Ollie didn't feel he was out of his element when he showed up at Diago and Char's summer party. It was practically an all-day affair. He'd gotten there early to help set up the tables in the back yard and to tend to the smoker with Sid.
As of late Ollie and Maddie spent a good bit of their time with Sid and Cher, if they weren't at work. It felt good to be a part of a circle of so many friends. There was no time to feel bad about the terrible winter moment that had been shortly blissful with Gabby. As a result, he felt awful about breaking Ste and Gabby apart.
Still, when Ste showed up with new girl Amira, Ste didn't seem so heartbroken. Ollie was definitely not going to speak to Ste. Since Ste had punched him in the gut and the eye, sometime before spring break. Neither, had mentioned it to anyone. Ollie knew he deserved it. Actually, he'd felt so lost until he met Maddie who worked at the same grocery store that he did.
He couldn't put Maddie in the lover category. They were friends. She was easy to talk too and she did make him laugh. She was older and wiser by eight years, but no one would ever know it with her sweet voice and petite stature.
She was quite different from anyone he'd ever met. She was funny some of the time. Perhaps, that's why she kept him in stitches and he had no time to be bothered with the age issue. He was eighteen now and needed to move on with his life.
And he'd never expected to have so many friends. Real friends. Friends who wanted to know his plans. Who wanted to help him get to his goals. Actually, he didn't know those kinds of friends existed.
He rarely thought of Valentina anymore. Still, he hoped she was happy even if it felt she was in a different universe. Yes, he felt ever so slightly sad about how it all happened. And yet he knew she would somehow bounce back and be even stronger. But she was his first love.
When the skies lit up that night, he put his arm around Maddie, yet he made a little wish, hoping Valentina was enjoying the night too.
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