CHAPTER SEVEN

SOMEONE TO YOU — BANNERS
And if you feel like night is falling
I wanna be the one you're calling

A WEEK HAD passed. Reggie had gotten his driver's license, Sunset Curve practiced every other day in the music room, and Jason had been ignoring Olivia like the plague.

Jason avoiding Olivia could've been for a number reasons. She knowingly started a rival band, and what made matters worse was that it included his ex-best friend.

When he and the rest of Harmony Lane decided to follow her around in an attempt to uncover the identity of her bandmates, he was enraged to find that Luke Patterson was the lead guitarist.

After doing a little more digging, keeping track of who Olivia spoke to, and following her around school (at a distance, of course), Harmony Lane found out the names of Olivia's other bandmates. They spread the word of how they stole their stage time and soon enough the student population of Los Feliz High School hated anything to do with Sunset Curve.

Olivia walked from her second period class to her locker and found the boys waiting for her. After their evening at Sunset Curve, their relationship blossomed into something more than being in the same band. They were friends.

As the five teenagers walked to the cafeteria, they couldn't help but notice the piercing glares of their classmates.

"Why are they all staring at us?" Olivia asked, wrapping her cardigan tighter around herself.

Bobby's gaze locked on a judgemental bystander and he glared at them just as sharply. They turned away and whispered something to their friend. "Why do you think?"

Alex saw Reggie's confused expression and elaborated, "Everyone's mad that Harmony Lane's set at the Halloween dance was cut short."

"Why do they care so much?" Luke grumbled from beside him.

"It's Harmony Lane," Alex emphasized, opening the door to the cafeteria. He held it for his band members to walk through. "The pride of Los Feliz High School. They're the popular ones, the cool ones."

"And what are we?" Olivia questioned as she passed him.

He shrugged. "The underdogs."

Luke walked through the door and stopped in front of him. "Perfect."

Olivia's eyes swept the room until they landed on the person she was looking for. "Hey, guys," she said, slightly distracted. The boys turned to her and she waved them off. "Go ahead, I'll catch up."

Bobby and Reggie nodded and walked further into the room, searching for an open table.

Luke's eyes followed her as she walked across the room towards her boyfriend, feeling something heavy in his chest. Memories from the night on her roof flooded his mind.

Alex followed his gaze before doing a double take between him and Olivia. He had seen the look on Luke's face before, having been on the receiving end of it until they broke up. His eyes softened in sympathy before he lightly hit Luke's arm and nodded towards the table Bobby and Reggie found. "C'mon."

Olivia sat across from Jason. She knew this would be the only time she could talk to him alone before the rest of the lacrosse team and cheer squad came.

"Hey," she said, pulling the ends of her sleeves down, "you haven't called me back."

He didn't acknowledge her existence until she leaned forward and spoke again. "You've been ignoring me since Mill's Warehouse," she stated firmly, though there was still a sprinkle of nervousness behind her tone. "What's up with that?"

"Oh," Jason looked up from his lunch, acting as if he didn't know she was there, "you know I've been busy with lacrosse and especially band rehearsals. I mean, you know how that is, right?"

She stared at him in disbelief. "So that's what this is about? Me being in a band?"

He gave no answer besides the shrug of his shoulders. "You've been spending a lot of time with those sunset nerds."

"They're my friends."

"Just friends?"

Olivia's eyebrows raised, shocked by what he was insinuating. "Yeah," she nodded, feeling her frustration grow. "Just friends."

"Really?" Jason questioned. He leaned in and looked at her with a hard stare. "Because I find it hard to believe that one girl can be friends with four guys without something going on."

Olivia would've laughed at his words if she weren't so offended. "That's ridiculous. You have girl friends and there's nothing going on with them, so what is this really about? Us playing the dance? Because if it is, we're not backing out."

Jason's eyes flickered to the door where his coach was standing. He beckoned him over and Jason nodded, turning to Olivia again. "Look, I've gotta go," he said, ending the conversation. He stood from the table and looked down at her. "I'll call you, okay?"

Olivia watched as he walked away. "Sure, you will," she muttered bitterly.

"You okay, Liv?"

Olivia looked up and saw Luke standing in front of her. Behind him, the other boys were leaving their table and making their way over.

"That looked a little intense."

Olivia shook her head, anger rippling off of her. "He thinks I'd cheat on him with one of you," she revealed with a scoff, "like I'd ever do that."

He sat down across from her, processing her words as her saying she'd never be able to picture herself with one of them. It stung, but he pushed his minor feelings away and placed a hand over his heart, giving her a teasing look. "Ouch."

Olivia's eyes widened as she realized how poorly what she said might've come across. "Oh, no, I meant like I wouldn't cheat on him," she clarified in a rush. "Not that I wouldn't date one of you, you're all great and cute, and nice and everything, but—" She stopped when she saw the amused look on Luke's face. "You know what? I'm going to stop talking now."

The other boys joined the table. Bobby and Alex sat next to Luke, and Reggie got comfortable next to Olivia whose cheeks were flushing. As they settled in, Olivia stood, digging through her pockets for money.

"Do any of you want a drink?" She asked politely, avoiding Luke's stare and smirk.

The boys shook their heads, thankful that she thought of them. Olivia shrugged and left the table. She walked to the vending machines that lined the walls. When the can of Arizona tea tumbled out of the machine, she bent down and grabbed it, only for it to be stolen out of her hands moments later.

Christa White and Megan Hardy flanked her sides, standing too close for comfort, and Josh Harrison stood in front of them. Christa held the can in her hand and looked at her with a taunting stare. "Thanks, Olivia," she said in a sickly sweet tone. "My favourite."

Olivia felt very trapped and she could feel her heart rate pick up. "Could I just have that—" She reached for her drink, but Christa held it further away.

"You're the lead singer of the new band, right?" Megan asked, already knowing the answer. Her hand reached up to play with Olivia's hair. "What's your guys' name again? Sunset Swerve?"

Olivia pulled her hair from her grasp. "Sunset Curve."

"I didn't know you could sing." Josh stepped closer to her. "Why don't you show us what you've got?"

Olivia knew they were trying to intimidate her, circling around her like sharks and their prey. Her eyes searched the room for Jason, but he was no where to be seen.

"Yeah," Christa nodded, taking a strand of her hair like Megan did, "belt one out for us, Olivia."

She felt incredibly small under their scrutinizing stares. "Could you just leave me alone?"

From across the room, Bobby watched the interaction. The moment he saw Olivia's eyes frantically searching the room for some sort of help, he interrupted the conversation the table was having and pointed it out. The boys of Sunset Curve shared a look before getting up and rushing to her aid.

"There a problem here?"

Olivia could feel herself deflate in relief and she had never been so relieved to hear Bobby's voice.

Josh turned around and faced the group of four. "We're just making small talk," he replied innocently.

"He wasn't talking to you," Luke glared. His eyes flickered to Olivia and his gaze softened at her distressed expression.

"I'm fine," Olivia said with a small nod. She turned to Christa. "Can I just have that back please?"

She reached for it again, and Christa held it further out of reach again.

"Hey," Alex said, "come on, just give it back."

"Are you gonna make me?" Christa snarked.

Olivia used this as a distraction and snatched the can out of her grasp. She hurried over to Reggie's side and moved so he was standing slightly in front of her. The other three boys did the same.

Josh scoffed as he and Luke stared each other down. Seconds later, he shook his head and nodded towards the door. The three members of Harmony Lane left without a word and disappeared through the doors of the cafeteria.

Olivia let out the breath she was holding and looked up at the boys. "Thanks for swooping in."

Reggie looked down at her, smiled, and bumped her arm with his. "What are friends for?"