Who Says Love Has to Be Left up to Fate?

Chapter Ten- Rejection leads to determination

I looked intensely at the little dog that was sitting on the counter drinking from a babies bottle, Joe was feeding him. He really liked doing that. He would make it really carefully using the right amount of baby powder and mineral water. He would hold the measuring cup right up to his eye and look see.

“Daisy”

“Galactica”

“ I Say she’s a Lady.”

“What like ‘Lady and the Tramp?”

“Yeah.”

“That makes me think of a tramp.”

“Oh…”

“Well you know to me she’s always looked like,” he said to me. He had his chin right on the counter and he was peering at our dog from all sorts of angles.

Our dog. Wow, that sounded nice. It was a strange rushed arrangement. But I didn’t want to question it, or it might just go away. Right now were we alone trying to pick a name for her, and boy was it hard. But something in the tone in his made me realize something.

We suddenly looked at each other and screamed “Oreo!”

“It’s perfect! She is brownie, black on top-“

“Vanilla white in the middle, black on the bottom.” He said thrilled, standing up softly ruffling Oreo’s hair.

“Not to mention uber sweet and crazy, goofy and everything Oreo.” I smiled at him. I could have gone on forever. He was playing with Oreo, and making silly faces as she gently pushed his face away with her paw.

“Joe I don’t think she’s falling for you.”

“What!” he said scoffing, “There is a female in this world that can resist me? No way, she loves me.” He said rubbing his face against hers. Oreo sneezed and Joe made a hurt face, and stuck his lower lip out in a pout.

“Joe, I am sorry, but you are going to have to find a new pity face, cause it has no effect with Oreo in the room.”

“No one can resist me,” he said looking at me. I gulp inward. I knew that better than anyone. I don’t know how I was still alive, cupid kept shooting those darn arrows at me and wouldn’t stop.

“This little lady can, and like puppy like mommy.” I can’t believe I just said that. Did I just flirt, with him. I Olivia Rose BonChevalle does not flirt. I don’t think I even know who to. I spun around with Oreo and ran away to the safety of the crowed in the living room. They turned to look at me when I came in with mischievous smiles on their faces.

“We did it. It was great, but really hard-“

“Geez you block head, don’t go giving them gross ideas.” He said hitting me across the back the head. At first I didn’t understand, but than I finally understood, and stood there my mouth hanging open.

“Don’t mind her, she is overly innocent sometimes. Though, come on Olive, even Frankie understood that.” I mumbled something incomprehensible and hid my face behind Oreo. I didn’t understand myself. Why couldn’t I be more discreet? Couldn’t I just have come here, politely introduced myself, had a nice meal, talk, get to know ‘them’ and not me, and get invited to do it all over again. Instead it was embarrassment after embarrassment.

“Well we have named her, that’s what she meant to say.” Everyone leaned anxious to hear the name. I turned Joe and in unison, we both said her new name. They were quite for a while before they all cried their approval. Right after that my phone rang, and I ran back to the kitchen to answer it, leaving Joe to take over his over enthusiastic family. Gina followed me back into the kitchen, while I rushed to grab my phone. I didn’t have a ringtone yet, and hadn’t even considered getting one, because I was hoping to get a new phone soon. I’ve had this one for years and it was in a really poor state.

“Allo?” I said answering in French. “Oh, Hello Aunt Eliza. The time? Crickey ! It really is seven, I am sorry. I’ll be there in a couple of minutes. I’ll be home for 7:30 like I promised. And you know I never go back on my word. Right, love you too, see you soon.” I hanged up and plopped myself down on the counter. I felt drained all the different emotions I had felt today. So many in just four hours; Excitement, embarrassment, confusions, fright, rejections, love. Just to name a few. Now it was all ending soon. I just had a few minutes left before I had to walk out their front door, and turn my back on them. Actually I think I’ll walk backwards out the door just to make it last that much longer.

“We got to go, Gina. Aunt Eliza, needs me back ASAP. Do you mind driving me back, I still haven’t memorized the way back yet.”

“No surprise there, you have absolutely so sense of direction what so ever.”

“Well at least I can read a map.” I countered, packing up my things that were laying around and putting them in to my bag.

“Who need’s a map when you got my sense of intuition. Come on let’s go get my dad.” We walked arm in arms to the warm and cozy office slash study, kicking our legs out simultaneously like the can-can. We got really crazy when we were together. Gina and I were very similar, but most people only say our obvious differences. Like out heights and appearances. She was so pale and small, like a winter’s rosebud. Will I was taller and I got really tanned in the summer, thanks to my South African roots. But I wasn’t half as pretty as her. It was a fact that Georgina was pretty; it’s just the way it had always been.

“Hey, Dad, Olive here has to head back home. Do you want me to drop her off and comeback, or do you just want to go now?”

Mr. Harper frowned, his eyebrows knotting up together. “What, right now? I’m sorry Olive, but Paul was about to show me this new software. Is it possible that you just drop of Olive?”

“You might be interested in staying as well, Georgina, I heard the boys say they were going to watch a movie now. You could come back and join them,” inputted Mr. Jonas.

I did my best to hid my disappointment. I didn’t want to leave; I wanted to watch a movie as well. I wanted to curl up on one of those big chairs that was in their cinema room. I would be with Oreo on my lap and Joe to my left and Nick on my right. It be a scary movie, and I would turn and hide in they shoulders. Or a romantic movie and then they both would to the yawn and reach trick and put their arms around me. Maybe a sad sorry and they would both comfort me while I cried. I giggled at my stupid daydreams and came back to reality with Gina starting at me quizzically.

“Olive, what was that love struck stare and high pitch giggle about? Wait, actually don’t tell me. I don’t want to know.”

I shrugged it of feeling pretty stupid, and went to the front door, when Mrs. Jonas and Frankie rushed after us, followed by everyone but Joe and Nick. Of course. I looked at this group of people each with a certain amount of fame and celebrity. It was hard to not be dazzled by them. Everything about them seemed to show beauty and perfection. I don’t know what it is about celebrities, but maybe drinking Evian water all day makes you look that unattainable. I never felt like such an outsider before now, standing their in a tracksuit bottom and a polo shirt. I don’t know how Bella could stand it, being around the Cullens all the time.

“I heard you’re leaving. Were you really not going to say good bye. That’s very rude you know?” scowled Mrs. Jonas as a joke.

“Sorry, you were all busy doing something,” I said. “Um, could you give this to Joe? It’s a list of things Oreo needs like when to be fed. I was going to give it to who ever her owner turned out to be.”

“I’ll make sure it gets to him. I don’t know where he and Nick have gone off too.”

“I know,” whispered Frankie to me and Gina, “they never bother to chase up normal girls.” I tried to not show how much that hurt. Ouch Frankie you really know how to kick a girl when she’s down.

“But don’t worry, I like you Olive. You have to come back and listen to my band.” I smiled half heartedly at his attempt to make me feel some what better, and ruffled his hair.

We waved good bye to everyone and went out the door. I took a big breath and an even bigger step forward. It was hard walking away from one of the funniest days of my life. Gina stayed silent was we walked quietly to her car. I softly kicked the small rocks along the way, thinking about all that had happened today. I reached to car and buckled myself in at the passenger seat next to Gina, who was looking at me waiting for me to say, or do something.

“Olive.”

“Yeah, I said looking way from the ceiling of the car and at Gina.

“That wasn’t me.” She said smiling.

“Olive!” I turned looked out the window and saw Joe and Nick running towards Gina’s car. I lowered my window and looked at them. I couldn’t believe it they had come! I felt first today that they were actually interested me. Joe stopped my window and Nick did the same. I wanted to cherish to this moment. The Jonas Brothers had ran after me. Ooer.

“Yes?” Joe caught his breath and said look intensely at me. He looked really good, they both did. Their faces were a bit flushed and rosy like a child’s. Joe started talking;

“You didn’t say good bye to Oreo.”

I wanted to punch him. Seriously, though. Seriously! Oreo?

“I know,” I muttered as evenly as I could, “I didn’t want her to want to leave with me.”

“Oh, good thing I didn’t wake her up then. She is a sleep in my jacket. “I wanted to be asleep in his jacket, didn’t he realize?

“Smart thinking,” I said.

“Hey Olive, you said you’d give me your number. What gives?” said Nick pretending to look hurt.

“I never agreed to you Nick, and plus I shouldn’t after you two failed to mention to me a very important detail before. You know, up by Nick’s room.” A goofy grin filled their faces as they looked at each other and remembered the seen. That’s kind of, was a bit, eh… gross?

“Why don’t you take Gina’s number instead?” Gina rolled her eyes at me and mouthed ‘flirt’ to me. I did realize I was flirting. It was hard to not do around them. I never flirted before, and it just kept coming out of my mouth.

“Come on Olive, Joe needs to keep you posted on Oreo, and just thought I’d be cool, since you’re not far, to hang out with cool, funny, normal girl such as yourself.”

“Wow, you really have Nick practically buttering you up, common put the boys out of their misery,” urged Gina.

“I am sorry, of course I’ll give you my digits as you put it.” I hoped I didn’t come off to strong, because that’s what it sounded like to me. Why did I have to always sound more confident then I was? We exchanged phone numbers and Gina pulled away right after, barely giving me time to wave the good bye.

“Hey? What’s the big deal?”

“I was saving you from making a bigger fool of yourself. And plus It’s seven twenty, you’re going to be late.” She drove towards my temporary home, and I watched her curiously?

“Is it hard?”

“What? Driving?” she said glancing at me quickly, before I shouted at her to keep her eyes on the road, making her laugh.

“That’s right I forgot, no driving for you British people until you 17. That must suck.”

“Like you wouldn’t believe.” I undid my seatbelt and opened my door. We had already arrived in about three, minutes. It was crazy how close we were to the Jonas’s house. I hugged her tight and kissed her goodnight. And ran up the walk and through the door of my Uncle’s house and closed it behind me. I slid against the wall and tucked in my knees to rest my head for a moment. I realize I had been doing this a lot and anyone in my position would understand my need to. I had to check to know if it had all been real. I pinched myself. It didn’t hurt at all. So I tried again.

“OWWW! Oh God that hurt.” I looked at the red nail imprints on my arm and the specks of blood that was forming. There was never an in between for me.

“Olivia, is that you? What are you doing on the floor? Are you alright?” she said concerned. I stood up and reassured that I was as fine as I would ever be.

I went of to look for my little cousins and found them playing in their playroom. It was a really sweet room with classic Winnie the Pooh wallpaper and games everywhere. There was a little playhouse in one corner and big treasure trunk full of dress up games. Before I left for the Jonas’ house I had played Amelia at her tea set, and we had a very serious conversation about her favorite television shows. And afterwards she did my hair and make up. I now know what I want to look like for Halloween next year. Those cheap fake children’s make-up kits are really hard to wash of your face. Especially your hair.

But why should I say anything. I have a tendency to highlight my hair with Crayola markers. Jordan had wanted to play hide and seek and bad guys. I always had to be the seeker and be the bad guy, obviously.

“Come on you little Rugratz, it’s time for the bath time. Who wants to take a nice bubble bath?”

“I don’t wanna, I don’ wanna!” screamed Jordan as I picked him up.

“Hush now, Jordan. Let see. Do you know what Germs are? “ he looked at me interested and shook his cute little head no. “What about you Lia? No?”

“I know, I know!” said Antoine jumping up and down extremely excited.

“Go on then.”

“They are tiny, tiny monsters that are dirty, and, and, they like dirty things.” He finished proudly.

“Very good. Those little monsters come from dirt and lots of other filthy things we though during the day. They won’t hurt us if we wash them off during bath time, and we can brush our teeth.”

“Really?” said Antoine. “I am taking my bath first.” He said running of towards their bathroom.

I gave them their bath and got the ready for bed like I did the previous night. I read them about a giggilion stories, tucked them in and took a shower of my own. I scrubbed, plucked, shaved, exfoliated, and nourished all over again, before bidding good night to my aunt and uncle and climbing into my cool bed with my phone, notebook, and laptop. This was my heaven.
I
phoned up my parents who’ve I hadn’t called since yesterday and told that everything was fine, and I had meet some interesting people, understatement of the century. I reassured them that I was doing great then, sent a quick E-mail to my older sister Marie who was 24 and studying to be a professional film maker, mostly for documentaries and such. Then I spent a quick hour working on my novel. I am, if anything a writer, though I do have other hobbies like cooking, photography and film making. I have been working on this story for two years and I have been sending it off to publishers for almost a year now, and it kept getting rejected. Sometimes they were nice and told me what they didn’t like about it and I would edit it trying to make it better. But getting that refusal letter was hard to take. Feeling satisfied with the chapter, I moved on to my next order of business.

I dialed Gina’s number. It was now ten o’clock, she should have arrived home.

“Hiya Olive,” she answered in a sleepy voice. “What’s up?”

“Not much got the kids to bed by eight and had supper. Waiting for you to call.”

“Yeah but until a few moments ago I was still at Jonas’ so…”

“Just a few moments ago?” I repeated devastated, I had missed so much potential time with them.

“Don’t worry Olive we just watched Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, for Frankie and Demi who hadn’t seen it. It’s really long you know.

“Nothing cool happened?”

“Nope.”

“Are you certain.”

“Yes! No can we move on? Tell me what you were hinting at before with the boys. When you went to Nick’s room what happened.”

“Well I kind of forgot to keep crossing my arms after a while.”
“Ohhh…Nice”

“Not! And they so weren’t going to tell me. But afterwards something weird happened. I was looking for them when I was done and I overheard their conversation.”

“This is getting good, I wish I had popcorn. Go on.”

“Well it was really hard to understand. First it was them saying how I was more interesting than they thought and they should have talked to me sooner.”

“Score, one point. I had been worried too, though you gave the world’s most memorable entrance it true that they didn’t seem like they wanted to talk to you at all.”

“Then they went on about…my…” I mumbled the rest.

“Speak up, I can’t hear.”

“My chest.” I hissed and groaned when I heard her laughing.

“What that’s the thing. I didn’t understand it. Nick gave me a T. What the heck is a T?”

“I have no clue. T-t-t-terrific? Total? Terrible. The alphabet? What letter number is T?”

“I don’t know but who rates out of 26 anyway?”

“What about Joe.”

“He said he had a ‘bird’ so he couldn’t be a ‘rater’. Gina what is a bird?”

“Geez Louise, Olive. Build up your vocab with things other than Victorian adjectives once in a while. Bird, means chick, ie he has a girlfriend…. OMG, Olive I’m sorry.”

I dropped the phone for a moment to collect my thoughts. Joe had a girlfriend. Was I okay with that. I put my hand to my heart and checked to see if it was still beating. It was, just like before. Not faster or slower. And it didn’t feel like it breaking. Was I really just okay with this news. I picked up the phone to try to understand myself better.

“Olive are you still there?”

“Yep I’m here. “

“I know you said that you liked Joe, but um… there is always Nick.”

“Gina,” I laughed, “You know better than anyone that it’s just rude to just go on to the next available guy when you’re rejected. It’s so fake. Plus he considered you not me.”

“What do you mean?”

“Well after Joe talked about his bird, he asked Nick if he was interested in anyone, notably you. He didn’t exactly say no. They say you’ve change? What’s that about?”

“Really! Wow, to be under considerations from the biggest band in the world. It feels nice. I guess they were talking about how I was less than friendly the last few times I saw them. But they’ve change as well, much more mature. Plus having you around makes me relax.”

“Awww. I’ll be your happy pill anytime.”

“Yeah, yeah, love you too.”

“I am surprised that I’m not more disappointed than this. You know? I seriously thought I was going to see them and fall in love instantly with one. But now-“

“You’re happy just being their friend, neighbor and he’s puppy’s mother?”

“Ha-ha, well said.”

“I saw this coming. As I was saying before, Olive. You fell in love with those two glossy boys from teen magazines and flawless music video performances. And now that you see how real they are you respect them more. Luckily for you, you didn’t meet them at a concert or a meet and greet when they are still working. Now you realize what I did a long time ago.”

“Thanks for the diagnosis Dr. Harper. That’s not it though, their even better. It’s just that…I don’t know. Plus they don’t like me that much anyway.”

“Yeah, well, you can’t win them all Olive. It’s not that they don’t like you they might just not be attracted to you. Plus Nick has a bad taste if he considers me over you. Don’t worry about it so much and go to bed okay? What are you doing tomorrow?”

“Well actually Uncle told me that he and Aunt and the Cousins were going to one of his company’s family picnics. It’s direct family only so he asked if I could hang with you.”

“That’s a problem, I am booked for tomorrow. I am really sorry.”

“Oh that’s okay, I’ll just explore the area then, and go walking.”

“Sorry, the day after will be fine though.”

“It’s fine, good night.”

“Good night, my Olive.”

I hanged up and got under the covers, before I noticed that my phone signaled two new text messages. I opened the earliest one and I felt my blood rush through my body as I read it.

HEY- JUST TO ASK IF YOU WANTED TO HANG OUT WITH US TOMMOROW- FRANKIE BEGGED. COME FOR DINNER AT 6. THEN WE’LL ALL GO FOR A WALK. – JOE

I tried to not realize that he sounded like he didn’t like the idea of me coming over so much. Frankie begged? To who? Him? It really hurt. But all this rejection I was getting from him when ever he mention someone else when he talked to me just made me want him more. I moved on to the next text.

OLIVE- LOVE THAT NAME, FUNNY AS. SEE YOU TOMMOROW- NICK

Now that was a much better text that my stomach flutters. Well you know what they say; some boys give you butterflies, other’s give you stomach aches.

I replied back agreeing to both texts., and added on a little ‘KISS Oreo GOOD NIGHT FOR ME’ to Joes’ text.

I fell asleep dreaming peacefully of Nick and trying to keep Joe out of it.

That was just a great big …Fail…

Here is a preview of what is to come in the next chapter -hehe
http://www.polyvore.com/oh_happy_day/set?id=15597241