A/N:
Obviously, I chose to keep the Irene Stanley vs Olivia Swan plot but this time around I've kind of got a particular vibe I'm going for with Olivia and it's a fair bit different than the original vibe I had going for her just giving everyone a heads up. There's a certain idea I have in mind for doing things this way and using Paul for this. If I can pull it off the way I want, it's going to be cute as heck and fluffy as fuck later on. For those curious, I'm playing to certain traits that were often hinted at and mentioned throughout the series as ones that Paul possessed -ie, the cockiness, the dominance and the flirtatiousness, only here I wanna kind of make the dominance translate into him being really protective?.. But I'm trying to do it in a good and cute way and not a bad or overbearing one. Sorry for the rambling I'm just really enjoying this version so far.
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Olivia finished getting ready for school and stepped out of the bathroom and into her room to grab her bookbag and put on her shoes. Despite telling herself it was a dumb idea, she found herself stopping a minute to check her cell phone.
She prepared herself to get nothing because she hadn't heard from Paul since Friday night, when she met him on First Beach. To her surprise, there was a text from him.
{Paul} Morning,kitten.. Call ya later?
She flopped across the bed and rolled onto her back as a soft grin played at her lips. She re-read the text he'd sent and the fact that he'd called her kitten a second time had her getting all flustered again like she had when he'd done it Friday night before leaving after he'd walked her back to her dad's house.
[Olivia] Morning, big guy. Have a good day today. I have this thing after school, so around 5?
She must have written out and erased her response at least ten times before finally taking a deep breath and committing to it, hitting send before she could change her mind. Bella peeked into her room. "We need to get going. Are you ready?"
"I'm coming." Olivia answered as she quickly turned her cell phone face down. She slipped off the bed and grabbed her discarded backpack from the bedroom floor and slung it carelessly over one shoulder and then she followed her older sister down the stairs.
The ride to school was quiet. Filled with tension to a point that Olivia almost felt like she'd suffocate in it. In the past 3 months she'd gotten used to it. She hated it, but she was learning to adjust.
Bella shattered the tension-filled silence and spoke up. "Hey, I was thinking of going to the diner with Mike and the others after school.. Do you wanna go?"
Olivia shook her head. "I'm good. I've got tryouts for the play and a meeting with the yearbook staff this afternoon anyway. Besides, I'd really rather not see Irene Stanley any more than I already have to."
"Still not getting along, huh?" Bella asked as she glanced over at Olivia in concern. "If she's bothering you that much I can talk to her."
"I'm fine." Olivia responded politely. "I'd really rather just keep doing what I'm doing. Keeping my head down and ignoring her. Sooner or later, she'll back off."
Bella gazed at her sister for a few seconds as she parked the truck. "Is everything okay, Olivia? I just feel like you're upset with me."
Olivia tensed before she could stop herself.
"I'm not upset.. It's just.. I moved here to try to help you through the whole thing and I feel like no matter what I do, it won't make a difference?" Olivia offered up the explanation with the gentlest of tones and the most apologetic look she could muster. "I'm worried about you, Bella. I'm really, really worried about you."
Bella nodded and remained quiet. They got out of the truck and Bella wandered over to the lockers that Jessica and Angela stood in front of.
Olivia spotted her friend Angel and hurried over, tapping her shoulder.
"There you are! Okay, spill.. My cousin Kim told me that her boyfriend mentioned that you met one of his friends and apparently, you made quite an impression, girl." Angel gave a teasing giggle and Olivia felt her cheeks burn hot as she shuffled her favorite black boots against the hallway floor and shrugged it off.
She took a deep breath and smiled a little before launching into a replay of everything that happened that Friday.
"If Paul is the one I think he is.. Whew." Angel fanned herself.
"Oh yeah.. He texted me this morning?" Olivia admitted with a soft laugh. "It's probably not a big deal. Guys like him don't really.. I mean, look at me."
"Girl, I am. You do realize the entire reason Irene Stanley hates you is because she's into Mike and Mike made the remark last time she came on too strong to him after a football game that if he were going to go for a younger girl it'd be you.."
"Plus, there's kindergarten. Before my mom picked my sister and I up and moved us all the way to Arizona, she hated me then and I have yet to figure out why. Honestly, I don't pay much attention to her."
"Ignoring her isn't going to do what you're hoping. It's only going to make her get louder and more extra with the crap she pulls. Trust me. She did it to me when I moved here two years ago and the only reason she leaves me alone now is because I got sick of it one day and slapped her. So just like.. Slap her already, maybe? Stop being a quiet little pushover, okay? Because I know good and well that's not all that you are, I've seen proof."
"Daddy's got enough on his plate with my sister losing her entire freaking mind. Maybe if I just leave her alone and avoid her.."
"It's only going to make her seek you out. Trust me, okay? I've dealt with her crap before. C'mon, we better get down to class before we're late. If I get one more tardy I think my mom's going to strangle me or whatever." Angel mused, making Olivia laugh softly and shake her head. "Maybe if you didn't sleep through all seven alarms you set to wake up?"
"Fuck this place, alright? School can absolutely get fucked." Angel grumbled as they started to wander down the hallway, shoving through the thick crowd of other students lingering in the hallway still.
"And now I know why you're behind in Bio." Olivia teased gently. "Hey, if you want to borrow my notes, let me know and I'll give them to you after fourth period?"
"Oh haha. That and the fact that the teacher talks entirely too fast and expects us to keep up. Oh god, yes please. Your notes are always so organized. I don't know how, because it's like I keep saying, the teacher talks at frickin warp speed, I swear.." Angel mused as the two wandered into their homeroom and took their assigned seats.
"Bookworm. Hey, bookworm." Irene hissed from the back of the classroom.
Olivia remained facing the front and she rolled her eyes.
Irene continued doing what she was doing, hissing different names to attempt getting a rise out of her. Olivia snapped a wooden pencil between her fingertips at one point and she took a deep breath to get herself calm again.
The bell rang and Olivia stood, gathering her books and shoving them into her backpack.
"Bookworm." Irene spoke up from behind her. By now, Olivia's patience was running thin so she whirled around and glared at the other girl with her hand on her hip. "What do you want, Irene?"
"I heard that Mike Newton is going to ask you out. It's in your best interest to turn him down."
Olivia gave Irene a blank look and Irene rolled her eyes. "If you tell him anything other than the word no, consider yourself more than a mere annoyance to me."
" Considering the last thing I heard was that Mike is dating your older sister, Irene, maybe you should be having this conversation with her. Even if he did ask me out I wouldn't say yes. Not all of us enjoy big sister's sloppy seconds. That may be your style but it isn't mine." Olivia responded in irritation.
"What did you just say to me?" Irene stepped up to her. Olivia stepped back and gave a shrug. "Figure it out for yourself. I've got better things to do than waste my time with you. Gonna go now. Don't want to be late for my next class." Olivia smirked as she watched Irene's face twist in a mask of rage as her mouth opened and closed and she fumed.
Angel caught up to Olivia quickly, gaping at her. "Girl, holy shit. I have never seen Irene get that flustered. You better really watch your back from here on out because she was already telling anyone who would listen when I walked out that she was definitely going to get you back."
Olivia palmed her face and groaned. "Why'd I have to lose it? Why couldn't I have just kept my big mouth shut?"
"Girl.. What you did back there is not a bad thing. Now you just need to.. Ya know.. Do more of that." Angel advised as she laughed softly and shook her head. "Everybody has their limits, Livvie."
"I know.. I just need to work harder with mine. Daddy's going through more than enough with my sister's situation. I don't wanna add more to his plate."
"Girl, holy shit! Grow a spine! I love you but you have got to learn that sometimes in life, rocking the boat is more than necessary."
"And sometimes, it's not the best idea." Olivia argued. "I don't like confrontations, okay? I hate fighting. I honestly hate that Irene Stanley hates me for no apparent reason and I hate the fact that it bothers me more than anything." Olivia went quiet after her outburst and Angel doubled over in laughter.
"I love you, Olivia Swan. You're something else. You're like a cinnamon roll. Too sweet for this world."
Olivia pouted a little. "A cinnamon roll? Seriously?"
"It's not always a bad thing." Angel teased gently. "Paul Lahote certainly seemed to eat it right up when you met him Friday, so there's that."
Olivia blushed a little and shook her head. "Yeah, that's doubtful. He was probably just being nice."
Angel gaped and then snickered and shook her head. "Paul Lahote is not known for being the nicest guy. Trust me. If he was being nice to you when you met him, he was definitely feeling something. From what little Kim told me that Jared told her, it was a whole lot of something because he talked about you non fucking stop, okay? And Paul just.. Look.. The guy doesn't do that."
Olivia's brow raised and Angel explained the reputation that Paul Lahote had managed to get himself over the years. Olivia listened intently, filing it all away. Wondering why the entire time Angel was telling her about all the fights and the way he flirted with practically any girl who caught his eye that deep down, Olivia felt like this wasn't necessarily who Paul Lahote really was.
( But it very well could be. Maybe you need to be careful where he's concerned. ) the thought lingered like a warning until she pushed it to the back of her mind. By the end of the school day, Olivia was beyond ready for Monday to be behind her. The second the final bell rang, she shot out of her seat and hurried down the hall, into the auditorium.
The drama teacher held out a copy of the script to her and she sat down in a seat and busied herself learning some of the more interesting lines in her copy of the Grease script.
She tensed all over when Irene cleared her throat from behind. "If anyone gets the part of Sandy, it's going to be me. I wouldn't even bother reading for that part if I were you, bookworm. What are you even doing here anyway, huh? We all know what'll happen if you get a speaking part. You'll choke come opening night. Just like you did during the play in kindergarten." Irene gave a malicious laugh as she continued, mimicking the way Olivia had panicked a little on the night of their play in kindergarten and proceeded to leave the stage and run to her father.
Olivia's fists clenched and she took a deep breath or two before turning around to glare at Irene. "Some of us don't have an actual life and it really shows." Olivia smirked as she watched Irene get angry all over again and she whirled around to face the front, done with the whole thing.
She'd just finished reading for the part of Marty Maraschino and started to gather her things to head down to the classroom that the yearbook club was meeting in when she caught sight of Mike lingering outside the door. She tried to just walk past him and he reached out, his hand gently circling her wrist to stop her mid-movement.
"What's up?"
"I was wondering if you wanted to come out with me to see a movie on Friday night?" Mike bit his lip as he gazed at her intently.
Olivia gave a sheepish smile and shook her head no as politely as she could. "I don't think that's a good idea."
"Oh come on. It'll be fun."
"I actually uh.. I have plans?" Olivia blurted it out before she could stop herself. And from behind her, a throat cleared.
"She's already kind of seeing someone. I think he's actually the defensive end at La Push High.. ya know, the one who drilled your ass into the turf last year?" Angel smirked as she said it. Olivia tensed and swallowed hard, but she didn't disagree with Angel's answer. She did speak up to explain politely, "I'm really sorry? Maybe some other time…"
Mike flashed her a grin and nodded as he laughed. "Yeah. Maybe some other time. As always, Angel, it's a pleasure talking to you."
"Wish I could agree, Fig Newton, sadly, I cannot." Angel shooed Mike away and glanced at her best friend in amusement. "Girl, if you give that idiot an inch, he'll take a mile."
"You didn't have to do that."
"Trust me. You'll be thanking me for it later. C'mon. We're about to start the meeting."
Olivia and Angel walked down the hallway and into the classroom that Yearbook meeting was being held in and Olivia sank down into a seat. Every few minutes she found herself glancing up at the clock on the wall while also reminding herself that maybe it wasn't such a good idea to pin her hopes on Paul actually calling her tonight.
After all, there was all the stuff Angel told her earlier in the day.
She barely knew him. How was she to know whether he was the guy he'd seemed to be around her when they met or whether he was actually the guy Angel told her about earlier in the day?
It was certainly a lot to think about.