Chapter 4 Compliment

~ 004

~ BRIAN

I trudged into the cafeteria with Jake, my legs aching from the grueling soccer match. "Dude, I'm starving," I said, collapsing into the chair Jake pulled out for me.

"Hang on, I'll grab us some food," Jake replied, heading off to the food line.

As I waited, a group of girls nearby caught my eye. "Oh my god, who's that new guy?" one of them whispered. "He's so cute!"

I rolled my eyes, recognizing the familiar tone of admiration. But then I heard a voice that made my ears perk up – Olivia's voice. "Can you please stop this rubbish?" she said, her tone stern.

I smiled to myself, remembering our previous encounters. She was always so feisty.

Fast-forward a few weeks, and I found myself face-to-face with Olivia in the hallway. I tried to brush past her, but she called out, "Hey, wait!"

I turned to her, my expression guarded. "What do you want?"

"Can we talk?" she asked, her eyes pleading.

I hesitated, but something in her expression softened my resolve. "Fine, but make it quick. I'm in a hurry."

As we talked, Olivia apologized for her past behavior, explaining that she'd been feeling guilty about it. "I'm truly sorry," she said, her voice trembling.

I felt a pang of surprise, realizing that she'd been the one behind the prank that humiliated me. "You're the one who made everyone mock me?" I asked, my anger simmering just below the surface.

Olivia nodded, tears welling up in her eyes. "I don't know what came over me. I just wanted to get revenge."

I scoffed, feeling my anger boil over. "Revenge? You're just like your boyfriend, Gabriel."

Olivia's eyes widened in confusion. "What do you mean?"

"Gabriel told me to stay away from you," I explained. "He said I was flirting with you and that he owns you."

Olivia's face fell, and she looked like she'd been punched in the gut. "Did he really say that to you?" she asked, her voice barely above a whisper.

I nodded. "Yeah, he did. And I have to say, he sounds like a pretty possessive boyfriend."

Olivia shook her head, looking stunned. "He's not my boyfriend. He's my ex. And he's been causing problems for me ever since we broke up."

I raised an eyebrow, intrigued. "Oh, I see. Well, that's a whole different story."

As we talked, Olivia apologized for Gabriel's behavior and promised to make sure it didn't happen again. I accepted her apology, and we shook hands, deciding to put our differences behind us.

But just as things were starting to look up, Gabriel appeared out of nowhere, his eyes blazing with anger. "Olivia, what's going on here?" he demanded, his voice low and menacing.

Olivia stood her ground, her eyes flashing with defiance. "Nothing, Gabriel. Just leave us alone."

But Gabriel wasn't having it. "You're mine, Olivia," he growled, his eyes locked on hers. "And I won't let anyone come between us."

I felt a surge of anger at his possessiveness, but Olivia just smiled sweetly. "I'm not yours, Gabriel. I'm free to make my own choices. And right now, I'm choosing to be friends with Brian."

Gabriel's face turned red with rage, but Olivia just stood her ground, her eyes never leaving his. "Leave us alone, Gabriel," she repeated, her voice firm.

As Gabriel stormed off, Olivia let out a sigh of relief. "Thanks for standing up to him," I said, turning to her.

"No problem," she replied, smiling wryly. "I'm not afraid of him. He's just mad because he can't control me anymore."

I raised an eyebrow. "You two have a pretty rocky past, huh?"

Olivia nodded, her expression turning serious. "You have no idea. He was possessive and jealous, always trying to dictate what I could and couldn't do. I finally had enough and broke up with him."

I whistled softly. "I can see why he'd be upset. He's not used to losing control."

Olivia snorted. "He never had control to begin with. I was just playing along until I realized I deserved better."

I chuckled. "You're a strong woman, Olivia. I admire that."

She smiled, her eyes sparkling with amusement. "Thanks, Brian. I think we're going to get along just fine."

As we walked down the hallway, Olivia told me more about her past with Gabriel. I listened intently, fascinated by her story.

"I never thought I'd be friends with someone like you," Olivia said, grinning at me. "But I have to say, I'm glad we met."

"Me too," I replied, smiling back at her. "You're definitely not what I expected."

Olivia laughed. "I'll take that as a compliment."

We continued talking, sharing stories and laughter. It was clear that we had put our differences behind us and were starting a new chapter in our friendship.

But as the days went by, I noticed that Gabriel was still lurking around, watching Olivia with an intensity that made my skin crawl. I knew I had to do something to help her, but what?

One day, as we were walking out of class, Gabriel approached us again. "Olivia, we need to talk," he said, his voice low and menacing.

Olivia stood her ground, her eyes flashing with defiance. "There's nothing to talk about, Gabriel. Leave me alone."

But Gabriel wasn't having it. "You're mine, Olivia," he growled, his eyes locked on hers. "And I won't let anyone come between us."

I stepped in, my voice firm. "Back off, Gabriel. She's made it clear she's not interested."

Gabriel's eyes narrowed, and for a moment, I thought he was going to lash out. But then he turned and stormed off, leaving Olivia and me to breathe a sigh of relief.

"Thanks for standing up for me," Olivia said, smiling at me.

"No problem," I replied, smiling back. "We're friends, right?"

Olivia nodded, her eyes sparkling with gratitude. "Yeah, we're friends. And I think we're going to need each other's support to get through this."

I nodded, feeling a sense of determination.