Reminder: this story is set in the 80s, we didn't have cell phones or computers back then! Also, apologies for the delay - I've been very busy offline again.

…

15.

Serena was drinking again.

Olivia had hoped this weekend would be different, since her mother had been kind over breakfast, asking her about her evening with the girls. But something must have set her off again because she was getting drunk fast and it wasn't even noon yet. Olivia had offered to get some groceries for dinner and was making her way to the door, carrying a large shopping bag so her mother would hopefully realize what she was up to. As long as she could get out of the apartment, she would be alright. Her mother would soon lose track of time so Olivia was planning to stay away for the better part of the afternoon. But where could she go?

Olivia walked to the nearest phone booth, debating with herself if she could call Beth. Wouldn't the girl wonder why she needed a place to crash for a few hours? The only person who would understand without needing an explanation was Elliot but she realized she didn't have the number of the Stabler home. And even if she did, it was unlikely that he would pick up - and what to tell the parents?

She decided to call Beth and hope for the best. The future psychologist was very observant but still, Olivia felt safe with the girl. She wouldn't rat her out. Beth's mother answered the phone, and Olivia politely asked for Beth, trying to sound as chipper as possible.

"Hey Olivia," she heard Beth's happy voice a few moments later. "Miss me already?"

Olivia remembered that everyone thought they had been together last night, and Beth's mom was probably still around, so she just told her friend,

"Yeah. I thought we could hang out again today. I just needed some air."

A brief pause told her that her friend had questions, but she couldn't ask them with her mother hovering in the background so she just asked her mother,

"Mom, is it okay if Olivia comes over? We'll be quiet."

Mrs. Olivet didn't mind, as long as they were indeed quiet because Beth's father had worked a night shift at the hospital and was sleeping. Olivia told Beth she'd be there soon, and when she exited the phone booth, she felt better. She had a purpose now, and she quickly headed for the subway station to catch the first train to Brooklyn. It felt odd to drag an empty shopping bag along but she would just tell Beth she had to pick up some things on her way home later.

...

Olivia felt very welcome in the Olivet home. Beth's mother had tea ready for the girls when she arrived and she wondered if it was always this relaxed in the house. She didn't mind that they had to be quiet, because it didn't feel like it did at home. Back home, she was quiet simply because she didn't want her mother's attention. Here, it felt like a good deed to let Beth's dad sleep. Beth's mother asked her how she liked the school so far and Olivia told her honestly that she was relieved that she had already made new friends.

"I'm so glad. Our Beth went through the same thing last year but she's settled in nicely too. It must be odd though, going to the same school where your mother works?"

The question was completely innocent, but Olivia tensed up a little anyway. She tried to wave it off, but it still felt a little awkward to tell someone's mother how she didn't like to have her mother around all the time. Mrs. Olivet laughed out loud though, and then put a hand over her mouth because they still needed to be quiet. Olivia relaxed again and grinned at Beth, who winked at her. The woman absolutely understood how girls their age didn't need their mother hovering around them and their friends all the time. After they had finished their tea, the girls went up to Beth's room and Beth locked the door, to keep her little brother out, she explained. Also, it would give the girls some privacy to chat. They sat on Beth's bed cross-legged and facing each other.

Beth wanted to know all about her date with Elliot and Olivia gave her the basics without telling her about the personal stuff they had exchanged. It was too private to share with a third person and Olivia would never tell someone else about what Elliot had told her in confidence. Beth was mostly interested in how close they had gotten exactly.

"Did he kiss you in the dark?" she asked, her eyes sparkling with curiosity.

"No! Not in the dark. We were watching the movie, Beth," Olivia said very seriously.

"Afterwards then? Or when he took you home?"

Olivia bit her lip and Beth let out a triumphant "Aha!"

"It was just a peck on the cheek really. He's very sweet and respectful."

"Sweet and respectful. That sounds a little … boring?"

Olivia huffed and shook her head.

"Elliot is not boring."

"So are you together now?"

Olivia pulled her shoulders up and then dropped them. Define together.

"We're friends," she told Beth. "I don't know what else to call it at this point."

Beth frowned and made an impatient gesture with her hands when she asked,

"Are you at least going on another date soon?"

A wide smile appeared on Olivia's face then, which made Beth smile too. Her friend was clearly falling in love with the boy.

"Well then," the future psychologist surmised. "I'd say you will be together officially very soon."

…

As eager as Brian always was for details about the ladies, he was uncharacteristically uninterested today. Elliot knew why, but he kind of wanted Brian to admit it himself. They were hanging out at John's and John's mother was bringing up some snacks for her son and his friends.

John was an only child and his mother had been very relieved when he'd made some friends who actually enjoyed going out. Not that she didn't like his chess-playing friends, but she wanted her son to be outside more. Even his girlfriend Gwen, who was the captain of the debate team, loved reading more than going out, and boys like Brian and Elliot provided a welcome change to the Munch household. They had promised John they would go to a nearby park later on to shoot some hoops. Not that they were any good at basketball, but it was a fun way to spend some time outside now that the weather was improving.

"So," John said as soon as his mother had left the room, "about last night."

Brian glanced at Elliot but quickly looked away when his friend grinned.

"What about it?" Elliot asked innocently.

"Come on, you can tell us? Right Bri?" John joked, but Brian wasn't amused.

John raised an eyebrow and looked at Elliot over his glasses. Elliot just shrugged and told his friends about the funny movie he and Olivia had seen. When John pushed him a little, he finally admitted that he and Olivia had talked and gotten to know each other better.

"And?" John prodded, and Brian rolled his eyes.

"And I took her home to Manhattan because I didn't want her to ride the subway alone at night."

"And?"

"Well, we couldn't risk Ms. B. seeing me of course, so we said goodnight outside."

"And?"

Elliot chuckled.

"We didn't make out or anything, John. But there's going to be a second date soon, that I can tell ya."

"She likes you, huh?" Brian piped up at last, and Elliot nodded.

"Yeah. And I like her."

"So you're done with blondes now?"

Brian sounded annoyed but Elliot knew he was just disappointed. He'd come around though. He always did.

"I don't know if hair color matters. I kinda like those brown eyes though."

Brian nodded and sipped his can of cola.

"Pamela's got brown eyes too, you know," John remarked. "Blonde hair and brown eyes. That's not a common combination."

Brian stared at his friend for a moment and then glanced at Elliot again.

"Pam? She's not a cheerleader type at all."

"Well, neither is Olivia, let's be honest. I think she'd rather be in the field than dancing and being pretty on the sidelines."

All three friends laughed together then, agreeing that Olivia definitely wasn't the cheerleader type. And neither was Pamela. She was actually a soccer player and she had already invited Olivia to try out for the girls' team.

"Wouldn't that be cool?" Elliot joked. "We could be the cheerleaders for the girls for their soccer games."

Brian was smiling now too. Maybe it wasn't such a bad idea to get to know Pamela better, now that Olivia was clearly off limits.

After finishing their snacks, they went outside to teach John how to shoot hoops. Meanwhile, Elliot wondered how Olivia was doing and if her mother was leaving her alone this weekend. He wanted to call her but he knew that Ms. B. would probably answer the phone, and she would not appreciate it if he called for her daughter. He would just have to wait until Monday to see her again.

…

"Mom?"

Olivia entered the apartment quietly, carrying the shopping bag filled with groceries and taking it into the kitchen before shrugging off her jacket. There was no sign of life in the apartment and after taking off her shoes, Olivia tiptoed to her mother's bedroom.

"Mom?"

She knocked softly and then pushed the door open, half expecting her mother to start yelling at her not to come into her private room. But there was no sound and Olivia breathed out slowly when she realized that her mother wasn't there. She checked the bathroom just in case, but her mother actually wasn't home. She decided to start dinner and hoped her mother's mood would be tolerable once she came back home from wherever she had gone.

The apartment was filled with the aroma of lasagna when Serena came home, carrying her own shopping bag. Only hers was filled with bottles.

"Olivia?"

"Yes mom. Dinner is almost ready."

Olivia walked up to her mother from the kitchen and forced a smile.

"Well, that's nice," Serena said flatly. "I'm not hungry but you kids need to eat of course."

She gestured at Olivia and she knew that her mother thought she was too skinny. But if that was all she was going to say, Olivia was fine with it. Apparently, she had not been missed this afternoon. Her mother did seem to have sobered up a little, but looks could be deceiving. Serena could act like a lady when she went out to get a new stash of booze but the mask usually dropped the moment she stepped into the apartment. Today, she simply sat down on the couch, placing her own shopping bag next to her, and ignored Olivia while she poured herself a drink. Olivia decided to set the table for two, even if it was unlikely that her mother would join her. She ate alone while watching her mother watch TV and drink. She would be eating lasagna again tomorrow, that much was obvious. She cleaned up after dinner, placed the leftovers in the fridge and then went to her room. Serena ignored her and Olivia decided to take a nap. If her mother did decide to check up on her, at least there would be nothing she could take offense with.

As she lay there, her eyes closed, she remembered the quiet in the Olivet household. They had been quiet out of consideration for the father, who needed to sleep during the day because he worked at night. She hadn't met Mr. Olivet yet but it was clear from the way Beth, her mother and her little brother were acting, that they all loved him very much. It had to be nice to have a loving father, she thought. Fathers were supposed to protect their children from harm. They weren't supposed to hit them, like Elliot's father was doing. And they most definitely weren't supposed to go around raping women, like hers had done.

Tears welled up in her eyes unexpectedly and she missed Elliot right now. She hadn't told him about the drinking yet but he knew that Serena wasn't mother of the year. Elliot would protect her. She knew that. One of these days she was going to break free, and she knew that Elliot would be there for her. Maybe they could break free together, and start over from scratch.

That thought put a smile on her face, and she thought about Elliot's plans to join the Marines right after college. He'd have his own income then, and probably his own place. His life would become a lot better. She wanted that for him, but she wanted it for herself as well. She'd be only seventeen, but still. At seventeen she'd have more rights than she had now at sixteen, even if she was still considered a minor under the law. There had to be a way for her too, like there was for Elliot. There just had to be …

…

To be continued.
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