by Nicole Shay
“I’m so done with them…” Chloe said shaking her head. “Apparently I can’t be friends with one of them without the whole lot hating me even more”
Imogen simply nodded as she realized that if anyone knew about her and Olivia’s recent interactions it would either make things better or much worse.
Ornella could feel her heart beat grow faster as she listened to Chloe’s words. She was so sure of her relationship with Elaine but she wasn’t so sure if it would have a happy ending. She felt bad knowing that she was with someone that most all of her friends and teammates most likely hated. She let out her laces to re-tie them in order to focus on anything but Elaine and how she shouldn’t be with her.
When Ornella suggested they go to a party, Elaine was hesitant. When she continued on saying that no one from either of their schools should be there, Elaine agreed. What Elaine wasn’t expecting was to end up bringing someone along with her and for that someone to be Olivia of all people.
She had been on the way to her car when she saw the young striker walking out of the building, head low and mind somewhere completely different. It was strange, seeing Olivia so lost. No one could tell exactly what was bothering her, but it had something to do with being captain and things heating up between rivals. Elaine decided to attempt to console her.
“Hey Ollie, what’s on your mind?” she asked.
Olivia looked up and mustered a very small smile. “Just...stress from school and stuff, you know.”
“That bad?” Elaine frowned.
“Yeah,” the younger girl let out a long sigh.
“Hey, I’m going to a party tonight, you should come,” the keeper blurted out before she could stop herself. She began to panic internally. God damn it Elaine! Tonight’s supposed to be you and Ornella.
“What party?” Olivia asked curiously.
Knowing it was too late to back out, Elaine slowly continued. “Oh, it’s some masquerade party. No one from school should be there, so it would help you get your mind off of things.”
For the first time that day, Olivia gave a genuine smile and her eyes lit up just a little. “Sure!”
Elaine stopped herself from cringing at the answer. To see Olivia actually be focused on the present and be excited about it was certainly better than whatever was going through her mind. “I’ll come pick you up at seven?”
“Perfect!” Olivia clapped her hands before pulling Elaine into a hug. She was one of the few people who could get away with it. “Bye Elaine!” she called before dashing into the parking lot.
“Bye,” Elaine muttered, trying to figure out what just happened.
So now there they were, masks on and music pumping. You’ll be fine, Elaine told herself. Everyone’s wearing masks and there’s so many people. She’s not going to see you disappear, and even if you do, she’ll just think you’re drunk and making out with someone for the hell of it. She led them to the bar, immediately ordering two drinks.
Ornella couldn’t contain her excitement all practice as the night drew nearer. She had been looking forward to this masquerade party for weeks now and the fact that it would just be her and Elaine made her even more excited. The girl noticed her best friend and captain acting quite strange ,even for her. She seemed distracted and maybe even a little sad but Ornella refused to let Imogen’s weird mood disrupt her high.
As practice ended Ornella rushed into the locker room to quickly change and get home but her best friend’s voice stopped her.
“Hey Nella, What are you up to tonight?” Imogen asked rather quietly.
“Oh..” The girl stumbled to find words in the moment “I’ve got this thing to go to tonight..” She said as she rubbed her neck “What about you?”
“Ah nothing, I need to get my mind somewhere else, I was hoping we could go see a movie or something” Imogen said sounding more and more defeated with each word.
Ornella rubbed her neck even harder, sure she was leaving it coarse and red. She loved her best friend and hated seeing her so weird but she also told herself tonight was all about her and Elaine.
Come on Ornella.. You and Elaine..You and Elaine she said to herself as she looked at the girl.
“Wanna go to this masquerade party tonight with me?” She said hurriedly hoping if she got it out fast enough it wouldn’t leave too much regret.
Damn Ornella..so much for just you and Elaine…
Imogen seemed to light up a bit at the invitation eliciting a small smirk giving Ornella confidence and reassurance that she made the right decision.
“Alright I actually have an extra mask for you, so I’ll come to your house at like 6: 30, okay?” Ornella stated with a pat on her friend’s back.
Elaine hung around Olivia long enough for her to down her second drink. She tried to keep conversation light, but her eyes were all over the place as she tried to find Ornella. She knew it would be wrong to leave Olivia completely alone, but she also knew Olivia was by no means anti-social. She watched Olivia go for her third drink, a buzz definitely beginning to kick into the younger girl before she make her escape.
“Hey Ollie, why don’t you talk to people around here?” she suggested, taking a sip of her own drink. “I’ll be back. Just don’t get lost.”
Olivia gave her a mock salute, her eyes bright. “Sure Elaine, go have fun.”
She laughed, patting Olivia’s shoulder. “Thanks,” she nodded. “You too.” She made a mental note of Olivia’s dress so if she needed to find her or saw her when she was with Ornella she could be sure it was Olivia. She offered one last smile as she disappeared into the sea of bodies trying to find her small defender.
“Damn Imogen, you look great!” Ornella said as she took a full view of her best friend as they parked the car in the parking lot.
“Hah thanks Nella, you clean up well too squirrelly!” Imogen replied.
The two walked into the party both unsure of how the night was going to play out. Ornella immediately began to scan the crowd of people for Elaine. Imogen made a point of going directly to the bar area to order herself a drink. Ornella followed slowly as she whipped her head right and left looking for her goalkeeper girlfriend.
Fifteen minutes later and Imogen was on her second drink already visibly tipsy.
Ornella just laughed at her friend “Imogen, you’re such a lightweight, it’s hilarious!”
“Am not!” Imogen exclaimed as she gulped down some more of the margarita she was sipping on.
“Dude how did you know about this party? It’s pretty swanky!” Imogen carelessly let out as she turned to look at the dance floor full of people.
“I have my ways.” Ornella stated as she finally spotted Elaine walking on the outside of the crowd.
“Hey Imogen, Will you be good for a little? I’m just going to go find the bathroom” Ornella said not even finishing the sentence as she began to walk away. Remembering her best friend duties she turned around “Don’t wander too far ok? I’ll be back!”
Imogen nodded sure that Ornella must have eyed some hot piece of ass and was going after it. She knew her best friend all too well, even if Imogen was already a little drunk.
“Don’t worry , I’ll be fine!” She shouted over the loud music blaring.
Imogen turned back to the bar where she ordered another drink as she realized her second one was already drunk.
She sighed heavily “What am I even doing here?” she said aloud sure no one was listening.
Her third drink came and with it out of the corner of her eye was an approaching figure. She was sure the person wasn’t trying to talk to her but when she realized the girl wasn’t leaving she turned to see her in a daze.
“I just said the same thing” the mysterious girl said as she clinked her glass with Imogen’s. Imogen could barely get a good glimpse of her in the darkness of the room and her voice was distorted amongst the mix of the booze in her system and the obnoxiously loud music. There was something alluring about her though. Imogen couldn’t deny that.
Despite Elaine’s suggestions, Olivia hadn’t been able to bring herself to talk to anyone. That was until she saw someone on the other side of the bar. She couldn’t really get a good look at her, but there was something about her that drew Olivia over. Once Olivia found herself next to her, she realized just how great of a body this girl had.
“So what brings you here tonight?” she asked, taking another sip of her drink.
Even through the darkness Imogen could tell the girl had amazing eyes, she was sure she was blushing but thanked the dim lighting for covering that up. “Keeping a friend company, what about you?”
There was something about her voice that caused Olivia to be even more drawn to. It was cool and collected, but there was something else. The music and other noises of the party were in the way of Olivia understanding what it was that had her captivated, and maybe even the alcohol she’d had. “Same. But since I’m already here, I might as well try to forget some things,” she shrugged.
“Cheers to that!” Imogen said clinking her drink again with the girl’s.
Imogen couldn’t tell how old the girl was but she guessed that she wasn’t old enough to be drinking legally but wasn’t younger than her.
“So what kind of things are you trying to forget about?” She asked genuinely curious.
Olivia shrugged, downing the rest of her drink in one go. “Stupid things, really.” Though she was on her way to getting very drunk, she wasn’t sharing everything all at once.
Two drinks later and it was safe to say that both of them were more than just a little tipsy. Olivia found herself getting lost in pointless conversation with the girl. It was easy to forget with her. The girl had her laughing. There was still something almost familiar about her, but it had gone to the back of Olivia’s mind. Instead she found herself noticing how...well, hot the other girl was, even with the mask.
As their latest conversation died down, Olivia put down her latest drink and grabbed the girl’s hand. She felt immediate warmth. “Come dance with me,” Olivia suggested, biting her bottom lip.
Imogen had just finished laughing a little too hard from what was probably a joke that wasn’t as funny as either would think if they were sober when she felt a hand grip her own. She looked down dizzily as the girl’s hand whose company she had been enjoying for the past few drinks began to pull her up. She felt a chill go through her system with the touch. She watched the girl’s mouth as she said ‘Come dance with me’ and all she could think was how much she wanted to grab her and kiss her right then and there. She nodded as she grabbed ahold of her hand a little tighter as she let her guide her. She almost fell over upon standing up but the girl thankfully was there.
Imogen couldn’t help but laugh at her clumsiness “Thanks for catching me” she said as she regained her balance.
Olivia laughed with her and even as the girl stood upright, her other hand was still very much holding her waist. “No problem,” she slurred. She didn’t let go of her as they became surrounded by other people who were dancing too. Now both of Olivia’s hands held onto the girl’s waist and tugged her a little closer. There was hunger in her eyes and she began to lose herself in the music.
Imogen began to feel her whole body go numb as she swayed to the music. She suddenly felt everything as the girl’s hands found her waist and pulled her closer to her. Overwhelmed with the moment she found the girl’s lips. Afraid that she went too far she immediately pulled away ready to run.
As soon as the girl’s lips met hers, Olivia was initially taken by shock. It wasn’t until the last second she realized that was what she’d wanted since she found the girl earlier that night. When the girl pulled away, she met her eyes to see a little bit of fear and regret in her eyes. When the girl made a move to leave, Olivia’s hands tugged her close again.
“I’ve been wanting to do that all night,” she mumbled in her ear before pressing her lips against hers again.
All of Imogen’s initial fear and hesitation dissolved as well as the rest of her inhibitions with the girl’s comment. Before she could kiss her again, the girl already pressed her lips against hers causing a wave of feeling to flow over her numb body.
Elaine was busy the better part of the night with Ornella pressed up against her. Olivia had been long forgotten and all she could think about was the girl she was with. Finally they found themselves at the bar, Ornella sitting on Elaine’s lap as the taller girl left kisses on her exposed shoulder. “I wish we could always do this,” she mumbled on Ornella’s skin, doubtful the other girl could even hear her because of the noise.
“I know, me too” Ornella replied planting a kiss on her girlfriend’s cheek.
“Oh!” Ornella exclaimed as she jumped off Elaine’s lap as she eyed what looked like her best friend sucking face with some other girl in the middle of the crowded dance floor.
A confused expression found Elaine’s face. “What? What’s wrong babe?”
“Oh...Promise me you won’t be mad” Ornella said as she took one long look confirming it was Imogen before turning to her worried girlfriend.
Elaine quirked an eyebrow. “Nella, what did you do?”
Ornella sighed and took a deep breath before continuing “Imogen was in a odd mood after practice today…..so I kind of….invited her to come tonight.” Before she could let Elaine say anything she continued “I know tonight was supposed to be about you and me, but I don’t know if you saw her earlier you couldn’t say no...I-just..I’m sorry babe” Ornella finished sounding defeated.
The keeper listened to her girlfriend, and as she continued to explain, Elaine began to feel even more guilty about Olivia. “Actually Nella, there’s something I have to tell you…”
Ornella looked up to her girlfriend expecting to get the ‘look’ but was surprised that Elaine had a confession of her own. She looked at her questioningly urging her to continue.
Elaine sighed. “I kind of brought Olivia tonight, too. She’s just been weird all week and I couldn’t help but try to make her feel better. But I haven’t seen her all night since I left to find you,” she explained, shrugging a little.
Ornella let out a sigh in relief “Well I’ve been a little busy focusing on a different set of blue eyes...I haven’t seen her all night either...but I just found Imogen” Ornella said with a laugh as she pointed to Imogen who was still kissing the random girl in the crowd.
Elaine let out a small laugh at Ornella’s subtle comment. She followed Ornella’s finger to see Imogen making out with someone, but then her smile faltered. She knew that dress; it was the one she told herself not to forget. “Um...Ornella?”
“I know right, so weird seeing Imogen making out with...um what?” Ornella began thinking she knew exactly what Elaine was going to say but was taken aback by the girl’s furrowed brow.
“That’s Olivia,” she said, giving the two a hard stare in attempts to keep herself from gaping.
“No it’-” Ornella said as she took a closer look at the girl on the receiving end of Imogen’s kiss. Ornella’s jaw dropped on the floor “Do you think they know?” She stammered out in shock.
Elaine was obviously the better one at keeping her emotions in check and not all over the place. “I don’t know,” she frowned, feeling just as shocked as Ornella. “I doubt it, but they’re about to find out…”
As the two continued to stare in shock, an announcement was made to take off their masks. It was midnight.
Olivia was completely lost in everything that involved the girl in front of her. Once the announcement was made, she slowly pulled away, dizzy from everything that just happened. “Damn…” she mumbled, staring at the warm eyes that made her melt.
“Whoa” was all Imogen could let out as the girl pulled away from her. She tugged her a little closer still hoping to continue until the girl playfully pushed her away with instruction that they had to take their masks off and reveal themselves.
“Come on,” Olivia giggled, not giving into her. “Let’s take them off at th
e same time, okay?”
Imogen couldn’t take her eyes off the girl’s set of blue but she nodded as she started to countdown in a slurred blur “3…...2….”
“One,” Olivia finished for her, licking her lips in excitement.
They both lifted their masks, and after a few moments they let out an inaudible gasp.
“Oh my god.”
CHAPTER 4
Imogen suddenly felt everything in her body and it wasn’t because of a pair of eyes, it wasn’t because of a kiss...it was because it was Olivia McBray standing in front of her. She wished more than anything she could take back those three seconds. She felt her stomach drop as she stared into Olivia’s blue eyes that just seconds before she was getting lost in and now all she felt was fear and regret.
“I-Imogen?” Olivia began.
“Oh my god” was all Imogen could reply before pushing her way through the crowd away from Olivia and the wonderful night she was having up until that point.
She was scared that she enjoyed kissing Olivia. She couldn’t deny the things she felt that night yet she knew there was no conceivable future with her ever and that made everything that much more frightening.
How could you let it get this far Imogen? she asked herself as she found the outside air fresh and cooling.
It was the alcohol...you’re too drunk right now… she reasoned with herself as she tried to find Ornella’s car amongst the hundreds.
Elaine watched along with Ornella throughout the whole thing. When Imogen ran off, she sighed. “I think that’s our cue.”
“Should we keep this a secret between us?” Ornella asked already knowing the answer as she reluctantly let go of Elaine’s hand.
Elaine’s lips twisted as she thought for a moment. “For now I think that’s best.” She leaned down and pecked Ornella’s lips. “I’ll text you. Go find Imogen, she’s just as equally freaked out as Olivia right now.”
Ornella rushed to her car knowing that’s exactly where her best friend fled to.
