17: Who's Winning?

We made it home safe. Surprisingly.

"You're a good driver."

"Compared to you, a dog is better."

I roll my eyes and start getting out of the car when Oliver rushes out and opens the door for me. Since when is he such a gentleman? We walk in silence to my room after I thank Sarah for taking care of the twins that were already fast asleep in their room.

"I'm going out," Oliver tells me.

I turn around to face him with a slight frown, but he can't see me in the darkness that well, or so I hope, "The after party?"

"No."

I nod, not expecting him to go into much more detail than that. He usually goes out every night anyway so I assume he's going to that same place again. Don't know where he runs off to every night, but he does consistently. In the back of my mind I've always thought it's some girl's house, but he usually seems pretty sad when he comes back.

"Okay," I nod, "I'll wait up for you."

He gives me an appreciative nod and walks out, back out the front door we just walked in from. Before he closes the door completely he pokes his head back in. I give him a confused look but he ignores me.

"Told you I'd win."

I smile at the front door and shake my head. I never doubted it for a second. He's Oliver Grey for cry out loud, he gets everything he wants.

I go to my room and change into pjs, but I decide against my normal tank top and choose to keep Oliver's shirt on instead. It smells like him still, the signature vanilla and teakwood. I can't help but smile as I bring the shirt up tog my nose. I can't come up with a valid excuse to convince myself that it's normal that I'm wearing his shirt to bed, and that thought annoys me.

I sigh and make my way to the chair I always sit at. The mail was for once not an overdue bill. Ever since Oliver had started sleeping on the couch money didn't seem like an issue. He was loaded and was helping me out more than I expected him too. I still kicked myself for taking his money instead of finding a solution for myself. It seemed so unnatural for me to take money from him like that. But he never just gave it to me, he'd always hide it in a clever place he knew I'd find it. Maybe it was just all a little game for him.

I must've been thinking for a while because the door suddenly opens and Oliver makes his way in. I look at him and smile when he comes in but he doesn't return the favor. He looks more disheveled that usual and his body is all tense.

I go up to him wanting to ask what's wrong, but I know if I do I won't get a response back. Maybe some weird grunting if I'm lucky. I decide on giving him a hug. Even though he doesn't hug me back, his shoulders relax slightly. I let go and look up to him. Every time I'm this close I always remember how much taller Oliver is compared to me.

"Let's go to bed," I tell him and grab his hand to guide him to my room.

He follows, still not saying a word. Something must have happened in his little escapade to wherever. I want to help but I know nothing about these trips he does except that they're at the weirdest hours of the night.

"Oliver," His blue eyes snap to mine when I start speaking, "Good night."

He nods and collapses on the couch. He does take his shirt off before he does so and I'm able to see his back again. There's new bruises on his back but I can't imagine them being from football. They don't look as if they came from a tackle. I want to keep thinking about what could be happening in Oliver Grey's life, but I'm too tired to keep my eyes open so I fall asleep.

-*-

"Mommy, where's dad?"

"I don't know, Hazel, I don't know."

It's now March, four months since my dad left for his business trip to Paris. It doesn't seem much like a business trip, anymore. We'd moved to a smaller house since my dad disappeared and our higher class lifestyle was replaced with a lower middle class one.

I looked at my mom who had bags under her red puffy eyes. She'd lost a bunch of weight and her hair was thin and flat. She looked awful, and I wasn't much better.

My fourteenth birthday was around the corner, it was on the 15th of March, beware the ides of March. Our lives had taken such a toll that I didn't expect anyone to remember it was my birthday. Not that I wanted to celebrate it, I wasn't really in a happy mood.

Every year for my birthday my dad and I would do something special. Just me and him. We'd go to this little diner, a hole in the wall type of place, and order every single slice of pie. Then, we'd stiff our faces for hours.

This year, I didn't see that tradition happening. A key part of it was missing, my own father. Anyway, it's not like we could afford it either. I guess that makes two missing parts of this now broken tradition.

"Is he gonna come back?"

"I don't know."

I frown at my mom, at life. The twins were too young to understand and so my mom and I had to keep our smiles on while they were around. I always kept my smile on, no one needed to know what was going on.

At least that's what my mom said, 'Don't show them you're hurting, or else they'll hurt you even more.'

And so, I smiled everywhere I went. Soon, it became pretty natural by month three.

"And remember what to say when they ask."

I nod sadly, "He's on a business trip," I whisper the rest, "Still."

My mom nods but still doesn't look up to me. She can't face me, she hasn't been able to in months. I look too much like my father. I hate it. My own mom can't even look at me. It breaks me, slowly, every time we talk it breaks me a little more.

"Go play with the twins, please."

I roll my eyes, not wanting to play with my little brothers. They have so much energy and are so annoying. They're my younger brothers and who even likes their siblings?

I walk to the twins' room and smile at them. They were playing with their pillows, hitting each other and jumping from bed to chair to beanbag.

"Who's winning?"

"Me!" They both yell at the same time.

"Not for long," I give them a little wicked smile and grab the closest pillow.

They both scream and start running around, trying to escape me and my terrifying Spiderman pillow. I give a victory scream as I hit Ben and then another when I'm able to hit Braden. They start giggling on the floor and I take the opportunity to tickle them.

They keep laughing louder and louder until they beg me to stop, all most out of breath.

When my birthday rolls around I was thankful there was school. I would have something to distract me for a while. Levi, my one friend, was the only one that wished me a happy birthday.

"Happy birthday, Hazel."

"Thanks, Levi."

"You said you didn't want anything, but I couldn't resist."

I look at him, a little mad that he didn't follow my one wish. But when he shows me my present I start laughing.

"Fries? Seriously?"

"I know how you like fries."

I nod my head and smile at him, "I do, thanks."

I start eating the still warm fries. They were the perfect birthday present. I give Levi a quick side hug and we make our way to class.

At the end of the day, I went to my locker to leave my books. Levi had practice and so I was alone in the halls. Well, not truly alone. The buzzing of the energy filled teenagers that were just set free filled the halls. There was a lot of chatter and an uncommon number of paper balls beings thrown around. I roll my eyes at the immaturity around me.

I open my locker and am surprised to find a box inside. It looks like someone dropped it in mud and tried to clean it off and I laugh at the poor effort. Nonetheless, I open the box.

Note to self: Probably shouldn't open random boxes you find in your locker.

I gasp at what I find inside of the little box. A small silver chain. It looks like a braid made of tiny chains. I pick up the chain and was able to put it on. There was a letter where the chain had been and so I read what it says.

'Day of Birth'

Clever, but I didn't know who it'd come from. There was no signature and the note was typed. Someone didn't want to be found out.

I look up and around the halls, trying to find who it could've been. But everyone seemed to be in their own little world. The nerds, reading. The jock, throwing a football around. The preps, putting up some signs for the food drive. No one was paying attention to me. Good, I wasn't really one for attention.

I make my way out of the school and start my walk home. Instinctively, I mess with the chain around my neck as I think of where my dad could be.