4 Potato Chip and Olive

MALACHI WALKER

Thursday June 27th

4:45 PM, outside Westfield Stratford City

When Kayla went down the stairs and out of view, I let out a big sigh of relief and curled my lips into a big, malicious grin.

So, Jazlyn doesn't know that Kayla is here and Kayla doesn't know that Jazlyn is here. Boy, when those two see each other for the first time, something's bound to happen.

I take my phone out of my pocket to text Oliver. I wonder if he's had an encounter with either of the girls. Throughout this past year of silence between Jazlyn and Kayla, Oliver and I have gotten a lot closer, even though we are super tight friends. We talk to each other all day every day and neither of us care at all.

4:59 PM

- OLIVER

- OLIVER

- OLIVE

- OLIVRE

- OILVER

- OLIVER

ollie 5:02pm

- yes?

- who is "oilver" or "olivre"

- cos that ain't me

5:04pm

- yk what I meant :/

- anyways, guess who I just ran into😬

ollie 5:05pm

- who?

- you know I'm at gusting fames

- GUESSING GAMES^^^

5:08pm

I👏🏾ran👏🏾into👏🏾Kayla👏🏾Corbyn👏🏾on👏🏾the👏🏾bus

ollie 5:09pm

- NO WAYYYYY💀💀💀💀💀💀💀💀💀💀💀💀💀

5:09pm

YES

ollie 5:11pm

- yk who I saw yesterday?

- JAZLYNNNNNN

5:12pm

...

that means they are both here, in the same city

ollie 5:15pm

- you know if either of them finds out we both knew that they were roaming freely in the same area, we'd be dead

{you}

definitely.

they CANNOT know.

{oliver😙💙}

- isn't it funny tho?

- you think they'll run into each other without us having anything to do with it?

{you}

THAT WOULD BE HILARIOUS

anyways, wanna hang out soon? I'm finally free of school and we have a whole summer ahead of us🙃😏

{oliver😙💙}

- it would be, and we wouldn't have any blood on our hands

- why not? I'll check to see when I'm free

{you}

yay.

so, do u think we should tell the girls?

{oliver😙💙}

- nah

- we'll let them figure it out😈😏

{you}

so evil

this is why u are part Slytherin

{oliver😙💙}

- yk it ;)

{you}

lmao

aw I gtg ;-;

{oliver😙💙}

- okay :(

- byeee potato chip👋🏾

{you}

bye olive

-seen-

I smile at Oliver's last message, reading it over and over until it's imprinted in my brain. His nickname for me is "Potato chip" because the brand of the best chips in the world is "Walkers" (the British version of Lays) so he calls me potato chip and in return, I call him Olive. Looking at his message once more, I turn off my phone and push the button, alerting the driver to stop.

~~~

As I exit the bus, my heart is pounding. This is the first time I'm seeing my dad since my mum passed away from breast cancer in the previous spring.

Sadly, due to the spring season starting up, I couldn't make it back home for the funeral and my dad was furious. Nan's been trying to calm him down, but it has proved impossible to fix his stubbornness.

My mum was my everything. She had the biggest influence of my life, besides Nan of course. Everything I did, I did to make her proud. I never cared about what anyone else thought, as long as it made my mum happy. No matter what, I always had her support-- whether it be for football, track and field, or even photography (my secret passion that no one knows about me-- except Nan and mum) She was my everything and her death left a huge hole in our family.

As I knocked on the door, I was trembling all over.

Would my dad still be upset? Most likely.

The door opened and my father stood in the doorway. His eyes were dark and puffy as if he had been crying before or had a lack of sleep. He didn't say a word before turning on his heel and walking back into the house, leaving me speechless in the doorway of my home.

I sigh and grab my bags, entering the dark, cold house I call home.

Setting my bags down in the entryway, I make my way into the living room and am greeted by Nan. "Malachi! So good to see you, how's the football going?" she said, kissing me on the cheek.

"Nan! So good to see you too! London's great and there are lots to see. I love it at my college, playing football matches against different countries is so much fun!" I exclaim, sitting myself down in my favourite place on the couch.

"That's good to hear!"

Nan has always been my number one supporter. She would spoil me like crazy throughout my childhood, be there to help me with my problems, she has the best advice and always knows what to say, plus she gives the best hugs in the world.

"Terrance! Come say hello to your son, because I didn't hear a word out of both of you when he knocked on the door," my nan croaked.

"Do you reckon he's still upset?"

"You know your father likes to hold grudges for a long time, but he'll come around soon enough," Nan signed.

Since I missed the funeral, my father and I have had some tension with each other. "Mum was very special to us both so you should attend," were the exact words in his letter. I know he was disappointed in me for choosing to play football instead of attending my own mother's funeral, but he doesn't know how I felt about that. Mum meant the world and more to me, so missing the funeral took a toll on me, but my education and football are important-- just as she once said. And anyway, Mum is in a better place now and she is looking down on us from heaven.

My dad walked into the living room, giving me his usual blank, emotionless glare. That's the one thing I never liked about my dad is that his face was always unreadable. Over the years, I have countlessly tried to figure out what that expression means, but somehow I never succeeded in seeing anything past his dull, chocolate brown eyes.

He sat down in the chair next to the sofa. No one said a word until Nan spoke up breaking the silence.

"Well? Aren't you going to say something?"

My dad turned to face me, "Honestly, I have nothing to say to you. You really let down this family by choosing to stay in school and-"

"Oh for goodness sake, Terrance. Listen to yourself. The boy has done nothing wrong, yes he did miss the funeral but it was just a funeral. Even though he wasn't present, doesn't mean he didn't love her any less or care about the family any less," Nan said, sighing in annoyance at my dad.

"Whatever."

I stand up abruptly and walked out of the room. I couldn't believe that even after all Nan's attempts, my dad can't accept the fact that it was just a funeral and I still loved Mom the same.

I jog up the stairs and into my old bedroom. It still looked the same, the tattered wallpaper where my old posters once hung, the slightly cracked window when Oliver and I were horsing around, and my old, creaky bed still sat in the corner of the room. As I flop onto my bed, I see my orange tabby cat, Button curled up in the covers. I gave his head a little scratch and he perked up, moving right up close next to me.

My mom gave Button to me. For years, I had begged and begged for a pet because being an only child is extremely lonely and wanted a companion. However, being in the living state we were in back then, pets were prohibited which of course-- made me extremely sad, but once we moved, we went to the shelter and welcomed Button into our family.

I pull out my phone again and decide to talk to send a message to an old group chat with Oliver, Jazlyn and I. I did see Jazlyn yesterday and I have yet to see Olive, but the two of us knowing something that she doesn't will make it all the more fun for us.

GROUP CHAT

-sibingsforlife-

{you}

{oliver😙💙}

{big sis✨👑}

5:22 PM

{you}

hey guysssss

how's the summer going so far?

{oliver😙💙}

- you just spoke to me not one hour ago

{big sis✨👑}

- aww you guys are having private convos😌😌😌

- how cuteeee

{you}

shut uppppp :/

{oliver😙💙}

- can't deny the truth, potato chip😉

{big sis✨👑}

- NOT THE WINKING EMOJIIIIII AND THE PET NAMEEEE😍😍😍😍😍😍😍😍

- YOU GUYS ARE THE CUTEST

{you}

>~<

jazlynnnn

stop

{oliver😙💙}

- aw are u blushing, Mal?

{you}

😳😳

oliveeee

ur not helping🤧

{big sis✨👑}

- I have stopped working😩 💀💀

- man I love you guys sm

{you}

ANYWAYS

so, olive, are you excited about the thing👀

{oliver😙💙}

- oh yes, I'm super excited

{big sis✨👑}

- and to what are you referring?

- anyone wanna share with the rest of the class?

{oliver😙💙}

- ew you sound like Mrs James

{you}

not our 9th-grade math teacher💀💀💀💀

{big sis✨👑}

- anyone wanna share?

- just curious

{oliver😙💙}

- make us😌💅🏾

{you}

THE SASS

ILYSMMM OLIVE

{oliver😙💙}

- ☺️👉🏾👈🏾

{big sis✨👑}

- damn rlly thought u guys were my brothers😥

{you}

yes we areeee

dont even play the guilt card🤥

{oliver😙💙}

- we been knew u were gonna do that

- srry jaz, some things u just can't know🤷🏻‍♂️

{oliver😙💙} has gone offline

{you}

it's true, jazz...

all in good time😌😚

{big sis✨👑}

- 😭😭😭😭

{big sis✨👑} has gone offline

{you} have gone offline