Free Destiny by Mitchel Grace

her?”
    “Okay,
point taken. Of course I would. Just realize that guys like us don’t end up
with girls like her. That would be true even if Richard wasn’t in the picture.”
    “Why? It’s just Olivia. Yeah, she’s special, but she’s also
the most approachable person I’ve ever met.”
    “You
really don’t know her as well as you think you do. Richard is the guy every kid
here wants to be, and Olivia is the one every girl wishes they could be. She’s
a completely balanced person. She’s smart and absolutely gorgeous. Then there’s
the fact that she’s funny and great to be around. Most of the time, you don’t
get that all in one package. Can you say with confidence that you actually
deserve someone like her because the only person I know who can is Richard.”
    “I
see what you’re saying. I don’t know if I deserve her, but I’ve got to try,
right? I mean, I would regret it if I didn’t,” I said as I pulled up to his
house.
    “I
guess so. Anyway, I know you’re new in town, so I doubt you have any plans.
It’s Friday. A few of my friends usually come over around seven, and we hang
out. If you want to join us, we could always use one more.”
    “That
sounds good. I’ll see you a little later, Mike.”
    As
I drove, I thought about how much I could really use a get-together about now.
I used to go to a lot of parties back in Miami, but with everything that had
happened, I hadn’t been able to enjoy anything over the last two months. Then
there was what was going on with me and Olivia . . . or to be more accurate, what might not be going on at all. I needed some time
away from it all to just cut loose and not worry about anything.
    When
I got home, my aunt met me at the door and asked how my first day went.  
    “It
was eventful, if nothing else. I sat through a lot of lectures, made a friend,
and even an enemy,” I said.
    “An
enemy? Don’t tell me you’re getting into trouble already.”
    “No,
it’s nothing like that. I’m sure it’ll be fine.”
    “Well,
who is it? If you’re having a problem with someone, your uncle and I can talk
to some people about it and make sure everything is all right.”
    “I
can handle it. Richard Burning just has a problem with me being friends with
Olivia. He thinks that I have an ulterior motive for being her friend.”
    “He’s
not right, is he?”
    “That’s
complicated. Let’s just leave it at she’s with him . . . for now.”
    “All
right, don’t get into any trouble, though. I remember plenty about high school,
and love triangles never end well. Get her to choose you soon, or back away
from the situation. You don’t need to get hurt over a girl who won’t even choose
you.”
    There
it was again. Why did everyone think that this was going to end with Richard
hurting me? Wasn’t there at least a chance that he should be the one worried?
Sure, I wasn’t very big, but it wasn’t like I was weak. I could hold my own if
things turned ugly. She was right about one thing, however. If Olivia didn’t
choose me, then there was no sense in continuing to pursue her. Then again, it
had only been a day. I had to give her time to think about everything. I was
sure that she would come to her senses soon enough.
    I
nodded to Aunt Kristen and headed off to my room. I did some homework until it
was time to go to Mike’s. When I got there and his mother let me inside, I was
very disappointed to find three guys upstairs playing video games. There was
nothing wrong with enjoying a lazy night with friends, but it was Friday.
Didn’t these guys have a life?
    “Hey,
I’m glad you made it. This is Rusty,” he said while pointing to a red haired
boy on the end of the bed. “ and this is Stan,” he said
and motioned toward a short and rather plump guy.
    I
introduced myself and sat down. At first, I was a little underwhelmed. I had
been what some might call a loser for the first fourteen years of my life, but
then I had turned it around. Back home, people