Olivia's POV

I finished the song with a loud strum from my guitar. I sent a smirk toward the brown haired boy in the front row. We kinda had a rivalry going on and I kinda liked him. No way was I gonna tell anyone. Not even my best friends knew. All they knew was that we freaking hated each other. Or so they thought. I had feelings for that boy, but he probably didn't like me back. Zane was two years older than me and he was in his final year of school. "Top that!" I challenged, sticking my tongue out. "I'm definitely going to get a part." Zane sent me a smirk to rival my own.

"You're so on 'Livia!" Zane paused, face going slightly pink. "I mean uh, Olivia." I ignored the fact he'd just used a nickname, something he'd never done before. I left the stage, sitting next to Sarah.

"That was really good!" She complimented. I waved her off, embarrassed by the compliment. Zane left his seat next to his friend and walked onto the stage. Zane's eyes were a piercing green, very bright. It almost made him look like a cat. It also made him hard to look away from. If green eyes were the most attractive colour then, Zane's has definitely captured my heart. I'd been told I also had a very pretty eye colour, purple-blue. One of my fingers had begun twirling a lock of my black hair as I watched Zane up on the stage. Looking back on that now, after everything that's happened... well, I have to let go of the past, Zane changed, and I can't deny it. Anyway, back to the story.

Zane took his place up on the stage and I felt myself smile. Zane's gaze glanced at and stayed on me for a while. He gulped and blushed slightly. Cute, he's nervous on stage. He opened his mouth to begin singing. "Oh~ we're half way there, oh~ living on a prayer." Zane's voice was quiet, nerves clearly getting the better of him. I sent him a thumbs up, and he brightened.

Later, Sarah turned to me. "Why did you give him a thumbs up?" She was clearly suspicious, her amber eyes questioning.

"He was clearly nervous, so I was giving him some confidence," I replied, shrugging.

"But you guys hate each other?"

"It's a truce," I replied simply. Sarah was taking no sh*t from me though. She smiled knowingly.

"You like him, don't you?"

I didn't answer.

~|~|~

A few months after that, Zane approached me by my locker. Not knowing what he wanted, I felt myself blush. "Um, Zane? W-what brings you here?"

Zane, himself, blushed and shifted. "Y'know how my prom is coming up?" He began, clearly nervous.

"Y-yeah? What about it?" He gulped and I felt my blush darken.

"Would you, uh, want t-to come with m-me, as l-like a date?" His face was really red at this point. My own face wasn't much better either.

"Um, yeah. Sure!" I said. Zane brightened considerably.

"O-okay! See you then!" I went to his prom and wore a dress that matched my eye colour but a little bit lighter than it. My black hair was done up. The reaction of Zane's friends was priceless. They probably thought we hated each other as well. But had that rivalry just been masking attraction between us? On my side it had been but I'm still not sure about Zane's side. Somehow, we ended up kissing in front of Zane's entire grade.

I sometimes smile when thinking back to the good times.

We dated all throughout college, when I graduated two years later. Zane got a job as lawyer and I wrote songs with my guitar. I also did odd jobs just for a bit more cash.

We got married when I was twenty five and Zane was twenty seven. It still hurts to think we were married. If I had known about his alcoholism sooner...

When I found out I was pregnant, that was one of the best days of my and Zane's life. I remember waking up not feeling well at all and then threw up. When the nausea didn't let up after a week, Zane took me to a doctor. I remember Zane just up and fainting when the doctor revealed his diagnosis. I had giggled, from amusement and excitement. We wanted a kid and now we were getting one. Sullivan didn't give me too much trouble while I was pregnant with him. He did the usual stuff. I didn't want to know his gender before he was born, I wanted to be surprised. Zane and I both liked the name Sullivan even if it was unusual. If Sullivan'd been a girl he would've been called Amelia. If I'd had more kids I would've wanted to know their gender.

Sullivan came into the world on May 14th. I'd woken up at 3 am with extremely painful cramps. I couldn't go back to sleep. I was in the bathroom when my water broke. I woke up Zane and we went to the hospital.

I remember holding my son for the first time. Zane was just so happy, he was crying.

Oh... yeah... three years later. Sullivan was then three years old. He had black hair and green eyes and the same pale complexion as his father. Sullivan's eyes were darker, closer to the colour of grass, than his father's bright green. I wondered if my eye colour made that happen, but then again I didn't know how genes work. But... it was here where the problems started. Zane was acting really strange, and seemed to be constantly have a beer bottle on hand. He got increasing violent with me. He flung me into tables and walls when he was drunk. I saw how it affected our son.

Sullivan did not take it well. He'd cry and hug his favourite stuffed animal. A fox one I'd got him for his birthday that year. Little did I know that fox would help him through these difficult times more than knew.

I subjected myself to that for three more years before I'd had enough. Zane had clearly changed for the worse and it hurt me to do it.

I divorced him.

I gained custody of Sullivan. He was so young then, six, starting grade one. He probably didn't understand. When Sullivan didn't make a friend after five years I got increasingly worried. He was lonely, and I could see that, but he insisted that he was fine. I saw right through his lies. And not to mention I heard how upset he felt when I heard him sing along to one of his favourite songs. Then enter his now husband of all things! Alder was his friend back then though. And I immediately noticed a change.

He wasn't lonely anymore.

I could go into detail about what happened after that, but you already know it.