So C'mon, Steal Me.

“Maybe if you put it like this?” Kara advised, taking the elastic band out of Olivia’s hair, destroying the messily strung bun Olivia was sporting.

“Kara?” Olivia laughed at the feeling of Kara brush her hair with her fingers. “What are you doing?”

The girls sat in Olivia’s room. They were supposed to be exchanging notes to get Kara caught up in AP chemistry in time for the lab on friday, but whenever the two girls worked together it seemed work was the last thing being done.

“I’m fixing your hair, duh. It looks cute when you put it down.” Kara noted.

“You’re so weird.” Olivia continued to laugh, unaware and unsuspecting of the bet between Alex and Kara, brushing Kara’s behaviour off as Kara being Kara.

“Whatever. You should leave your hair down more often, its so pretty and long.”

“Maybe.”

“Livy,” Kara began to whine, extending the ‘y’ for emphasis.

“What?” Olivia mocked in a similar fashion extending the ‘a’, joking along with Kara.

“Leave it down more- its so pretty like that.”

“But it gets in my way,” Olivia said, pulling the brown stands back into a ponytail again. “Ah, much better.”

“Liv.” Kara frowned, indicating she wanted Olivia to leave her hair how it was before Olivia tied it up.

“Ugh, kay fine.” Olivia caved, pulling the elastic out again. “Happy?”

“Mmmm, no.”

“Why not?”

“I donno.” Kara joked before casually trying to ask, “Livy, can I give you a make-over?”

Here it was, Kara’s first attempt to completing the first part of the bet. After lunch, Alex put new terms on the bet, insuring it’d be more fair- at least for him. Seeing as, Alex didn’t account for the fact that Kara could just wait until the last few days of the semester to make over Olivia guaranteeing an easily win- or cheat, if one looks at from Alex’s perspective, he made new terms for the bet. Granted Kara never thought of it in the way Alex did, she agreed to the new terms hoping to prove Alex wrong. The new terms Alex placed on the bet, were that Olivia’s make-over needed a deadline. Kara gave herself one month to be able to make-over Olivia, Alex wanted it done in a week- but accepted nonetheless, still convinced he had the bet in the bag.

“Make-over?” Olivia laughed nervously. “You’re joking right?”

“Livy, please! It’ll be fun!”

“Kara, we’ve been friends for a while now, what in our history has ever given you the idea I’d be into a ‘make-over’?”

“I don’t know?” Kara admitted. “I just thought it’d be fun, and common, you always look adorable when your mom forces you to wear a dress during the holidays!”

“Pfft!, adorable? I looked ridiculous!”

“No you didn’t! Common, I mean- what’s the harm?”

“Mmmm, Kara!” Olivia whined. “But why? Is it because of what Alex has been saying?”

Kara paused for a moment, thinking of what to say. She had never lied to Olivia before, then again she never needed to.

“A bit.” Kara said, lying by omission. “I just want to prove Alex wrong.”

“But it doesn’t bother me what he says.”

“Liv, you know it bugs you.” Kara spoke honestly. “I know it does.”

“A bit, but like- I’ve gotten used to it. I just don’t to listen to him, I mean c’mon. It’s Alex.” Olivia joked, trying to break the seriousness of their conversation.

“It is just Alex, but really Livy, why don’t you want to try?”

“I don’t know.”

“Liv, you’re so pretty, but no one gets to see that because you hide behind Matt’s oversized clothes.”

“...” Olivia remained quiet, putting her head down. Her temperature began to rise and her cheeks flush as she felt embarrassed by Kara’s words. Olivia knew Kara wasn’t trying to be mean, she was just trying to understand her friend.

“Liv...” Kara tried again, now understanding the sudden mood shift in the conversation.

“I guess I’m just so used to being how I am.” Olivia confessed. “You know, one of the boys. I don’t know if I could handle changing.”

Kara nodded not wanting to interrupt Olivia, but letting her know she understood.

“I know it sounds really dumb, but I as much as I’d like to see what it’d be like to change, I don’t want to. I like how I am, that I don’t need to try- its easy like this. I don’t have that constant nagging feeling that I do when I dress up and look all proper.” Olivia sighed. “I know the guys always comment nicely when I dress up, and say that I should dress like that more often, but I especially don’t want to change for a boy. If I ever do decide to be more feminine, I’d want it to be for me- because I want to. I don’t want to change just because the guys think I’d look better in a skirt. I just want people to like me how I am, without basing their opinions of me on how I look, or dress.”

Kara didn’t know what to say, she just pulled Olivia into a hug. Kara didn’t realize there was so much more to this whole bet than she thought. She didn’t mean to undermine Olivia’s principles by making this bet with Alex, Kara just wanted to prove Alex wrong- that despite a change in Olivia’s appearance, she’d still be the same, equally attractive girl.

“I get it.” Kara finally spoke honestly.

“Plus,” Olivia started. “I wouldn’t even know where to start- I mean, c’mon I wear Matt’s clothes half the time.”

“Well, if you want. But only if you want to- I’m not forcing you or anything, I could help you out. You know, just help cut down Matt’s influence on your wardrobe? Nothing big.”

“Promise nothing drastic?” Olivia spoke nervously, while her eyes were glazed with curiosity.

“Promise.” Kara smiled.

“Well I guess then.” Olivia smiled, lightening up to the idea. “I mean, like you said- what’s the harm?”

“We’ll just cut down the amount of Matt’s clothes you wear.” Kara joked, jumping up eagerly off the bed and towards Olivia’s closet. Upon opening it, Kara’s mouth almost dropped. “Please tell me at least one of these shirts are yours.”

Olivia laughed, as Kara rolled her eyes at all the male flannels and band t-shirts that conquered Olivia’s closet. A tight smile began to break Kara’s face, and soon she too laughed at the sight. Olivia left the plush surface of her bed and joined Kara by the closet, on looking her-or one could argue, Matt’s wardrobe.

The girls began pulling out articles of clothing and debating whether or not to return them to Matt. Of course Kara argued to give them back, and Olivia retorted- wanting to keep them. The two girls laughing while doing so, that was until Kara pulled out an unfortunately familiar raglan-long-sleeved shirt.

“Liv,” Kara started warily. “I thought you got rid of this.”

“I-I umm, I guess I forgot.” Olivia lied, pulling the old shirt away from Kara and folding it.

“Liv.” Kara said, narrowing her eyes knowingly. “You didn’t forget, you kept it.”

Olivia remained quiet. She played with the loose threads from the beat up shirt she once loved. Olivia knew she was going get an earful from Kara, and everyone else for that matter for keeping Alden’s old shirt, but Olivia just couldn’t let it go. That shirt held so many good memories despite the dysfunctional relationship she had with Alden. Olivia loved the way the material felt against her skin when she wore it and the reminder of the love Alden gave her. Alden may have cheated on Olivia, but despite that blemish in their relationship he loved her more than anything, and Olivia always felt that reminder when she wore his shirt. It was his favourite, and he gave it to her- that alone meant the world to Olivia during the days she almost forgot about Jack. It was a bitter sweet sentiment since that shirt held the memory of her discovery of Alden’s infidelity.

“You still have feelings for him don’t you?” Kara spoke softly, breaking the trance Olivia lulled herself into.

Heat instantly rose to her cheeks, coating the apples with a harsh pink colour. Olivia snapped her head up quickly, stunned at Kara’s blunt questioning before dropping her head back down in shame. Olivia indeed continued to harbour feelings for Alden despite both him breaking her heart and Jack unknowingly owning it.

Kara let out a long sigh as she closed the gap between herself and Olivia, pulling her into another hug. “It’s okay Liv, I won’t tell anyone.” Kara reassured her distraught friend, squeezing her tight and running her fingers through Olivia’s hair. Olivia didn’t need to respond to Kara’s allegations with words, her answer was clear from the tell tale expression on Olivia’s face, and the shining sorrowful confusion in her hazel eyes.

“I am so messed up, aren’t I?”

“Its okay Livy, we all are.”