Olivia

By Jane Corcoran

At 10 years of age, Olivia Rose considered herself to be a “regular kid.” She lived near the beach with her family and best friends Phoebe and Nick. However when Nick’s parents separate and Nick moves away with his mother and sister, Olivia begins to learn about pain and realizes that life may not be as simple as it seems.By the time Olivia is in High School, she feels she has nothing special to offer. When Nick returns to live with his dad, Olivia struggles with the competing interests of her friendship with Phoebe and her own desires. Olivia’s mum becomes so worried about her daughter that she sends her to stay with her Aunt Sarah for the summer.At Aunt Sarah’s house Olivia begins to learn about her Greek heritage and the magic of its secrets and traditions. By the time Olivia returns home she is able to rebuild her friendship with Phoebe, and come to terms with her true feelings for Nick.It is now up to Olivia to decide whether she will embrace the secrets of her heritage or walk away from it altogether. Whatever Olivia decides, there is no looking back. Her life is no longer simple and her family and its secrets will change her life forever.Selling Points- The first in a trilogy of fiction stories which embrace romance and fiction for teens and young women- Through fiction, identifies and deals with the issues facing teenagers and young women today- A ‘coming of age’ tale for the new generation

• Language: English
• Publisher: BookBaby
• Release date: Aug 3, 2013
• ISBN: 9780987566010

Book preview

Best Friends

Iam Olivia Rose and I am 10 years old. I live at home with my mum, dad and my sister Brooke in a beachside suburb which has many families who are just like us. Brooke is four years older than me. We share the same home and parents, but we do not share each other’s lives. We are, in my mind, an eternity apart. I think she sees me as a baby and no matter what age I become, I am always too young for her.

I cannot help but look up to Brooke for wisdom and guidance. I tend to obtain this information by observation as she prefers not to chat to me. The good news is, that due to our separate existences we do not fight, and I am grateful for that. Some girls I know are always complaining of fighting with their sisters, but I think Brooke’s treatment of me saves us from that added sibling misery.

So when I get the chance, I observe Brooke with a keen eye. I know that she is important to me. She is my big sister, she is graceful and elegant. She may not be much fun, but when she walks into a room she commands attention and I respect her power. I tell myself that when I am older, I will have to find my own way to be respected and powerful; but for now, I am happy just being me.

I am what my parents describe to our friends as busy. I am always in the middle of something, and while doing it, making arrangements for my next venture. This keeps me very happy. I am involved in many activities with a variety of people. It does not suit me to dwell on grace or beauty at this time. It isn’t that I don’t aspire to these things in the future, but the things I need to do take priority, which leaves me with little time for anything else.

My days are usually occupied with my best friend Phoebe. Phoebe and I are inseparable so either I am at her place, or she is at mine. To me, Phoebe is my true sister. Whenever possible, we play, eat, sleep and discover everything together. We sleep over at each other’s places so often that we have spare pillows and pyjamas at the ready at all times. Our parents must be happy with this arrangement as they do not complain and I imagine that they don’t as it keeps us both happy and busy and so they are happy too.

Phoebe and I know and understand each other. Phoebe has one older and one younger brother. The boys, although different in age, hang out together and this leaves Phoebe free to be with me. I like our friendship; we can be ourselves without having to explain anything. We know each other’s secrets and we make dreams for the future together.

When we are not at home we are at the beach. Phoebe’s brothers are great surfers and have always taken Phoebe and me with them to surf. As a result, we love the beach life and are pretty good surfers for young girls. Actually Phoebe, who is naturally more athletic than me, is an excellent surfer. I have noticed her on the waves showing the boys a thing or two. The boy’s appear oblivious to Phoebe’s obvious talent; to them, we are just annoying little brats. They babysit us by dropping us in the surf with them, but really, we do not mind one little bit.

My bedroom is my own little paradise. When I open my window I can’t see the ocean, but I can smell it. Sometimes I lie on my bed and dream of being in the sea. The shells on my dressing table are a constant reminder of my love for beach. I look at them and imagine I’m floating in the ocean, tasting the salt on my lips and feeling the sun tingling on my shoulders.

Nick

Nick lives next door and he is the same age as me. When I am not with Phoebe I spend my free time with him. Nick lives with his mum, dad and little sister. Nick and I became friends when I found him searching the neighbourhood for boys of his age to play with.

For a long time I assisted Nick in his quest. Nick and I were amazed that none of the families around us provided him with any boys his age to play with. We were not allowed to travel beyond a couple of streets from home and we knew that other boys had to exist, however with our limited ability to roam, Nick chose me as his substitute playmate. It was not a planned thing, it just happened. One day we just stopped looking and started playing together.

I have always enjoyed Nick’s company. Nick is lots of fun even though he’s a boy. He has been able to do things and show me things that are different to what I have tried before. Nick provides my life with a more adventurous edge, and I enjoy it. I try to give back to Nick as well, in my own way. Nick is always hungry and I know my way around the kitchen. My mum is a chef and she and I love to cook together. So when Nick is hungry, I practise my cooking skills with Nick. He always eats the food, and is grateful for it. I try to get some critique from him but he just seems to love everything. It makes me laugh as mum has always said, Young men, when it comes to food, need quantity, not quality. Somehow I think she is right.

Nick says when I play with him, I slow him down. He thinks this is a good thing as it provides him with the opportunity of consideration. Apparently he often changes his mind about a plan, while I am getting ready for it, realising it was probably not a good idea. Nick says I have saved his skin a million times through my delay, and I have no reason to doubt him.

So after school Mondays to Thursdays when Phoebe goes home with her brothers, Nick and I race through our homework and chores, so that we have time to explore the world via our backyards. Through our need for companionship, we have created a friendship whereby we share different ideas, laughs and experiences. Time with Nick passes very quickly and I always look forward to each day’s adventure.

In the summer break after Christmas, Nick came over as he usually did when I was not at Phoebe’s house. Nick was not normally an emotional person, but I could see that he had been crying. I took him into my room and asked what was wrong, and it was then I discovered that his parents were separating. Nick said that his mother was moving away to live with his grandmother for a while until she got settled. Nick explained that his mother told his father that she was taking Nick and his sister with her and there was no discussing it. Nick said his dad was so upset that he had not spoken to anyone since. Nick did not know what do, as he was told by his mum that they would be leaving in a couple of days. I knew Nick’s grandmother lived a long drive away, so this meant another home for Nick, another school, and another quest for a friend to play with.

I did not know what to say to Nick. Our friendship was very close, but it was not an emotional one. I told him he would be ok. I believed that his mum would never do anything to hurt him, and that he really had little choice about it. I knew that we were the kids; we were not the decision makers, that was our parents job and we just followed them. I said all of this in a rush to Nick and I dared not look at his face. So when I looked up and saw Nick’s eyes welling with tears, I could hold back no longer. I burst into tears and hugged him. I held him for a long time. We were like family I thought to myself and it was only right to care for Nick as if he was anyone else important to me. I held onto Nick until we both stopped crying and composed ourselves.

After a while Nick told me that he was worried. He said that when his little sister was born, his mum left his dad and took them with her. He remembered that he didn’t see his dad for a long time, and when he did see him, his dad cried all the time. Nick did not want to see his dad in pain again. Nick did not know why his mum had to leave him all the time. Nick really did not understand how if his mum didn’t want to live with his dad, then why did she keep coming back and forcing them all to go through this pain again?

Prior to this moment, Nick and I had never discussed our parents much at all. I had no idea that his parents were so unhappy, or that Nick had experienced such pain in his life. Nick was just a kid like me, but he knew what pain was. I really felt terrible for Nick. I knew he did not deserve to be hurt all the time. I knew that the pain on his face was not just for his dad, but for himself and his sister as well.

After some quiet time in my room, something triggered in Nick’s brain that we were wasting what limited time we had left. Come on, Nick said, let’s get out and enjoy our time while we can! I stood up instantly and ran outside with Nick following me. I ran to the big Jacaranda tree in our backyard and hugged it. Nick ran in behind me and did the same. After a few moments went by, Nick reached into the pocket of his shorts and pulled out a pocket knife. He then cut his name into the bark of the tree. You’ll never forget me now, he said and he ran off. I followed Nick all afternoon and we played our usual games in our backyards.

Nick and I didn’t speak about his move again. It was like we had decided we would fit as many adventures in as we could until it was time for him to leave. Soon it was soon time for Nick to go. When the morning of his departure arrived, I went over to say goodbye to Nick. When I went into his house, his dad was sitting on the lounge with his face in his hands. He looked broken. I didn’t disturb him and kept on heading towards Nick’s room. When I got there, I reached into my bag and gave Nick a parcel. Nick’s eyes lit up. He unwrapped the gift and found a photo frame with a photo of the two of us in it. I had asked mum to have the silver frame engraved on the back, and it said:

Your friend forever, Livie.

The tears welled up in Nick’s eyes. I did not want to see him cry. So I grabbed him and hugged him and he held onto me like he was never going to let go. When he did finally let go, Nick said, Thanks so much Livie, I promise to keep in touch. I smiled and walked Nick downstairs. His mum and sister were packed and ready to go. Before I knew it, I was waving Nick goodbye and he was gone.

After Nick left the pain hit me. Nick was the first person that I had ever had to say goodbye to. I had not suffered any form of loss prior to this and it hurt almost straight away. The pain did not go away quickly either. I soon understood why I had seen the pain in Nick’s eyes before he left. Nick knew what was ahead. Nick knew it before he had gone. The loss in Nick’s eyes that day in the bedroom said it all. I was innocent to the concept of pain at that time and I was unable to understand it. But now I felt what he was feeling. Losing a friend, a really good friend hurt, and I hoped that Nick would find someone to fill that emptiness quickly, so he did not feel this pain for too long.

With Nick leaving I spent even more time with Phoebe. Our busy schedule meant that we were inseparable. This helped me recover from the loss of Nick fairly quickly, but he was never forgotten. Nick had enabled me to see things differently when we were together. Without Nick I became more careful; without me, I feared that Nick would take too many risks. We had been good for each other and I missed him. Whenever I was at home and wished that Nick could be with me, I would go and sit under the Jacaranda tree in my backyard and place my fingers in his name, which he had engraved in its body forever. When I was sitting in that place I was with Nick, and when I was with him, I was never alone.

Moving On

By the time Phoebe and I were at High School, Nick was a distant memory to me. He didn’t write and I had no real way of contacting him without an address. The pain I had initially suffered after he left had passed and now it was two years since he had gone. I guessed that he had moved on and that he was happy. As for me, I was now twelve and almost a teenager. I spent all of my time with Phoebe and we were very much aware that our lives were becoming more complicated.

My sister Brooke was now sixteen and planning her future. She had always been interested in fashion and design and had her mind set to study this once she completed her senior exams. Brooke had a constant stream of boys ringing our home and asking her out, but she never seemed impressed by any of them. Not that I blame her, I don’t know what all the fuss is about with boys. To me they seem annoying and smelly, and at times quite rude.

Phoebe’s brothers are still surfing mad. Phoebe’s older brother Brad finished high school last year. He has a job in a surf shop selling surf gear during the week and teaching surfing lessons on the weekends. Brad loves it. I think Phoebe’s parents hoped he would do his senior years at school however, Brad takes part in competitive surfing and hopes to be a professional surfer one day.

Phoebe and I are impressed with Brad: He already has a sponsor for his surfing and these sponsors provide him with various goodies such as boards, wax, wet suits and boardies and pay for him to compete in the National surfing events. Phoebe looks up to him so much and he has become her idol. We borrow any spare products he gets whenever we can. It feels really cool to have him around us and it is like we are almost famous.

Phoebe’s younger brother Will is a great surfer