Chapter 18:

Beckinsile's Point of View

I throw open the front door and wave goodbye to Ed as I drop my house keys in my bag. I walk slowly back to the kitchen and grab some chips from the pantry. My mother's already at the stove cooking dinner. The sounds of a sports game float in from the living room, where I'm guessing Gabe and Nate are. I didn't see my father's car in the driveway so I'm guessing he's caught up at work.

"Beckinsile, where were you and Ed?" My mother gives me a glance and then goes back to stirring something on the stove.

"We went somewhere with one of our other friends." I say and give my mom a small kiss on the cheek.

"Would that be Blackwell Advertising and Management?" My mother asks in a level tone.

I can feel my breath catch in my throat.

"A lady called and said that you insulted her and accused her of being a prostitute. Beckinsile, I've never heard of you acting like this. What happened?" My mother turns around and motions for me to explain myself.

"She's married to my friend Cadillac's father. Her father cheated on her mother with that lady and then he went off and married her. The lady's a greedy gold digger and manipulated Cadillac's father into pretending that Cadillac wasn't his daughter. She's trying to get Cadillac out of the picture so she can have all the wealth to herself." I snap and can feel the tears behind my eyes.

"Beckinsile that is not your place to judge. What he did to Cadillac is awful and the fact that he let himself get manipulated like that is beyond me but those are not your problems. You should not have been so rude to that woman no matter what you think she did or what she actually did. I know you were sticking up for your friend and I admire you for that but this was not your place."

"Well he admitted it," I say in a choked up tone.

"What?" My mother sighs.

"He said that she is his daughter and that he never should've runaway with his escort. He admitted that she was his escort."

"I don't care; what you said was rude and uncalled for, whether it was true or not." I've never seen my mom this upset with me. "I think you should go down to her house and apologize to her, bring her flowers and some cookies or something and just apologize." My mother gives me a weary look and then goes back to cooking dinner.

"I'm going to Danika's on Friday; I'll apologize then." I walk out of the kitchen before my mother can protest.

I stalk into the living room where Gabe and Nate are watching a football game that they'd recorded on Sunday. As soon as I walk in they both stand and start applauding me with huge smirks on their faces.

"You finally got in trouble; I'm so proud," Gabe smirks as I stick out my tongue at him.

I run upstairs to my room and slam the door. I'm mad at myself for letting my anger get the better of me but I couldn't stand to see Mrs. Blackwell win any more than she already had. I dump out the contents of my bag onto my bed and then begin my homework.

~~~~~

I've had dinner and finished most of my homework by nine o'clock. I open up my math textbook and try to finish the last few math problems I have.

In fifteen minutes, I'm actually done which surprises me because the problems had looked really complicated.

I wash my face and slip into my cozy pajamas. I undo my covers and slide under them, about to fall asleep. My phone rings the minute my head hits the pillow causing me to groan. I check the caller ID and see "King Oliver". I smirk and press answer.

"Good, you finally picked up. Where've you been all afternoon; I've tried calling you at least five times." Oliver has a hint of amusement in his voice.

"I was working with the FBI to help them with the impending alien invasion." I smirk and wait for him to respond.

"Very funny, Beckinsile." Oliver says a few minutes later. "Where were you actually?"

"I was with Cadillac helping her solve some family issues."

"See, this is one of the many reasons why I like you. You'll do anything for your friends." Oliver says teasingly; most likely expecting a reaction from me, which he got.

"Stop making me blush; I'm warning you, Oliver Marshall." I smile to myself.

"No can do, beautiful." Oliver is silent for a few minutes, waiting for me to respond.

"You're cute, you know that?" I roll my eyes and chuckle a little.

"I've been told," Oliver laughs and then goes silent. "You ready for Saturday?"

"I can't wait, Olly Pop. I've never been to the fun fair."

"You haven't been? That's a disgrace!" Oliver shouts with lots of humor evident in his voice.

"I know; I'm a terrible person."

"You're not terrible; you're deprived, my child." Oliver states clinically.

"Very funny; Saturday hasn't come yet so you may want to be nice to me." I joke.

"You would never cancel on me," Oliver says with a gasp.

"Try me,"

"Oh sweetheart," I like the way he calls me sweetheart; there's something comforting about it. "I know you wouldn't because you like me too much."

"Well you've got me there," I say with sarcasm.

"I had a feeling I would." Oliver lets out a little chuckle. "I'll let you get some sleep." Oliver says in a calming voice.

"Thanks see you tomorrow." I mumble in a sleepy voice.

"Goodnight, beautiful." Oliver says as he had the night before. I hang up with a smile on my face.

~~~~~

I wake up in an oddly good mood; most likely because I'd gotten a good eight hours of sleep. I wash my face, apply makeup rather quickly and then go to make my bed. I pack up all my homework and then go look for an outfit. I rummage through my closet until I find something appropriate.

I pull on a pair of light blue jeans, a Batman graphic tee and my Vans. I throw my hair up into a messy bun and grab my bag. I walk down the stairs and with every step I feel lighter and happier; I still have no idea why.

My mom hasn't come into the kitchen yet; I pop a couple pieces of bread into the toaster and turn the toaster on while I wait for her. I sit at the breakfast bar and look at our backyard from the kitchen window. The toaster dings a few minutes later and I spread some Nutella on the bread.

Gabe and Nate walk into the room and grab bowls for cereal. I eat my toast as they sit down on either side of me. My mother walks into the kitchen next and fills up her mug with coffee. She gives me a quizzical look and then smiles.

"Why are you so happy this morning, Becky?" My mother takes a sip of her coffee and then waits for my response. I don't realize it but I'm smiling like an idiot.

"I got eight hours of sleep," I say with a happy sigh. My mother gives me a look as if she knows there's more than I'm letting on.

"Good for you, sweetheart." My mom says and then smirks at Gabe who's practically falling asleep into his cereal. "So, what time did you go to bed, Gabriel?" My mother sounds completely amused.

"I don't know," Gabe whines and then sits up straighter.

"My money's on 2 A.M. How 'bout you Nate?" I say and turn to face my younger brother.

"I'm guessing 3," Nate shoves a spoonful of cereal into his mouth.

"Nah, he'd already be asleep if he'd gone to bed then." Nate and I chuckle as Gabe angrily finishes his cereal.

"Let's go," He mumbles and grabs his bag and keys.

"Somebody's grumpy," I smirk and follow him out to his car. We're all silent the rest of the ride.

~~~~~

"And that is how you..." The bell thankfully interrupts Mr. Meyer before he can give us homework.

Oliver grabs my hand and we walk off towards science together. We take our front row seats and wait for the bell to ring. Thanks to Oliver, my classes go by a lot faster than I think they do. I smile at him as Mr. Mitchell begins his daily lecture. I take notes but find it very hard to focus for some reason.

~~~~~

Oliver and I continue on to marketing after Mr. Mitchell is done boring us. We take our seats with Danika and Brandon on the other side of the table. The atmosphere is friendly as Mr. Walker begins to lecture us, which is not unusual for him lately. I grudgingly take notes and wait with every passing minute, for the bell to ring.

Before I know it, Oliver and I are walking off to lunch.

"Looks who's finally back," Cody says with a smirk as Oliver and I sit down.

I can feel my cheeks warming as the other boys greet us.

"So where were you two on Monday?" Xander says suggestively.

"Don't ask such personal questions," Oliver scolds which causes us all to burst into laughter.

"Oh, I see how it is. Did Oliver pull some of his non-existent charm on you?" Xander turns his gaze towards me and smirks.

"Leave her alone," Oliver mutters with a blush making its way onto his cheeks causing him to look even more adorable.

"Aw he's blushing," Eli joins in the conversation.

"Shut up you idiot." Oliver mumbles and stares down at his lap.

"Dude, I think I figured it out; these two have something going on." Cody can barely contain his amusement.

"I swear I will punch all of you," Oliver smirks, finally regaining his composure.

"Oh, well if there's nothing going on, I guess you won't mind if I ask her out would you? We all know I'm the most charming of everyone here." Xander smirks arrogantly.

"Yes, I would mind because she's already taken." I smirk and wait for Oliver to continue. "By me..."

"There it is," Xander says and the other boys begin applauding.

"Very funny," Oliver rolls his eyes and mouths "I'm sorry" in my direction. I just smile and grab his hand from under the table.

"Oliver you have to promise us something," Cody says as he finishes applauding.

"What would that be my small brained friend?" Oliver chuckles and turns to face Cody.

"Please don't turn into one of those mushy couples that can't keep their hands off each other. I can't hang around you if you do that." The other boys nod in agreement, smirks playing on their lips.

"I swear we won't turn into that; we both like our dignity." Oliver winks in my direction before turning back to face his friends.

I let go of his hand and pull out my lunch bag. I slide my strawberries his way and begin to eat the rest of my lunch. "Things are settling in pretty nicely; aren't they?" I think to myself as Oliver and his friends start talking about Death by Diamonds latest gig. I smile and join in the conversation.

~~~~~

"French was deathly, wasn't it?" Oliver smirks and hands me his spare helmet as we walk out the side doors of the school.

I nod a little and send Ed a text about how Oliver is taking me home. He sends me a smirking emoticon and tells me to have fun. I roll my eyes and follow Oliver to his bike.

I put the helmet on and straddle the bike. Oliver gets on after me and I wrap my arms around his waist.

I can feel the wind whip through my hair and put goose bumps all over my body. Oliver turns down my street and pulls into my driveway as he had the other times. He pulls his helmet off and shakes out his hair which makes my heart race for some unknown reason.

"You're checking me out, aren't you?" Oliver turns around to face me and smirks.

"No, I'm fascinated with your bike." I say feeling a little flustered.

"Its fine, you can check me out as much as you want; God knows I check you out enough." Oliver's dimples are showing which almost gives me a heart attack. "I guess I can render you speechless." Oliver watches me as I get off the bike.

"I'll call you later," I mumble with a shy smile.

Oliver grabs my hand and gives it a small squeeze as I walk towards my front door. I smile as he puts his helmet back on and speeds off towards his house.

I unlock the door and practically run into Nate and Gabe who've no doubt been spying on me.

"You two are such jerks; I swear if you tell mom about Oliver I will tell her about how you dopes broke her favorite vase, how it wasn't the cat's fault." I walk past them into the kitchen.

"You guys make an adorable couple, sis." Gabe smirks and takes a seat at the breakfast bar.

"How's Terra? I'm sure she'll want to meet mom and dad." I smile sweetly and grab a water bottle from the fridge.

"She's fine and surprisingly doesn't want to meet my family." Gabe says coolly and then crosses his arms with a self-satisfied smirk.

"You need to stop smirking or your mouth might get stuck like that." I take a sip from my water bottle.

"Would that be so bad?" Gabe smirks again just to annoy me.

"Can you imagine trying to break up with one of your many girlfriends with a smirk on your face? They'd never take you seriously." I pat him on the head and walk past them into the living room.

They follow me in and take their seats on the couch I glare at them and instead walk upstairs to my room to start my homework.

I dump the contents of my bag onto my bed and unwillingly begin French conjugations. I unlock my phone and put a Stereo Skyline album on repeat.

"Got caught up in a dream world, where you are my dream girl..."I continue singing along and conjugating French verbs.

~~~~~

I finish my homework as my mom calls me down for dinner. I sigh happily and start eating. My mom is smirking at my dad as she begins her usual questioning about our days. I give her small responses, avoiding the topic of Oliver all together.

She moves onto Gabe, Nate and finally my dad. I offer to do the dishes, which makes Nate and Gabe extremely happy. I do the dishes quickly and then go off to my room to get ready for bed. I slip into my pajamas and climb into my bed. I unlock my phone and go on Twitter to browse through my feed.

After a few minutes on my phone, I lock it and lie down on my pillows, ready for sleep. I'm about to close my eyes when my phone rings.

I decide to let it go to voicemail and see what the person has to say. After the voicemail is finished, I unlock my phone and press play. As I had suspected, it was Oliver who'd called.

"Obviously you're already asleep or you probably would've picked up. I just wanted to tell you goodnight and that I'm glad your mine, Beckinsile. See you tomorrow, beautiful." I smile to myself at Oliver's thoughtfulness as the voicemail ends.

"I'm glad you're mine too," I whisper as I fall asleep.