My Forever (Canary Series) (7 page)

The guys sat in the living area talking for hours and working on a plan that would help
Olivia get through this.

Nate
looked at his watch and saw that it was two o'clock in the morning and his stomach growled. Both he and Olivia had skipped lunch and slept through dinner. "Hey Garrett, I will be right back. I'm going to go get something for Olivia and me to eat. Do you want anything?"

Garrett
stretched as he yawned, "Nah, I'm good. I actually need to get to bed. You should get some sleep too. These next few months are going to be crazy so you better rest up while you can."

Nate
laughed, "I took a long nap earlier without meaning to so I'm good."

Garrett
got up and went over to the desk and got a key fob out of the drawer and took it to Nate. "Here, use this to get back in. Tomorrow we will get the paperwork filled out so we can see about you transferring to this house if you still want to. There is an extra bed in my room, you can move in there. Until we get the news you can crash with me. I'm in room two- twelve."

Nate
took the fob, "Thanks Garrett. I would like that very much. Gives us a chance to get to know each other better and I will be here for Olivia whenever she needs me."

Garrett
headed towards the stairs, "No problem. I think this is a good start to what can be a good friendship." With that he went to his room leaving Nate alone.

***

Nate got his jacket and headed towards Riverbend. He was making a list in his head of things to get when his phone went off. He took it out of his pocket and saw that it was Emily calling him. He didn't want to talk to anyone he just wanted to go to his room, get his stuff and get back to Mapleleaf so he could be with Olivia. But he knew that if he didn't answer she would keep calling until he did.

"This is
Nate."

"Really?
That's how you're going to answer the phone?" Emily said annoyed.

"Hey
Emily! What's going on?" He said trying to sound cheerful.

"I was just wondering if
you were OK or at least alive."

"Yeah, why?"

"Well, I hadn't seen or heard from you all day and then you didn't show up for our date. I figured something was wrong for you to not show up. You should have at least texted me to let me know you weren't going to be there."

He let out a deep breath, "Look
Emily, I'm sorry I forgot. Something had come up that I couldn't get away from."

"Something came up that you couldn't get away from? It better
have been extremely important for you to just forget about our date, especially since it was supposed to be our first date back together."

"It was, but I need to talk to you about somethi
ng later today when I see you."

"Why don't you just tell me now since I have you on the phone because something might come up and I won't see you again," she said
with anger laced in her voice.

"Come on
Emily, I promise you that you will see me later today. Let’s have lunch and we can talk."

"Fine, whatever, y
ou just better be there."

"I will, but right now I really go
tta go. We will talk tomorrow."

Nate
waited for Emily to say something but when he didn't hear anything he looked at his phone and saw that the call had been ended. He shook his head trying to make sense of everything. He walked up to Riverbend and took a deep breath. He had no clue why he was nervous but he was.

***

As Nate entered he made sure that he was quiet so that he didn't wake anyone up. Once he got to his room he used his cellphone as a flashlight so that he wouldn't wake up his roommate, Blake. He got his bags from under his bed and set them on top of his bed. He took the bigger bag and started to put clothes in it for the next few days. He knew that it would take a few days for the house transfer to be decided, but he hoped that, under the circumstances, it wouldn't take that long. He figured in the meantime he would stay with Garrett and be at Olivia’s side until she got better, or he got kicked out, whichever came first.

"What
are you doing dude? It's after two in the morning. Are you just now getting in?" Blake asked half awake.

"Blake,
just go back to sleep. Alright?"

Blake sat up and turned on the lamp. He notice
d that Nate was packing a bag and looked at him confused, "Cole, what are you doing?"

"How many times do I have to tell you to not call me
Cole, I hate that nickname."

"Sorry dude. But
seriously, what are you doing?"

"I'm packing a bag,"
Nate said with little patience. He just wanted to get this done so he could leave.

"I can see that."

"Then why did you ask?"

"I guess I should have asked why
you are packing a bag instead of what are you doing. So, why are you packing a bag?"

"Because
I’m going to stay at Mapleleaf for a while, at least until I hear about the transfer. Even then I probably won't leave until Olivia is better or I get kicked out."

"Wait, what? What do you mean transfer to Mapleleaf? And what's wrong with
Olivia? Is that why you weren't in class today?"

Nate
walked over to his bed and sat down. He pinched the bridge of his nose with his left thumb and forefinger and closed his eyes. Blake just sat there and waited for Nate to talk. Finally after a few moments of silence Nate opened his eyes and looked at Blake. "Olivia is sick with leukemia and I promised, no I vowed, that I would be there for her through it all. Garrett has an extra bed in his room so I'm going to stay there and later today we are going to fill out the paperwork for me to transfer."

Nate
got down from his bed and started packing again. He got another bag and started to put all his school stuff in it, "And to answer your other question, yes, that was why I wasn't in class today. I was with Olivia in the Medical Building and then at Mapleleaf."

Blake shook his head as he tried to take everything in and clear it up, "Do you love her?"

Nate froze as her was placing a book in his bag and turned around to look at Blake, "What did you say?"

"I asked you
, do you love her. I haven't seen you be like this before over a girl. So she has to be very special for you to skip classes all day and be willing to transfer and move in with someone you hardly know to be with her."

Nate
leaned on his desk and looked down at the floor to hide his smile just thinking about Olivia. But then his thoughts went to how she looked in the treatment room when she got the news and the look on her face when she told Christine and Garrett, and when he tried to leave he could feel her grip on his hand. He took a deep breath as if he smelled something and he thought back to how she always smelled of a campfire with a hint of caramel. He looked up at Blake with the biggest smile he’d ever had, "Yes Blake, I do love Olivia." He couldn’t help but smile when he said it. Finally saying it out loud just seemed to make everything better. He wasn't going to hide it anymore, he didn't care what people might say about him loving his dead best friend’s girlfriend. He couldn't help it, what they didn't know is that he had always loved her. Even before she came to school he knew her and loved her. But he couldn't admit that to anyone, not now at least.

The next morning when Olivia woke up she looked over at her night stand to see what time it was and noticed that the alert light on her phone was blinking. She watched it blink a few times before picking it up. When she pushed the button to turn the screen on she saw that she had a missed call from her father and a text from him. All of a sudden she got this feeling in her stomach letting her know that what he wanted to tell her was nothing good. She read her texts and saw that all his said was for her to read her e-mails.

Olivia
looked to her left and saw that Nate was gone. She could have sworn that he was there when she went to sleep, but then again she could have imagined it. Yesterday was a blur to her and she prayed that it was just a bad dream. Then she noticed the cast and knew that it wasn't. She decided that it was time to get out of bed and just get on with the day like normal.

Instead of going to breakfast she went to her first class and got on her laptop to check her e-mails. When she read her father’s e-mail she started to get scared. He told her that she wasn't allowed to come back home when
school got out and that he wouldn’t be attending her graduation. This was something she didn't need. Now she had to figure out where to go on top of trying to stay strong and survive.

Right before everyone came into the classroom
Olivia left and went to the cliff. It was the only place where she could think and nobody would find her there. All she could think about was the fact that she was sick again and that her father had abandoned her.

When the sun started to set
Olivia went to the library to study for the year-end exams. It was proving to be more difficult than she expected because all she could think about was the fact that she was homeless once school ended. When she walked in she went past the table where Nate was already sitting and sat at another table that was on the other side of the library. With her books opened she tried to force herself to concentrate but failed. Instead she took out her laptop and typed up a reply to her father’s e-mail.

Every time she would start an e-mail she would delete it and try to start again. Usually words came so easy to her, but this time it seemed to be difficult. Everything was starting to hit her all at once and she just wanted to cry. It felt like the life she once knew
had just come crashing down all around her and she was trapped beneath the rubble. Olivia was having to grow up faster than she should have, not only did she have school to worry about but she also had to worry about getting her treatments, finding a place to live during the summer and how she was going to pay for it all. She was just thankful that she would have a place to stay next year when she went to college.

She was deep in thought when
Nate walked up to her table. He had been watching her when she came in and went to another table. He figured she was waiting for someone else, but time went by and no one showed up. So he got curious and walked over to her, "Olivia? Is everything alright?"

Olivia
looked up and shook her head no. 'Of course nothing was OK, nothing seemed to be OK anymore,' she thought to herself.

"Avoiding me?" He asked.

"No, I would never avoid you. Why? Do I have a reason to?" She responded.

Nate
looked at her taken aback by her reply. "I don't see why you would, but then again you are over here while I'm over there. Didn't you see me at our usual table? Plus, I didn't see you in class or at any of the meals. I even checked your room when you didn't show up during free period."

He didn't understand what was going on. She always sat with him since they
had started studying together. So naturally, when she didn't come to sit with him, he got worried.

She tried to play it off with a smile, "Yeah, I don't know." She laughed thinking this was stupid. She knew she couldn't keep anything from him. "I'm sorry; I'm just trying to figu
re out what to do this summer."

Nate
joked around saying that he was going to avoid others as much as possible.

Olivia
looked down and said quietly, "At least you have a place to go."

Nate
grabbed a chair and moved it to where he was right beside her, "What do you mean by that Canary?"

She looked him straight in the eyes so that when she told him what her father had
done she could see his reaction. "I woke up this morning with a text from my father saying that he had sent me an e-mail. So before everyone got to class this morning I checked my e-mail and found one from my father. He told me that I'm not allowed back at the house after this term is over. He basically kicked me out of the house as well as disowned me."

Nate
was in shock from the news. The girl he loved got kicked out and disowned by her remaining living parent. He knew that he had to do something to help her. She was still going to be doing treatments when school ended and he didn't want her to go through it alone. He knew that Garrett and his family would be more than happy to take her in, but what would that mean for him. He had to have her close so he could be there. Then an idea hit him. "Come stay in Emersonville."

"What?" She asked in surprise.

"You heard me, come and stay in Emersonville. We have an apartment that we let our guests stay in when they come to visit for a prolonged period of time. This way we can see each other, you will be safe, I can take you to treatments and be there for you. It's the perfect solution. Sometimes I go there to get away. So I can stay with you and my father wouldn't know."

"Are you seri
ous? You would do that for me?"

"
Canary, I would do anything for you. I made a vow and I'm not breaking it. So what do you say?"

Olivia
smiled and nodded then jumped up and into his lap. "Thank you Cole. You are just amazing. I was so lost and didn't know what this summer would bring. How would I ever be able to repay you for everything that you have done for me?"

"Just having you in my life is repayment enough. Bu
t I do have some news for you."

"Oh yeah, and w
hat would that be?"

"Well, thanks to
Garrett. I have officially put in for a transfer for Mapleleaf."

"
I’m sorry, but you did what?"

"I applied to transfe
r from Riverbend to Mapleleaf."

Olivia
smiled, "You're serious, you actually did that?"

Nate
nodded, "Of course I did. This way I can be near you. Are you OK with that?"

"Of course I'm OK with it, I'm more th
an OK with it. I’m a bit shocked but I'm excited, I hope you get approved. When do you find out? Where will you stay?"

Nate
couldn't help but smile and hold Olivia close, "Well, we hope to hear within the next day or two. We told them that it's important and that it's because I want to be there to help you. It's a good thing that my placement test results for Riverbend and Mapleleaf were so close."

"
Just how close?"

"They were one-tenth of a point from each
other."

"
Wow that is close, so that should work in your favor then."

"It will help in OUR
favor," he emphasized the word ‘our’ to get the point across.

"You are amazing, just so amazing. I don't know what I wo
uld do without you in my life."

"Well
let’s pray we don't ever have to find out." He smiled his smile that he uses only for her. She laughed and burrowed her head into his neck. "What's so funny?"

She looked up at him and smiled, "
Nothing. Something just hit me."

"And
what might that be?" He looked at her with curiosity written all over his face.

"Your smile."

"My smile? That's what hit you? My smile?" He chuckled.

"Yeah, your smile is what hit me."

"OK, I’ll bite. What is it about my smile that all of a sudden just hit you?"

"Oh, I do
n't know if I should tell you."

"And why is that?"

"Because it's a tad bit embarrassing, that’s why."

"Come on
Olivia, it can't be that bad."

Her face turned red and she looked everywhere but at him trying to decide if she should tell him. Finally she looked back at him
, "Do you really want to know?"

He nodded, "
Of course."

"Promise me yo
u won't laugh."

"I promise," he crossed his heart to
prove to her that he meant it.

"Ok, well
, the thing is that I noticed that you have this smile that you save just for me."

"Oh, I do
, do I? And how do you know this?" He was really intrigued by her observation and wanted to know more.

"Well, you see
, the truth is that I noticed that when you walk in the halls between classes you seem to read most of the time. And when you're not reading but with your friends you don't smile. But when you see me or when you’re with me you're smiling. And it's a genuine sweet smile, as if letting me know that everything is going to be OK. It's reassuring, but it's like you’re not only reassuring me but your also reassuring yourself."

Nate
took his left hand and tilted her head back so he could look into her eyes. "That's because no matter what is going on, when I see you I know it's going to be OK. You make me so happy. So yes, I do only smile when I see you, think about you or when I’m with you. I save this smile just for you. No one has ever gotten this smile and no one ever will. As far as I'm concerned this is your smile and nobody else’s. I cherish this smile as much as I cherish you."

They sat there staring in each other’s eyes for a few moments long
er until someone dropped a book causing them to break out of their trance. They both laughed and Olivia got off his lap. "What do you say we get out of here and go for a walk?" He suggested.

"That sounds perfect; we can drop our stuff off at Mapleleaf so we
don't have to carry it around."

"Sounds like a plan." He stood up and helped
Olivia pack up her things and then they walked over to his table where he packed up his stuff. "Here, hand me your bag, I'll carry it."

"Are you sure?"

He reached over and helped her take her bag off her shoulder and placed it on his right one, "Yes, I'm sure. Once we get to Mapleleaf I will get a snack for you from my stash that I brought with me last night. You need to eat a little something since you haven't eaten since breakfast yesterday morning."

"Alright, I just still can't believe that you put in for a transfer and are staying with
Garrett. Hopefully you two will become friends."

"Well, that shouldn't be too hard since we both have one very special thing in
common."

"Oh yeah, what's that?"

He smiled and took her hand in his and kissed it, "You." She couldn't help but smile and they walked the entire way from the library to Mapleleaf in silence, holding hands.

***

They arrived at Mapleleaf both smiling and stealing glances at one another. He handed her her bag so she could take it to her room. "Meet back here in say, ten minutes. I need to change."

Nate
smiled, "Yeah, sounds like a deal. I'll see you in ten minutes." He kissed her forehead and watched her walk to her room. When he turned around to head to Garrett’s room he saw Christine and Emily sitting on the couch. They were both staring at him. "Hello ladies," he said, smiling as he passed them.

"Hello ladies. That's all you have to say to us?"
Emily asked angrily. She couldn't believe what she had just witnessed.

Nate
turned around and saw that Emily had stood up and Christine was still sitting down. "What are you talking about? I thought ‘Hello ladies’ was a nice acknowledgment of your presence."

"
Emily, sit back down. Let’s let Nate go do what he needs to do," Christine said trying to calm Emily down.

"He's going the wrong way though. Shouldn't he be going out the front door and to Riverbend where his room is
at?"

Christine
looked at Nate letting him know that this was all him. He took a deep breath and walked to a chair that was facing the couch and sat his bag on the floor as he sat down. "Emily you might as well sit down as well so I can tell you everything that is going on."

Emily
looked back and forth between Christine and Nate before sitting down. "OK, what is going on? I’m so confused right now. And slightly pissed off, you didn't show up again to talk. You promised me last night that you would meet me to talk. I waited until the very last minute. I tried to call but it went straight to voicemail, and then I texted you but you didn't answer. I went to Riverbend but you weren't there."

"Look, I'm sorry, I truly am. But I completely forgot. I had other things on my mind
and I had my phone turned off."