4.

When Joseph finished football practice, he decided to call Olivia. He pulled out his phone and dialed her number, wondering if she would answer.

The phone rang twice before she picked up.

“Hello?”

Hearing her sweet voice immediately softened his expression.

“Hey, babe. Can you come over to my place?”

“Are you okay?” Olivia asked worriedly, her voice suddenly tense. She had immediately assumed that something might have happened to him during practice.

“I’m fine,” he reassured her. “I just need to see your beautiful face.”

Olivia couldn’t help but blush at his sweet words.

“Okay. I’ll be there,” she replied before hanging up.

Joseph stared at his phone for a moment, feeling a little guilty.

He hadn’t exactly lied to her, but he certainly hadn’t told her the whole truth. If he had told her that he wanted her to come over because they needed to talk about her strange behavior at school, he knew Olivia would probably come up with a dozen excuses to avoid the conversation.

He sighed and slipped his phone back into his pocket.

He just wanted her to tell him what was wrong.

___

“Mom, I’m going over to Joseph’s place,” Olivia announced as she slipped on her sneakers.

“Okay, honey, but please don’t stay too long,” Jennifer said. Then she gave her daughter a knowing look. “And don’t do anything stupid. You know what I mean.”

“Mom!” Olivia rolled her eyes.

“I’m just saying.” Jennifer simply smiled at her.

“Bye, Mom.”

Olivia shook her head with a small smile before stepping outside and gently closing the door behind her.

***

Olivia arrived at Joseph’s house a few minutes later and knocked on the door.

Rachel opened it, greeting her with a bright smile.

“Hello, honey. Come in.”

“Thanks, Rachel.” Olivia stepped inside, then glanced toward the hallway. “Umm, is Joseph home?”

“Yes, he’s in his room,” Rachel replied, gesturing upstairs. 

“Thanks.”

Olivia smiled politely before making her way upstairs to Joseph’s room.

When she reached the door, she knocked softly.

She always knocked before entering, just in case Joseph was changing or doing something he wouldn’t want her to see without warning.

“Coming,”

Joseph got up from his bed and opened the door. The moment he saw Olivia standing there, a smile spread across his face.

“Hey, beautiful.”

He leaned forward and gave her a quick kiss on the cheek, making a warm blush spread across her cheeks.

“How was practice today?” Olivia asked as she stepped into the room.

“It was fine.”

Joseph closed the door behind her and followed her as she walked over to his bed.

Olivia made herself comfortable, and Joseph sat beside her.

For a moment, everything felt normal.

“So… why did you call me over?” Olivia asked quietly.

Joseph took a deep breath, gathering his thoughts before answering.

“Olivia, I know you’re probably going to get mad at me for asking this, but I really need to know what happened at school today.” He paused, watching her carefully. “Did someone hurt you? Or are you still upset about what we talked about this morning?”

He hoped she would finally open up to him.

Olivia lowered her gaze.

I should’ve known he wouldn’t rest until he found out what was upsetting me.

“Olivia, please. Say something.”

His voice was gentle, almost pleading.

Olivia’s heart began to race.

She searched her mind for something—anything—she could say that would convince him to stop asking questions. But every excuse she came up with sounded ridiculous, and she knew Joseph well enough to know that he wouldn’t believe her.

She swallowed hard.

“Joseph, I… um… we… um…”

She couldn’t do it.

Not to him.

But then Jordan’s warning came rushing back to her.

Stay away from my brother.

Olivia squeezed her hands together, trying to steady herself.

“We need to… give ourselves a break.”

The words barely left her mouth.

She immediately winced. She couldn’t believe she’d actually said them.

Joseph stared at her, stunned.

Olivia felt a sharp ache in her chest as she watched his expression change. She knew she was hurting him. She was hurting herself too.

But what choice did she have?

Jordan had made his threat clear, and Olivia was exhausted from constantly looking over her shoulder, wondering when he would corner her again. If ending things with Joseph was what it took to make Jordan leave her alone, then maybe—just maybe—she could finally have some peace.

It felt selfish.

She knew that.

But after everything she’d endured, Olivia desperately wanted her freedom from Jordan’s constant bullying.

And if breaking Joseph’s heart was the price she had to pay for it, she would have to bear it.

___

Jordan was on his way downstairs to the kitchen when he heard Olivia’s voice coming from Joseph’s room.

He slowed down.

He hadn’t intended to listen, but when he heard her say something that caught his attention, curiosity got the better of him. He quietly moved closer to the door and listened.

Inside the room, Joseph was staring at Olivia, still trying to understand what she’d just said.

“What do you mean by ‘we need a break,’ Olivia?” he asked, confusion evident in his voice. “I don’t understand.”

“I’m sorry, Joseph.”

“You don’t have to be sorry.” His voice softened. “Just tell me the truth. Were you pressured into saying this?”

“I have no idea what you’re talking about, Joseph,” Olivia lied, quickly looking away.

Joseph’s frustration began to rise.

He knew her.

He knew when she was lying, and right now, everything about her behavior was telling him that she wasn’t being honest with him.

But he didn’t want his anger to frighten her.

He took a slow breath and tried to calm himself.

“Look at me, Olivia,” he said gently.

He reached out and turned her face toward him, but she still avoided his eyes.

“Please…”

Something in his voice finally made her look at him.

Joseph held her gaze.

“Can you please just tell me who talked you into doing this?”

“Joseph, you have to believe me. I wasn’t pressured by anyone.”

For a moment, he simply stared at her.

Then his frustration finally broke through.

“THAT’S A LIE, AND YOU KNOW IT!” Joseph yelled and abruptly stood up from the bed.

He couldn’t understand why Olivia wouldn’t trust him enough to tell him the truth. And more than anything, it hurt knowing that she was sitting right in front of him, clearly hiding something, while he had no idea how to reach her.

Outside the room, Jordan remained perfectly still. A small smile tugged at the corner of his mouth.

Olivia was shaken by Joseph’s sudden outburst.

For a moment, she could only stare at him. Then she looked into his eyes and saw the pain written all over his face.

Her heart sank.

She immediately regretted what she’d said.

Joseph seemed to realize how frightened she’d become. His anger faded as quickly as it had appeared, replaced by something much softer.

He slowly lowered himself in front of her and took both of her hands in his.

“Olivia, I love you, and I don’t want to lose you,” he said, his voice trembling slightly. “Please… take back what you said.”

Tears welled up in Olivia’s eyes.

She wanted to tell him everything. She wanted to tell him about Jordan, about the threats, about the years of bullying she had endured in silence.

But she couldn’t.

Joseph would never understand why she had said those words when the truth was that she never wanted to leave him in the first place.

She was only trying to protect herself.

“Please don’t make this harder than it already is, Joseph,” she whispered.

“Then tell me why you came up with something like this all of a sudden!” he pleaded, his frustration returning. “Why now?”

Olivia lowered her gaze.

If only I could trust him enough to tell him the truth.

She swallowed hard before finally speaking.

“It’s just… I don’t want you putting me first in everything you do or in every decision you make, Joseph.”

It wasn’t the whole truth. But it wasn’t entirely a lie either.

“I want you to think more about yourself,” she continued quietly.

Joseph shook his head.

“I do think about myself, Olivia. But I also care about you.” He squeezed her hands gently. “Don’t you understand that I love you? I don’t want anything bad happening to you. That’s why I worry so much.”

Olivia’s tears finally spilled over.

She looked at the boy she loved—the same boy who had been beside her since they were children—and felt the weight of everything she was keeping from him.

Joseph let out a quiet sigh before continuing.

“Look, Olivia, I know you’re only saying this because of the discussion we had this morning. I promise I’ll think more about myself, okay?” He paused, his expression softening. “But please, don’t shut me out. I need to know what’s going on in your life. I’m your boyfriend, and I want to know how you’re feeling. You don’t have to deal with everything on your own.”

Olivia simply nodded.

She felt defeated.

Part of her was relieved that Joseph wasn’t going to let her push him away so easily. Another part of her was disappointed because she knew there was no way she could convince him to stay away from her.

If only I could tell him that Jordan was behind all of this.

But she couldn’t.

Maybe this really was better, she told herself. At least for now.

“Promise me you won’t bring up this breakup thing again,” Joseph said quietly.

“I promise,” Olivia replied.

Relief washed over his face.

He pulled her into a gentle embrace, and Olivia closed her eyes, allowing herself to enjoy the comfort of being beside him for a moment.

For just a little while, she could forget about Jordan, the threats, and everything waiting for her outside that room.

But deep down, she knew the problem hadn’t gone away.

She had only managed to hide it for another day.

___

Jordan’s anger grew as he listened to the rest of their conversation.

He couldn’t understand it.

Why wouldn’t Joseph just let Olivia go?

After everything he’d done to drive them apart, he had expected his brother to finally give up. Instead, Joseph had managed to convince Olivia to stay with him.

Jordan clenched his jaw, his hands curling into fists at his sides.

“You’re going to pay for this, Olivia,” he muttered under his breath. “That’s a promise.”

He turned away from Joseph’s bedroom and headed back to his own room, completely forgetting about the trip to the kitchen he had originally planned.

His mind was already occupied with something else.

Something far more dangerous.