hey now. (matt press).

The next morning, Olivia reluctantly went to school. Her teachers were growing increasingly annoyed by her constant absences and habitual tardiness, but even that didn't stop her from being late again.

As she trudged through the empty school halls toward her first class—already twenty minutes late—she felt inexplicably exhausted despite having slept for eight hours. Letting out a heavy sigh, she opened the door to her English classroom. Her teacher barely spared her a glance, though it was one filled with disapproval as she lectured about some book they were reading.

This class was the only one Olivia shared with Matt. Of course it had to be English, where she'd chosen a seat next to him at the beginning of the year. A choice she now regretted. Silently, she slid into the chair beside him, staring straight ahead and willing herself to focus on the teacher's words. Not that she was listening—but at least she looked like she was.

"Olivia," Matt murmured beside her.

She ignored him at first, hoping he'd drop it. But she knew she couldn't avoid him forever. Reluctantly, she turned her head toward him, silently waiting for him to speak.

"Can we talk? At lunch? Please?"

His voice was soft, his face tired. The bags under his eyes told her everything—he'd been losing sleep over their last few encounters. She hesitated before replying.

"Fine," she said curtly.

Matt blinked, clearly surprised by her agreement. "Oh. Uh, great. Cool."

She hummed noncommittally, turning back toward the teacher. The lesson dragged on, and all Olivia wanted was for it to end.

Finally, her first few lessons were over. When lunch rolled around, Olivia walked to the bleachers outside, where she'd agreed to meet Matt. To her surprise, he was already there, sitting quietly. Punctuality was not his usual trait, and it made her pause.

"Hey," she said softly as she sat down beside him.

"Hey." Matt offered a tentative smile, as though he hadn't expected her to actually show up.

"What did you want to talk about?" she asked, her eyes fixed on the football field in front of them.

"Us," he said, his voice steady but cautious. "I miss you."

Olivia hummed again, unsure if she even wanted to bother fixing things with him.

Matt shifted closer, reaching out to gently turn her face toward his. "You know I don't like talking about serious stuff, so this is hard for me, but I really am sorry Liv. I wish I could've just... manned up and told you I liked you instead of trying to hide it, kissing other girls, making you feel like crap, I'm sorry for it all. If I could change everything I did I would do it instantly. Olivia, I really like you, I have for a long time and I'm not gonna hide it anymore. I want us to fix things, and I want to be with you. No one else."

She studied his face as he spoke. His eyes held no trace of dishonesty. Olivia stayed silent for a moment, trying to gather her thoughts. Taking a deep breath, she finally spoke.

"I'm sorry too. I think... we both could've been braver. I want to fix things too. Because..." Her voice softened. "I want to be with you."

"Yeah?" His grin turned cocky.

"Yeah." She rolled her eyes, unable to hide her small smile.

Without another word, Matt pulled her into a hug, wrapping his arms around her and resting his head on top of hers. "We'll figure this out," he murmured into her hair.