FF: Music To My Ears 4
Music to My Ears
"What do we do?" Kathy asked with panic in her eyes. "Did you kill him?"
"God no!" Olivia said, wishing she could slap Kathy out of it and send her home. "I just... I only knocked him out."
"Olivia," Elliot said, looking at the drain of blood coming from the boys head. "What did you hit him with?"
"Elliot, it's not important," Olivia said, holding the blonde tighter. She could feel the smaller girl curling further into her neck. Olivia could tell she didn't want to listen to the reenactment of the incident. "We've got to get out of here."
"What about him?" Kathy shrieked, pointing to the unconscious perpetrator, face down in the dirt.
"Alright, listen... Everyone just chill out," Olivia said looking around to see if anyone else was within ear shot. She rubbed Alex's back before gently pulling the freaked out girl to face her. "How did you get here tonight? Did you have a car?"
"No, I..." Alex stammered, catching a glimpse of the boy.
"He was your ride," Olivia concluded. "Okay, this is what we're going to do. Uhhm, I'm going to take her home. And..." She wasn't really sure what to do. Olivia desperately wanted control of the situation but nothing was coming to her.
"I'll take care of this kid," Elliot offered, sensing Olivia's distress. She sighed with relief and rolled back on her heels.
"Come on, I'll take you home," the brunette said, taking charge for the quiet blonde. Something in Olivia had flipped when she witnessed the petite blonde's attack. She felt an incredible urge to protect her. After all, she knew what it was like to be in a situation like that...
Olivia pulled Alex up by her shoulders and put her arm around her. She looked around and decided to stay in the shadows, on the out skirts of the campsite, so no one would notice them. She took one glance back to see Joe and Evan slipping away from the crowd to help Elliot.
Once in Olivia's old car, Alex finally spoke. "Thank you." The words almost inaudible, Olivia wasn't sure if she actually heard them. "I can't believe that just happened," Alex said in an exasperated breath.
"I owed you, remember," Olivia offered a half smile. She felt terrible for the girl in her passenger seat.
"All that 'cause I pinched your nose for a nose bleed," Alex laughed sarcastically. She sniffled loudly.
"I have tissue's in the glove box," Olivia pulling onto the main road, grateful to be getting away from the ugly scene behind them.
The ride was silent for the most part. Alex kept her eyes out the window but Olivia's danced from road to wheel to the back of her head. She couldn't help but think about what an odd situation she had gotten herself into for this perfect stranger. Then again, she would've done it for anyone. Right? It was the right thing to do.
"This is me," the meek blonde answered.
"No lights?" Olivia wondered aloud, pulling up to the stone driveway.
"My parents are vacationing at Martha's Vineyard this weekend. They have a house up there," Alex replied flatly. She seemed to be in some sort of a daze. Olivia turned off the car and got out. She would just make sure Alex was settled before she left her alone. The last thing she needed was to walk into this huge, dark mansion. Alex fished through her purse until she found the glittering key chain they needed. Olivia didn't need an invitation, and Alex didn't bother giving her one. Olivia simply followed Alex quietly into the foyer. The oblivious blonde flipped the light switch, illuminating the white room before them.
"Wow." Olivia's voice almost echoed off the wide walls and tall ceilings. Alex turned to face the impressed brunette. She finally had a good look at the girl. There was no towel over her face and no shadows to hide her features. Olivia noticed every detail of the room as Alex noticed the details of Olivia. Her skin was a rich bronze and her hair was a soft chestnut brown. Her white t-shirt was stained with the blonde's smudge make up and her pants had dirty and grass stains beginning to set in.
"You're a mess," the blonde said plainly. Olivia's attention came back to Alex and she followed the girls gaze down to her own body. She saw small specs of Matthew's blood at the base of the cotton fabric.
"Shit," Olivia said absent mindedly. She pulled the shirt up to examine the dark color, exposing her toned stomach to the girl in front of her.
"Do you live far? You can clean up here if you like," Alex offered, hoping to keep her savior here as long as possible. She was terrified of being left alone now yet she was still too proud to say so.
"Uhm," Olivia thought about it. She could drive home and deal with her mother or she could prolong her stay with this traumatized girl. "I think I'll take you up on that offer." She didn't think she should be leaving her just yet. She looked at Alex after smoothing her shirt back over herself. "Are you shaking?"
"I..." The blonde became visibly embarrassed. Olivia reached out and rubbed Alex's upper arms as if warming her skin. "I just..."
"I know," Olivia's heart went out to her. "It's scary when you get beat up like that for the first time."
"You say that like you deal with it often?" Alex was sharp, even in this state, she didn't miss a thing. Olivia couldn't believe her slip up. She was always so careful about not exposing her personal situation. Then again, she only had a few close friends where she didn't have to worry about censoring herself.
"Let's just say, I know what it's like," Olivia said, letting her arms drop and her eyes wander away from the inquisitive blue ones. "So where is the spa in this palace?" She joked as if on cue. She couldn't help herself. Alex offered a sliver of a smile.
"It's not that big," came her quiet protest.
"Well, we can go with that, and you don't ever need to visit my block," Olivia smiled as they began their climb up the master staircase.
"In my own defense, I don't notice the size of the house because it's just a house to me. I don't really want to notice it anyway," Alex explained, another one of her emotionless faces accompanied her words. Always this emotionless expression on the poor girl. Olivia noted it, right away. "This is my room," Alex pushed open the large white door.
"Nice color," Olivia smiled looking at the deep red of the walls. A black comforter matched the black furniture littered in the room. Pictures of friends and family on a corkboard. All in all, the room looked like a normal teenagers room. In no way, did it match the rest of the house.
"Thank you, I thought so too," Alex walked in and through her dirty purse on the hardwood floor. "That door leads to my bathroom. It's clean, I promise," the blonde reassured.
"You're own bathroom... Nice." Olivia commented. She looked at the pale, blonde in the center of the room and thought about how out of place she looked in this dark setting. Shouldn't this room be dripping pink? Olivia wondered. "Hey listen, are you sure you don't want to get cleaned up first?" The brunette asked, overlooking the disheveled blonde.
"No, no... I'm sure," Alex answered almost nervously. Olivia wondered if she was just dreaming it but shrugged it off.
"Okay, I'll only be a few minutes," she reassured but she received no answer.
The shower felt amazing on her aching bones. After the earlier ride with Elliot, that just now had started to settle in, and the fight with Matthew, she didn't realize how bad she needed this. She wondered what Elliot had done back at the campsite and if they were all going to get in trouble for this. She tried to push the thoughts out of her mind and decided they'd be best dealt with in the morning. She wondered if she should bring this up to Alex. Should they have a story? Should they tell the truth? Would Matthew even remember what happened in the morning? Too many questions and not one answer to satisfy.
When Olivia stepped out of the shower, she noticed a tank top and a pair of boxers laid out on the sink for her. Sleep wear. Olivia figured. She should've known that Alex wanted her to stay. Even though she was a stranger of some sorts, she was better than no one. She guessed that's what the blonde must've thought and decided she would like to stay anyhow. After all, the house was incredible, it was like being away on vacation.
The refreshed brunette opened the door to find Alex sitting at the head of her bed. Her knees were tight against her chest and she was hugging herself. It appeared she had been crying.
"Hey are you alright?" Olivia coaxed. What else could she say?
"I don't even want to get undressed. I feel... I feel like I could be," Alex's eyes watered again. She didn't even like the sound of her own words.
"Vulnerable?" Olivia guessed right when the blonde nodded. "Well, how about you go in the bathroom and leave the shower on so the steam fills the room. Change in there. It'll feel less open."
Alex thought about it and decided it might just work. She couldn't bring herself to shower, fearing... Well, she didn't even quite know. After successfully changing she re-entered her bedroom where Olivia sat, messaging with her cell phone. When the brunette noticed the blondes costume change she smiled and put the phone down. Alex sat beside her on the bed.
"What am I going to do?" Alex presented the question as though it had never left her lips before. She seemed like a girl that would be prepared for anything.
"We'll worry about it in the morning," Olivia offered.
"I hate to ask you this," Alex began. "But I just can't be alone in this house, I..."
"It's fine. I'll stay," Olivia reassured, although she assumed this had been established already.
Alex looked down at her feet and Olivia put a hand on her shoulder. "You're lucky Alex," she pointed out. "Things could have gotten worse. We should be thankful."
It was true, things could've been worse. So why did she still feel threatened? "I still feel so unsafe though," the blonde said, as her eyes watered again. Olivia put her arm around her and tried to shush her.
"Maybe we should try and sleep for now?" Olivia was running out of ideas. There wasn't anything she could really say to this girl and there was nothing they could do until morning so what other option was there?
Alex simply nodded and scooted back to peel the covers from her bed. Olivia noticed leaves in Alex's hair and mindlessly picked them out.
"You don't mind sharing, do you?" Alex asked with worried eyes. Had anyone even slept at this girls house before?
"I've slept in cars, trust me, this is high class," Olivia joked, stealing a small, small smile from Alex.
They lay next to each other, starring at the ceiling. Alex had left the bathroom light on so she wouldn't feel so encase by the darkness. Even with this girl beside her, she still felt an itching of anxiety.
"This is the worst thing that's ever happened to me," Alex said blankly.
"This is the weirdest thing that's ever happened to me," Olivia answered as she felt her body begin to cool under the crisp sheets.
"What do we do?" Kathy asked with panic in her eyes. "Did you kill him?"
"God no!" Olivia said, wishing she could slap Kathy out of it and send her home. "I just... I only knocked him out."
"Olivia," Elliot said, looking at the drain of blood coming from the boys head. "What did you hit him with?"
"Elliot, it's not important," Olivia said, holding the blonde tighter. She could feel the smaller girl curling further into her neck. Olivia could tell she didn't want to listen to the reenactment of the incident. "We've got to get out of here."
"What about him?" Kathy shrieked, pointing to the unconscious perpetrator, face down in the dirt.
"Alright, listen... Everyone just chill out," Olivia said looking around to see if anyone else was within ear shot. She rubbed Alex's back before gently pulling the freaked out girl to face her. "How did you get here tonight? Did you have a car?"
"No, I..." Alex stammered, catching a glimpse of the boy.
"He was your ride," Olivia concluded. "Okay, this is what we're going to do. Uhhm, I'm going to take her home. And..." She wasn't really sure what to do. Olivia desperately wanted control of the situation but nothing was coming to her.
"I'll take care of this kid," Elliot offered, sensing Olivia's distress. She sighed with relief and rolled back on her heels.
"Come on, I'll take you home," the brunette said, taking charge for the quiet blonde. Something in Olivia had flipped when she witnessed the petite blonde's attack. She felt an incredible urge to protect her. After all, she knew what it was like to be in a situation like that...
Olivia pulled Alex up by her shoulders and put her arm around her. She looked around and decided to stay in the shadows, on the out skirts of the campsite, so no one would notice them. She took one glance back to see Joe and Evan slipping away from the crowd to help Elliot.
Once in Olivia's old car, Alex finally spoke. "Thank you." The words almost inaudible, Olivia wasn't sure if she actually heard them. "I can't believe that just happened," Alex said in an exasperated breath.
"I owed you, remember," Olivia offered a half smile. She felt terrible for the girl in her passenger seat.
"All that 'cause I pinched your nose for a nose bleed," Alex laughed sarcastically. She sniffled loudly.
"I have tissue's in the glove box," Olivia pulling onto the main road, grateful to be getting away from the ugly scene behind them.
The ride was silent for the most part. Alex kept her eyes out the window but Olivia's danced from road to wheel to the back of her head. She couldn't help but think about what an odd situation she had gotten herself into for this perfect stranger. Then again, she would've done it for anyone. Right? It was the right thing to do.
"This is me," the meek blonde answered.
"No lights?" Olivia wondered aloud, pulling up to the stone driveway.
"My parents are vacationing at Martha's Vineyard this weekend. They have a house up there," Alex replied flatly. She seemed to be in some sort of a daze. Olivia turned off the car and got out. She would just make sure Alex was settled before she left her alone. The last thing she needed was to walk into this huge, dark mansion. Alex fished through her purse until she found the glittering key chain they needed. Olivia didn't need an invitation, and Alex didn't bother giving her one. Olivia simply followed Alex quietly into the foyer. The oblivious blonde flipped the light switch, illuminating the white room before them.
"Wow." Olivia's voice almost echoed off the wide walls and tall ceilings. Alex turned to face the impressed brunette. She finally had a good look at the girl. There was no towel over her face and no shadows to hide her features. Olivia noticed every detail of the room as Alex noticed the details of Olivia. Her skin was a rich bronze and her hair was a soft chestnut brown. Her white t-shirt was stained with the blonde's smudge make up and her pants had dirty and grass stains beginning to set in.
"You're a mess," the blonde said plainly. Olivia's attention came back to Alex and she followed the girls gaze down to her own body. She saw small specs of Matthew's blood at the base of the cotton fabric.
"Shit," Olivia said absent mindedly. She pulled the shirt up to examine the dark color, exposing her toned stomach to the girl in front of her.
"Do you live far? You can clean up here if you like," Alex offered, hoping to keep her savior here as long as possible. She was terrified of being left alone now yet she was still too proud to say so.
"Uhm," Olivia thought about it. She could drive home and deal with her mother or she could prolong her stay with this traumatized girl. "I think I'll take you up on that offer." She didn't think she should be leaving her just yet. She looked at Alex after smoothing her shirt back over herself. "Are you shaking?"
"I..." The blonde became visibly embarrassed. Olivia reached out and rubbed Alex's upper arms as if warming her skin. "I just..."
"I know," Olivia's heart went out to her. "It's scary when you get beat up like that for the first time."
"You say that like you deal with it often?" Alex was sharp, even in this state, she didn't miss a thing. Olivia couldn't believe her slip up. She was always so careful about not exposing her personal situation. Then again, she only had a few close friends where she didn't have to worry about censoring herself.
"Let's just say, I know what it's like," Olivia said, letting her arms drop and her eyes wander away from the inquisitive blue ones. "So where is the spa in this palace?" She joked as if on cue. She couldn't help herself. Alex offered a sliver of a smile.
"It's not that big," came her quiet protest.
"Well, we can go with that, and you don't ever need to visit my block," Olivia smiled as they began their climb up the master staircase.
"In my own defense, I don't notice the size of the house because it's just a house to me. I don't really want to notice it anyway," Alex explained, another one of her emotionless faces accompanied her words. Always this emotionless expression on the poor girl. Olivia noted it, right away. "This is my room," Alex pushed open the large white door.
"Nice color," Olivia smiled looking at the deep red of the walls. A black comforter matched the black furniture littered in the room. Pictures of friends and family on a corkboard. All in all, the room looked like a normal teenagers room. In no way, did it match the rest of the house.
"Thank you, I thought so too," Alex walked in and through her dirty purse on the hardwood floor. "That door leads to my bathroom. It's clean, I promise," the blonde reassured.
"You're own bathroom... Nice." Olivia commented. She looked at the pale, blonde in the center of the room and thought about how out of place she looked in this dark setting. Shouldn't this room be dripping pink? Olivia wondered. "Hey listen, are you sure you don't want to get cleaned up first?" The brunette asked, overlooking the disheveled blonde.
"No, no... I'm sure," Alex answered almost nervously. Olivia wondered if she was just dreaming it but shrugged it off.
"Okay, I'll only be a few minutes," she reassured but she received no answer.
The shower felt amazing on her aching bones. After the earlier ride with Elliot, that just now had started to settle in, and the fight with Matthew, she didn't realize how bad she needed this. She wondered what Elliot had done back at the campsite and if they were all going to get in trouble for this. She tried to push the thoughts out of her mind and decided they'd be best dealt with in the morning. She wondered if she should bring this up to Alex. Should they have a story? Should they tell the truth? Would Matthew even remember what happened in the morning? Too many questions and not one answer to satisfy.
When Olivia stepped out of the shower, she noticed a tank top and a pair of boxers laid out on the sink for her. Sleep wear. Olivia figured. She should've known that Alex wanted her to stay. Even though she was a stranger of some sorts, she was better than no one. She guessed that's what the blonde must've thought and decided she would like to stay anyhow. After all, the house was incredible, it was like being away on vacation.
The refreshed brunette opened the door to find Alex sitting at the head of her bed. Her knees were tight against her chest and she was hugging herself. It appeared she had been crying.
"Hey are you alright?" Olivia coaxed. What else could she say?
"I don't even want to get undressed. I feel... I feel like I could be," Alex's eyes watered again. She didn't even like the sound of her own words.
"Vulnerable?" Olivia guessed right when the blonde nodded. "Well, how about you go in the bathroom and leave the shower on so the steam fills the room. Change in there. It'll feel less open."
Alex thought about it and decided it might just work. She couldn't bring herself to shower, fearing... Well, she didn't even quite know. After successfully changing she re-entered her bedroom where Olivia sat, messaging with her cell phone. When the brunette noticed the blondes costume change she smiled and put the phone down. Alex sat beside her on the bed.
"What am I going to do?" Alex presented the question as though it had never left her lips before. She seemed like a girl that would be prepared for anything.
"We'll worry about it in the morning," Olivia offered.
"I hate to ask you this," Alex began. "But I just can't be alone in this house, I..."
"It's fine. I'll stay," Olivia reassured, although she assumed this had been established already.
Alex looked down at her feet and Olivia put a hand on her shoulder. "You're lucky Alex," she pointed out. "Things could have gotten worse. We should be thankful."
It was true, things could've been worse. So why did she still feel threatened? "I still feel so unsafe though," the blonde said, as her eyes watered again. Olivia put her arm around her and tried to shush her.
"Maybe we should try and sleep for now?" Olivia was running out of ideas. There wasn't anything she could really say to this girl and there was nothing they could do until morning so what other option was there?
Alex simply nodded and scooted back to peel the covers from her bed. Olivia noticed leaves in Alex's hair and mindlessly picked them out.
"You don't mind sharing, do you?" Alex asked with worried eyes. Had anyone even slept at this girls house before?
"I've slept in cars, trust me, this is high class," Olivia joked, stealing a small, small smile from Alex.
They lay next to each other, starring at the ceiling. Alex had left the bathroom light on so she wouldn't feel so encase by the darkness. Even with this girl beside her, she still felt an itching of anxiety.
"This is the worst thing that's ever happened to me," Alex said blankly.
"This is the weirdest thing that's ever happened to me," Olivia answered as she felt her body begin to cool under the crisp sheets.