Chapter 55. Logan''s announcement


    ~ Olivia''s POV


    "Bye, Mom. Bye, Dad," I called out to my parents as I flew out the door.


    I heard their faint goodbyes as I ran down our driveway heading straight for Josh''s car.


    He shook his head at me like I was an errant little girl as I settled into the passenger seat before


    mming the door shut.


    "Hey!" He yelled at me. "Be careful with my baby."


    I gave him a sardonic look and stuck my tongue out. He wrinkled his nose at me before turning on


    the ignition and easing out of the driveway.


    After a couple of minutes, I watched as an old woman on a scooter drove past us.


    I groaned. "Why on Earth are you driving like a slow poke? Step on it, man. We''re gonna bete."


    He ignored me.


    "I can''t believe your dad gave you a car out of the blue."


    He turned to smile at me before facing the windscreen again. "Well, he said and I quote, ''You have


    a mate now. I can trust you to be responsible.''"


    Iughed out loud, cing my feet on the dashboard of the car just to spite him. He reached out


    and pped my legs.


    "Ouch," I yelped, scowling at him as I disgruntledly put my legs down.


    "Joshhhhh, please drive faster. You weren''t this slow when we were driving to Gwen''s ce."


    "That was different."


    "Hmmhmm." I gave him a teasing smile.


    We eventually got to school, and despite the fact that I had practically been begging Josh to drive


    faster, I found myself reluctant to get out of the car.


    "What''s wrong?" Josh asked when I made no move to alight, only staring at the imposing building.


    "I… I don''t know. I guess I''m just worried about what happened at Helen''s party…"


    "Why? Everyone present knew Trisha was at fault. You don''t have to worry about it, Liv."


    "Yeah, you''re right. I must still be traumatized about the whole field trip incident."


    His gaze hardened and his jaw clenched at the reminder of what had happened and how I had been


    punished.


    "You''ll be fine. And everything will be fine. If you want, I won''t leave your side all day. Although, I''m


    not sure of what we''ll do about going to the restroom. That''ll be awfully awkward."


    Iughed and rolled my eyes at him, my mood lightening up a little. "Shut up and let''s go."


    We alighted from the car and headed into the school''s main building. As soon as we got to our


    lockers, we came across Rachel, a Helen wannabe who took pleasure in taunting and


    embarrassing me whenever Helen was not there to do so.


    I steeled my spine, waiting for her to speak. To my surprise, she muttered, "Hi, Olivia," and went on


    her way, her friends following her obediently.


    Josh and I turned to each other, my brows high enough to have disappeared into my hairline.


    "Well, that was…"


    "Weird." I finished for him.


    Just then the bell rang, and we had to separate to our separate sses.


    I entered into the ss and noticed that the atmosphere had changed. Immediately I stepped in, the


    chatter died down and people turned to look at me.


    Here we go, I should have known what happened at Helen''s birthday would have spread throughout


    the school.


    I took a deep breath and headed to my seat at the back of the ssroom, expecting scathing insults


    toe my way. But to my surprise, nothing happened. In fact, the opposite of what I expected


    happened. People who had once treated me like an invisible presence now acknowledged my


    existence with polite smiles and nods. It was surreal, and I couldn''t help but wonder what had


    caused this sudden shift in their behavior.


    Could this be a trick? I thought to myself, as the girl sitting in front of me turned to me and


    complimented my outfit.


    As I settled down in the cafeteria with my lunch, I found myself lost in thought. The memory of the


    relentless bullying I had endured from my ssmates echoed in my mind. There had been days


    when I''de home with tears in my eyes, my spirit broken by their cruel taunts and pranks. The


    hurtful words andughter had been a constant presence in my school life, making each day a


    struggle to endure. I closed my eyes for a moment, reliving those painful moments.


    It was during one of those shbacks that Josh had firste to my rescue. He had seen me being


    cornered by a group of girls and had stepped in, his protective nature on full disy. From that day


    forward, we had be close friends, united by our shared experiences and the strength of our


    bond.


    Còntens bel0ngs to N?(v)elDr/a/ma.Org


    Throughout the day, I encountered more friendly gestures and offers of help. It was as if I had


    stepped into an alternate universe where I was no longer the outcast. I couldn''t deny that it felt nice,


    but it was also perplexing. The change had happened overnight, and I had no clue why.


    During lunchtime, I decided to visit the restroom. As I entered, I noticed a group of girls huddled


    together, whispering. Curiosity got the better of me, and I discreetly approached them, pretending to


    fix my hair near the sinks.


    "I can''t believe we have to be nice to her," one of the girls said, her voice filled with annoyance.


    "Yeah, it''s so unfair," another one chimed in.


    I strained my ears to listen more closely, my heart racing with anticipation.


    "Did you hear why we have to be nice to her?" a third girl asked.


    The first girl nodded. "It''s Prince Logan''s decree. He said that if anyone mistreats Olivia, they''ll


    suffer his wrath."


    I felt a chill run down my spine.


    Logan did this?


    The girls continued to gossip about it, and I quickly left the restroom, my mind spinning with this


    newfound information. I couldn''t believe that Logan had issued a decree to protect me. It was a


    surprising turn of events, and I couldn''t help but wonder why he had decided to intervene on my


    behalf.


    After the final school bell rang, I rushed to find Josh and share this revtion with him. I exined


    the situation and how my ssmates'' behavior had drastically changed. Josh, too, was surprised


    but relieved that I was no longer being bullied.


    As we drove home, I contemted on Logan and the impact he had on my life. It was an


    unexpected twist, and I couldn''t help but feel a sense of gratitude, even though I didn''t understand


    the reason behind his actions.


    My mind was filled with questions and uncertainty as we approached the pce. The events of the


    day had left me pondering theplexities of my school life and the influence of those around me.