Olivia's POV

I can't believe it.

So many weeks of preparation, hard work, late nights staying back in the workroom. I stare into the cupboard where my artwork has been stored for the past few weeks, the beautiful painting of the house on the hill, the exact one that was so close to being finished, the exact one that brought back happy memories of me and Tom and our adventures.

Except it isn't beautiful anymore.

Huge rips have torn apart bits of the canvas like claws on skin. Shreds of canvas paper line the cupboard, each one formerly a part of my work. It's almost as if a zoo has been let loose in the cupboard in a fit of rage.

All that remains are parts of the sky and the hills. That's it. It might not seem like a huge thing in the grand scale of things with all the threats, murders, and wars in the world, but art is my passion, the only thing that makes me get up in the morning.

It motivates me in a way that I can't explain. Now I'm left with an empty void, knowing I'll have to start it again.

"Freddie, c... can you pass me my phone, p... please?" My voice comes in raspy hiccups.

He nods and instantly gets it from the opposite side of the room, and no sooner do I ask for it than it's in my hand, and I'm dialing the only person I can think will be able to help me.

Freddie nudges me, "Who are you calling?"

"Hello?" The deep voice on the other end of the phone tells me I'm speaking to the right person.

"Tom, it's Liv. I n... need you to come to the workroom if you have free p... periods. Can you bring the photograph?"

"Of course I can! Liv, what's wrong?" Panic encapsulates his voice. "Liv, you need to tell me!"

"I'll explain when you're here." I put down the phone and dissolve into a fresh set of tears in front of everyone in the workroom.

Freddie presses me into his arms and just holds me there until Tom comes, like he wants to absorb some of my pain into himself. Lightly, his lips brush against my forehead, sending tingling sensations down my spine.

I hear him whispering things into my hair, but there is one thing he says that echoes throughout my head.

"We need to find whoever did this."

***

Freddie's POV

Everything seemed to be going so well up until this point, both on the art front and the Olivia front. Our piece is coming along in an absolute storm, and so is my longing for her. It's something I can't explain.

Seeing her now with her work ripped beyond repair, I want nothing more than to give Olivia my own so she doesn't have to start over. But I know she would feel too guilty to accept it.

"Liv?"

Thomas McKenzie comes through the door dressed in Adidas skinny tracksuit bottoms and a white t-shirt, just the standard rugby team get-up, and instantly spots Olivia in my arms.

With reluctance, I release her when I see the momentary scowl on his face, which quickly subsides when he has Olivia in his arms instead.

My mind flashes back to our last run-in with each other and how obviously jealous he is that we spend time with each other:

"Just stay the fuck away from her, Hutchinson. If you try anything on with Liv like you have with all the other thousands of girls you've shagged, then I swear you will never want to set foot in here again."

As I'm cleaning the cupboard of the shreds of canvas, I can't help but listen to their conversation.

"What happened, Liv? You know you can tell me anything." I feel like that extra emphasis was for my benefit.

"My piece, the one I based on your photograph, it's been ripped to shreds." Hearing her throat clog with emotion makes me want to run to her and calm her, but I think better of it because Tom's here.

"It's gone, completely ruined. All the work I put into it, and someone's gone and fucking trashed it!"

Anger consumes Olivia, something I have seen only once. She's still a relatively shy girl, even beneath the persona I've come to know and love, so Tom attempts to calm her down.

"It's okay, Liv, don't worry. We can recreate it. I've brought the photograph for you. We can do this together."

"We're going to need more help. The two of us can't do it alone." Her voice has resumed to its normal tone. "Freddie?"

Whipping around at Olivia calling my name, I'm instantly all hers. "Yeah?"

"Could you help me finish the piece, please?" Like I need any persuading at the thought of a girl like her wanting to spend time with a reprobate like me.

Tom pipes up, "Liv, I'm sure Freddie is very busy with his own piece, and he does have other subjects to work on. I'm sure it will be fine with just the two of us, won't it?"

"Olivia, I don't mind helping, it's—" I start.

"No, Tom's right. I know you're really busy, Freddie. I'm sorry for keeping you this long. We'll catch up soon, yeah?"

Thanks to Tom, who's just gone outside to make a phone call, I guess I'll just have to go with it. "Sure, no problem. I'll just pack some stuff away. Promise to text if you need anything, like anything at all."

"I will." She walks up to me and plants a soft kiss on my lips, which I can't help but keep for just a moment longer.

"Okay, I'm going, I'm going!"

Olivia laughs as I walk out of the workroom toward the motor vehicle and mechanics room, something I love to do since I got my motorbike. As I'm walking out, I hear a hushed voice talking on the phone just around the corner.

I hide behind a set of lockers but peek out to see it's Tom on the phone. I choose to stay where I am, not wanting to risk his wrath, when I'm able to hear what he's saying:

"... No, Alicia, it's fine, everything is going as planned... Yes, I did the whole thing, there's not enough left to keep, and by the way, I didn't like doing it. Like, I didn't like sending it to the whole college... Right, just listen to me, it's just us two now. No, he's gone somewhere else, I just don't know where. You're going to have to check... Fine, we'll talk soon, just hold up your end, okay? Bye."

What did he just say?

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Author's Note: Things are starting to get exciting now! I hope you're all enjoying this story. If you are, make sure to leave a comment below and also to vote and follow for more!