It was Friday.

Olivia got ready for school and walked instead of taking her car.

“Do you mind if I join you?” Caleb asked. In response, she shrugged.

Things were still tense between them, and even in the house, things were spiced up. He couldn’t bring himself to apologize to Olivia. Instead, they made their way silently to school.

Olivia was pushed before the lecture could begin, causing her to land on her back on the locker.

Olivia exclaimed, “What the hell?”

“Shit! Are you okay, Olivia?” Caleb dashed towards her, inspecting her for injuries.

“Shut up, bitch. How dare you? I was supposed to go to the competition, and you took it from me.” Jenna shouted at her.

“It was a fair game, Jenna,” Caleb replied on Olivia's behalf.

“Caleb, stop defending Olivia. She is nothing but a piece of shit.” She told him.

“Stop bad-mouthing about her,” Caleb told her firmly.

Olivia was taken aback to see Caleb defending her. Jenna had gotten a lot of attention.

“Caleb, please. You all have such a positive image of Olivia, but you should be aware that she is not so innocent.” Jenna grinned.

“Jenna, what are you trying to say? Say it to my face.” Olivia fixed her gaze on her.

“Well, why don't you tell us who you usually go out with after school?” Olivia stiffened because of Jenna's words.

“Olivia, what happened? Ashamed of the truth coming out. You wouldn't want people to know how the little kid was a mistake. That's how you end up with a child you are ashamed of. You couldn't bear looking at your mistake, so you gave him to someone else. But you still go and see him.” Jenna continued to speak. Olivia had no idea Jenna would go to such lengths to follow her around to gather dirt on her.

Olivia was enraged by Jenna's words, prompting Olivia to slap her twice in the face. She was about to punch her again when Caleb grabbed her hand and drew her out of school with him.

“Don't worry, Olivia; none of us believe her. We all know she's just jealous and made everything up. Let's head home.” Caleb rested his hand on her shoulder, attempting to calm her down.

“You up to walk?” Olivia asked him, still breathing hard.

“Oh yeah, sure.” He didn't know how else to respond to her.

“It's nearly an hour's walk.” She informed him.

“I don't mind.” Which she acknowledged with a nod.

Caleb accompanied her on the entire walk, which was completely silent. Finally, they arrived at their destination after an hour. Caleb stood in front of a two-storey home. Olivia motioned for him to follow her inside.

She pressed the doorbell, and a lady answered. “Olivia, what a wonderful surprise. You even bought a guest. Come on in, you two.”

“Madison, this is my friend Caleb. He is the son of my godparents, whom I have previously mentioned, and Caleb, this is Madison, Cameron’s guardian.”

Caleb was about to ask her who Cameron was when a small child came down the stairs and hugged Olivia.

Caleb was taken aback by the similarities between them. Jenna was correct about Olivia. That’s what he believed. He wanted to ask her a lot of questions, but he knew it wasn’t the appropriate time. So he stayed with Olivia until the evening, playing with the child. Cameron was a pretty cool kid for his age. He had a good time with him and Olivia. Olivia appeared pleased to be spending time with Cameron.

It was already dark outside, so they said their goodbyes, promising to return.

They had been walking for five minutes when Caleb decided to speak up.

“It's fine, Olivia. If you have a son...” He was about to say something else when Olivia interrupted, which surprised him even more.

Cameron is not my biological son. He’s my younger brother.” She informed him.

“Wait... What?” He stutters.

“How about we sit?” Olivia suggested.

Olivia finally decided to let out a small part of her life as they sat on the nearest bench.

“Please don’t say anything in the middle.”

“All right.” He said.

“Things were not going well at the house. It got to the point where it wasn’t safe for Cammy to live there anymore, so I took him and left. I drove here. Cammy was crying, so I went to a nearby small restaurant to feed him. That’s when I noticed Madison crying and Aaron, her husband, holding and consoling her. I couldn’t help but listen in and discovered Madison was infertile, which presented me with the excellent opportunity to give Cameron to them. He was only two years old. I knew it wasn’t the best idea, but it was the only way to keep him safe.

They were obviously shocked when I handed them my two-year-old baby brother, but I didn’t have a choice. So I had to tell them about my personal life at home.

My parents became involved in drugs after I left this place after a year. They were becoming increasingly aggressive and violent, and I realized that my home was no longer safe for a two-year-old child. I informed Madison and Aaron of this information.

They both agreed to adopt. They wanted to report my parents, but I told them not to. It wasn’t a good idea, but I couldn’t let them report my parents. Maybe I should have because if I had, they might still be alive.” She admitted it.

Caleb was stunned by the recent information he had learned.

“I, um... How did your parents die?” He asked her.

“It was a drug overdose.” Caleb's breath became stuck in his throat.

“Did they ever abuse you?” He asked her hesitantly.

“Yeah, lots of time, which is why I needed to get Cameron out of there. You should know that they weren't always like this. Mom took me shopping one month before they died, and we had a good time as a family. They decided to get their act together, but it was not an easy task. They kept asking me about Cameron, but I kept avoiding the topic. I couldn't tell them the truth until they were completely normal. Then, all of a sudden, things went wrong again.

It was so bad that I just blurted out how awful they had been to us. They were extremely guilty. And one morning, I discovered them dead from an overdose. I was taken aback by the scene in front of me. Because I wasn't thinking clearly, I decided to end my life in the same way they did. I took some pills, but before anything could happen, cops arrived, and your parents took me in. Except for that one time, I had never touched drugs or pills in my entire life. Caleb, I am not an addict.”

Caleb was feeling more than a little guilty.

“I am sorry, Olivia.”

“It doesn't matter, Caleb. I told you this because I was sick of your slanderous accusations. I understand how it feels to lose people because of a single screw-up. I was unable to save my parents and thus lost my entire family. But you can reclaim your family and live happily ever after. Nobody gets a second chance, but you did.” Olivia then exited and began walking.

Caleb was lost in his own thoughts as he walked beside her. He realized Olivia didn't flinch when she was hurt because she was used to it. Moreover, Olivia's efforts to repair his relationship with his brother made sense to him because she, too, had a brother.

He was so dazed that he didn't notice they were taking a dangerous route home.

“Olivia, we are going in the wrong direction.” He came to a halt.

“It's a shortcut, Caleb.” She informed him.

“I know that, but this route is dangerous.”

“What really?” She asked him in surprise.

“Yes, all sorts of illegal activities take place here. You name it: kidnapping, drugs, or rape.”

“Shit! No wonder I got myself into trouble.” She whispered, but Caleb heard her.

“What do you mean, Olivia? Don't tell me you have used this way before?” He asked her in a panic.

He was startled to hear the sound of bikers approaching them. He snatched Olivia from the side of the path and buried her face in his chest. His back was turned to the main road. Olivia was perplexed by his sudden reaction and attempted to distance herself from him, but he held her close.

“Olivia, don't move. Hold your breath.” She complied.

He grabbed Olivia's hand and walked as fast as he could with her to get away from this place once the road was clear. Caleb's rage was palpable, and he squeezed Olivia's hand tightly but not painfully. When they arrived home, he dragged her to her room and locked the door.

“Tell me when you use that route?” He demanded an answer from her. He feared what might have happened to her.

“Remember that day when everyone found me sleeping on the bench?”

Caleb nodded in response.

“Before that, I went to meet Cameron on the night you went to a party, and I asked you to drop me off in the middle of the road. I was late leaving from there, so I took the quickest route, and some guy cornered me...” But Caleb cuts her off.

“No. I can’t believe it. Someone beat you. I can’t believe it. It’s my entire fault.” Caleb was shaking from anger. He was furious with himself.

“Caleb, it’s not your fault.” She sat beside him and rested her hand on his shoulder.

“Of course it is.” He abruptly stood up, causing her to flinch.

“I am not going to hurt you, Olivia.”

“I understand. Your movement caused me to flinch. I don’t do well with loud voices.”

He wrapped his arms around her and hugged her.

“Olivia, I am sorry for everything I said and did to you. I have been a jerk toward you. I have been so cruel to you. I realize I don’t deserve your forgiveness, but you have no idea how guilty I am.” He told her this while tightly hugging her.

“I know Caleb. Tears would not have flowed from your eyes if you weren’t feeling guilty.” Olivia gently wiped his tears away and hugged him once more.

“And I forgive you, Caleb.”

“Do you think it’s too much to ask you to be my friend?” He asked her.

“Only if it isn’t for the fact that you pity me?” She told him.

“Nope, never. I have been thinking a lot about befriending you. But something always happens.”

“Then I would like a friend.”

“Olivia, when you told me about Carson that day, I didn’t mean what I said.” He admitted it.

“I am aware of that, Caleb.” Anger makes you say a lot of things which you rarely mean.” She told him.

“Olivia, I want to meet Carson. I want to talk to him.”

“That’s great.”

“I cannot call him. I need to talk to him face to face.”

“Caleb, I don’t know how I would be able to help you? Yes, Carson gave me his number, but he won’t tell me where he lives. He was adamant about leaving you alone for the rest of your life. But I can give it a shot.”

“He is stubborn. I should talk to my parents about it. I am sure they have figured out where he lives by now.”

“Yeah.”

“I want you to come with me when I go and meet him.” He told her.

“Caleb... I don’t... think...”

“No, Livy... Please, you have to come. I need a friend’s support.”

“All right.”

“I appreciate it.” He said.

“Caleb, do you think I should tell Ella and David about Cameron?” She asked him.

“Yes, mom and dad would like to know about him.”

“So I will tell them.”

“Yes, you should tell them about Cameron when I ask them about Carson.” He told her.

“That soon?” She asked him with uncertainty.

“It's all for the best, Olivia.”

“I know.”

Caleb hugged her again and thanked her briefly. Then, they both went downstairs to speak with Ella and David. Hopefully, things will start looking up for both of them.