20

                                    

                                          
Pressing my phone between my shoulder and my ear, I pulled my room door close. Anika nudged me away with her shoulder, waving a hand in my direction as she twisted the key, locking the door. "Hey, Terry," I said as soon as my call was answered.
"Hello, pretty," she said, a little breathless as if she was running around, "Wrong time to call. I lost my sock."
That didn't make sense. "Did you try the sock drawer?"
"What do you think, I'm stupid?" she asked, "Of course, I did, it's not there. I need it today. That's my lucky socks."
"Oh, the red and white one?"
She paused rumbling around, turning her attention back to me, "Yeah?"
I laughed, amused. "That's with Ezra, he posted it on his profile and called it his lucky charm."
Terry screeched and I pulled the phone away from my ear, glaring at it. "I'm going to kill him! I don't care if I have to stay single for the rest of my life. Nobody and I mean, nobody steals my lucky socks and lives to see the next day, that's for sure!" Anika's eyes widened and I knew she heard the murder threat. Horrified she turned to look back at me, asking me through her eyes if she was alright. Yeah, that's my crazy best friend. Nothing new.
Giving her a smile of what I hoped was reassurance, I pressed the phone back to my ear. "Right. Shall I call you back later then?" I asked. 
Oliver was waiting outside Athena Hall, a travel mug in one hand and his phone in the other. I knew he was waiting for Holland and I hesitated a little in my step. Should I say hi? We were cool, we talked and we understood where we stood with each other. We even smiled at each other in the passing, every day. Things are fine between us. I think. So, why was I hesitating?
Before I could silently walk past him, Oliver looked up, a genuine smile pulling up his lips as soon his eyes landed on me, "Hi, Addie."
My plans to escape going down the drain, I smiled, "Hi, Oli. Waiting for Holland?"
"Yep, apparently she takes two hours to get ready," his eyes flickered up the still empty staircase before coming back to me, "Hey, I wanted to ask you. Could you please lend me your physics notes, I've got some catching up to do?"
"Um, yeah," I nodded, "It's in my locker, I'll get you by the second hour."
He smiled. "We still on for this weekend?"
Right. The weekend plans. Oliver had stopped me in the hallway last week and had asked me if I would like to hang out with him this weekend. We could go into town and just hang out the way friends usually do. But Oliver and I weren't friends. We may have been at one point in our life, but right now, we weren't that. And I don't know if that was a door I was willing to open. Yet, I had smiled at him and had said sure. I had thought maybe he was only being polite, or that he would forget. Guess not.
"Yeah, definitely," I said, not able to say no, especially to Oli. I think a part of me will always have a soft spot for him. Soft spot because I know the pain that he was put under, the pain that he must still be feeling. I've felt that pain before. The blinding pain that takes every other sense out of the equation and all you'll ever be able to feel is either pain or numbness – and I didn't like either.
With a quick goodbye, I walked past Oliver and I was glad to realize that, like the last time, it hadn't felt weird or forced to talk to him. It was easy. I was fine with him. I don't know if we'll ever be friends, but just being okay with Oliver's presence was adequate for me. 
I had been so hung up on Oliver and acting nice around him, that I had completely forgotten about the phone call I had going on with my best friend. "Uh, Hello?"