17.

Olivia couldn't shake off the unrest she'd felt the moment Kathy had approached Elliot. She knew he'd been head over heels with the blonde for a long time and that they'd slept together. And if she was really honest with herself, she was becoming jealous of that. She knew like no other that it took time for memories like that to fade. Sometimes when she was half asleep she could still feel Michael's body against hers, even inside her. She wondered if Elliot had similar dreams about Kathy and she hated that she was now thinking that way. She didn't want to be this insecure teenager. All that superficial stuff, the gossip and the jealousy, that was for the other girls; for the ones who didn't have any real problems in their lives. Not for her.

But she knew that she was jealous anyway. She had fallen for Elliot and she would have to face the reality now that she wouldn't be the only one to notice him. Maybe she should begin to brace herself already because did he really need a girl with her issues? Then again, he was facing the same challenges at home, with his father. Could a girl like Kathy ever fully understand what that was like?

Olivia closed her eyes for a moment. She had no way of knowing what kind of life Kathy had. Nobody knew about her either. People were experts at hiding their problems and maybe Kathy cheating on Elliot had been just her way of acting out. And if that was the case, Elliot might come to understand it and maybe …

She sighed. She was beginning to think in circles and that would get her nowhere. Once she got home, she buried herself in her homework and hoped for a quiet evening. Maybe she could talk about going out again this weekend with her mother tonight, because on Friday night, Serena usually started drinking again. Better catch her sober for this.

When Serena came home a while later, Olivia decided to just get it over with now. If her mother said no, she would at least be able to tell Elliot tomorrow, before the weekend. She tried for a casual attitude when she asked her mother if it would be alright to meet up with the girls again on Saturday.

"Which girls?" Serena asked sharply, and Olivia knew she would need to be truthful. Her mother was capable of checking with every single parent to verify her whereabouts and who she was with - when she was sober anyway. Olivia was almost counting on it that she wouldn't be sober Saturday afternoon, but still. She had to be ready, just in case.

"Well, Beth of course. And we're going to ask Pamela and Melinda along again."

Serena wanted to know all the girls' last names and actually jotted them down, so Olivia was glad that she hadn't lied. The girls were all planning to come. Serena didn't need to know that there would be boys too. Melinda kind of had an eye for Ryan, a boy from another class, so it was possible that there would be four couples total, counting John and Gwen. She was looking forward to hanging out with all of them again.

…

His mother was acting weird again. Elliot wasn't sure if he'd ever get used to it. She seemed to be in a completely different world, and Joe Stabler only had one coping mechanism when it came to his wife's erratic behavior. Anger.

This time, he had actually ripped up one of Bernadette's paintings, and she was currently in a corner of the living room, still in her long nightgown, rolled up in a ball and sobbing, lamenting the loss of her beautiful work of art. The girls had tried to comfort her but she was so far gone that she didn't even seem to notice them. Elliot knew that Joe wouldn't hurt Bernadette when she was in this state but it still didn't feel right to just leave the house and go out with his friends. His sisters assured him that they would take care of mother. They all knew Joe would soon leave for a bar to get drunk anyway. Maybe the man had two coping mechanisms after all. Or three.

Elliot swallowed, feeling sick at the thought. That his own father could use women like that he would never understand. Sex was supposed to be something wonderful between two people. Not a way to let off steam and then toss the other person aside. They all knew their father was cheating on his wife but nobody every said anything about it out loud.

Elliot was relieved that Olivia hadn't been too worried the other day after seeing him with Kathy. Or maybe she was pretending not to be worried. He couldn't quite put his finger on her reaction but she seemed okay now. But he knew he would never, ever cheat on someone. He hated his father for it and he knew first hand what it felt like to be cheated on. He would never do that to another person.

"We get each other," Olivia had said and he knew she was right; up to a point anyway. Home wasn't a safe space for either of them. Kathy's family had been so different. He'd been able to relax there. Maybe that had been part of the attraction as well. He didn't really know anymore, because another girl was on his mind night and day these days and the two couldn't be more different. Dark hair and the most beautiful dark brown eyes … Olivia was a vision. And he admired her strength, how she was still standing despite the trouble she'd been in and probably was still going through. Part of him wanted to give Ms. Benson a piece of his mind. He wouldn't confront the woman for Olivia's sake but if he ever saw her hurt Olivia … he wasn't sure what he'd do. If he was anything like his own explosive father, he would do his damnedest to only unleash his anger against people who truly deserved it. He would use it to right wrongs, not to create wrongs.

When Olivia and Beth came walking up to them arm in arm, Elliot let go of the tension in his body and smiled at her. She untangled her arm from Beth's and walked straight up to him to plant a kiss on his lips. She didn't leave any room for doubt about where they stood, and their friends let out a few 'ooohs' and giggles.

Elliot just grinned like a fool and Olivia loved it. She had nothing to worry about. Elliot wasn't going anywhere. And she was going to make him happy. He deserved it.

…

The group hung out together for a while and Elliot winked at Olivia when they saw Brian give Pamela a peck on the cheek. Even Ryan, the new kid in the group, seemed to catch on and was keeping his arm around Melinda's waist the whole time. It was a perfect afternoon and the four couples had fun chasing each other around the park, playing hide and seek and making out against a tree or on a bench. There was no need to split up into couples because there was enough opportunity for some kissing and cuddling. The only one who felt a little left out was Beth, so the whole group decided that they now had a mission: find Beth a boyfriend. Gwen and Olivia made sure Beth was never alone for too long, and the three girls had a ton of fun pointing out cute guys to each other when they went for a snack at a local fast food restaurant.

"Should we be worried?" John asked, peering over his glasses at the girls while he and Elliot waited in line for their orders.

"Nah, we're good," Elliot assured him, clapping his friend on the back. "We just have to keep our women happy."

John grinned and nodded.

"Speaking of which," the skinny boy said. "You and Olivia already uh … you know."

"She's only sixteen John," Elliot said softly. "We can't yet."

"Shoot."

John rubbed his chin and glanced at the girls again, and then asked Elliot,

"Am I the only one who has a seventeen-year old girlfriend?"

Elliot scanned their little group and bit his lip. He wasn't sure about the other girls, but since most of them were from Olivia's class, they could all very well be sixteen.

"I don't know John but it's very possible."

John seemed a few inches taller when he took a step forward in line, squaring his shoulders. Elliot chuckled and shook his head. Well, if anyone deserved it, it was John. He hoped that he and Gwen would make it work and even if they didn't, John would know that girls could definitely like him.

Pamela and Brian seemed to be hitting it off really well now that Brian had let go of his infatuation with Olivia, and Elliot made a mental note to ask his friend about his new girl's age. They were teenagers but he didn't want to get in trouble. Still, it wasn't going to be easy to wait now that he knew what it was like with a real girl. And Olivia's curves were really something else ...

When he scooted back into their booth next to Olivia, he leaned closer to her and asked her softly,

"Hey Liv, when is your birthday?"

Olivia cocked her head and looked at him, her dark eyes searching his face before she asked,

"It's in July. Why do you wanna know?"

...

A/N: I invented a new birthday for Olivia for this story. Writer's prerogative :)
I know it's been ages but I hope I still have readers / reviewers for this one?
To be continued