10.

Her head was killing her but she was quiet, downing a few Tylenol and stuffing a few more in her backpack before leaving to go to school. Her mother had spent the night passed out on the couch, and didn't seem to have any recollection of the night before at all. Olivia had heard Serena call in sick before she'd retreated into her bedroom, where she'd probably crashed on her bed instantly with a severe hangover. Olivia had just thrown all the empty bottles she'd found next to and on the couch in the trash. Despite her headache, she couldn't wait to go to school, because she would have a day off from her mother there for once. The lump on the side of her head, just behind her ear, was big but she thought her bouncy hair covered it well enough so nobody would notice. She was just glad her skin hadn't cracked so there was no risk of infection. She'd hate to have to go to the ER or the school nurse and answer questions there about her 'accident'.

It wasn't easy to stay focused on her classes due to her throbbing head, and she asked Beth after their third period if she could possibly copy her notes later on.

"Sure," Beth said right away. "Had a bad night?"

Beth was very perceptive and Olivia quickly confirmed that she hadn't slept well, hoping the girl aspiring to be a psychologist would drop the subject. No such luck.

"How come?"

Olivia shrugged dismissively.

"Don't know. Haven't you ever had a bad night?"

"I have, but there's usually a reason."

"Don't start shrinking my head, Beth!" Olivia warned her with a grin, but she was only half-joking.

"That's what psychiatrists do, Olivia. I want to be a psychologist," Beth corrected her, but Olivia wasn't really interested in learning what the difference between those two professions was. She just wanted the girl not to notice the lump on her head and to get her notes.

"Let's just get some lunch, alright?"

Beth looked at her one more time, her eyes squinting slightly, but Olivia simply walked away in the direction of the school cafeteria. They spotted Pamela who joined them in the line, and after a minute, someone bumped into Olivia from behind.

"Hey!" she said, spinning around to tell off whoever had run into her, but stopping in her tracks when she saw Brian's grinning face.

"Hey to you too," he said cheerfully and Olivia couldn't help but smile at her friend.

Elliot and John were right behind him and Elliot winked at her. Her smile widened and Pamela rolled her eyes dramatically.

"She's been here a few weeks and she's already got packs of boys following her around. What am I doing wrong?!" the girl asked, and both Olivia and Beth laughed.

It felt great just to be able to be herself in school and Olivia hadn't realized how much she had missed that. Part of her hoped that her mother would be fired one day for calling in sick one time too often. She usually didn't drink too much during the week but she made exceptions when she was particularly stressed out, like last night.

Olivia saw the teacher walk through the cafeteria who had ratted her out to her mother, and quickly turned away. Was he the bitch's snitch now?

Elliot followed Olivia's gaze - or rather, tried to see what had made her turn around so quickly - but he didn't understand. Her mother wasn't in school today and he didn't see anyone stand out among the students milling about in the cafeteria. He did see Kathy and her friends approaching to get in line and he felt a small knot forming in his stomach. But it loosened instantly when Olivia turned to face them again and caught his eye, having spotted the blonde cheerleaders as well. Even from a distance, she was able to help him relax with just a look and it made him smile. Olivia almost seemed a little shy when she faced forward again and Elliot took a deep breath. Was their newly formed broken hearts club already helping both of them heal?

Olivia decided to sit with the girls to be on the safe side, because she wasn't sure what Mr. Wilson would see and tell her mother, but they agreed they'd all get together after school.

"She's found nice friends," John remarked, looking at the three girls.

"Yeah," Elliot agreed, glancing sideways to see them.

Brian was less subtle and turned around completely in his seat to look at the girls. Pamela giggled and nudged Olivia, who looked behind her to see Brian grinning at her once again. She bit her lip and then stuck out her tongue before quickly turning around again.

"You're being too obvious, Bri," Elliot muttered.

"I got her attention, didn't I?" Brian said proudly right before taking a big bite of his club sandwich.

"You're going after Olivia?"

John couldn't hide his surprise very well.

"El and me are free, John so we can do whatever we want. You're taken, remember?"

"Yeah."

John grinned proudly, thinking of his girlfriend Gwen. Their first time had been on the same night Kathy had cheated on Elliot. He had gotten little attention for his conquest so far because of his friend's troubles, but he was enjoying not being single anymore.

"It's always the quiet ones," Elliot grinned, clapping his friend on the back.

"Right. Why does the resident geek have a girl and we both don't?" Brian asked, eyeing their skinny friend to see what exactly was so attractive about him anyway.

"High school geeks are the millionaires of the future," John declared. "Some women just realize this sooner than others."

"So she's with you for your money?" Brian asked incredulously.

"No no," John said, wagging his finger before tapping his temple. "For the brains, Bri. The brains."

"Oh."

Elliot chuckled at the look of defeat on Brian's face. He was a good kid but not the sharpest tool in the shed. Still, he and John were inseparable ever since Brian had jumped in and beaten up two boys who were bullying John and had stepped on the skinny kid's glasses. Nobody dared to bully John again now, and John had become a reliable study partner for Brian, helping him get his grades up. Brian had a good heart and Elliot hoped some lucky girl was going to realize that soon. He deserved it. He just wasn't sure he'd like to see him end up with Olivia …

…

Olivia had managed to get through all of her classes but she wasn't feeling well at all by the end of the day. She splashed some water in her face in the bathroom but she looked pale and tired, with dark rings beginning to appear under her eyes. The combination of lack of sleep with a throbbing pain in her head all day long wasn't exactly good for her looks. When she emerged from the bathroom, she found Elliot waiting for her. He did a double take when he spotted her and she knew she needed another excuse for how bad she looked.

"Hey. What are you doing here?" she asked him casually, putting a little bounce in her step on purpose when she approached him.

"Beth told me you were in there."

"And?"

Olivia didn't think that was much of an explanation for why he had apparently been waiting for her to come out.

Elliot looked at his feet before glancing up at her again with a shy grin.

"Well eh … she kinda asked me to see how you were doing. She's a little worried about you," he admitted.

"And she couldn't just tell me that herself?"

Olivia was a little annoyed at her friend. Sending Elliot to check up on her?

"She said she tried to talk to you but you didn't say much."

"Because there's nothing to say!"

Olivia emphasized her words with a wide arm gesture, but frowned when her headache flared up again, reminding her that she shouldn't make sudden movements.

Elliot quickly stepped closer to her and put a hand on her shoulder. He knew pain when he saw it.

"Hey. You're not okay. You wanna sit down?" he asked her softly.

Olivia hesitated and then looked around. Elliot took that to mean that she would want to sit down if there was something around to sit on. He quickly shrugged off his backpack and put it flat on the ground. Olivia chuckled but when he insisted, she sat down on the backpack, and he sat down next to her on the floor in the school hallway.

"I am a little dizzy," she admitted then. Maybe I just didn't eat enough."

"How come?"

Olivia shrugged.

"Not really hungry I guess."

Elliot reached up and then stopped to ask her,

"Can I just … is it alright if I check your temperature? I mean, on your forehead?"

He was stammering a bit but he didn't want her to get the wrong idea.

"I'm not sick," Olivia muttered, but she sat still anyway when he put his palm against her forehead.

When Elliot retracted his hand, she immediately said,

"See. No fever. I just need some food and rest, that's all."

"I can arrange the food, but the rest is up to you," Elliot told her. "Or do you need to go straight home?"

Olivia hesitated. Her mother had had a whole day to sleep off her hangover so she'd be up and waiting for her by now. She didn't really want to go home but she had little choice.

"I should go straight home," she said quietly.

Elliot got up and held out his hand, offering to help her up. She grabbed it and let him pull her to her feet and he watched her face for any sign of discomfort.

"I'm fine, El," she assured him.

Elliot couldn't suppress a half smile while he picked up his backpack because she'd used the shorter version of his name. He liked it, and when Olivia returned the smile, he grinned.

"If you say so ..., Liv," he said, testing the waters a little.

Olivia's smile widened.

"Walk me to the bus, El?" she asked him, her eyes beginning to sparkle.

Elliot held out his arm so she could loop hers through it.

"Sure thing, Liv."

They both chuckled and while Elliot hadn't gotten anything more out of Olivia than Beth had, he was still kind of pleased with their little exchange.

…

A/N: Ah, the nicknames!
To be continued ...