Late again, but only by a day... so I hope you can forgive me. I also hope you can forgive me for what happens in this chapter! Happy reading :P

---------------------------------------

"Olivia!"

At the sound of his familiar voice, Olivia pivoted one hundred and eighty degrees on her heel and began to head in the opposite direction. She was in no mood to talk now, and she doubted that she would be any time in the next century. The anger inside of her was still yet to die down and while it still bubbled inside her, she did not feel like speaking to Ethan at all.

"Olivia, wait up!" Ethan’s voice was louder now, and it was evident that he was not going to give up that easily. His walking speed increased to catch up with Olivia, dodging effortlessly round the continuous streams of people that were also in the hallway.

Olivia couldn’t help but notice how much déjà vu she was experiencing in the past couple of days. This had happened before, in almost exactly the same, but now it was for a different reason. Her heart rate increased as she could feel Ethan advancing behind her, until he was a mere few steps away. Even when she was infuriated with him, she could not stop the physical feeling that he brought to her body – something which only made her even angrier, even though this was in no way his fault.

"Olivia!" he repeated, now close enough to reach out and place a hand on her shoulder.

His touch only infuriated her and she shook it off vigorously, trying to get away from him, but he was not about to let her get away. "Please, just let me talk to you," he begged.

She froze, stopping in her tracks suddenly before spinning round again and glaring at him. "Why would I want to talk to you?" she said, her voice dripping with spite. "I think you’ve said enough already."

"Please don’t be like this," he pleaded, his eyes glazed with desperation. "I just want a chance to explain."

"Are you sure you want to be seen with me?" Olivia said, narrowing her eyes as anger boiled inside her. "Aren’t you afraid someone’s going to see us? That would damage your precious reputation, wouldn’t it?"

"I told you, I didn’t mean it like that!" he said, his voice raised more than he meant to. His face softened and he bit his lip, blushing slightly as passers-by turned to look at him. "I didn’t mean it like that."

"There’s not many meanings to something like that, Ethan," Olivia said, shaking her head. "I think I got what you meant to say."

She turned again, ready to walk off, but before she knew it, Ethan was in front of her, his hands on her shoulders, preventing her from walking forwards. "Get off me!" she said loudly, trying to push him away. The look in his eyes was hurting her, and she blinked away the tears that were forming in her own.

"Look, I really didn’t mean for what I said to sound like that. If I could take it back, I would."

"Well, guess what? You can’t. You’ve said it now, and you can’t ever change that. Now please move out of my way so I can get to class."

"Olivia, you know this isn’t me. I’ve been completely torn apart, thinking about what I did to you. I can’t bear it when you’re upset with me, and the fact that you won’t even talk to me just makes it all worse."

"I’m talking to you now, aren’t I?"

"But you’re not listening," he responded, sighing. "Please, Olivia. Can’t you just find it in yourself to really understand me when I say that I’m deeply and truly sorry?"

Her eyes flickered upwards and she looked deeply at him, although this time she was used to the dazzling green and she was able to refrain from getting lost in them. The desperation in his eyes was evident and it was easy to see that he wanted nothing more than forgiveness. It almost melted her inside.

Almost.

"No, I can’t," she said firmly. "Seriously, Ethan, just go. You don’t want to be with someone like me. We’re from two different worlds, okay? You’re popular, and cool, and everyone looks up to you. I’m not. You’ve said that yourself. So just... go find someone who’s right for you."

"You’re right for me," he said, the sincerity of his voice surprising even her.

Olivia sighed deeply, turning over thoughts in her head, considering each one of them in turn, before she made her decision. "Prove it to me, then. Tell everyone your secret... and then we can be together." She studied his face, his unreadable expression that masked his true inner thoughts.

His eyes flickered in panic and he looked downwards, biting his lip. "I..." He paused, sighing again, thoughts rushing through his mind at such a fast pace he was unable to make sense of any of them.

"Well?" she looked at him expectantly, surprised at how long this was taking. She definitely had not expected to see him considering each option and the look of desperate panic in his eyes. She had thought the answer would’ve been immediate – if he truly cared that much about her, that is. But with each second that passed she was beginning to doubt his feelings even more.

"Uh..."

"Just give me an answer, Ethan. That’s all I need. What’s more important to you... me, or your popularity?"

His eyes flickered from Olivia to the floor, and back again. Everything rushed through his mind at once. It was terrible, really, that he even had to think about this decision. Any good guy would know the answer straight away. A good guy wouldn’t even have to think about the answer. A good guy would sweep Olivia off her feet, kiss her passionately and not care who found out his secret. But was he the good guy?

He was a coward, that was for sure.

"I can’t do it."

"What?" Olivia’s face changed immediately, surprise masking her crushing disappointment. But it didn’t last for long, and soon her face drooped and she looked downwards at the floor, blinking furiously in a feeble attempt not to cry.

"I’m sorry," he said, his voice sounding throaty and deep. But these words were far from enough to stop the sadness and the disappointment from crushing Olivia, squeezing and forcing her into a tiny ball until she was unable to speak, or even move.

She just shook her head quickly before rushing off down the hallway, clutching her books to her chest as tightly as she could. She had given him a chance... what else could she give him? She was definitely not going to sit back and be some ‘secret girlfriend’, something to be ashamed of. But if Ethan cared more about his popularity than her, then he was not worth it. Definitely not worth it.

She rounded the corner, her vision blurred by unshed tears, almost bumping into a couple of people as she went. The whole thing still seemed almost surreal, and she was unsure of whether this was reality, or some nightmare she had yet to wake up from.

Although, since attending Serenity Falls, it usually turned out to be reality.

She was beginning to seriously doubt ever going to that school. It was certainly not worth moving across the country for. Previously, she had thought of it as a haven for intellectual students, ones who actually cared about their education, but besides Chelsie and Fred, she had barely found anyone decent.

Looking around the crowded hallway, she wondered what she had ever seen in this place. Really, what was so amazing about it that people were willing to completely ditch their old lives and move here? Sure, everything was shiny new and pristine, and the standings in the school league tables were almost perfect, but the school itself was not much different from a state school. The students were overly bitchy and only really concerned about who they were hooking up with next, and all carried more than their fair share of lies and deceit.

Sure, it would look good on her college application having received a scholarship to one of the most prestigious schools in the whole country, but she would not benefit in any other way. If anything, instead of helping her become a better person, it was likely that Serenity Falls would worsen her in the long run.

But there was nothing she could do now, anyway.

Brad had lost interest in going back to New York after he’d discovered he’d been replaced, and her father was just beginning to get settled. He had just been offered a new job at an insurance company and things were beginning to pick up in regards to the house. It wouldn’t be fair on either of them to ask to leave – not again.

And Olivia Webb was not a quitter.

Leaving the school would only prove that she was defeated, that it had cracked her with its cruel ways. The students were less than friendly, and more drama went on there than on a TV show, but that was not a reason to leave. And neither was Ethan.

If Ethan cared more about his popularity than about her, then he was obviously not even worth thinking about. Of course, she thought to herself. If I can just completely forget about him, my life will get so much simpler.

But do I want simpler?

She shook the thoughts from her head immediately as she entered the classroom, although she had a feeling that it would be difficult to erase Ethan from her life completely, especially after he had already made such an impact. All she had to do was keep her head down, try not to get involved in any more drama, and hope to graduate without too many complications.

That wasn’t too much to ask, was it?