Chapter 12
Picking Up the Pieces
Olivia awoke the next morning with a massive migraine. Wincing as she grabbed her head, she got up and stumbled to the bathroom, still feeling the effects of the alcohol. She squinted her eyes as she searched for some ibuprofen in the cabinet. Turning on the sink, she bent down to take a slurp of water before tossing back some of the medicine.
Groaning, she walked back to her room to grab her phone before heading downstairs.
"Morning, sunshine!" Elliot said, a little too loud, causing Olivia to grab her head.
"Elliot…" Kathy groaned, making grilled cheese sandwiches. "Be nice."
"What happened?" Olivia asked, eyes squinting as she sat at the kitchen island.
"You got wasted, sister. I mean, drunk," Elliot explained, laughing about Olivia's drunken cursing the night before.
"Fuck…" she laid her head in her hands, remembering going to the bar to get her mind off Alex. Shit… Alex!
Olivia shot up from the island, frantically checking her phone. She had a message from Alex.
Alex: Hi, Olivia! And good morning. I hope you were able to sleep well, given your… condition, lol. I meant what I said, last night. I'm sorry about the way things happened earlier this week. I should've listened and talked to you, but I chickened out. I'm sorry things turned out that way. Just know that I really really really do like you, and I'm glad we met. I don't regret anything we've done/talked about, and I know you won't just "do me and dump me." You'd get one piece of this, and never be able to leave. Even if you wanted to (; XO – Lex Cabot, future lawyer
Olivia smiled and chuckled to herself as she grabbed a grilled cheese from the island.
"Good news, I take it?" Kathy asked, eyebrows raised.
"Yeah, I think so. I think we're good." Olivia moaned as she bit into the gooey, cheesy sandwich, bringing up her keyboard to type a response to Alex.
"Casey, can we order in pizza?" Alex asked, rubbing her stomach.
"Is pizza all you think about?" Casey laughed.
"And Olivia," Alex smiled.
Casey rolled her eyes as she grinned. "Yes, and Olivia. Think she's doing okay?"
"Yeah, she'll be fine! You know how our parents get sometimes at the cocktail parties…" Alex laughed thinking about the way their parents acted when a few bottles of wine were involved.
Casey laughed in return. "Shit, you're right. Can't believe she puked, though!"
"I know, poor baby," Alex said, feeling her phone go off.
Olivia: Hi Alex! And good morning, er – afternoon! I slept okay I think, but I could still use some sleep. I'm exhausted. I also have a headache and feel like crap. I'm so sorry that Kathy called you last night. Also, it's okay about everything else. I'm just glad I didn't lose you. Especially without even kissing you, yet. Which, I still want to do (; I don't regret anything either and I'm also glad I met you. Also, has anyone told you, you're a flirt? Sheesh (; XO – Olivia Benson, drunken soccer girl
Alex smiled ear to ear as she read the message, her thoughts swimming with a flirty Olivia. After she was done, she placed her phone to her chest, as if to hold Olivia closer to her.
"Olivia, I take it?" Casey asked, eyebrow raised.
Alex just smiled wider. "Yeah."
"I told you she didn't hate you. I'm glad that you both could talk it out. I just want you happy, Lex." Casey hugged Alex.
"I know, Case," Alex said, returning the hug before picking up her phone to text Olivia back.
Alex: You better drink a lot of water today and take some medicine for that pretty head of yours. Which, I already miss by the way. I keep looking at the picture you sent me a while ago… (: also, no. I have never been told I'm a flirt because I don't really flirt. Until I met you. Now you have me saying all kinds of things, just to impress you. Has anyone told you that you're also a flirt? Because you are (;
"So, are we getting pizza?!" Casey asked. "I have a coupon for that one shop uptown. We could get a couple Mediums?"
"God, that sounds delicious. Let's do it!"
Olivia ate another grilled cheese sandwich on the couch, her head still pounding.
"Here," Kathy said, bringing Olivia a water and an orange Gatorade. "Drink these. You need it."
"Thanks, Kathy," Olivia said with her mouth full, cracking open the Gatorade, only to swish half of it down after swallowing her bite of grilled cheese.
"Hey, Liv?" Elliot said, looking up from his textbook on the couch.
"Yeah El?" Olivia responded.
"Can we finally talk about yesterday? My words were misinterpreted." Elliot had a sadness to his voice that made Olivia feel bad for freaking out on him the night before. She was just thankful that no one else had heard the things she said to him after he carried her drunk to her room.
Olivia was silent for a moment. "Elliot, I'm sorry. I shouldn't have freaked out on you like I did."
"It's okay, Liv. You were just upset."
"That's not an excuse. I'm really sorry." Olivia looked at his eyes, feeling her own chest tighten in sadness and regret.
"It's no biggie, Liv." Elliot gave a friendly smile. "Listen, all I was trying to say yesterday, is that you should forgive Amanda. I don't think she was trying to intentionally sabotage you and Alex. What she did was wrong, yeah, but she only did it because you hurt her last year, and I think she was trying to protect Alex from getting that hurt. That girl was head over heels for you, Liv."
Olivia stopped and thought about what happened the previous year with Amanda:
"Hey, you should definitely come back to my dorm," Olivia said, wrapping her arms around Amanda's waist at the party as she laid her chin on Amanda's shoulder, giving her neck a playful kiss.
"And why should I do that?" Amanda teased, tilting her head to the side so Olivia could have more access to her neck.
"Because I like you, Rollins. And I wanna show you just how much I like you." Olivia slowly moved her hands down to grab and squeeze Amanda's ass as she lightly bit into her neck.
Amanda sucked in a sharp breath as she wrapped her arms around Olivia's neck, pulling her closer. "How do I know you're not just trying to get in my pants?"
"Come on, Amanda. I promise you won't regret it."
Olivia sighed as she laid her head back against the couch, closing her eyes. She felt the regret building deep in her stomach. She knew she strung Amanda along; taking her out and buttering her up for weeks just so she could get what she wanted and ghost her.
"I'm not proud of what I did, El," Olivia said softly.
"I know, Liv. You really were a player, you know." Elliot had a dumb smirk on his face, now holding Kathy in his lap.
Olivia sat her head up and gave a slight chuckle. "Yeah, I guess I was. I didn't mean to hurt her. It was just fooling around."
Kathy raised her eyebrow at Olivia. "It was more than that for her though, Olivia."
Olivia groaned, folding her arms across her chest. "I know that, now. Look, I'm not proud of it."
"I know," Elliot said. "But that's why you should forgive her. You guys are friends now, right?"
"More like acquaintances, but yeah. We're on speaking terms. Or, we were."
"That's all I was trying to say. She shouldn't have done what she did, but she probably saw a little bit of herself in Alex. Plus, you two are talking again. I don't want you to be so angry over little things, Liv. You're much more fun when you're happy!" Elliot threw a pillow at Olivia, who successfully grabbed it and tossed it somewhere else in the room.
Olivia gave a weak smile. "Okay, I'll talk to her. Things are… different, with Alex though. You know that, right?"
Elliot raised his eyebrow. "What?" He gave a fake gasp. "You mean you actually like the girl? No 'Bang 'em Benson' creeping through?" He started laughing at his own words, Kathy smacking his chest.
"Elliot! Leave her alone. She hates that nickname."
Olivia gave him a stern look of disapproval as she flipped him the bird. "You're such an ass."
"I'm kidding, Liv! I'm just picking on you. I know you like Blondie. You know how I know? You never shut up about her. And, if it was any other girl that Amanda tried to pry you away from? You wouldn't have cared. You would've shrugged your shoulders and moved on to the next one. But wait, why do you like Blondie so much?"
Olivia smirked. "She's so cute. She will literally blush in embarrassment at anything, and it's just so damn adorable. Her voice is so stern, yet so gentle. She's funny, and she's… innocent, El. Like she's never had a girlfriend before, and I just have this urge to protect her. I can't explain it. And her glasses…" Olivia groaned and smirked as she closed her eyes. "Those damn black glasses."
Elliot raised his eyebrows as he listened to Olivia drone on and on about the million things she liked about Alex.
Kathy, on the other hand, was smiling wide as she listened to Olivia and cooed at her in response.
"Woah, woah, woah," Elliot said, causing Olivia to stop talking. "Back it up. She's never had a girlfriend? And she's going after you, first?" He smirked and started laughing. "The poor girl is in trouble."
Olivia scrunched her face at Elliot. "What is that supposed to mean?"
"You're insatiable, Olivia. You do know you get more girls than Tim and Johnny combined, right?"
Olivia raised one eyebrow as she retorted, "I'm insatiable?"
"Yeah! Once you get that girl in your bed, she's never going to leave it."
"Elliot…" Olivia warned. "It's not like that with her."
Kathy snickered at Olivia's words.
"What!"
"Did you forget your texts with her?" Kathy asked suspiciously.
Olivia sighed as she buried her head in her hands. "Shut up, that's… that's different."
"Mhm," Elliot mumbled, unconvinced. "Whatever you say, tiger."
Olivia huffed as she got up from the couch and grabbed her water bottle and Gatorade. "I'm going upstairs to study."
"Aww, Liv, come on! I'll stop," Elliot pleaded, his arms stretched towards her.
Olivia just flipped him off as she ran upstairs to her room, turning on the radio before plopping in bed with her phone and books. Picking her phone up, she texted Alex back.
Olivia: Working on my water and electrolytes now! And you know what? Yes, I have been told I'm a flirt, actually. It's one of my best qualities (; I miss u. What are u doing today?
She sat her phone down and began studying as she waited for Alex to text back.
Alex: Eating pizza. Studying. Missing you, too. Bored.
Olivia: Pizza… mmm. Studying… eww. Lol.
Alex: yup lol.
Olivia: so…
Alex: so.
Olivia: do you wanna get together sometime this week? We can study and maybe grab food?
Alex: are u asking me on a date, Olivia?
Olivia couldn't help the smile that ran across her face as she felt giddy.
Olivia: possibly… only if you'd like to have a study date with me?
Alex: I'd love nothing more (:
Olivia: awesome (:
Alex: then it's a date (:
Olivia: I guess so (: what day?
Alex: Wednesday? I'm free after 12 that day, so we can spend the whole day together if you'd want (:
Olivia: okay! I'm free after 2:30 that day. Wanna meet at the study hall at like 4?
Alex: sounds like a plan (:
Olivia: great (: have fun studying today, Alex.
Alex: u too, Liv
Olivia sat her phone down as she bit her lip with the biggest smile on her face. She carefully picked up her books and started studying, willing the thoughts of Alex to calm down so she could focus.
