Hello friend. *Little Bill voice* Do you guys remember that show?!?!?! 

So here is another update.

HAPPY EARLY VALENTINES DAY! Maybe you have plans, maybe you don't. If you do, have fun! :) If you don't, have fun! :) I'll be sleeping, eating, watching television, reading and replying to comments, working on schoolwork, and writing.

Chapter 26: Maybe He's Just Bad with Silverware

On Saturday afternoon, I was chewing my nails to the nub. Maddox had picked me up from work like he promised he would and immediately snatched my hand from my mouth. “Calm down, it’s going to be okay.”

“What if my dad chases you out of the house because of something you say?” I inquired. 

“Well, it’s a good thing I can run, right?” he smirked widely. I looked at him and sighed.

“Maddox,” I whined.

“Olive,” he mocked.

“Olivia,” I corrected him. “Just for today.”

He nodded as he tested the name on his tongue. He drove me to my house before heading to his own, telling me that he had to get ready. I told him to be here at five o’clock sharp. My parents should be arriving at three and it’ll take them a bit to get settled in and actually prepare dinner. I entered my house and immediately showered; getting dressed in the clothes I planned on wearing for the dinner. I dressed in a simple red flannel with black jeans and red vans.

When my parents finally arrived, I realized that they’d brought the entire family. My two brothers trailed into the house behind them and my eyes widened. Why would my parents bring them along? I didn’t tell Maddox that they’d be here! I immediately took out my phone to text him but my father snatched it from me and shoved it in his pocket. “You’re on that darned thing too much,” he complained.

I frowned as I looked at him. “Dad, please don’t scare him away.”

“I’m going to tell him that you like him,” Dylan informed me from the couch.

“He already knows!” I snapped. My father’s eyes widened as he looked at me.

“You like him?” my dad asked.

“What? No,” I shook my head. “Who said that?”

“You just did,” Dylan answered.

“Well, I do, but he doesn’t like me,” I told my father. “In fact, he respects me too much to even think of me as anything more than a friend.”

“Meaning you’ve gotten friend zoned,” my older brother noted from the couch. I turned around and glared at him.

“Shut up,” I snapped at my brother. I wanted to tell him that Maddox actually does like me; he’s just too much of a wimp to ask me out. But I knew my father would probably kick Maddox in the face the moment he stepped into the house if he knew that, so I refrained from doing so.

My father looked at me suspiciously. “You’re not dating this boy, are you?” he asked.

“No!” I immediately spoke, shaking my head. “No, we’re strictly friends.” Who practically make out every day- but that’s a different problem for a different day.

“But you like him, so how does that work?” Dylan asked me.

“Shut it, Dylan,” I snapped.

“Olive’s got a crush!” Charlie sang as he ran through the house. My older brother joined in on the singing and I swear I heard my aunt and my mother humming along from the kitchen. My father narrowed his eyes at me and I sighed.

Vivica made her way down the steps and smiled at my dad. I was grateful that his menacing look slipped off and was replaced with a smile. They greeted each other as I stood off to the side, shooting looks at Vivica. Talk up Maddox, please. “You’re here to meet Maddox, right?” my cousin asked, finally catching on after what seemed like hours of me waving my hands around.

“Yeah,” my father replied.

“He’s a very nice boy,” my cousin informed him. My father’s eyebrows knitted together. “He’s very polite and a gentleman.”

“See, I told you,” I explained to my father. The chorus of ‘Olive’s got a crush’ stopped once the doorbell rang. Well, it didn’t officially stop until I covered Charlie’s mouth and shoved him towards Dylan, who disappeared with him into the kitchen. I went to open the door but my father cut me off. I simply stood behind him, glaring at his back. He moved and Maddox walked in, dressed in a red flannel shirt, black jeans, and red vans.

I looked at him with furrowed eyebrows. “Well, one of us is going to have to change,” Maddox spoke as he assessed me.

My older brother laughed loudly as he entered the living room. He obviously noticed our similar outfits. “Did you two plan this?”

“No,” I replied. Maddox had a confused look on his face as he looked at Dylan and I decided to introduce the two. “Maddox, this is my older brother, Dylan. Dylan, this is my friend Maddox.”

“Nice to meet you,” Maddox greeted cheerfully as he took my brother’s outstretched hand in his own. It surprised me to the grin that lined Maddox’s mouth. His mouth is usually in a line, which turns upward occasionally, and his eyebrows are always furrowed.

It didn’t take long before we were rushed into dinner. I motioned for Maddox to sit between my two brothers. I sat between my mother and father, while Vivica and my aunt sat on the long ends of the table. After the introductions, we got on with the real conversation. “So, Maddox, how’d you meet my daughter?” my father asked. Okay, not too bad. Let’s just see how he answers it.

His eyes flickered towards Vivica before he glanced back at my father. “She asked me to homecoming.”

My dad looked at me. “Why?”

I shrugged. “I just did.”

“There had to have been a reason,” my mother piped.

I sighed, not really wanting to throw my cousin under the bus. “I thought he was cute and decided to just ask.” My father’s eyebrows rose and I could tell that Maddox was repressing the urge to smirk. “You asked me why!”

“So you friend zoned my sister?” Dylan asked, turning to Maddox.

“What?” Maddox asked with wide eyes.

“Friend zoned- it’s when—,” my brother started to explain but Maddox shook his head.

“Yeah, I know what it is, but I didn’t friend zone Olive-Olivia,” Maddox informed my brother.

“You like her?” Dylan asked with a wrinkled nose.

“Well—,” Maddox started but I immediately cut him off. His answer, whatever it may be, will only make things worse for the both of us. He can answer that question later, when my entire family isn’t around for the revelation.

“How about we talk about the things that actually matter?” I suggested, turning to my mother.

Instead of taking the hint, she looked at Maddox with a curious gaze. “So you’re the reason my daughter wants to stay in Harrington?”

I immediately began coughing on the water I sipped. I barely recovered in time to hear Maddox’s answer. “Well, Mrs. Ortega, I think your daughter wants to stay in Harrington because she doesn’t want to restart again.”

“Yeah,” I nodded my head with a red face. Only it wasn’t because of embarrassment, it was because I was deprived of air for a good minute before my airways decided to open and allow me to breathe. “I’d have to make new friends back home and get a new job. It was hard enough starting over here. Besides, we have a completely different curriculum, which is why my grades weren’t the best in the beginning. I’m working on bringing them up though.”

“Speaking of grades, what are yours like?” my father inquired as he looked at Maddox, who was nervously tapping his fingers on the table.

“Dad, I don’t think—,” I started but my father looked at me.

“It’s a valid question,” he responded. “I’m just asking how his grades are. I’m not asking if—,” my father spoke. I could tell that his next few words would embarrass me, so I cut him off.

“So, those grades, Maddox?” I blurted. My father smirked at me before becoming stern again and looking at the boy sitting across the table.

“My grades are mostly ‘B’s. I have a ‘C’. I have one or two ‘A’s,” Maddox explained, soundly slightly nervous.

“What do you have a C in?” my father inquired.

“Psychology,” Maddox responded.

“What do you have in Algebra 2?” I asked him curiously.

“Last time I checked, it was a ‘B’,” he replied with a smile.

“You’re welcome,” I grinned.

“You’ve been helping him?” my mother asked me and I nodded.

“Yeah, he’s been helping me with English, too,” I explained.

“That’s cute,” my mother spoke. I felt my face redden as I avoided eye contact.

“Maddox, you know Olive likes you, right?” Charlie whispered to Maddox, but the entire table heard.

I stared at my little brother as my face continued to burn. “Charlie,” I shushed.

“I know,” Maddox told my little brother with a smile.

Charlie laughed loudly before cupping his hands around his mouth. “Did you guys kiss?” my little brother whispered from his spot beside Maddox. My eyes widened as I looked at him.

“Charlie!” I repeated, ready to ask my brother how he even knows about kissing. My cousin’s laughter was what stopped me. She tipped her head back and was laughing loudly, as if expecting my little brother to ask a question that would embarrass me.

“Well, have you?” my father inquired. My face was bright red as I looked at my dad.

“What? No! Of course not! Why would you even ask that?” I responded with wide eyes.

“She’s lying,” Dylan sang from his spot beside Maddox. I clenched my jaw. I forgot how annoying he could be.

“What are you talking about?” I snapped, whipping around to look at my older brother.

“I know you. I can tell when you’re lying,” Dylan explained. “You’re doing that thing with your fingers.” My brother pointed to my hands. My thumbs were circling one another while the rest of my fingers pressed lightly against each other. I immediately placed my hands on the table and shook my head.

“I’m not lying!” I told him before looking at my parents. “I’m not!”

“Have you kissed my daughter, Maddox?” my father asked as he narrowed his eyes at my crush. The green eyed by sitting across from me was looking at my dad. It was obvious that he was nervous. His eyes were flittering around the table as my father stared at him.

“Dad!” I called. “This isn’t an interrogation! I already told you that we didn’t!”

“Yeah,” Maddox’s quiet voice responded.

“But I thought you didn’t like her,” my brother cheeped.

“Dylan!” I snapped. I looked at my father, who was assessing Maddox. As if things couldn’t get any worse, my mother, who actually treated me like a functioning teenager and not like an inmate when it comes to relationships, had to give her very differing opinion.

“Cute,” she laughed.

+ + +

By the time dinner was over, my father had a stony expression on his face and Maddox was shaking so badly that he dropped his fork three times. Either he’s very nervous or he’s just not good with silverware. Dylan was trying to make jokes to lighten up the situation but my aunt, my cousin, and my mother were the only ones who laughed. Charlie was too busy playing with his food to listen, and I was ready to flip the table.

My family had to head out in order to make it home at a reasonable time, so at around 7:30, we all began to get up. I was too busy watching my father to listen to my aunt report to my mother how my behavior has been as of late. My dad didn’t exactly look angry, but he didn’t look happy either. He looked confused, as if he was thinking. That expression didn’t help me at all. What’s he thinking about? Does he approve of Maddox? Does he hate him?

My father noticed me staring at him and offered me a few blinks before turning away. My eyes widened. What’s that supposed to mean? Was that his way of asking me why I’d bother to bring a guy like Maddox around? I immediately began to panic as I turned to my aunt, who was frowning at the used tableware.

“I’ll do the dishes once everyone leaves,” I blurted as she dug around in the cabinets surrounding the sink. She didn’t believe in dishwashers.

“Thanks honey,” she acknowledged as she continued to search. “There isn’t any dish soap,” my aunt sighed as she opened the last cabinet that could possibly contain the detergent. “I must’ve used the last of it earlier.”

“I can go pick some up,” my father offered. My neck snapped in his direction. This is my chance to ask him about his opinions on Maddox!

“That would be great,” my aunt smiled at him.

“Maddox, come take a ride with me,” my father announced as he grabbed his coat from the rack. Maddox’s eyes widened, as did mine.

“O-Okay,” the green eyed boy stuttered as he grabbed his coat as well. He followed my father as he exited the house. Before he closed the door, he sent me a scared look and I only shrugged in response.

“I like him,” my mother commented once we sat down on the couch. I looked at her and she smiled. “He’s honest, and it’s obvious that he cares about you.”

I felt my face redden as I looked at my hands. “You’ve finally found a replacement for Jacob,” Dylan noted and I glared at him.

Charlie was asleep on my mom’s lap. “See? I told you that he was a nice boy,” my aunt grinned at my mother. Vivica looked at me with raised eyebrows when she saw my tense pose and I glanced at the door, as if trying to mentally inform her of my worries. She nodded in understanding while I let out a huff of breath. I wonder what they’re talking about.

+ + +

It didn’t take long before the two returned from the store. My father entered first and he had a smug look on his face. The green eyed boy trailed in a few seconds after my father, looking completely lost and confused. My dad looked at Maddox and said something I couldn’t hear and the confused boy nodded, offering my dad a small smile. But before I could ask Maddox what had happened in the twenty minutes that they were gone, my family swarmed around me, telling me they’d see me soon and that they love me.

I walked my parents and my brothers to the car, followed my Maddox, my cousin, and my aunt. Once they drove off, my cousin ran inside, complaining about the cold. My aunt told me to get those dishes done before I went to bed before leaving Maddox and I out on the porch.

“Are you okay?” I asked him once the door shut.

He nodded as he shoved his hands in his coat pockets. “Yeah I’m fine.”

“Well?” I asked, waiting for an in-depth retelling of what happened with my father.

“Well, what?” Maddox asked.

“What happened?” I inquired, growing impatient.

Maddox shrugged as he leaned against the railing. “He asked me some questions. He threatened me a little bit. He told me some stuff.”

“What did he ask you? What did he tell you?” I inquired, not at all shocked at the threats. But I know my father wouldn’t hurt Maddox.

Maddox smiled at me. “I’m not going to tell you anything. Don’t worry about it.”

“Did he say anything about…what did he say?” I asked, deciding not to ask anything too specific.

“Did he say anything about what, Olive?” Maddox asked with the familiar smirk on his lips. I was happy to see it there.

Laughing, I shook my head. “You should get home. I’m sure you’re exhausted- my family tends to have that effect on people.”

“Don’t stress,” Maddox told me as he surprised me by pulling me in for a hug. As he pulled away, he kissed my forehead. My eyes widened slightly when he did that. “It’s okay. I’m okay. You’re okay. We’re okay.”

“We’re okay?” I asked him and he nodded. “We?”

“Yeah,” he replied as his face tinged pink. He scratched the back of his neck. “We.”

“Well, we aren’t official yet,” I boldly stated as I crossed my arms.

He nodded as he kicked at the porch, staring at the cement. “About that…” I immediately tensed up. “I was going to ask you on Friday, but I never got a chance.”

He opened his mouth several times to speak but didn’t manage to say a single word. “Spit it out!” I snapped, growing more and more impatient as his mouth opened and closed like a fish.

“Do you want to hang out?” he asked me. I immediately felt my shoulders drop and I sighed, running a hand through my hair.

“My aunt won’t let me go over your house anymore after she caught us kissing,” I told him. I tugged at the ends of my hair. Do you want to hang out? That’s what all of that led up to? I made hints about wanting a relationship and he asks me to hang out?

“No, I mean a date,” he replied as he shook his head. He immediately began raking down his hair, attempting to cover his eyes with it. His cheeks were tinged pink and he was chewing nervously on his lip.

My eyes widened as I looked at him. “A…date?”

He nodded his head, swallowing as he continued to pat down his hair. “Yeah, a date.”

“Like, an actual date?” I asked him.

“Am I going to have to give you a dictionary definition, Olive?” he sighed. “It’s a yes or no question.”

“I-I-I, yes, yeah, I’ll go on a date with you,” I stuttered.

“Okay,” he nodded his head as he looked at me, smiling. I returned the smile, watching as his grew wider and wider.

“When?” I asked.

“Friday? Never mind, you work until seven, right?” he asked and I nodded. “Saturday? You get out early, right?”

“Yeah, at two,” I informed him.

“Good,” he nodded as he looked at me. “You need all the time you can get in order to get ready. I can’t be seen with you in public looking like that.”

I glared at him, rolling my eyes. I didn’t bother to say that we were wearing very similar outfits. Instead, I focused on his hair, which was matted down against his forehead. “And I can’t be seen with you looking like that,” I nodded up at his hair.

“What?” he asked me with furrowed eyebrows. I stretched my hand up and fixed his hair. He stared at me as I brought my hand back down to my side. “So, uh, what do you want to do on our date?”

I shrugged. “I don’t know- you choose.”

He bit his lip as he nodded. “Okay, I’ll surprise you.”

“I don’t like the sound of that,” I replied and he laughed.

“You’ll love it,” he told me. He leaned in for a kiss but stopped and pulled away. “Am I allowed to kiss you? Or are you going to wait until we’re official?”

“Hmm…seeing as it took you months to ask me out on a date, it’ll probably take you a few years to ask me to be your girlfriend,” I trailed.

“And you can’t wait that long?” he asked with a smirk.

“Not really,” I replied with a wrinkled nose.

“Just admit it,” he grinned. “I’m a good kisser.”

“You’re okay,” I responded as I thought for a few seconds.

“I’m amazing,” he chuckled. “You’re the okay one.”

I gasped, letting out a laugh. “That’s not true.”

“You could use a little practice,” he whispered as he leaned in. I pushed his chest back as I glanced at my phone screen.

“I guess I won’t kiss you again for another…five years or so,” I shrugged. “Thanks for putting the whole waiting to be official idea in my head. It’s a great one.”

I stood in the doorway and he stared at me. “Come on, Olive! Seriously?” he asked as he stood on the porch.

“I’m sure you can go without my okay kisses!” I grinned at him, waving. “Have a safe ride home!”

WHERE SHOULD THEY GO ON THEIR DATE?! SUGGESTIONS PLEAAASEEEE!