When Lucas stepped outside, he saw Olive angrily sweeping the leaves on the ground.
He approached her, set down his cleaning supplies on the floor, and sat under the tree.
"Why are you sitting there? Shouldn't you be sweeping too?" Olive demanded, glaring at Lucas.
"You're a hard worker, but I'm not. Don't you realize that you'll never finish sweeping unless we cut down this pear tree?" Lucas replied, rolling his eyes.
Olive realized that the area she had just swept was now dirty again from falling leaves. She let out a heavy sigh and dropped the broom and sat down next to Lucas under the tree.
"What should we do now? If we don't clean up and Miss Aimee finds out, we'll face an even worse punishment," Olive said, looking disheartened.
"That woman is impossible. She's always looking for a reason to punish me, and now that my mom has given her the green light, she won't hold back," Lucas said, his expression angry.
"You should face the consequences alone. You dragged me into this mess," Olive said with a sigh.
"But you said we're partners. Partners in debate, partners in rugby, and now partners in punishment," Lucas replied, laughing.
"Shut the hell up! You're so annoying," Olive snapped, her voice filled with anger. "I guess we'll just have to keep sweeping until Miss Aimee has a change of heart and lets us back inside the school."
"How about we make a game out of it? Let's play rock, paper, scissors. The loser has to sweep for twenty seconds. Are you up for it?" Lucas suggested, a mischievous grin on his face.
"Sure, I'm great at that game," Olive replied enthusiastically.
The two of them started playing, with Olive consistently winning and Lucas begrudgingly taking on the sweeping duties.
Lucas had always considered himself a master of the game, but today he was humbled by Olive's skill.
___
As night fell, the world was bathed in a gentle, otherworldly glow. The air cooled, carrying the sweet fragrance of blooming flowers and the distant chirping of crickets. Shadows grew longer, casting a dark hue over the landscape, while the sky turned a deep, mysterious blue.
Olive and Lucas were summoned to the school building by Mr. James and then made their way down the hallway to their room and entered.
"You only agreed to the game because you knew you would win," Lucas said wearily, flopping onto his bed. "You're sly."
"Didn't you suggest the game because you thought you could beat me?" Olive retorted, smirking as she folded her clothes. "Don't play the victim now."
"Well done! You're quite clever. Lucas complimented as he rose from his bed and made his way to the door. I'm not up for an argument tonight. I need to take a relaxing bath and go to bed early.
I'm not stupid, you know. Olive retorted with a smirk. Anyway, see you later!
You can be pretty dense sometimes though. Lucas teased as he approached Olive and stood in front of her. Jerk! Lucas added playfully as he grabbed Olive's bag and tossed it to the ground, revealing its contents.
Olive's eyes widened as she quickly stooped to pick up her underwear, which was now exposed to Lucas, who appeared shocked and puzzled.
What's with the women's underwear? Lucas inquired, still staring at the undergarments on the floor as Olive finished gathering them. Don't tell me..., he continued to say only to be cut short by Olive.
Yes, they belong to my girlfriend. I stare at them to help myself when I'm feeling frisky, you know. Olive responded quickly, her eyes locked with Lucas, a hint of nervousness in her voice.
"Oh, I see! You're a bad guy after all," Lucas said as he hit Olive on her arms. "You stole all her underwears just to please yourself in school."
"I didn't steal them. I took them, she can always get another pair," Olive replied with a smile. "She has my boxers too, so...?"
"It's an exchange policy," Lucas said with a burst of laughter. "Anyways, underwears master, huh? Enjoy staring at your girlfriend's undeewears before..." He added, mimicking the act of masturbation before walking out of the dorm.
As the dorm door slammed shut, Olive heaved a heavy sigh of relief.
"That jerk!" Olive cursed silently and quickly packed her underwears before Lucas could return. She also grabbed her towel and made her way out of the room.
____
A week had flown by, and the students of Belmont were about to start their two-week vacation. Olive was up early, all packed and waiting at the school gate for her parents to arrive, along with other students waiting for their rides.
Austin remarked on the presence of two of the 3RM students,Lucas, Mark, and Olive, standing together. "It must be a great day today, to see you three standing together."
Lucas quickly dismissed the idea, saying, "We're just waiting for our rides," He then moved away with Mark, leaving Olive standing alone. "I wonder who Arthur is waiting for though, I'm sure he doesn't have a driver to be waiting for." Lucas added with an outburst of laughter.
Olive replied, rolling her eyes. "I'm waiting for my parents. I wonder why they aren't here yet."
" Anyways, I'll send the invitation card for our one-year anniversary to your email. Make sure you show up," Austin said, planting a kiss on Samuel's cheek.
"Go book a room, guys," Mark said, looking disgusted. "Thank God there's vacation now."
"Are you jealous of seeing two lovers together?" Austin laughed. "Oh, great, our car is here. See you guys at the party!" A black jeep pulled up, and the chauffeur opened the door for Samuel and Austin to enter before driving away.
"My parents are here!" Olive exclaimed happily as she spotted her parents' Walnut bus.
Mr. and Mrs. Williams emerged, their faces beaming with joy.
"Mom, dad!" Olive exclaimed as she ran into their arms. "I've missed you so much," she said, tears welling up in her eyes.
"We miss you too, darling. We always want to visit, but we have to follow the rules about parents not being able to see their children outside of visiting hours," Mrs. Williams explained, a smile on her face.
"Good afternoon, ma'am," Mark greeted with a nod and a smile.
"Mom, Dad, this is Mark. He's a friend of mine," Olive introduced, then turned to Lucas. "And this is Lucas, my debate partner.
"Lucas's eyes widened in shock, as if he had been expecting Olive to introduce him as more than just a debate partner. He cleared his throat and greeted Mr. and Mrs. Williams, "Good afternoon. It's a pleasure to meet you,
Mrs Williams then said, " It's a pleasure to meet you too and thank you for taking care of our dear Oli... I mean, our dear Arthur."
"He's a great guy. I'm actually glad to call him a friend," Mark replied, prompting Lucas to give him a questioning and disbelieving look.
"Great! A friend of yours?" Lucas murmured to himself with a smirk.
"Why don't you join us for lunch? My wife prepared a lot of food for Arthur's return. You're welcome to join us if you'd like," Mr. Williams said with a smile.
"We're waiting for our drivers. Maybe next time, sir," Mark replied.
"Daddy, let's go," Olive said, leading her parents to the bus before being stopped.
"Mr. Williams, I'd like to come, please. The driver isn't here yet, and I'm terribly hungry," Lucas said with a mischievous smile.
"Huh?" Olive asked, looking stunned as she glanced at Lucas before turning back to her parents. "Dad, just ignore him, he's always like that," she added.
"I'm serious, Mr. Williams," Lucas said, his expression pitiful as he rubbed his stomach.
"What mischief are you planning now, Lucas?" Mark whispered in Lucas's ear, but Lucas paid him no mind.
"Alright, you can come with us," Mr. Williams said with a smile, causing Lucas to jump up happily and head into the bus with Olive's parents following him, leaving both Mark and Olive speechless.