She had muted it earlier when he'd first started talking and now they were watching as a zombie soundlessly began chomping on some poor chump. "I was so, so pissed at you when your mom mentioned her name."

"Just because I didn't tell you I have a sister?" He turned to give her a questioning stare. That didn't make sense to him. Her anger over this was a little more intense than he imagined it should be.

"Not because you have a sister. Because I thought you had a girlfriend you hadn't told me about." He tilted his head to the side at her admission. Why was she concerned about his relationship status? Unless…

"Olivia…"

"I still have feelings for you, okay?" She looked at him from under lashes, almost as if she were embarrassed by what she was saying. Fitz felt like his heart would beat out of his chest at any moment. Had she really just admitted to having feelings for him? His reaction to Olivia's admission was like night and day when compared to his reaction of Mellie's words from earlier. Whereas Mellie's words had felt like a bucket of ice being dumped over his head, Olivia's felt like life was being breathed back into his body. Her words felt like coming home at the end of a long day. They felt right.

"I do, too," he breathed, cautiously lifting a hand to her cheek, brushing a stray strand of hair out of her eyes. He tried not to grin too much when she tilted her head, allowing her cheek to rest in the palm of his hand.

"I want this."

"So do I –"

"Then promise me, now, that you won't hold anything else from me…"

"I prom …"

"And that you will go to your sister's art show." He groaned at that. Of course she would take this moment to try and get what she wanted. He sighed.

"I'll go, but I'm not promising any heartfelt reunion." He stood from the sofa as the timer on the oven began beeping. Olivia twisted on the sofa, watching his retreating back as he entered the kitchen.

"Fitz…" She called, exasperation seeping into her voice.

"That's all you're getting from me, Liv," he answered, pulling an oven mitt onto his hand and opening the oven door. "Things between Maddelyn and I can't be fixed so easily."

He put the food on the counter as Olivia entered the kitchen, heading toward the cabinets and pulling two plates out. She placed the plates on the counter, watching Fitz shovel food onto their plates. Grabbing forks, they headed for the table, Olivia tilting her head at the plate.

"No vegetables?"

"There're vegetables in the chicken."

"That doesn't count," Olivia laughed, digging into her food. As they were finishing their food, Olivia looked up shyly at Fitz and asked, "What happened between you and your sister?"

Laying his fork on his now empty plate, Fitz bowed his head and sighed. "Maddie and I … grew apart."

"There has to be more than that," Olivia protested as Fitz stood from the table, carrying his plate and Olivia's to the kitchen. She followed him, watching as he silently washed the dishes. The silence that filled the kitchen lasted for so long that Olivia had turned around and was heading back toward her room when his voice stopped her.

"She's a few years older than me. When mom decided to move to New York, she moved with her. I always resented that. We were close before that. It was hard to separate us and Maddie always felt more like a friend than a sister. When she moved to New York and didn't call or visit – mom had to practically force her back to Middlebury for holidays, I felt like she abandoned me.

Sometimes, we let wounds fester until there's no clear way of fixing them and that's exactly what Maddie and I did. We started blaming each other for everything. Even things that we knew the other didn't have anything to do with. We allowed ourselves to become so alienated that we couldn't even recognize one another anymore. We're basically two strangers who happen to share the same parents."

Olivia let her feet carry her across the small room and she flung her arms around his waist, burying her face in his back. She clung to him, trying to convey her feelings of sympathy through that one hug. He had sounded so broken when he'd made that speech – his voice cracking halfway through. They stood like that for a moment before he moved his hands to hers, gently tugging them free of his body. Turning around, she noticed the tears that had fallen from his eyes and swiped at them, standing on the tips of her toes so she could reach.

"She invited you, you know? That's what brought her name up. She called your mom and asked her to invite you." He cleared his throat as she said that and she smiled at the sight of him attempting to compose himself. He didn't like to cry in front of her.

"This means I'll have to wear a tux," he groaned. She giggled – at least he was being playful about it now.

"I need a dress."

"We'll go shopping tomorrow. When is this show?"

"Saturday." Fitz nodded at that, drying his hands. He glanced at the clock; he was determined to get to bed at a decent time. He didn't want to fight his alarm clock in the morning.

"So…About what I said earlier…" She looked up at him from under her long lashes, her voice trailing as she struggled to find words.

"Yeah?" He had stopped in front of the entrance to the kitchen. She was still leaning against the doorframe, her petite frame blocking him from leaving the small room.

"I really do want to try again."

"Me, too," he responded, rooted to the spot in front of her. He didn't know if he should move closer or not and he didn't want to ruin the moment by making the wrong decision.

"I promise I'll try to do better this time."

"We'll figure it out together."

"Fitz?"

"Yeah?"

"I still love you." He met her gaze as she said that, a smile flitting across his lips.

"I never stopped loving you."

"Have a good day at work." Olivia handed Fitz his lunch, yawning as she did so. She hadn't gotten much sleep the night before. Her excitement at telling Fitz how she felt kept her awake. She had still set her alarm so she would be up by the time he woke. She liked the idea of fixing him breakfast and having his lunch ready.

"We'll go shopping after."

"I can take a cab and meet you at your school when you get off."

"Are you sure?" He tilted his head, not wanting to agree to the suggestion, but knowing that he was going to have to show her some trust. When she nodded, he continued, "Okay. There's some money on the counter. I'll see you then."

"Okay." He turned toward the door, putting his hand on the knob. "Oh, and Fitz?"

He turned around just in time for her to place her hands on his shoulders, lift herself slightly, and place a chaste kiss on his lips. He allowed a smile to play across his face as he said his goodbyes again and left.

His day was excruciatingly slow as he waited for the final bell to ring. He avoided Mellie like the plague – he really didn't have time to think about what she had told him the previous day and, truth be told, he didn't care. He had thought they had burned that bridge a long time ago – both have stated that they felt any kind of romantic relationship between them was wrong. They had grown up together. Mellie had always been just another one of the guys. And she knew how he felt about Olivia. To blindside him the way she had at lunch was just plain dirty.

By the time the last bell rang, Fitz had already been packed and ready to go for quite some time. He'd allowed his last class to take a few minutes before the bell rang and begin their homework while he busied himself packing his briefcase. He had jumped from his seat and quickly shooed his students from his room as the day ended, locking his door behind him. He had ignored Mellie's attempts to draw him into a conversation and had bolted for the front door.

Outside, he found Olivia sitting on a metal bench, reading. He smiled at the sight – she was deeply entrenched in her book. He took in her attire. She was wearing black leggings and one of his band shirts. She looked good in the Bon Jovi shirt and part of him took pride at the sight of her in his clothing. Reaching the bench, he gently tapped her shoulder, chuckling lightly when she jumped. Focusing on him, she narrowed her eyes.

"You could have given me a heart attack," she pouted.

"I'm sorry, Livvie. Are you ready?"

"Yes," she giggled, tucking her book away into her back and standing from her seat. She placed her arm in Fitz's and allowed him to lead her to the curb where he hailed a taxi.

Dress shopping was a fairly painless ordeal. Olivia had been insistent on finding one as quickly as possible. She didn't like to shop. She had picked a pastel grey, see-through floral dress and black heels to match. Fitz had even bought a new button down to match her dress. Both were more than happy when they had finally arrived home, their purchases in hand.

"Mom talked like you weren't coming." Fitz turned to look at his older sister. Maddelyn hadn't aged much.

"She went over my head and convinced Olivia to talk me into it," Fitz mumbled, nodding in the direction of Olivia. She was standing a few feet away from the two, observing a painting with Annalise.

"Olivia?" Maddelyn inquired, looking in the direction that Fitz had just pointed.

"My girlfriend."

"Mom hadn't mentioned that you have a girlfriend."

"She didn't mention that you're married."

"What?"

"The ring." He nodded toward the platinum, diamond wedding band on his sister's finger – the lighting catching the diamonds and glinting off them.

"Right." She took a moment to sip the drink in her hand before taking a deep breath and speaking, "So, how have you been?"

"Good."

"That's great."

Awkward silence fell between the two once more, causing Maddelyn to sigh. Fitz wasn't forthcoming with the conversation and kept glancing in Olivia's direction.

"Can I meet her?" The question seemed to take him by surprise, but he quickly regained his composure, nodding at Maddelyn's ring and asking:

"Can I meet him?"

"She isn't here. She had to work." That surprised Fitz. Last time he had spoken to Maddelyn, she had had a boyfriend. She'd never mentioned being into girls.

"Don't look so surprised." The light teasing in her tone drew him out of his musings and he narrowed his eyes in her direction. Yet another thing that she hadn't told him. Another reminder of how out of touch the two truly were.

"Hm," was all he could manage without exploding and bringing up every problem from their past. He wouldn't do that. Not here. He couldn't ruin her show.

"You're angry I didn't tell you." It wasn't a question and he wasn't sure how he felt about the statement. He had thought they were past the stage of reading each other's emotions. "For what it's worth, I didn't know until a couple years ago. I had a bad breakup and she asked me out. One thing led to another and here we are. I'm happy."

"That's all that matters," he mumbled, raising his cup to his lips.

"I wanted to tell you, but you weren't exactly speaking to me at the time."

"You could have tried, Maddie. You'd have been surprised where making an effort would have taken you." He sat his cup on the table and walked away, stuffing his hands in his pockets.