Ollie in Between: Chapters 8–15

People meander around the food court, browsing, waiting in line, carrying food to tables.

Instead of spending lunch silently sitting at the end of the bench, Cal dividing me from the rest of her friends like I’m some sort of anomalous extra pinkie attached by a single thread to their very important social circle, I pay attention.

Everyone moves down to accommodate her.

“I mean, I don’t see how we’re supposed to really draw any conclusions without doing research, since none of us exactly have firsthand experience on being an adult, but growing up is pretty straightforward.”

It’s the same bony arched nose with a notch on the bridge that Cal has, only I bet she isn’t as self-conscious about her nose as Cal is.

I didn’t even plan on it, so the wasp is just being stupid and pointless and inconsiderate because there’s no way I can go back there knowing that everyone heard what Liam said about me and my mustache and they didn’t care to stick up for me.

Dina sneaks up behind me and I flinch.

Who cares that hours of research—not for my paper, okay, just to clarify what Mrs. Mylonas said about the world and anatomy—only made womanhood more confusing?

“Becoming a woman has shown me that there’s actually nothing inherently weak about femininity.”

“Oh, don’t be a baby. I know what kids your age are saying. You’re all over the internet these days! So accessible; no one should have all their—sorry—stupid teenage decisions judged and immortalized online.”

“You’re so yourself. You make me nuts with your messes and inability to listen to literally anything anyone tells you, but at least you’re Ollie.”

There’s a big black hole in me, probably on account of the total collapse of some very vital part of what would be authentic Ollie.

What if I’ve been this bad at blending in all along? Soft shell left abandoned by predators too proud to prey upon someone so pathetic.

“Your father…he really needs to motivate her a little more.”

Everyone else is talking about normal things. Like how this one guy’s boss is a huge pain and he’d tell him so if it weren’t for capitalism’s rule over his life, and how this other lady’s husband is real lousy at all the things she asks him to do only she’ll never tell him that and she’ll just go ahead and redo everything he does poorly.