CHAPTER SIXTEEN

GOOD IN GOODBYE — MADISON BEER
Ain't no 'I' in trouble, just the 'U' since we met

DECEMBER, 1993.
NINETEEN MONTHS BEFORE.

THE MONTH OF November moved along at an alarmingly fast pace and before anyone knew it, it was the first Saturday of December. Watching Sunset Curve's performances at Sonny's quickly became the cool thing to do every Thursday night, and each week, the band played to a packed diner of teenagers. The first couple weeks of their new gig were a little rough on their academic lives. Balancing their performances with their rehearsals and schoolwork was harder than they anticipated, ultimately leading them to push their rehearsals to the side. The only reason they chose to neglect their band instead of their schoolwork was because if Alex, Luke, or Olivia's grades slipped, then their parents wouldn't allow them to play together anymore.

The only solution they had was to have their band practices on the weekends. This solution posed another challenge: they couldn't rehearse at school because the building was closed on the weekends. And because of this, the band decided to finally stop procrastinating and set up their studio in Olivia's garage.

True to the deal she had made with her mother, Olivia explained to her friends that they'd need to help her mom with the shop.

So as the winter weekend came around, Bobby picked up everyone in his new car (gifted to him by his dad as an apology present for being so absent in his life) and headed down to Sylvia's half renovated bake shop.

"So all the paint cans are already there for us," Olivia stated from where she sat between Reggie and Luke. "We just need to cover the floors in tarp, then we can start the walls."

Alex shook his head, glancing back at her over his shoulder. "I can't believe your mom is letting us do this unsupervised."

"Oh, guys!" Bobby exclaimed loudly from the driver's seat. He meant to tell them earlier, but the thought completely escaped his mind. "I signed us up to play the Christmas formal."

Olivia raised a brow. "I thought Harmony Lane was already playing."

"They are, we're splitting the stage time again."

"Oh, wonderful."

"Mhm," Bobby mused, "I'm pretty sure they're opening for us though."

Luke let out a laugh. "Holy crap," he grinned. "Really?"

Bobby shrugged and met his gaze through the rearview mirror. "That's what Miss Taylor said when I signed us up."

"Oh my god, I wish I could see their faces when they find out."

As they approached the building Olivia had given the directions to, Reggie leaned over her and stared out of the windshield. "Hey, Liv," he called, tapping her leg.

Olivia broke away from the conversation she was having with Luke and turned to him. "Yeah?"

"What's Jason doing here?"

The other four teenagers followed his line of sight. Surely enough, Jason Cummings was pacing in front of the boarded up store that would soon be Sylvia's bakery.

Each of the boys stared at Olivia with varying degrees of concern. "You want us to handle this?" Luke asked, worried that Jason might corner her like he did at Sonny's.

Olivia shook her head. "It's okay," she said, staring out the window as Bobby parked the car across the street, "I've got it."

Reggie got out of the car so she could leave. As she walked around the back of the car, Luke rolled down his window.

"Aight, but if he does anything sketchy, we're stepping in."

Olivia stopped beside his window. "Thanks, headache, but I can handle him on my own."

When she spotted an opening in traffic, she crossed the street, leaving Luke to call out, "Just because you can doesn't mean you have to!"

Olivia jogged across the street, her presence catching the attention of Jason. "What are you doing here?" She stopped a few feet away, wanting to maintain an adequate distance between them.

Jason stopped pacing. "I came to talk."

"How did you even find the shop?" Olivia wondered. "I never told you where it was."

Jason scratched the back of his neck. "I, uh, stopped by your house and your mom told me where you'd be."

Olivia furrowed her eyebrows. Her mother had repeatedly described the ways she'd physically hurt Jason if he came near her again and she highly doubted her mother would open their front door for him after what he did, let alone tell him where she was. "Okay..." she said slowly. "Well, I'm sorry but you wasted a trip. I don't want to talk to you."

"You don't need to talk. Just listen, okay?" Jason took a step closer to her. "Just hear me out."

"I already did." Olivia crossed her arms over her chest. "Megan meant nothing to you and neither did I."

Jason shook his head and gave her a pleading look. "Don't be like that, Liv." He got closer to her and reached out to touch her cheek. "Please."

Olivia stepped back. "Don't," she warned in a small voice. For a split second, she felt every inch of the sadness her friends had distracted her from since the break up. "You should go."

"Olivia, come on."

Meanwhile, in the car across the street, the boys were debating whether or not they should step in to deal with Jason on her behalf. Their windows were rolled down in hopes they would catch piece's of Olivia and Jason's conversation, but because of the busy street they were on, it seemed unlikely. The only indicator of distress was Olivia's body language, which all four boys were studying.

"Guys," Alex sighed, breaking the silence between them, "she said can handle this without our help."

"I know," Luke said, straining to hear the ex-couple, "but she doesn't have to."

"Will you just trust that she can do this on her own?"

"I do trust her, Alex!" Luke exclaimed. "It's him I don't trust!"

Bobby tore his eyes away from the girl who had quickly become one of his best friends and turned to the blonde. "Yeah, I agree with Luke." Alex looked at him with a flat expression causing him to raise his hands in surrender. "What? Have you met Olivia? She's like five foot and the least intimidating person there is."

There was shouting across the street and the boys could start to hear bits and pieces of what Jason and Olivia were saying. They looked away from each other and faced the shop just as Jason took another step closer to Olivia. There was a brief look of panic that spread across her face as she stared up at the boy, but she stood her ground the best she could.

"Still think we shouldn't get involved?" Luke asked Alex without ever taking his eyes off the girl.

Alex shook his head. He didn't like confrontation and would do almost anything to avoid it, but this was Olivia, and he knew that she hated it as much as he did. "Yeah, we should go."

In front of the shop, Olivia told Jason to leave again, but he wasn't having it. Ever since she joined the band of sunset nerds, as he so mockingly called them, she had grown in confidence. She wasn't as passive as she once was and she didn't give in as easily to his wishes anymore.

Jason looked away in a feeble attempt to reign in his temper, but failed as a scoff fell from his lips. "Oh my god, why do you always have to be so complicated?" His voice had an edge to it that would've scared Olivia if she wasn't so used to it. "Why can't you just listen to me?"

"Why should I?" She bit back, losing any control over her emotions. "You lost every right to be heard when you decided to cheat on me!"

"Well, maybe if you weren't such a fucking prude, I wouldn't have to get some somewhere else. I mean, honestly, Olivia, you are so fucking boring!"

His words were like a slap to the face. Shaking her head and taking a step back, Olivia looked up at him and uttered the words, "You're such an asshole."

Jason took a threatening step closer to her, but before he could do anything drastic, Luke jogged across the street followed by the three other boys of Sunset Curve. He placed himself between the ex-couple while the others stood behind Olivia.

Jason let out a humourless laugh. "Oh, look," he said, throwing his hands up, "it's the boy toy!"

Luke put a hand on Jason's shoulder and lightly pushed him back. "Yo, back up, man."

Jason's face dropped and stepped closer to Luke, only to be pushed back again. "You gonna make me, Patterson?"

Olivia tried to place herself between them, knowing that they wouldn't hesitate to engage in a fist fight. "Guys—"

Luke stepped closer to the lacrosse captain, ignoring how Olivia gripped his arm. "I can, but I'm gonna be nice and give you the choice."

"Jason," Olivia called, her voice firm, "just leave."

Jason's gaze flickered down to meet her eyes before landing on her hand which was still firmly wrapped around above Luke's elbow. His lips pursed and he turned to leave. But just as Luke turned to ask Olivia if she was okay, he turned on his heel and punched the shaggy haired guitar player across the face.

"Luke!" Olivia shouted, leaning over to check on Luke. She looked over at her ex with a piercing glare. "What the fuck is wrong with you?"

Luke had barely recovered before he straightened up and lunged for the lacrosse captain, aiming his fist right at his nose.

Alex, Reggie, and Bobby shared an urgent look before they made any move to break up the fight. When their shock subsided seconds later, the three stepped forward. Olivia tried to help, but the boys shouted at her to stay back and let them handle it. They didn't want her to accidentally get punched in the face by a free flying fist.

"Jason, stop— Jason!"

Jason had brought them to the ground and for a moment, he had the upper hand. But then Luke flipped them so he was on top.

"Luke!"

The guitarist didn't show any semblance of mercy as he repeatedly punched his ex-best friend, years of anger and recent protectiveness over Olivia coming to light.

"Luke! That's enough! Luke!"

Bobby and Alex stepped in and pulled their friend off of Jason. Luke thrashed around a bit, not quite finished with the lacrosse captain, but he calmed down as Reggie placed himself between them.

The separation gave Jason the chance to stand up. He spat out blood onto the sidewalk and glared at the person he once called his brother.

"Leave," Olivia ordered in the coldest voice any of the boys had ever heard. "I'm not going to tell you again." She turned to unlock the shop, not waiting for a response.

The others followed her as Jason turned on his heel and retreated to the safety of his car. He opened the driver's door, but before he could get in, he gave the group one last message. "We're not done here," he snarled, his eyes sweeping over each of them. "You better watch your backs!"

Luke's jaw clenched and he turned around, ready for a round two. "We'll be waiting!"

Bobby pushed him through the bakery's open door. "Come on, dude. Get in there."

Olivia placed a hand on her forehead as she tried to recover from what just happened. When she collected her thoughts, her hand fell to her side. "Luke, there's a washroom in the back. Go clean up." He walked past her and she turned to the others with a tired expression. "Can you guys start laying out the tarps? They're stacked up behind the counter. I'm gonna go help him."

They nodded, each giving her a reassuring thumbs up. "You got it, Livy."

Olivia thanked them and headed towards the washroom at the back of the store. When she entered the small room, Luke was washing his hands. He froze for a moment at the sight of her, his anger dissipating. He stepped to the side after Olivia gently nudged him and watched as she opened the cabinet under the sink and pulled out a first aid kit.

"You don't have to—"

"Sit." Olivia nodded towards the closed toilet.

As she opened the first aid kit and pulled out everything she'd need, Luke allowed himself to study her. She didn't seem mad, but she did seem annoyed—hopefully not at him.

He couldn't help himself. Olivia was important to him and he cared about her a lot. She was one of his best friends and he wasn't going to let someone disrespect her, and he sure as hell wasn't going to let Jason Cummings of all people hit him and get away with it. He felt no remorse for that, but he did feel sorry that Olivia had to witness it.

They sat in silence as Olivia cleaned Luke's split knuckles.

Olivia wasn't mad at him, quite the opposite actually. Truthfully, she was scared of what could've happened if he didn't step in. Jason had always been a dominant person, but she had never seen him turn aggressive so quickly, especially towards her.

Her gaze lifted to meet Luke's as she wrapped his hand in gauze. "Thank you for stepping in."

"You know I've always got your back," he responded, his lips curling upwards.

Olivia shook her head, a small smile coming over her face. "Even when it leaves you with a black eye?"

"Especially then."

"I'm sure your mother would be thrilled to hear that."

"Oh, definitely."

Light hearted chuckles filled the air, only fading as Olivia finished up with Luke's hand.

"I have a question for you," Luke said with mild hesitation.

She nodded and let go of his hand. "Shoot."

"When Jason called you a prude, did he mean that you two have never...?" He watched as she stepped back and leaned against the sink. "Sorry, that's personal, you don't have to answer. It's not my business."

"We haven't," Olivia said quickly, "if you're that curious." Her eyes fell to the ground. "Is that weird?" Every time she thought she was ready, she'd back out last minute leaving Jason frustrated and angry, and herself feeling quite guilty. She knew that other people their age were already having sex and Jason never failed to remind her whenever they got to that point. Her gaze lifted to meet Luke's.

He shook his head. "No, that's not weird at all."

He wanted to ask why the couple never slept together despite dating for so long, but he didn't want to overstep and make her uncomfortable.

Olivia caught his hesitation. If she were talking about this with anyone else, she would feel both embarrassed and uncomfortable, but she trusted Luke and she knew there wouldn't be any judgement.

"It's just that—" Olivia sighed, trying to find the best way to put how she felt into words. "You don't know what other people are thinking. Someone could say they're in love with you, but then the next thing you know, everything they once loved about you is everything they hate. I like the idea of love and it's fun to write songs about, but when it's real, and you're in it, it's..."

"Scary?" Luke guessed, thinking of the first heart-to-heart they ever had. He stood up and leaned against the counter beside her.

Olivia nodded. "I don't want to be that vulnerable with someone only for them to walk out of my life, you know?"

"You want it to be with the right person." Luke nodded, understanding her words and the feelings from which they came. "Someone you love and trust."

"Yeah." Olivia looked down and played with the hem of her shirt. "Have you ever...?"

"No, I haven't." He paused once he realized how quick he was in answering. "But it's not like there haven't been chances. There've been plenty... of chances."

"I don't doubt it, rockstar." She gave him a small smile before tilting her head to the side. "Can I ask why?"

Luke shrugged. "I've always been so focused on my music. It was never really a priority and I'm not in a rush, so..."

Olivia bumped into his side, a reassuring look in her eyes. "Virginity is a social construct anyways."

There was a lightness in the air, filling the small washroom around them and wrapping them in a warm feeling they only seemed to feel in the presence of the other. It was the same feeling when they wrote songs together, the same feeling when their voices harmonized under stage lights, the same feeling every time they looked at each other. And in this moment, they weren't just looking at each other. They were seeing each other.

As their eyes met, Olivia couldn't help but realize something: she had no idea what colour Luke's eyes were. She could've sworn that they were a deep brown, but looking at them now, they were lighter than she originally thought. Under the fluorescent lights, she could see the green flakes sprinkled throughout and the blue that hid around the edges. It was unfair how pretty they were.

Luke stared at her for another reason. There was a vinyl record his dad loved to play on Sunday mornings during breakfast. He couldn't remember the name, but he could remember the cover art. It was a picture of a little boy looking at a painting and on this painting was a woman. She was beautiful and the boy was completely mesmerized by her. Luke never understood how people could be art, but as he stood next to Olivia in her mom's half renovated bakery, it suddenly made sense. He understood why the little boy was so entranced now.

Olivia came out of her daze before Luke did. She noticed the way his lips were curled into a small smile as he studied her and that the soft look he gave her made his eyes look more glossy than usual. She looked away and let out a nervous laugh. She was starting to think that they stared at each other too long and too much for the average pair of best friends.

"How are your hands?" Olivia asked, overwhelmed by the silence.

Luke raised an eyebrow. "What?"

"Your hands," she clarified, looking at him again. "Will you still be able to play the guitar?"

"Oh!" he exclaimed, nodding his head. He scratched the back of his neck awkwardly. "Uh, yeah, yeah."

There was a loud crash followed by shouting that sounded from the front of the store.

Olivia's eyes widened and she pushed off the sink. "What the hell was that?" Her voice rang through the store.

When Olivia and Luke got to the front of the shop, they were met with Alex, Reggie, and Bobby standing around a fallen can of open paint. This wouldn't be a problem, of course, if the can wasn't already open.

Olivia felt like a mother about to scold her children. It appeared that the boys thought she looked like one because before she could even open her mouth to ask what happened, they pointed their fingers at each other.

"In our defence," Reggie said loudly, still pointing an accusatory finger at Alex, "you shouldn't have left us unsupervised!"

RAE SPEAKS !
luke and liv talking about sex because it shows how deeply she values trust and how she's saving that part of herself for someone she truly and unwaveringly loves because she has abandonment issues and is scared of vulnerability

also can we talk about how jason is such a creep like how did he even know where the bakery was ?? it's because he's literally stalking olivia like move on already dude