That Complicated Connection, Part 3

Fall 2032 - Britechester, Illinois
Foxbury Institute - Olivia Gates is 19, Matthew Lloyd is 19, Emily Smith is 18

If you had asked Olivia Gates a year ago who her boyfriend would be, she never would have said Atticus Kibo. 

 

He had always annoyed her in school. She only spent time with him because he and his sister had been her partners on that class project. 

But now...Olivia is happy that he also is going to school at Foxbury Institute. They may not be living in the same dorm, and he's working a lot to help his parents pay what the scholarships he earned aren't paying, but they do spend time together when they can.

Matthew Lloyd has come to Foxbury Institute too. His dad thought he was crazy for leaving busy, thriving San Myshuno, part of New York City's boroughs, to head to kind of quiet Britechester, Illinois. But Matthew actually likes it here so far this first semester.

He's studying biology, hoping to get a job in analyzing plant life one day. And Matthew is making new friends around campus, which provides a whole new experience on its own.

And then there is Hailee Beltran. She has a few classes with him and he sees her around campus pretty often. He keeps trying to get himself to talk, but when she's close his brain suddenly goes blank.

Caleb comes across town to Foxbury pretty often even though he's living in one of the dorms at the University of Britechester. But his sister and his girlfriend both attend Foxbury and even live in the same dorm, so he comes over any chance he gets in between classes and Emily's visits to his dorm.

He feels the need to be the smart older brother who can help guide his sister in this new part of life. And so he gives his opinion on everything quite often.

"You can't tell me who I should date or not date," Olivia says. "You don't have any say in my life. What's wrong with Atticus anyway?"

"Maybe nothing," Caleb says. "But he was always the weird guy at school back home. Don't you remember anything he's ever done?"

Olivia doesn't want to remember any of the strange things Atticus has done over life.

Olivia glares at her brother as Emily joins them. "I haven't given my opinion on who you date, so you don't get to give your opinion on my life."

Emily raises her eyebrows at Caleb as Olivia storms away. "What was that about?" she asks.

Caleb pulls her toward him. "Nothing. She's jealous of what we have and so she thinks she needs to find it in anyone she can. But she'll never have it like we do."

Emily giggles and enjoys his attention as much as she always does. "No one can ever have it like us," she agrees.

***

Matthew heads out early one morning to take his usual jog around campus. He sits down and goes over class notes after some time. He tries to focus on the words, but his brain isn't too interested in plant biology at the moment.

And then he sees her. Hailee appears doing her own morning jog. Matthew had seen her almost every time he's been out early in the morning, but hadn't yet had the courage to speak to her.

But now he does. "Good morning. I was wondering if you understood what Professor Goth was talking about yesterday?"

"You mean the cellular structure of cowplants around the world?" she asks. "I think I got it. I have some notes."

Matthew tries to give a look of relief. "I was wondering if someone might be able to help me understand. If you have a moment."

Hailee smiles. "I'd be happy to help."

While Matthew works up the nerve to talk to Hailee, Olivia works up the nerve to bring Atticus out for lunch with her brother. And his girlfriend. Emily is almost always where Caleb is, after all.

Atticus tries to be that smart, witty guy that can easily win people over. Except that he doesn't. Caleb can only look at Olivia with an expression of "Are you seriously dating this?"

So maybe it's Caleb's unimpressed behavior that makes Atticus decide he has to do more to win over approval. Because suddenly he says, "Hey, watch this."

And he's up before Olivia can say anything. His clothes are tossed aside and he's running.

It's like he doesn't even care that he's humiliating Olivia. He laughs maniacally as he runs off through the crowd along the sidewalk. Some of the cars driving by beep their horns at him, and a girl leans out a window and yells something to him that makes her friends in the car all giggle loud as the car moves on.

What has she done to deserve a boyfriend like this?

"Did you tell your boyfriend we're a secret society and he has to go streaking to get membership?" Caleb asks his sister.

"Shut up," Olivia says through gritted teeth.

***

Atticus works at the counter at the dorm where Olivia lives on his days off from class. He got a lot of scholarships, but not enough to pay for all of his university needs and so this helps make up for the cost. And it gives him more time close to Olivia.

But Olivia has been ignoring his calls and texts and she hasn't even come over to the kitchen in her dorm to see him.

"Hey," Atticus says one morning when Matthew comes for breakfast. "Do you know Olivia Gates?"

Matthew shrugs. "She's one of my fellow dormies. I know who she is."

"Well, tell her that her boyfriend would like to talk to her sometime," Atticus says. "If she's willing to step off her high pedestal and talk to the lower people."

Matthew snorts out a laugh and then turns with his plate of avocado toast. "Yeah, sure. I'll pass along your message." Not that he actually plans to. Whatever is going on with other people in this dorm are not his problems to get involved in.

"Why haven't you returned any of my calls?" Atticus asks when he catches Olivia later that afternoon.

Olivia snorts out a laugh. "Why do you think?"

Atticus shakes his head. "I don't know. Just that you're not being the perfect girlfriend you think you are."

"Perfect? We're talking about being a perfect boyfriend or girlfriend? How about you deciding to run with a naked ass around this neighborhood in front of my brother and his girlfriend? And countless other people I don't even know?"

"I was trying to be funny," Atticus tells her.

Olivia glares at him. "Yeah, okay. You can be funny all you want, but I won't be there laughing at you anymore. We're done. Okay?"

Atticus looks as if shock runs through him, as if he never thought Olivia could react to his behavior like this. "Are you serious?"

"I am," Olivia says. "Don't call me, I won't be answering."

***

Over at the dorms, Emily has her own problems to deal with. It's been happening for the past week now--she suddenly feels the need to run to the bathroom, unable to keep down most things she eats. And she's tired and those tampons in her bag still have gone unused.

Caleb comes over to see her one afternoon and finds her in the co-ed bathroom in the dorm. She's just brushed her teeth again, trying to chase away that awful taste in her mouth.

"Are you okay?" Caleb asks. "Are you sick?"

"No," Emily says, taking a deep breath. "I took a pregnancy test this morning. And, well...we're having a baby." Tears start to run down her cheeks. "I'm sorry. I know this isn't what you wanted, it's not what I wanted, I didn't mean for this to happen."

Caleb looks shocked and afraid at first, but then he forces himself to smile and steps toward her, holding his arms open to take her into a tight hug. "It's okay," he says. "We'll figure this all out. I'm right here with you."

***

Emily is nervous about living with Olivia just down the hall. They haven't told their parents the news yet. And Emily is hoping Olivia doesn't know either. She'll blame the weight she's gaining on being away from her mom's cooking. The "freshman fifteen," right?

"Hey," Emily says, trying to sound cheerful. "How's everything?"

Olivia stabs at the dirt in one of the ceramic pots on the dorm's upper deck. "Fine," she growls.

"You know," Emily says, "you get to make up your own mind about Atticus. If he wants to do things like he did yesterday, throw him aside if you're not happy. If you think he was being funny, then laugh and go on with it."

Olivia brushes her hands on her jeans and stands. "Thanks for the dating advice. You have a strong history of dating, don't you? How many guys have you been with? Just my brother, right?"

Whether this baby is a boy or a girl, Emily hopes they don't inherit their Aunt Olivia's attitude.

Olivia tries to focus on her classes and ignore all of her thoughts about Atticus. He is not the boyfriend she had always seen herself with. He's just as annoying as she always thought in high school.

Except that her brain won't stop the other thoughts about Atticus.

Maybe she overreacted too much. People have their crazy moments in college, right? Maybe that was it, or maybe he was so nervous about meeting her brother that he felt the need to run naked through the streets. Whatever it was, they can move past that, right?

She doesn't see Atticus as she walks toward the dorm kitchen. She thought he was supposed to be working tonight.

And when she gets closer, she does see him. On the floor, unmoving. She can't move for a moment either, until she cries out loud before bursting into tears.

 

A heart attack, the official cause of death is listed. Probably because she broke his heart, her own heart tells her. It's her fault and he'll never be around to embarrass her in any way or make her happy in any way.

Seeing someone else in his place behind that dorm counter breaks her heart the rest of the long first semester of her time at Foxbury Institute.

---------------------

There wasn't another update on Matthew and Hailee in this post because Olivia took most of my attention, but you'll see them again in upcoming posts.

I did not plan Atticus's death. I didn't even plan for him to work at the dorm or go streaking! He did that on his own and Olivia did not look happy about it. He died on his own. Just fell out one day while working.

And I didn't plan for Emily to get pregnant during her first semester of college! But yeah, it happened and so an unplanned baby is on his/her way.

Emily just couldn’t pass, no matter how many times I made her knit. Getting on probation and getting pregnant wasn’t how she (or I!) planned her first semester.

And this was how she felt when Atticus died unexpectedly in the dorm, lol. "Eh. Whatever." She already has too much to deal with, she doesn't have time for Olivia's ex-boyfriend's death.