F.I.S.H. – 3.3 Olivia

“You wanna go to the arcade?”

“Nah. I’m hanging with Olivia.”

“Ugh! Do you have to be with her all day every weekend?”

Stefan snorted. He looked on at his little brother with that “bless your heart” look. Maurice was as tall as him and built like his father just as he was. Sometimes people thought he was older. But on the inside, he was still just a little kid.

“Soon, little bro, you’ll understand,” he said.

Maurice got the “family trait” for his teen birthday too and would turn into a raging hormonal mess as soon as he discovered girls didn’t have cooties. Stefan hit the shower and ran out the door to meet his favorite girl at the park around the corner. They didn’t want to risk Eric popping up, so they generally did not hang out in Willow Creek. In the beginning of their relationship, she would come to his house just like she did when they were little, but Melody began nagging him about moving too fast.

Olivia was already there when he arrived. When she saw him, she tackled him with a hug, almost knocking him down. “I missed yoooooou!”

“I missed you more.”

They had seen each other at school the previous day, but…teenagers.

They sat and Olivia began to complain about some information she learned yesterday. “OH-EM-LLAMACORNS! Stefan! Like, you will totally NOT believe what my parents told me! Like, for serial, what are they thinking?”

Stefan grinned as he waited for her to spill the beans. She was so fun to listen to when she got worked up.

“They’re having a baby! Like EWWW! So gross to know they—EWWWWW! Like, why would they want a baby now? They are so like totally old. And like, what about me? Everything has been perfect and now there’s gonna be this new kid. It’s like so not fair!”

Stefan got a good chuckle out of his girlfriend’s alleged misery. “Siblings aren’t so bad. I mean, it’s cool being the only child, but it’s nice not to have your parent’s attention sometime. I mean, look at us! We can’t even hangout in Willow Creek without watching our backs. It is kinda weird though. I couldn’t imagine getting another brother or sister right now. But hey! Your parents will be so busy with the baby they won’t care where you are or what you’re doing.”

“Puh! That’s easy for you to say,” she yelled. “I don’t want my parents to stop caring about me!”

“That’s not what I meant, Liv. I’m just saying you won’t be at the top of their list anymore.”

“But, what if I like being at the top of their list? I don’t want anyone else on their list!”

“Well at least your parents have a list!” Stefan didn’t get angry much, but when he did it was usually over things he couldn’t control like his parent’s marriage. “I’m sorry.”

“It’s ok.”

He took a deep breath to calm himself, but there was more that needed to come out. “I mean like, I don’t even know why!”

“What do they tell you?” she asked.

“Same ol llama turds. ‘We just need to figure some things out,’ or my favorite, ‘It’s just temporary.’ Garna frash! I wish they would just come out and say what happened! I know they think they’re protecting us by not saying, but not knowing is driving me bananas!”

“What do you think it is?”

“I have no flippin clue, Liv! None! I don’t think my dad even knows how to spell affair, and my mom is so dang clingy I don’t think she would have one either. But…he’s gone a lot… And Uncle Don has been coming by a lot… But, if they were hooking up, why would my mom kick my dad out? Shouldn’t he kick her out? This whole thing is stupid and they just need to get their crap together and move on already!” He finally took a deep, cleansing breath.

Olivia wasn’t sure what to say, not that there was anything to say. He appreciated her letting him vent and turned toward her gazing into her eyes. She was so beautiful to him. He reach around her shoulders and draped his arm on them. “I love you.”

[groan] “I gotta go. Mom needs me.”

“Do you smell that?”