Chapter 2-Accidental Exclamations
There was no doubt in Lilly's mind, the best thing she could do right now was forget about Oliver. And she was trying her hardest, she really was. They're recent exploits were making it more than challenging now…very difficult…down right impossible… Usually it would have been hard not to talk to him, as it was on the very few occasions they got into fights that lasted more than five minutes. And if someone's name enters your mind every five minutes or less when you've never kissed them, any idiot could tell you the number wouldn't go down after you'd put your tongue down their throat…any doughnut. Urgh…this was like Rico trying to be nice, it would never happen might as well give up. Especially on this most unholy of days.
What day might you ask? St. Patrick's Day? Nope, Lilly was half-Irish. She loved decking herself out in green and picking out matching temporary tattoos of shamrocks for her, Miley, and Oliver to adorn. Christmas? Admittedly, she would have had to talk to Oliver then, she couldn't just not give him a Christmas present after all of thirteen years. No, today was Valentine's day. The day where all idiots who are in love, or just adored by someone, bask in the triumph that they are not alone in the world. And those who are alone just feel…well, more alone. Especially if they aren't talking to their best friend who isn't the worst offender of the other category.
Miley sure wasn't making it any easier. What with her head to toe pink (how very original) and her oodles of Valentine's and admirers. And since Lilly wasn't talking to Oliver she had to sit there while Miley pulled out the fresh set of Valentine's out of her locker between classes and hear things like, "Leslie Jacob sent me another one, boy does he want a piece of this ass again, not that I blame him" or "Ooo…another secret admirer, that makes sixteen. Unless of course, one of them is sending me multiple things. Well, he should know that being overeager will count against him…unless he's really hot." And this was just before she got home to the Hannah stash that would be awaiting her in the living room. Lilly didn't even want to think about what that'd be like as she leaned against her shut locker.
"Miley, dude," Todd came over to her friend. Oh great, another boy sucked in by the oh-so-gorgeousness of Miley Stewart, and Todd had been crushing on her last year! "Oliver wants to know if Lilly…" He trailed off as he saw the blond girl looking at him, frown line mid-forehead. "Would be interested in being my date to the dance tonight?" He smiled at her.
"Sorry, Todd, I'm going home to drown my sorrows in a box of Oreos and a Tivoed Bones marathon," Lilly smirked, at least he hadn't gone over to the Dark Side. Not that she thought that Miley was like Darth Vader. She cracked a smile at Toff, "Hey, remember that Darth Vader chip Oliver and I-" She stopped herself. "Nevermind."
"Dude, you guys are, like, pathetic without each other," Todd shook his head, walking off to the vending machines down the hallway where Oliver was standing.
Miley sighed, looking after him before turning to her friend, "I hate to say it, but the moron does have a point." Lilly just frowned, she knew. "What are you guys fighting about again?"
She waved her off, "It's not important," She said as casually as possible. When, in all reality, it was too important to tell Miley without her hyperventilating.
"Uh-huh, then how come whenever one of you says that I feel like it is?" Miley asked, and Lilly shrugged, starting to walk towards her history class.
*A*C*C*I*D*E*N*T*S*
Except apparently AP US wasn't really a good place for avoidance. Considering Oliver was one of the only twelve people in the classroom, which just so happened meant that since Miley wasn't he was alphabetically in front of her. And Mrs. St. Claire wasn't nice like Mr. Corelli had been, so she never let them switch seats. So since it was double period, she just got to sit and look at the back of Oliver's head for 80 straight minutes. Which meant thinking about how much trouble his stupid soft-looking, overly cared for hair had gotten her into. Which meant thinking about kissing him. Without his shirt off, and then the memory of him naked came back. See, she really wasn't perverted, it was just that the universe was out to get her.
As if seemingly getting this signal, Mrs. St. Claire started talking about the sexual revolution of the twenties. And instead of writing Stigma attached to sex is lessened like was on the board, her notes somehow ended up having Stigma attached to sex with Oliver is lessened instead. She choked reading this as she checked them, and then had a coughing fit which caused Oliver to squirm uncomfortably in his seat.
The teacher looked back at them reprovingly, as if there was no difference between this and their usual giggle fits before turning back to the whiteboard to write something about birth control. Which led Lilly to again think of Oliver's mother walking in on them and groan. "Is there something the matter, Lillian?" Lilly cringed involuntarily at the use of her full name.
"Nothing," She mumbled, looking down at her paper. She still hadn't erased that line about Oliver. Oops.
"Excuse me?" Mrs. St. Claire narrowed her eyes.
"I said nothing," Lilly said, unintentionally shortly. Did she really have to make the worst day of her year more horrible?"
"Mrs. Truscott, there is no need to be rude about it," Mrs. St. Claire snapped as she walked over to Lilly's desk, causing everyone to stop writing and stare between the two.
"I wasn't being rude," Lilly stated, leaning her head in her palm, her elbow resting on her notes.
"Let me see your notebook," Shit. She hadn't meant to look like she was hiding anything, she was just tired. She hadn't been sleeping very well since the ordeal. Her dreams had been keeping her wide awake at night.
"It's mine," Lilly whispered, blushing.
"Ms. Truscott, now." She hissed, holding her hand out. Lilly begrudgingly held it out to her. The teacher scanned it for a moment before turning a faint pink, "I see, perhaps you belong in the principal's office if you're going to write that kind of garbage." Lilly picked up her backpack grudgingly and glared at her bleach blond, overly manicured teacher.
Her hand was on the doorknob when she heard another voice, "That's not fair," And she immediately recognized it as Oliver's. She whipped around to see him standing up next to his seat, toe-to-toe with the dragon lady.
"Mr. Oken, it is perfectly fair and unless you want to join your girlfriend I suggest you sit down in that seat and hold your tongue," She was practically screaming now.
"I'm not his girlfriend," Lilly said weakly, still standing with her hand on the knob.
Mrs. St. Claire raised an eyebrow, "Oh." Lilly bit her lip to keep from crying. She couldn't believe her teacher was insinuating she was a whore.
"Fuck off!" Oliver yelled, causing the whole class, except St. Sarah to gasp. "Just because your beer guzzling loser of a husband forgot to pick up the cheapest, half-alive bouquet of flowers the supermarket had to offer doesn't mean you can take it out on Lilly." It was not secret that Mrs. St. Claire had married the town drunk or that he routinely cheated on her with bar skanks.
"Get out!" She said after a moment, pointing to the door. "Both of you! And don't come back!" Oliver seemed to take this fairly well, flipping her the finger before storming up to the door, and slamming it open, leaving Lilly to follow him out shakily.
"I don't know how that fucking dumb ass ever managed to make it through college," He grumbled, stomping towards Principal Meyer's office.
"Clearly being an idiot is a prerequisite for teaching an AP class," Lilly offered quietly.
"Maybe, and maybe she'll be so mad we'll get put into Mr. Corelli's fifth period class," Oliver smirked, but it faded just as soon. "What'd you write anyways?"
Lilly blushed, looking at her Converse clad feet, "Nothing worth getting kicked out over." And so they were silent again, while they walked, while they waited for the principle, and while he told them about their community service and did indeed switch their class. She could have sworn she saw him smiling at them as they left though, apparently they weren't the only ones who didn't like Mrs. St. Claire.
She was just about to walk down the hallway towards Creative Writing when she heard Oliver's muffled voice, "Happy Valentine's Day, Lils."
She turned around, to see him looking sheepish, "Back at you," She smiled tentatively. He nodded, and started walking in the opposite direction. She knew he had lunch, and that was a really long way to take to the café, he'd probably miss the meatball subs if he went that way and get stuck with tuna surprise. And she couldn't live with a guilt-free conscious if she willing let him eat tuna surprise, could she? "Hey Oliver?" He looked back at her. "Wanna have lunch sometime or something?" She felt a smile creep onto her face accidentally.
"Hmm," He grinned, "I seem to be free…well now."
"Well, isn't that convenient."
AN: I know V-Day is long past. It just came out. Sadly, no one has ever got sent to the principal's over me, not even me. We can't all have a night in shining armor though, can we? Some of us need to fend for ourselves. I think Lilly usually would have, but I think we can agree the teacher was being a supreme bitch, hm?