E L E V E N

Ponyboy's POV:

The rest of the week, Olivia didn't talk to me. When I went to her cabin on Friday after lunch and peeked in, she was asleep on her bed. Maybe I would have gotten her, but guys aren't allowed in the girls' cabins.

On Saturday morning, bunk 4C woke up to toilet paper and tooth paste in our beds, shaving cream and underwear on the ceiling, and Philip and James screaming at us. The prank had 14A, the girls bunk, written all over it. And I had a feeling it was Olivia's idea, but I never said anything. I just didn't understand why she could be mad at me... We had so much fun on our date.

Maybe I said something wrong and it offended her, or maybe I did something wrong and it grossed her out. Maybe she's picky... Or maybe I talked to Amelia Clarke...

You know how some girls don't like it when you talk to other girls because you're like... their "property" or something? Maybe that was her problem. On Thursday at lunch, she came over to my table.

She said something like, "My group hasn't picked electives yet, but I'm picking nature and I know you are too so do you want to be partners for the walks?" And I really didn't want to be partners, so I just told her the truth.

"I... I think I might be partnering with Olivia, if that's the elective she takes. Sorry." She fake smiles at me, then sat down at the table.

"Ponyboy? I know what your brother did to my cousin. And I am not going to accept it. Sandy Clarke is basically my sister, and she deserves to have a father for her baby." I didn't even ask what it had to do with me. I just let loose.

"I have no idea what you're talking about! Sandy cheated on Sodapop. He was heartbroken for months because of her!" I yelled at her. She looked angry, then sad, and I saw tears forming in her ocean blue eyes.

"You don't know the whole story," she said, then got up and walked away.

I couldn't hear what Olivia had said after that, but it seemed like she was trying to calm her down, at first. Then she got upset and after a minute or two, walked away, looking like she was going to be sick. I wanted to go over there and ask what was wrong, make sure she was okay, but I didn't want to make anything worse. Now I think maybe I should have, because I might have lost Olivia over it...

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As I'm laying in bed early on Monday morning, awake because of a nightmare, I think this over. There's still toothpaste on my pillowcase, since we haven't done laundry yet, and I try to pick the rest of it off. It doesn't work. Nobody's awake yet, and I look at the clock. It's only 4:30, but it's light enough to see. I don't get back to sleep. Instead, I take out a notebook and write down things that I could say to Olivia at breakfast this morning.

"Olivia, I'm sorry for talking to Amelia?" No, what if that's not what she's mad about?

"Are you mad at me?" Sounds too needy... I go through this until 6:00, when a loud rooster crows, waking all of the campers up for the morning. Some of the boys stay in bed, while others go to take showers, and a few just get dressed. That's all I do, get dressed, and by 6:30 we're ready to get breakfast.

When we get there, the girls are already at their tables. Before I even get my food, I walk over to her.

"What happened to Friday?" I ask her. She blushes.

"I-I wasn't feeling well..." She says quietly, almost nervously.

"Are you feeling better now?" I ask her. She shrugs.

"Well, how about we reschedule to this afternoon?" I suggest, a bit nervous my self.

"I don't know... I promised Claire I'd-" but Claire nudges her before she can finish. Under the table, Olivia kicks her, but I can't figure out why.

"Is there something going on that I should know about?" I ask, confused as to what's going on.

"No!" Claire says immediately.

"Okay... Well, Olivia, I really think we should talk. When would be good for you?" I ask.

"This afternoon. During lunch," Claire answers for her. Olivia stays silent.

"Olivia?" I ask for her clarification. She shrugs.

What is up with her?

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The day rages slowly on. After lunch we had nature, which was a blur. Amelia stayed by my side the entire time, talking my ear off about how much she hates Sodapop. What a bad person is, how no sane person should abandon their baby, how she hates me and my whole family, and even that I'd probably do the same thing if I had the chance. I tried not to listen, but with neither Olivia or Liam, my only friends, in this class, I didn't have anyone to distract myself with.

Finally, lunch came around, and finally lunch ended. I told my Senior counselor, James that I was going to the lake to try to wash the toothpaste off of my pillow case, since they don't use the washing machines all the time here, and he didn't seem to care. I probably could have told him I was going to take a walk in the woods and he wouldn't have cared.

After I get the okay, I run to 14A and quietly knock on the door. She comes out after a minute, dressed in a sparkly black T-shirt and jeans.

"Hey," I say.

"Hi," she responds.

"Where do we want to go?" I ask her. She shrugs, doesn't say anything. We start walking, but we don't know where it'll take us.

"Olivia, what's going on?" I ask her. She stops in her tracks.

"I don't really know," she admits. I don't even know what that means.

"But... You're mad at me, aren't you? Why are you mad at me?" I ask. She looks down at her feet.

"It's a stupid reason," she says.

"Tell me," I pry, knowing I won't care.

"It's just... I thought Amelia was just being... Amelia because she liked you. But it turns out that maybe she was trying to protect me. I got scared. I mean, you're my first boyfriend, and we've only even been dating for a few days. When she told me about your bother and Sandy and about how you could do the same to me... I started avoiding you," she says. I can feel my heart sinking into my stomach, even after she called me her boyfriend.

"That's not what happened. And I'm not like that. I'm not... I won't.... We... We're not gonna do that kind of stuff for a while, Olivia. I promise," I assure her. She smiles, still looking a bit nervous.

I look around to try to find a place to sit, and realize that we've made it all the way into the woods.

"We should head back," she says, looking at our surroundings. I nod. We start to walk back, and I stop her, grabbing her arm just as she's about to trip over a tree stump. She turns around towards me, and I'm hit with a sudden wave of confidence. I take her other arm, pulling her close to me, and meet her lips with mine.

A/N: OOH, THE FIRST KISS!! Are you as excited as I am?

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