Olivia’s POV About five years had passed, yet Westminster High School was still standing strong but the only difference was that it was now an elementary school. The place I used to call my own personal living hell was now about to have a new student, Nia Marie Jamerson-Taylor. “Mommy, will it be scary?” my Nia asked as her little hand held onto my hand as we got out of our car. Letting out an exhale, I knelt down and adjusted her brunette hair. “Yes, at first. But then you’ll start to enjoy it so much.” Despite having my own unpleasant experience, the last thing I wanted was to unload that burden on my daughter. So, the day I said ‘I do’ to Joshua Taylor, I buried all my bitter memories away and vowed to look forward. To be honest, it felt like just yesterday I agreed to marry him and then, six months later, I walked down the aisle with Nia to Joshua as our friends and family witnessed us. Adrina took some time to warm up to Joshua but she eventually did and stood as my maid of h
The back of my hand wiped across my face with force, wiping away the stream of tears that were drenching my face. Using my free hand, I picked up the green olives off my sticky school floor until 2 bottles worth of olives filled the cave of the t-shirt I was extending from its bottom hem. Without lifting my gaze, I dragged my feet to the nearest trashcan and emptied out my t-shirt cave before walking back to my locker.Building up the courage within me, I finally looked up at my locker which had been “decorated” for the occasion.Happy Birthday, Olive! Here’s a bunch of olives you can invite to your birthday party!My hand reached out and pulled out the sticky note that taunted me before I crumbled it in my fist. Reluctantly, my eyes darted to the small mirror on the door of my locker and I saw my deranged, teary, mascara-streaked face looking back at me.A happy birthday indeed.Slamming my locker door shut, I snapped back into my pathetic reality as I watched my so-called schoolmate
Somehow I managed to survive senior year despite having to endure being bullied by almost the entire school. It didn’t matter if they didn’t physically touch me, their words and actions were enough to stab me with a hook and drag me to the depths of a bottomless ocean. Still, I was looking forward to the last week of school before I can finally get out of the hellhole. Technically, according to my age, I wasn’t supposed to graduate until the following year, but I got moved up a grade because of my performance. Perhaps that was the reason my schoolmates bullied me even though it wasn’t an excuse for their behavior. As for Joshua, ever since he hooked up with Breanna and started dating her, he stopped disturbing me. It irked me to see my two ultimate bullies smooching in the hallways, but I was thankful that my life had been slightly peaceful ever since they got together. “Hey, Olive! Heads up!” someone said when I walked past the schoolyard. Turning towards the source of the sound,
My hand slammed my locker door shut in a huff. The sound echoed through the hallway and I looked around to find the others staring at me. But, the thing was, it was not their usual stare. It’s weird, but I just knew the difference after getting stared at for years. This time they looked at me with disgust as they whispered under their breaths.Turning my attention back to the bearer of bad news, I demanded, “What did you just say?”“Ugh! Are you seriously going to act like you don’t know? Oli, you tried to force Joshua to make out with you under the bleachers!” he repeated, each of his words vibrating my soul in horror.“I have no idea what you’re talking about, Lukey! I did not do that! It’s a lie! Just some gossip someone created!” I replied despite being a tad hurt that my own brother would trust a ball of gossip instead of his own sister.Luke’s eyes narrowed and his jaw locked. “Are you seriously denying it? How can it be gossip if I saw you coming from the football field yesterd
My duvet wrapped and tucked me in protectively, comforting me and shielding me from the outside world. It was exactly what I wanted at that time, a self-diagnosed prescription of isolation and self-wallowing. Nothing could convince me to face the world—words, things, or people. At least that was the case until my phone rang loudly on the side table next to me. “Ugh! No…. I don’t want to pick it up. It’s too comfortable in here,” I said out loud to myself. Turning my head over, I peeked one of my eyes open to see the lighted-up screen of my phone. As soon as my eyes saw the name on the screen and sent the alert to my brain, I sat up straight in my rolled-up duvet like a mummy. “Adrina!” I screamed as I broke myself free and picked up the phone. Her round face and green highlights filled my screen instantly. “What’s up, O?” “Same old, same old. How’s Canada?” I asked her as I leaned back against my bed’s headboard. She rolled her dark brown eyes at me. “Ice. F*cking. Cold.” “Same
My colorful bowl of cereal did nothing to cheer me up the next morning. Leaning on the marble island counter, my right hand held my spoon while my left hand scrolled through my phone, particularly the prom pictures that spammed my social media.Was I a coward for missing prom because I was afraid to face my bullies? Yes, but it didn’t look like I missed much anyway. My thumb dragged across the screen until it stopped when my eyes caught sight of a particular picture. In front of the under-the-sea backdrop, Joshua posed with Breanna with his arm snaked around her waist. They were both all dressed up sharply and had giant grins plastered on their smug faces as if nothing had ever happened. I should have known that they cared more about their pride, reputation, and influence than honesty and fidelity.Eager to get them out of my sight and mind, I slid my thumb only for the next picture to be a solo picture of Joshua adjusting his blazer, much to my annoyance.“Oooh, who’s the handsome hu
The usual schoolyard swarmed with graduates, teachers, family, and friends. Red and gold banners hung over the front door leading into the school, welcoming us. My graduation robe hung on my shoulders, covering my dark purple dress underneath. There was no way I was prepared to parade myself in it since it wasn’t my usual style, but since my parents bought it for me, I had to wear it to please them.“Dad! Over here!” Luke called out as he waved his hand in the air.Turning around, I watched the middle-aged man I called my father stroll over to us with two flower bouquets in his hands. I hadn’t seen him in a while and the dark brown hair I had seen last now had gray hairs between them. Still, seeing him made me happy.“There’s my family! Hold up! Who are you adults? Where are my little kids?” he said as he approached us with a big grin on his face“I know right? Where did the time go? It feels like just yesterday they were graduating preschool!” Mom replied, as her lips pouted.“Daddy!
It was the Monday after graduation and I was on the floor of my bedroom, folding my clothes and placing them in my half-full luggage bag. Even though orientation was two weeks away, I was ready to leave immediately.Obviously, Mom still didn’t agree with my decision, but ever since what happened at graduation, I was firmer and refused to take ‘No’ for an answer. I guessed that she knew that it was better for me to be further away from her than lose her daughter altogether. As for Dad, he was supportive as usual and even offered to pay for my flight and Airbnb. The hostel wasn’t open until orientation, so I planned to stay at an Airbnb near the university until then.“Wow, you’re really all packed!” a familiar voice exclaimed from behind me.It was Luke and I assumed that it was his way of apologizing after the silent treatment we had over the weekend. Even though I was still upset over his selfish sudden change of heart, I still couldn’t deny that he was right. I felt like a different