Fic: Fear Is the Enemy 1-3/?
So I decided to write an A/O high school story. When it's finally done, it will probably be around 40 chapters, but 1-16 are already complete (as are most of the others, but I'm having a bit of a writer's block on a few filler chapters, starting with 17 lol).
Title: Fear Is the Enemy
Pairing: Alex/Olivia
Rating: G (this part)
Summary: Alternate Universe: Alex and Olivia fall in love in high school; Olivia struggles with coming out.
Author's Notes: Olivia's look is from first season SVU, Alex's look is without the bangs.
Disclaimer: All characters are the property of Dick Wolf and NBC (except for the ones I created).
Chapter 1: Take a Shot
Olivia Benson looked at the scoreboard for the nth time, as if she needed another reminder of just how close the game was. 54-53. “Shit,” she muttered exasperatedly. She dribbled the ball from left to right, stalling for time until she could make an open pass to her teammate without losing the ball to the Riverdale player directly blocking her access. Finally finding an opening, she made a swift pass to Mandi, who made a shot for the basket. The ball passed through the net with a soft swoosh 2 seconds before the buzzer went off. Madison had made their comeback-barely.
The crowd on the Madison side of the bleachers erupted into cheers. Madison High cheerleaders sprung forth with their “Victory” cheer, with Alexandra Cabot leading the girls in a series of toe touches and back tucks. She was especially spirited since there was a certain girl on their basketball team who gave her butterflies whenever she was within 20 feet of her. She watched as Olivia and her teammates huddled around Mandi, slapping her on the back for the winning hoop. Sighing and wondering when she could get Olivia alone, Alex flipped her ponytail over her shoulder and turned to go put her pompoms in her sports bag. She then made impatient small talk with some of the other cheerleaders while waiting for most people to clear off the court.
When the pack finally broke up, Olivia went to get her stuff from the sidelines before heading to the locker room. Alex trotted over to her with a huge smile on her face, admiring the sweat glistening off her heated skin and the way her jersey and shorts clung to her muscular frame. Olivia tried unsuccessfully to blow a few wisps of dark brown hair that had escaped from her short ponytail off her wet forehead. Suddenly looking up as she took a swig from her water bottle, she managed to ask, “What’s up?” after wiping her mouth with the back of her hand.
God, I could melt in those intense chocolate eyes, Alex thought. She looked down shyly and replied, “Not much, just thought I’d come over and congratulate the star player on a great win.”
Olivia looked intently into clear blue eyes with a smirk on her face. Jerking her head toward the locker room, she quipped, “Well in that case you should be in there talking to Mandi. She’s the one who won it for us.”
Alex smiled and said, “Well, she couldn’t have made the shot without that awesome pass you made.”
Olivia shrugged and stood up with her bag on her shoulder. “Eh, I got lucky.”
Alex shifted her own bag and replied, “That wasn’t luck. That was pure skill.”
Olivia smirked again and said, “Whatever.”
Man, she’s so hot when she does that smirk, Alex thought. Finally working up the nerve to ask if she wanted to hang out, she gushed out, “So Olivia…what are you up to now?”
Olivia began walking with Alex keeping in step right beside her. “Well, right now I’m headed to the showers. After that we’re all going to Pizza Hut to celebrate.” Turning once again to look at her companion, she asked, “Why?”
Suddenly shy again, Alex stuttered, looking down, “Well, I…um, I just, um, wanted to see if you wanted to hang out sometime. Maybe we can study or something.”
Olivia raised an eyebrow. “Study?”
Alex looked up, feeling the blood rush to her face. “Well, you know…it might be fun.”
Olivia laughed-a carefree laugh that took Alex’s breath away. “Hmm…studying really doesn’t sound like my kind of fun. How about the movies or the lake sometime, though?”
Alex smiled, thankful the topic of studying had passed. She didn’t want Olivia to think she was some type of big nerd. “That would be great, Olivia. When do you wanna go?”
Olivia gave Alex her best smile and responded, “Well, I’m free Saturday. Can you make it then? Or do you have some books you’d rather hang out with?”
Alex slapped Olivia playfully on the arm and giggled. “I think I can manage to reschedule my date with AP bio.”
Olivia wrinkled her nose at the mention of the subject. “AP bio? Ew. Do you have Mr. Jenkins?”
“Yeah. He’s a real pain in the ass,” Alex responded with a quick roll of her eyes.
Olivia chuckled. “Yeah, I had him last year when I was a sophomore. His tests are nightmares.”
“Don’t remind me,” Alex stated dryly. “So Saturday?”
“Yeah. Give me your phone so I can put my number in.” Alex reached into her bag, taking her phone out and handing it to Olivia. Their fingers brushed slightly, sending a shiver of electricity up Alex’s arm. Olivia programmed her number in Alex’s phone and handed it back to her. Alex called Olivia, who silenced her phone and saved Alex’s number. “Ok, I’ll give you a call on Saturday. Until then, I guess I’ll see you in class?”
Alex smiled and started walking backwards, her blonde ponytail swinging from side to side beneath her shoulders. “Yeah. Later.”
Olivia gave a quick wave of her hand before disappearing into the locker room. She stripped her clothes and hopped into the shower, letting the hot water splash over her. She couldn’t help letting a smile creep to her face as she thought of the upcoming weekend with the blonde cheerleader.
Chapter 2: Lighten the Load
Alex slammed her locker shut and struggled to balance all her books in her arms. Just as one was about to topple to the floor, a hand reached out and grabbed it. Alex looked up from her predicament into dark brown eyes. Olivia grabbed another book off her stack and said, “Just thought I’d lighten your load.”
Alex smiled sheepishly and exclaimed, “Thanks! I think all these books weigh more than I do!”
Olivia gave Alex’s thin frame a good once-over. “Yeah, I’d have to agree with you there.” Shifting the books to one arm, she asked, “So…where are you headed now?”
Alex turned to look at her and responded, “AP Euro History. What about you?”
“Brit Lit. My class is right across the hall from yours, so I’ll walk you there.”
The two strode down the hall in silence until they were outside Alex’s classroom. “So, where do you sit?” Olivia asked.
“Why?” Alex responded curiously.
Olivia looked at her with her signature smirk. “Cuz I don’t want you to break in half trying to carry all these books to your desk by yourself.”
Alex playfully hit Olivia’s arm and said, “I’m not that fragile you know.”
Olivia looked the blonde up and down again and retorted, “Could’ve fooled me.” Alex’s mouth dropped open in mock anger as she walked into class, Olivia following closely behind her. When she stopped at a desk in the second row, Olivia snorted and teased, “I should’ve known you’d be near the front of the room.”
Alex turned to face her and responded dryly, “Ha ha.” Putting her books down, she reached to take the remaining ones from her and stated, “Thanks for carrying my books.”
Olivia smiled and assured her, “No problem. Maybe you can return the favor, somehow.” She winked at her and then left the room.
As Alex took notes, her mind kept drifting back to Olivia. She could barely wait until the bell rang so she’d see her in Psychology. Her heart skipped a beat at the thought of the way Olivia’s muscles flexed as she held her books or the way her smile seemed to give her eyes a certain twinkle. She was nudged out of her reverie by her best friend, Serena. “Hey, pay attention. Stevens is giving you a really dirty look right now,” Serena whispered.
Alex turned to face her friend and stated simply, “I am paying attention.”
Serena rolled her eyes and responded, “No you aren’t. You’re staring into space with this huge dopey grin on your face and I know it’s not from hearing about Charlemagne’s conquests of western Europe.” Alex giggled.
Just then Mr. Stevens turned to look at Serena and Alex. “Miss Southerlyn, Miss Cabot. You will stay after class five minutes and inform me as to what it is about my class that bores you so much that you cannot give me your complete undivided attention.”
With a groan from Alex and Serena and snickers from a few of their classmates, Mr. Stevens turned back to his map of Europe and began lecturing again. Alex flipped him off behind his back, which brought about even more snickers from those who saw.
As the rest of the period dragged on, Alex found herself daydreaming many more times about Olivia. Her full lips, olive skin, those chocolate brown eyes, the way the sweat glistened off her muscles the day before….
“Miss Cabot! I asked you what was the main monetary reform made by Charlemagne?”
Annoyed at being caught off guard and even more annoyed at having her daydreaming of Olivia interrupted for the second time, Alex flippantly answered, “The replacement of the sou by the livre.”
Mr. Stevens frowned-disappointed at Alex’s correct answer-and turned to write more on the dry-erase board. “That is correct, Miss Cabot. Maybe next time I won’t have to ask you twice.”
Alex rolled her eyes and willed the clock to go faster.
Ten minutes later, Alex and Serena got a verbal ass chewing from Mr. Stevens before they could go to their next classes. The bell had already rung, so Alex slinked into Psych after everyone else had been seated. Three seats away from her, Olivia raised an eyebrow at her and Alex shrugged. “Stevens,” she mouthed, letting out a deep sigh.
Olivia let out a chuckle and continued writing. She felt the blonde’s eyes on her and smiled without looking up. When she was confident Alex was no longer looking at her, she darted her eyes in her direction to appreciate the blonde’s delicate profile. She has great bone structure, Olivia thought.
After class ended, she made her way over to Alex’s desk. “So did Stevens ream you or what?”
Alex gathered her things and responded, “Yeah, he made Serena and me stay after class when he caught us talking.”
“Wow, Alex Cabot had to stay after class for talking? Impressive.”
Alex rolled her eyes at Olivia and retorted, “Contrary to popular belief, I’m not a goody two-shoes.”
Olivia reached down to grab two of Alex’s books and replied innocently, “Whatever you say. Where to next?”
Alex turned her head slightly to glance at her. “Are you going to carry my books to every class Miss Benson?”
Olivia smiled and responded, “It may be a special treat every now and then. So…what class do you have now?”
“Actually, I have lunch. I just need to put my history and psych books back in my locker,” Alex responded.
“Okay.”
They began walking toward Alex’s locker. Alex quickly entered the combination and opened it up, shoving her workbooks inside while Olivia placed the textbooks beside them. She closed her locker and turned to face Olivia. “So…where are you going now?” she asked.
“French,” Olivia responded. “I guess I’ll see you later?”
Alex smiled. “Yeah, I’ll need a strong basketball star to make sure my books don’t break me in half.”
Olivia laughed and replied, “I’ll go find Mandi for that.”
Alex turned her head to look over her shoulder and shot back, “She wasn’t the star I was referring to!” Olivia just smiled and turned around to go to class as Alex headed for the cafeteria.
Chapter 3: Anticipation
It was the end of the day and Olivia was waiting for her best friend Elliot by her car. After looking at her watch for the 5th time in the past 10 minutes, she finally saw Elliot sauntering over.
“Sorry about that. Kathy needed to see me and it took longer than expected.”
Olivia rolled her eyes and responded, “Yeah, sucking face tends to make you later than usual.”
Elliot blushed and opened the door, throwing his backpack in the backseat next to Olivia’s. Looking for an abrupt change of subject, he asked, “So what are your plans for the weekend?”
Olivia put her car in reverse and backed out of her parking spot. “Well, I’m gonna hang out with Alex Cabot tomorrow.”
Elliot turned to face her, shock registering on his face. “Alex Cabot? Varsity cheerleader and daughter of the wealthiest man in town, Alex Cabot?”
“Yep. What’s the problem?” Olivia asked, sparing a glance at Elliot.
Elliot shifted uncomfortably in his seat and mumbled, “Nothing really. It’s just…I didn’t think…I mean…”
“Spit it out Elliot,” Olivia ordered, getting slightly annoyed.
“She just seems really stuck up. That’s all.”
Olivia glanced at him again, feeling the need to defend Alex. “Well, she’s not. She’s actually really sweet.”
Suddenly, realization dawned on him. “You’re interested in her, aren’t you?”
Olivia blushed furiously. “No, I’m not. She asked me if I wanted to hang out sometime after the game and I told her I was free Saturday. That’s all.”
Smirking, Elliot said, “Uh huh.”
“Enough Elliot!” Olivia snapped, her face turning redder.
Elliot raised his hands up in defeat, knowing the conversation was over. “Ok, ok. Forget I said anything.”
They drove the rest of the way to Elliot’s house in silence. When Olivia pulled up in Elliot’s driveway, he got his stuff from her backseat and got out the car. Turning around, he said, “Hey, let me know how it goes this weekend with the ice princess.”
Olivia rolled her eyes and responded, “Don’t count on it” before pulling off.
Ten minutes later, Olivia pulled into her own driveway. Putting her key in the lock, she turned the knob carefully, hoping her mother wasn’t home yet. She really didn’t feel like cleaning up vomit that evening. After surveying the house and discovering that Serena Benson was nowhere to be seen, Olivia headed down the hall to her room and flopped down on her bed. She decided to take a quick nap before waking up to plan her weekend outing with Alex.
**************
Meanwhile, Alex Cabot lay on her bed, looking dreamily up at the ceiling. She couldn’t keep the huge smile from spreading on her face as she thought of what the next day held in store for her and Olivia. Not able to keep the butterflies from fluttering in her stomach, she grabbed her cell phone and scrolled down to Olivia’s entry in her contact list. Smiling at the sight, she debated calling Olivia. But not wanting to seem too eager and freak Olivia out, she put her phone on her nightstand and hugged her pillow, soon drifting off to a peaceful sleep.
A couple hours later, Alex awoke to the sound of her phone ringing. She absently reached to grab it from her nightstand and when she saw that the caller was Olivia, she quickly answered. “Hello?” she said almost a little too excitedly for someone who had just woken up.
“Hi Alex. It’s me, Olivia. Are you busy right now?”
“No, I just woke up. What’s up?” Alex responded.
“Oh sorry. I didn’t mean to wake you. I can give you a call back later?”
“No, no, it’s fine,” Alex said a little too quickly. “I’m fully awake now. Besides, I needed to get up anyway.”
Olivia smirked on her end of the line. So she’s excited to hear from me, Olivia thought. That’s a good sign. Pleased with herself, Olivia went on with her plans for the next day. “Ok, cool. So…I was thinking that we could have a picnic at the lake and then maybe catch a movie later?”
Alex grinned, fighting the urge not to squeal into the phone. “That sounds perfect! What should I bring for our picnic?”
“Well, you can bring dessert and I’ll take care of the rest. Oh, and bring some sunscreen and some Off. And a frisbee or football if you want.” Olivia snorted and said sarcastically, “Well, not that I would expect you to have a football.”
Alex giggled and said, “Hey now! I may not have a football but I do have a frisbee.”
“Good, good,” came the reply from the other end of the line. “I’ll come by and pick you up tomorrow at 1:30?”
“1:30 is fine. Any preference for dessert?”
Olivia smiled, fighting down any naughty thoughts or snide remarks that came to mind. After deciding on a safe answer, she responded, “Something with chocolate.”
Just like the color of your eyes, Alex thought. “Ok, chocolate it is. I’ll see you tomorrow.”
Just as she was about to hang up the line, Olivia remembered that she didn’t know Alex’s address. “Hey, wait!”
“Yeah?” Alex asked.
“Uh, I just realized I have no clue how to get to your house,” Olivia answered.
Alex smiled and gave her directions. After they got off the phone, she ran in the kitchen to look for items to make dessert. She decided on chocolate chip cookie bars. As she was mixing the dough, her mother, Madeline Cabot, walked in the door.
“Hello, Alexandra,” Mrs. Cabot said as she gave her daughter a quick kiss on the cheek. “Whatever are you trying to make, dear?”
“Chocolate chip cookie bars, mom. I’m going on a picnic tomorrow with my friend Olivia Benson and I’m bringing dessert,” Alex said over her shoulder as she continued to mix ingredients.
Mrs. Cabot laughed and responded, “Well dear, just don’t set the stove on fire this time.” Alex rolled her eyes as her mom continued. “Olivia Benson. That name sounds familiar. Is that Serena Benson’s daughter who plays on the basketball team?”
“Yeah. She’s really good, too,” Alex said, smiling.
“So I hear.” Giving her daughter’s shoulder a quick squeeze and turning to leave the kitchen, Mrs. Cabot called back, “Your father will be late tonight, so dinner won’t be served until 8. Do have the kitchen cleaned up so Janice can begin the meal soon.”
“Ok, ok mom. These things don’t take that long to bake,” Alex said with a sigh.
Smiling over her shoulder, her mother turned and laughed. “They may if you are doing the baking.” Throwing a towel at her mother, Alex finished her creation and then spread the mixture in the pan to bake. Setting the timer, she then bounded upstairs to begin looking through clothes to wear. After trying on various outfits and discarding them all, she heard her mother screaming from downstairs, “Alexandra! Alexandra! Your cookies are done!”
Alex rushed downstairs just as her mother was turning off the oven. “Dear, you have to keep better watch over your cooking.” Alex pulled out her cookies, thankful that they weren’t burned, and sat them down to cool. She then ran back upstairs to try picking out another outfit that she thought Olivia might appreciate her in. Hell, what am I thinking? For all you know she could be straight. Just because she plays on the basketball team doesn’t mean she likes girls. Plus, you’ve seen her with Elliot Stabler a lot. They may be dating, Alex thought.
Not coming to a conclusion about what to wear, Alex sat down on her bed and began outlining her notes for AP bio. Quickly getting bored, she threw down her textbook and notebook and trotted back downstairs to clean up before dinner.
Title: Fear Is the Enemy
Pairing: Alex/Olivia
Rating: G (this part)
Summary: Alternate Universe: Alex and Olivia fall in love in high school; Olivia struggles with coming out.
Author's Notes: Olivia's look is from first season SVU, Alex's look is without the bangs.
Disclaimer: All characters are the property of Dick Wolf and NBC (except for the ones I created).
Chapter 1: Take a Shot
Olivia Benson looked at the scoreboard for the nth time, as if she needed another reminder of just how close the game was. 54-53. “Shit,” she muttered exasperatedly. She dribbled the ball from left to right, stalling for time until she could make an open pass to her teammate without losing the ball to the Riverdale player directly blocking her access. Finally finding an opening, she made a swift pass to Mandi, who made a shot for the basket. The ball passed through the net with a soft swoosh 2 seconds before the buzzer went off. Madison had made their comeback-barely.
The crowd on the Madison side of the bleachers erupted into cheers. Madison High cheerleaders sprung forth with their “Victory” cheer, with Alexandra Cabot leading the girls in a series of toe touches and back tucks. She was especially spirited since there was a certain girl on their basketball team who gave her butterflies whenever she was within 20 feet of her. She watched as Olivia and her teammates huddled around Mandi, slapping her on the back for the winning hoop. Sighing and wondering when she could get Olivia alone, Alex flipped her ponytail over her shoulder and turned to go put her pompoms in her sports bag. She then made impatient small talk with some of the other cheerleaders while waiting for most people to clear off the court.
When the pack finally broke up, Olivia went to get her stuff from the sidelines before heading to the locker room. Alex trotted over to her with a huge smile on her face, admiring the sweat glistening off her heated skin and the way her jersey and shorts clung to her muscular frame. Olivia tried unsuccessfully to blow a few wisps of dark brown hair that had escaped from her short ponytail off her wet forehead. Suddenly looking up as she took a swig from her water bottle, she managed to ask, “What’s up?” after wiping her mouth with the back of her hand.
God, I could melt in those intense chocolate eyes, Alex thought. She looked down shyly and replied, “Not much, just thought I’d come over and congratulate the star player on a great win.”
Olivia looked intently into clear blue eyes with a smirk on her face. Jerking her head toward the locker room, she quipped, “Well in that case you should be in there talking to Mandi. She’s the one who won it for us.”
Alex smiled and said, “Well, she couldn’t have made the shot without that awesome pass you made.”
Olivia shrugged and stood up with her bag on her shoulder. “Eh, I got lucky.”
Alex shifted her own bag and replied, “That wasn’t luck. That was pure skill.”
Olivia smirked again and said, “Whatever.”
Man, she’s so hot when she does that smirk, Alex thought. Finally working up the nerve to ask if she wanted to hang out, she gushed out, “So Olivia…what are you up to now?”
Olivia began walking with Alex keeping in step right beside her. “Well, right now I’m headed to the showers. After that we’re all going to Pizza Hut to celebrate.” Turning once again to look at her companion, she asked, “Why?”
Suddenly shy again, Alex stuttered, looking down, “Well, I…um, I just, um, wanted to see if you wanted to hang out sometime. Maybe we can study or something.”
Olivia raised an eyebrow. “Study?”
Alex looked up, feeling the blood rush to her face. “Well, you know…it might be fun.”
Olivia laughed-a carefree laugh that took Alex’s breath away. “Hmm…studying really doesn’t sound like my kind of fun. How about the movies or the lake sometime, though?”
Alex smiled, thankful the topic of studying had passed. She didn’t want Olivia to think she was some type of big nerd. “That would be great, Olivia. When do you wanna go?”
Olivia gave Alex her best smile and responded, “Well, I’m free Saturday. Can you make it then? Or do you have some books you’d rather hang out with?”
Alex slapped Olivia playfully on the arm and giggled. “I think I can manage to reschedule my date with AP bio.”
Olivia wrinkled her nose at the mention of the subject. “AP bio? Ew. Do you have Mr. Jenkins?”
“Yeah. He’s a real pain in the ass,” Alex responded with a quick roll of her eyes.
Olivia chuckled. “Yeah, I had him last year when I was a sophomore. His tests are nightmares.”
“Don’t remind me,” Alex stated dryly. “So Saturday?”
“Yeah. Give me your phone so I can put my number in.” Alex reached into her bag, taking her phone out and handing it to Olivia. Their fingers brushed slightly, sending a shiver of electricity up Alex’s arm. Olivia programmed her number in Alex’s phone and handed it back to her. Alex called Olivia, who silenced her phone and saved Alex’s number. “Ok, I’ll give you a call on Saturday. Until then, I guess I’ll see you in class?”
Alex smiled and started walking backwards, her blonde ponytail swinging from side to side beneath her shoulders. “Yeah. Later.”
Olivia gave a quick wave of her hand before disappearing into the locker room. She stripped her clothes and hopped into the shower, letting the hot water splash over her. She couldn’t help letting a smile creep to her face as she thought of the upcoming weekend with the blonde cheerleader.
Chapter 2: Lighten the Load
Alex slammed her locker shut and struggled to balance all her books in her arms. Just as one was about to topple to the floor, a hand reached out and grabbed it. Alex looked up from her predicament into dark brown eyes. Olivia grabbed another book off her stack and said, “Just thought I’d lighten your load.”
Alex smiled sheepishly and exclaimed, “Thanks! I think all these books weigh more than I do!”
Olivia gave Alex’s thin frame a good once-over. “Yeah, I’d have to agree with you there.” Shifting the books to one arm, she asked, “So…where are you headed now?”
Alex turned to look at her and responded, “AP Euro History. What about you?”
“Brit Lit. My class is right across the hall from yours, so I’ll walk you there.”
The two strode down the hall in silence until they were outside Alex’s classroom. “So, where do you sit?” Olivia asked.
“Why?” Alex responded curiously.
Olivia looked at her with her signature smirk. “Cuz I don’t want you to break in half trying to carry all these books to your desk by yourself.”
Alex playfully hit Olivia’s arm and said, “I’m not that fragile you know.”
Olivia looked the blonde up and down again and retorted, “Could’ve fooled me.” Alex’s mouth dropped open in mock anger as she walked into class, Olivia following closely behind her. When she stopped at a desk in the second row, Olivia snorted and teased, “I should’ve known you’d be near the front of the room.”
Alex turned to face her and responded dryly, “Ha ha.” Putting her books down, she reached to take the remaining ones from her and stated, “Thanks for carrying my books.”
Olivia smiled and assured her, “No problem. Maybe you can return the favor, somehow.” She winked at her and then left the room.
As Alex took notes, her mind kept drifting back to Olivia. She could barely wait until the bell rang so she’d see her in Psychology. Her heart skipped a beat at the thought of the way Olivia’s muscles flexed as she held her books or the way her smile seemed to give her eyes a certain twinkle. She was nudged out of her reverie by her best friend, Serena. “Hey, pay attention. Stevens is giving you a really dirty look right now,” Serena whispered.
Alex turned to face her friend and stated simply, “I am paying attention.”
Serena rolled her eyes and responded, “No you aren’t. You’re staring into space with this huge dopey grin on your face and I know it’s not from hearing about Charlemagne’s conquests of western Europe.” Alex giggled.
Just then Mr. Stevens turned to look at Serena and Alex. “Miss Southerlyn, Miss Cabot. You will stay after class five minutes and inform me as to what it is about my class that bores you so much that you cannot give me your complete undivided attention.”
With a groan from Alex and Serena and snickers from a few of their classmates, Mr. Stevens turned back to his map of Europe and began lecturing again. Alex flipped him off behind his back, which brought about even more snickers from those who saw.
As the rest of the period dragged on, Alex found herself daydreaming many more times about Olivia. Her full lips, olive skin, those chocolate brown eyes, the way the sweat glistened off her muscles the day before….
“Miss Cabot! I asked you what was the main monetary reform made by Charlemagne?”
Annoyed at being caught off guard and even more annoyed at having her daydreaming of Olivia interrupted for the second time, Alex flippantly answered, “The replacement of the sou by the livre.”
Mr. Stevens frowned-disappointed at Alex’s correct answer-and turned to write more on the dry-erase board. “That is correct, Miss Cabot. Maybe next time I won’t have to ask you twice.”
Alex rolled her eyes and willed the clock to go faster.
Ten minutes later, Alex and Serena got a verbal ass chewing from Mr. Stevens before they could go to their next classes. The bell had already rung, so Alex slinked into Psych after everyone else had been seated. Three seats away from her, Olivia raised an eyebrow at her and Alex shrugged. “Stevens,” she mouthed, letting out a deep sigh.
Olivia let out a chuckle and continued writing. She felt the blonde’s eyes on her and smiled without looking up. When she was confident Alex was no longer looking at her, she darted her eyes in her direction to appreciate the blonde’s delicate profile. She has great bone structure, Olivia thought.
After class ended, she made her way over to Alex’s desk. “So did Stevens ream you or what?”
Alex gathered her things and responded, “Yeah, he made Serena and me stay after class when he caught us talking.”
“Wow, Alex Cabot had to stay after class for talking? Impressive.”
Alex rolled her eyes at Olivia and retorted, “Contrary to popular belief, I’m not a goody two-shoes.”
Olivia reached down to grab two of Alex’s books and replied innocently, “Whatever you say. Where to next?”
Alex turned her head slightly to glance at her. “Are you going to carry my books to every class Miss Benson?”
Olivia smiled and responded, “It may be a special treat every now and then. So…what class do you have now?”
“Actually, I have lunch. I just need to put my history and psych books back in my locker,” Alex responded.
“Okay.”
They began walking toward Alex’s locker. Alex quickly entered the combination and opened it up, shoving her workbooks inside while Olivia placed the textbooks beside them. She closed her locker and turned to face Olivia. “So…where are you going now?” she asked.
“French,” Olivia responded. “I guess I’ll see you later?”
Alex smiled. “Yeah, I’ll need a strong basketball star to make sure my books don’t break me in half.”
Olivia laughed and replied, “I’ll go find Mandi for that.”
Alex turned her head to look over her shoulder and shot back, “She wasn’t the star I was referring to!” Olivia just smiled and turned around to go to class as Alex headed for the cafeteria.
Chapter 3: Anticipation
It was the end of the day and Olivia was waiting for her best friend Elliot by her car. After looking at her watch for the 5th time in the past 10 minutes, she finally saw Elliot sauntering over.
“Sorry about that. Kathy needed to see me and it took longer than expected.”
Olivia rolled her eyes and responded, “Yeah, sucking face tends to make you later than usual.”
Elliot blushed and opened the door, throwing his backpack in the backseat next to Olivia’s. Looking for an abrupt change of subject, he asked, “So what are your plans for the weekend?”
Olivia put her car in reverse and backed out of her parking spot. “Well, I’m gonna hang out with Alex Cabot tomorrow.”
Elliot turned to face her, shock registering on his face. “Alex Cabot? Varsity cheerleader and daughter of the wealthiest man in town, Alex Cabot?”
“Yep. What’s the problem?” Olivia asked, sparing a glance at Elliot.
Elliot shifted uncomfortably in his seat and mumbled, “Nothing really. It’s just…I didn’t think…I mean…”
“Spit it out Elliot,” Olivia ordered, getting slightly annoyed.
“She just seems really stuck up. That’s all.”
Olivia glanced at him again, feeling the need to defend Alex. “Well, she’s not. She’s actually really sweet.”
Suddenly, realization dawned on him. “You’re interested in her, aren’t you?”
Olivia blushed furiously. “No, I’m not. She asked me if I wanted to hang out sometime after the game and I told her I was free Saturday. That’s all.”
Smirking, Elliot said, “Uh huh.”
“Enough Elliot!” Olivia snapped, her face turning redder.
Elliot raised his hands up in defeat, knowing the conversation was over. “Ok, ok. Forget I said anything.”
They drove the rest of the way to Elliot’s house in silence. When Olivia pulled up in Elliot’s driveway, he got his stuff from her backseat and got out the car. Turning around, he said, “Hey, let me know how it goes this weekend with the ice princess.”
Olivia rolled her eyes and responded, “Don’t count on it” before pulling off.
Ten minutes later, Olivia pulled into her own driveway. Putting her key in the lock, she turned the knob carefully, hoping her mother wasn’t home yet. She really didn’t feel like cleaning up vomit that evening. After surveying the house and discovering that Serena Benson was nowhere to be seen, Olivia headed down the hall to her room and flopped down on her bed. She decided to take a quick nap before waking up to plan her weekend outing with Alex.
**************
Meanwhile, Alex Cabot lay on her bed, looking dreamily up at the ceiling. She couldn’t keep the huge smile from spreading on her face as she thought of what the next day held in store for her and Olivia. Not able to keep the butterflies from fluttering in her stomach, she grabbed her cell phone and scrolled down to Olivia’s entry in her contact list. Smiling at the sight, she debated calling Olivia. But not wanting to seem too eager and freak Olivia out, she put her phone on her nightstand and hugged her pillow, soon drifting off to a peaceful sleep.
A couple hours later, Alex awoke to the sound of her phone ringing. She absently reached to grab it from her nightstand and when she saw that the caller was Olivia, she quickly answered. “Hello?” she said almost a little too excitedly for someone who had just woken up.
“Hi Alex. It’s me, Olivia. Are you busy right now?”
“No, I just woke up. What’s up?” Alex responded.
“Oh sorry. I didn’t mean to wake you. I can give you a call back later?”
“No, no, it’s fine,” Alex said a little too quickly. “I’m fully awake now. Besides, I needed to get up anyway.”
Olivia smirked on her end of the line. So she’s excited to hear from me, Olivia thought. That’s a good sign. Pleased with herself, Olivia went on with her plans for the next day. “Ok, cool. So…I was thinking that we could have a picnic at the lake and then maybe catch a movie later?”
Alex grinned, fighting the urge not to squeal into the phone. “That sounds perfect! What should I bring for our picnic?”
“Well, you can bring dessert and I’ll take care of the rest. Oh, and bring some sunscreen and some Off. And a frisbee or football if you want.” Olivia snorted and said sarcastically, “Well, not that I would expect you to have a football.”
Alex giggled and said, “Hey now! I may not have a football but I do have a frisbee.”
“Good, good,” came the reply from the other end of the line. “I’ll come by and pick you up tomorrow at 1:30?”
“1:30 is fine. Any preference for dessert?”
Olivia smiled, fighting down any naughty thoughts or snide remarks that came to mind. After deciding on a safe answer, she responded, “Something with chocolate.”
Just like the color of your eyes, Alex thought. “Ok, chocolate it is. I’ll see you tomorrow.”
Just as she was about to hang up the line, Olivia remembered that she didn’t know Alex’s address. “Hey, wait!”
“Yeah?” Alex asked.
“Uh, I just realized I have no clue how to get to your house,” Olivia answered.
Alex smiled and gave her directions. After they got off the phone, she ran in the kitchen to look for items to make dessert. She decided on chocolate chip cookie bars. As she was mixing the dough, her mother, Madeline Cabot, walked in the door.
“Hello, Alexandra,” Mrs. Cabot said as she gave her daughter a quick kiss on the cheek. “Whatever are you trying to make, dear?”
“Chocolate chip cookie bars, mom. I’m going on a picnic tomorrow with my friend Olivia Benson and I’m bringing dessert,” Alex said over her shoulder as she continued to mix ingredients.
Mrs. Cabot laughed and responded, “Well dear, just don’t set the stove on fire this time.” Alex rolled her eyes as her mom continued. “Olivia Benson. That name sounds familiar. Is that Serena Benson’s daughter who plays on the basketball team?”
“Yeah. She’s really good, too,” Alex said, smiling.
“So I hear.” Giving her daughter’s shoulder a quick squeeze and turning to leave the kitchen, Mrs. Cabot called back, “Your father will be late tonight, so dinner won’t be served until 8. Do have the kitchen cleaned up so Janice can begin the meal soon.”
“Ok, ok mom. These things don’t take that long to bake,” Alex said with a sigh.
Smiling over her shoulder, her mother turned and laughed. “They may if you are doing the baking.” Throwing a towel at her mother, Alex finished her creation and then spread the mixture in the pan to bake. Setting the timer, she then bounded upstairs to begin looking through clothes to wear. After trying on various outfits and discarding them all, she heard her mother screaming from downstairs, “Alexandra! Alexandra! Your cookies are done!”
Alex rushed downstairs just as her mother was turning off the oven. “Dear, you have to keep better watch over your cooking.” Alex pulled out her cookies, thankful that they weren’t burned, and sat them down to cool. She then ran back upstairs to try picking out another outfit that she thought Olivia might appreciate her in. Hell, what am I thinking? For all you know she could be straight. Just because she plays on the basketball team doesn’t mean she likes girls. Plus, you’ve seen her with Elliot Stabler a lot. They may be dating, Alex thought.
Not coming to a conclusion about what to wear, Alex sat down on her bed and began outlining her notes for AP bio. Quickly getting bored, she threw down her textbook and notebook and trotted back downstairs to clean up before dinner.