When Perfect Meets Crazy

Chapter 16: 16 - It’s tough being me

“What are you trying to say, Olivianne?” Mom asked, delicately setting down her coffee mug.

Olly grimaced.

I pressed my lips to a thin line to keep from smiling. She would always be Olivianne to our mom just

like I would always be Avyanna. Mom absolutely abhorred nicknames.

“I’m ready. I can play Chopin in my sleep.” Olly persevered.

I quietly munched on my cereal.

She should’ve waited till after Mom was fully caffeinated to emancipate herself from violin lessons.

Caffeinated Mom was much more agreeable than decaf Mom.

“You think so?” Mom’s tone made it clear she definitely didn’t.

Olly flashed me a ‘help me’ look. I shovelled in what was left of my breakfast and escaped to the sink.

Sorry, babe.

“Any Tom, Dick and Harry with a background in violin can play Chopin in their sleep,” Mom continued.

“But Mom,” Olly whined. “I can really play.”

I rolled my eyes. Whining definitely wasn’t going to work on our mother. She was a lawyer for heaven’s

sake and while, yes, she had a soft spot for Olly, this was not one of those times she’d just let it slide

because it was her favorite child asking.

“You know the rules, Olivianne. I don’t think you’re ready and since you can’t convince me otherwise, I

expect you to be there every other week.”

“Mommy!” she protested, whining in typical Olly fashion. “I know I’m ready. Avy stopped when she was

my age.”

“Past precedent does not apply here. Avyanna mastered two instruments. Would you like to take on a

second instrument?” Mom countered.

I could feel Olly’s eyes shoot poisonous darts at my back. I rolled my eyes again. It wasn’t like I

enjoyed learning them.

“Give me a piece. Any piece,” she begged.

I could only drag on rinsing out one bowl for so long. I had to give up my cover soon enough. I placed

the bowl on the rack to dry and slunk back to my seat.

“Any piece?” Mom’s tone warned that it was a dangerous road to take. It made it clear she was going to

find a piece even a first chair Vienna music hall violinist would have trouble playing.

Olly glanced at me, begging me with her eyes to jump in. I scowled. Damn younger sisters.

“She’s starting sophomore year next session. She will have to build up her extra-curriculars and her

academic load will increase. A lot. She might not have enough time for all of it,” I chipped in. “It’s worth

considering.” I shrugged. “If she passes, she can at least get a head start studying with the new free

time.”

Olly glared at me, wirelessly communicating, ‘Are you really helping me or trying to kill my social life?’

My eyes answered, ‘Zip it, you dragged me into this.’

“Hmmm,” Mom drawled. “That’s a fair point. We’ll talk about it when I get back.”

“Back?” I echoed, a frown marring my features. Normally, she’d say later. It was unlike her to use the

phrase like that unless--

“You’re travelling?” Olly inquired, barely managing to mask her glee.

“Yes,” Mom answered before turning her attention to me. “The oil case, you worked on it over the

weekend, needs me there for the hearing and to go over sensitive documents they refuse to fax over.”

I nodded. I had done paralegal work on that over the weekend while stressing over Masked Idiot’s

NDA.

“So you’re going to Texas. For how long?”

“A month if things work out according to schedule. Longer if not.” Còntens bel0ngs to Nô(v)elDr/a/ma.Org

With each word that left her mouth, Olly’s grin widened while my dread heightened. It wasn’t surprising

or anything. She was due to travel any time soon. She had been home for over three months now. It

was rare for her to go longer than that without an out-of-state case but no matter how prepared I tried

to be, I never seemed to be ready for the reality of it. Of being left alone with my dad, without the

passive safety net she provided. Especially not during this period when he was in a perpetual bad

mood with the force taking a lot of heat for not having caught perpetrators of the downtown robberies.

It’s just four weeks, Avyanna. Four weeks. Seven days, four times. I can do that. I can handle that. I’ll

just be extra careful. It’s seven days, four times. It’ll go by fast.

“Mrs Robbins mentioned that you took the day off from work,” Mom stated, levelling me with a

questioning look as she sipped her coffee.

“Hmm?” I looked up, distracted by my thoughts. “Yeah, I--”

“Yeah?” she interrupted.

“Yes,” I corrected. “Sorry. Yes, I want to visit Elderly Acres. Some of the residents are organizing a sort

of send-off for me.”

“Didn’t you say your goodbyes last month when you quit?” Her tone made it clear she didn’t see what

the fuss was about and more than that, she didn’t approve.

“Yes but they want to make it a little more formal I guess.”

She wrinkled her nose and shook her head in disapproval. “That’s fine. You girls should get to school.

It’s getting late.”

I nodded and waited for Olly to finish her meal and get her bag so we could leave.

• • •

“Hey, did you hear?” Emily said, sliding in next to me.

Classes so far had passed by in a blur. Honestly, it felt like they didn’t have things to teach us anymore.

Like they were stalling for time, for graduation. I was starting to get bored by school again but I couldn’t,

wouldn’t tell my mom that. She would say I brought it on myself, that I should’ve agreed to speed up my

schedule and gone to college in my junior year like she asked. Like the adviser from the state

education board offered. I’d much rather suck it up. I had less than a month to go anyways.

I figured lunchtime would get me out of the funk but so far, it wasn’t working. I was off my game. School

was boring again for the first time in four years. Masked Idiot and I were on outs and my mom was

leaving town. It was like the universe was out to get me all over again.

“Hear...?” I prompted, shifting my tray so she had enough space to set hers down.

“Ashley dumped Chad.”

“Oh,” I mouthed, taking a bite out of my sandwich.

“That’s it? No comment?”

Cara chuckled on my other side. “She probably saw it coming,” she chipped in in a tone I recognized all

too well. It was a tone that said, ‘Wonder girl strikes again.’

Bailey and Tony exchanged knowing looks.

“Don’t even.” I rolled my eyes. “We all saw it coming.”

“Yeah but nobody... I mean, we still hoped,” she defended.

“Just last week you said you couldn’t wait for them to break up because you wanted to ask him to

prom.” My tone was bland, unaccusatory and uninterested.

“Well...” she blushed, stalling for time by rearranging the food on her tray.

“Avy!”

We all turned in the direction the voice came from.

“What?” I asked.

“Claire said to tell you. Emergency prom committee meeting in the AV room,” Mae relayed.

“Ugh.” I rolled my eyes and let out a huff.

I packed up my tray, returned it and marched to the AV room. For a committee I was only in to thwart

myself from receiving awards, it was taking up too much of my free time. It was more commitment than

I signed up for.

I sighed.

“Where are you heading?” Zach, one of my closest friends inquired as he walked towards me, heading

to the cafeteria most likely.

“Prom committee,” I said by way of explanation.

“Yikes.” He held up his hand for a high five just before walking past.

I slapped my palm against his as we moved past each other.

“I have some plays to run by you!” he called out behind me like he only just remembered.

“Tomorrow!” I replied, pushing open the door to the AV room. “Or at Greg’s thing tonight!”

I glanced over my shoulder, catching his nod just before he turned on a corner.

The already assembled members of the committee turned to me, irritation coating their faces.

“I just heard about the meeting.” I shrugged, holding my hands up in the universal sign of surrender.

“We were waiting for you. It’s time to vote on Claire’s choice,” Louise supplied.

I scowled, managing to refrain from rolling my eyes.

“Any reason why we couldn’t just text in our votes?”

Her lips pressed into a thin line, frustration plain for all to see. While I wasn’t trying to make her life

harder, my life wasn’t exactly hearts and flowers at the moment so I wasn’t feeling particularly inclined

to be understanding.

“And like I just told everyone else, there was a slight hiccup with the Luna Lovegood special award,”

she added after a beat.

The Luna Lovegood award was actually my idea but everyone had voted in favor of it. It was an award

for the most lovable weirdo in school. She was only a junior but her classmates had very little

imagination. Chances they’d honor her next year were very slim so I proposed we do it instead.

“An issue that couldn’t be discussed over text?” My tone was sharp and snippy. It made it clear that

even though it was my idea, I wasn’t particularly interested in the technicalities. I didn’t even care much

for it. It was just an idea that randomly popped into my head and I shared. I wasn’t in the mood to even

pretend I cared. My head was starting to pound a little.

“The design we want isn’t available,” she answered. “We have to vote on the two they have at the

moment.”

“Yeah, that’s one real emergency right there.” I rolled my eyes.

To her credit, she maintained her composure despite the snickers that erupted from the committee

members.

“All in favor of band?” she persevered, pasting a tight smile on her face despite the angry red coloring

her cheeks.

My gaze found Claire’s over her shoulder and I raised my hand.

• • •

Normally, I wouldn’t have expected Masked Idiot to show up. He had shown up four times in the last

week already. Based on his pattern, that meant he would go AWOL for a day or two but after the way

things ended last night, I couldn’t help glancing in my rear-view mirror, looking for his bike every time I

turned a corner, when I pulled up at Elderly Acres and even when I arrived at home. I felt stalked.

Again. I could feel the weight of the gaze. I knew someone was watching me but no matter how hard I

tried, I couldn’t spot him. It creeped me out. A lot.

The rational part of me understood I had brought it on myself but there was no other choice. I couldn’t

out my dad to a criminal. That would be unforgivable. This was my only viable option. The smart thing

to do was to make my peace with what the situation now was. He gave me options, I made my decision

and this was his. I should accept it and adjust like I had been telling myself all day but even now as I

was getting dressed to go to a friend’s party, I still found myself expecting and hoping he would pop in

through the window and head for my bed like he always did. The familiarity of that was a million times

better than this troubling unfamiliar situation.

I could swear he was watching me from afar and after the way he had looked at me last night like he

was Adolf Hitler and I was a Jew, I was decidedly less than comfortable with that idea.

I sighed heavily and shut my closet.

“Olly!” I yelled, marching across to her room.

The dress I planned on wearing wasn’t in my closet where I put it which could only mean one thing.

Olly had taken it. How she even managed to wear it was beyond me. Although she was quickly

catching up, my boobs were still a size bigger than hers. Plus, she didn’t even ask for it. Not that she

always does to be honest.

“Olly!” I bellowed, throwing open the door to her room.

She was sprawled across the bed, lying on her stomach with her headphones on. She lazily raised her

head, eyeing me disinterestedly.

“What?” She pushed one of the ears back.

“My dress. The burgundy one.”

She rolled her eyes, turning away from me in disinterest as she pointed in the direction of her study

chair piled with clothes. Olly was the opposite of me when it came to organization. Where I neatly

stacked my books and evenly spaced my pens on my study table, Olly used her chair as a clothes

holder and her desk as miscellaneous surface. Where I color coded, she ‘followed her heart.’

Translation: her room was a mess.

I inched toward the chair, rifled through the other twenty or so clothes on it -which included three other

clothes she ‘borrowed’ from my closet- before I found the one I was looking for.

“For the last time, return my clothes after they’re washed.” I heaved exasperatedly.

She didn’t so much as twitch.

“I was going to. Later. When I’m less busy.”

I rolled my eyes.

“And how long ago was that?”

In response, she replaced her headphones and turned her back to me. Sisters.

“By the way,” she called out just as I was about to shut her door. “Mom called. She went to the airport

from the office. She should arrive sometime around midnight. She said to tell you to drop off dad’s

jacket and some of his fancy coffee. The jacket should be in the basement. He’s pulling an all-nighter.”

I stopped, a scowl taking hold of my features as I glanced over my shoulder at my lounging sister. “And

when did she tell you all this?”

“Chill, jeez.” She rolled her eyes. “Like five minutes ago. I was getting ready to come tell you when you

barged in.”

“I’m literally less than twenty steps away.”

“So?”

I closed my eyes, counting to five to ride out the wave of annoyance. Seriously, how hard was it to walk

twenty steps?

“Anything else?” I bit out.

She wagged her finger left then right. I somehow managed to shut the door without slamming it.

• • •

“Hey.” I flashed an all-encompassing smile at all the officers present, discreetly eyeing the door that led

to my dad’s office.

“Here with supplies?” Parker asked, returning my smile.

He was the only one standing, armed with some files. He was either returning from my dad’s office or

forensics. The remaining officers returned my greeting, stopping long enough to throw in a smile for the

sheriff’s daughter.

“Yup.” I held up the thermos and a bag of snacks. “How have you been?”

“Buried in work.”

I rolled my eyes.

“Hi Tim,” I called out to officer grumpily stomping in.

His gaze flitted over to me. He mustered a smile. “It’s been a while since we saw your face around

here.”

“It’s tough being a working girl,” I replied solemnly, dusting invisible specks off my shoulder.

“Yeah right.” Tim snickered. “Night out?” he questioned, nodding at my outfit.

“Yeah.” I nodded. “Just dropping off sustenance for my dad first.”

If Olly were here, she’d have them all eating out of her palm in seconds with a joke or two. She was so

much better at dealing with people than I was. She made friends easily and what baffled me about it

was how genuine and carefree she was about it. Her people skills were why, despite getting better

grades and being an all-round perfect kid, I always fell short in our mom’s eyes. Olly was a people

person, I was a people handler. I could handle hostile situations in my sleep but Olly excelled more at

day-to-day people-ing and in the long run, there was more of that than hostile situations. She could

have our mom’s client’s kids thinking she was their long lost best friend in minutes.

“That reminds me. Lisa was asking for you. Something about teacups I think,” Parker said, nudging me

out of the way as he continued on to his desk, armed with three thick files.

“That was fast,” I remarked.

“Teacups?” Tim frowned.

“Yeah, she was going to help me find out the cost of this antique tea set I was... bequeathed?” I

answered.

“Someone you know died?” Parker frowned, looking up from his files.

“No. Not yet. It’s from a friend at Elderly Aces but that was kind of the sentiment behind it. I stopped

volunteering there.”

“Ahh.” He nodded.

“I’m going in to drop these off. See you guys some other time.” I waved, crossing over to the glass door

labelled ‘Sheriff’.

My stomach squirmed, dread mounting with every step I took.

After two smart raps on the door, I pushed it open and poked my head into the room.

“Hey dad.”

He looked up from his computer, eyes settling on me for a second. He grunted.

“I brought coffee and your jacket.”

He heaved a sigh, pushing away from the desk as he stretched his limbs. “Thank you.”

I smiled, pouring him a cup after I set down the goodies.

“Stressful case?”

“Little bit,” he answered, massaging the back of his neck. “How was school?”

Relief washed over me. He was in a good mood.

“It was okay. Prom committee is taking up a lot of my time though.”

He paused in his actions, levelling me with a frown. I blinked. Shit. I had said the wrong thing.

“I don’t understand why you joined that stupid committee.”

“Right.” I nodded, managing to swallow despite the tightness in my throat.

What was wrong with me? He had barely said anything and my throat was already closing up. I really

was pathetic sometimes.

“Here.” I pasted on a smile as I handed him the coffee.

He grunted as he took it.

“Make sure you lock up well. Don’t stay out too late. Don’t open up for anyone you don’t know.”

“Got it, dad.”

He dismissed me with a flick of his wrist. I scurried out before I could say the wrong thing again.