Alissa’s response gave Oliver an odd mixture of intrigue and discomfort, the subtle shift in her smile not going unnoticed. He wasn’t sure what to even make of it - whether she was simply playing with him or if there was something more. He nodded, though his expression remained neutral, not fully grasping the meaning behind her words. “Good, grounding oneself is often a practice that requires… commitment.” He added, his words punctuated by a subtle shift of his fingers, a second-nature tic.
Her advice managed to prod through his defenses, hitting a nerve he wasn’t quite aware was exposed. His ideals faltered momentarily, a subtle twitch in his fingers betraying the thoughts racing beneath his controlled surface. The lighter that he absentmindedly clutched seemed almost at risk of crumbling in his grip. He nearly blew it out of frustration.“A path, indeed.” He replied, his voice an amalgamation of defense mechanisms and ingrained beliefs. “It’s not as simple as anyone might make it sound, Alissa,” his voice held frustration, it was a reaction he usually reserved for the privacy of his room, where the pain could be contained.
Her new words, the assertion that his family had failed him, struck a nerve in Oliver. The anger within him roared to life, a touchy subject that triggered a negative response. His voice gained an edge, a tone he never used. “My parents have done everything for me, sacrificed everything for me. I can’t just…” his words carried the weight of loyalty that has long been internalized. The pain in his chest grew, people has always talked badly about him. He heard it all, how his family purposely abandoned him alone to die in the fire. How they could never love a son full of burns and scars. But he never heard that his parents had failed him, yet he stood his ground, subconsciously defending his parents as he always did.
Alissa’s reassurance that they were friends, though a simple statement, immediately made him regret his outburst. Now he was the one wanting to apologize, not wanting to isolate himself even in detention. The reminder of their impending leap into college brought a mixture of anticipation and anxiety. “Senior year, huh? Time slipping through our fingers,” he commented, his focus shifted somewhere distant. “And Willow… she’s been gone for quite a while now. Time warps when someone isn’t around.”
His concern was back on Alissa, noticing the subtle twinge of discomfort that tugged at her features. But, she had already closed him off from pushing too much, instead, he wanted to bring a touch of lightness to the conversation. “Well, if it’s ‘girl things,’ then perhaps I’ll steer clear of any assumptions,” he joked, the corner of his mouth quirking up. “This conversation has been quite interesting. Even though we ventured away from the original discussion.” The admission slipped out without his usual careful deliberation, a sign of his growing comfort around her.
The chatter of the other students in the room seemed distant, their words mere background noise to the unfolding exchange between them. Oliver found himself drawn into Alissa’s presence, much like others had before him. There was a magnetic quality about her, no wonder she’d once been the leader of the school newspaper. His fingers continued their rhythmic dance against his thigh, a familiar pattern that mirrored his racing thoughts. And then, a thought took root, one that extended beyond the confines of their immediate exchange. “It’s intriguing,” he began, a touch of wistfulness in his voice, “how we’ve known each other for years, yet this is the first time we’ve really gotten to know each other.”
@Kristi (Alissa - this was kinda jumpy)
