Title: Of Honor Societies and Extracurricular Activities chapter 14

Author's Note: For disclaimer, see chapter one.

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Chapter 14

There's only a couple weeks left and they still haven't formally asked each other to the prom. Sure, they went out and found similar dresses. And sure, they've each already chosen a corsage. And sure, they're dating and it's basically a guarantee that they're going together. But they're both getting antsy.

Alex looks at the dress hanging on the back of her bedroom door and sighs. She's sitting on her bed with her laptop propped up on her legs, scrolling through page after page of AP Psych notes in preparation for the final exam.

At this point, she isn't even absorbing any of the information. With another sigh, she closes her laptop and places it on her bedside table. Swinging her legs over the edge of her bed, she stands and walks over to her dress. The material is cool to the touch and a deep-blue that really brings out her eyes. She sighs again and forces herself to return to her studies.

Down the hall, Olivia sits at her desk with her textbook open in front of her but she has long since given up on studying; it's been one hell of a year and she already knows no amount of studying will help her pass the AP exams. Whatever. She's fine.

She's fine.

That's what she tells herself anyway. Angry tears sting her eyes and a lump forms in her throat, bobbing uncomfortably every time she tries to swallow it down. Leaning back in her chair, she pushes the heels of her palms against her eyes and forces herself to breathe easily.

It isn't the end of the world. Everything is going to be fine. She's going to be fine.

She's going to be fine.

Leaning forward in her chair again, Olivia closes her textbook and pushes it away from her. She reaches for the packet on the other side of the desk and empties its contents out in front of her.

The University of Michigan wanted her to play football for them – they'd pay her to play football for them. It's a good choice, she knows this. They offered her a full-ride scholarship, plus they were willing to pay her. All she had to do was keep her grades up and stay out of trouble. It's a really good choice and when she'd spoken with her admissions counselor, he'd informed her that she had until July 15 to make up her mind.

It's a really good choice, and she wants to jump on it so badly but she just can't seem to make herself sign the forms and that's really starting to piss her off.

Olivia sighs and leans back in her chair, propping her feet up on her desk. She drops the packet onto her lap and leafs through it again. Having gone through everything with Alex's parents, she knows it's all in order, just like she knows that if she doesn't take this offer she'll never play football again and she loves football almost as much as she loves Alex.

She loves Alex.

Loves her.

She groans, lets her head fall back against the back of her chair. She should have known.

Even before they'd started dating, they'd decided they would go to the same college. They'd dorm together their first year and then find an apartment off campus until graduation. It had been a plan, one they'd set in stone before high school even started.

Alex would understand, of course – she knows this is one of Olivia's biggest dreams. In fact, she's sure that if she just told Alex about the opportunity, Alex would force her to sign the forms. Which is maybe why she hasn't told Alex yet? She's just not ready to uproot the future they'd envisioned together all those years ago.

But to pass up this opportunity…

She stands up suddenly, catching the packet before it falls to the ground, and before she has time to think about it her feet are carrying her toward Alex's room. She pauses at the door and knocks, waits for Alex's permission to enter. The five seconds she has to wait for the door to open are agonizing and she almost turns and heads back to her room just as the door opens.

Quirking her eyebrow, Alex looks from Olivia's face down to the packet in her hands and back up to her face. "I thought we were studying separately tonight."

"We were. Are." Olivia breezes into Alex's room and falls onto her bed with an overly dramatic sigh.

Alex chuckles, shaking her head. She grabs the papers from Olivia's hands and settles back into the chair at her desk. "What's this, then?"

Sitting up, Olivia pushes her hand through her hair and sighs. "The University of Michigan wants me for their football team."

Alex nods absently, quietly flipping through the packet. "You haven't signed anything yet."

"No."

"Why not?"

Olivia shrugs. "I already talked to your parents about it. They said I should go for it if that's what I want."

"But?"

"But I wanted to talk to you first."

"Is this what you want?"

"Yeah."

"Then you should go for it. It's your dream, Liv. I can't hold you back from that."

"I have a lot of dreams, Alex. It was my dream to go to Columbia with you. And it was my dream to get into that FBI program. And it was my dream to marry you someday."

"Well what do you want to do?"

"I want to play football and I want to live with you in our tiny studio apartment and I want to complain about our professors and the workloads they assign."

"I can't tell you what to do, Liv. You have to decide for yourself."

Olivia sighs and pushes her hand through her hair. "I really want to play football, Alex, and the team is really good, one of the best in the division."

"Then go. We can figure everything else out when it's time."

"Are you sure?"

Shaking her head, Alex rolls her eyes. "If anyone can make it work it's us."

Olivia grins, grabbing the packet from Alex's outstretched hand. "I guess I'm going to Michigan then."

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