“You need help." 

“I don’t need anything.” The sound of rain beat on Daniel’s roof while Olivia stood face to face with Harrison. “I’m fine,” she looked to the ground, kicking beneath the bed to insure that her box was safely hidden from Harrison’s view. “You worry too much about me,” she smiled softly, reaching for his hand. “There’s absolutely nothing wrong with me, at all. Everything’s normal. School’s going well, work’s going well, and Daniel and I are looking into - into traveling somewhere in the summer.” Liv paced a bit before throwing herself on to the large beanbag chair in the corner, insuring that her skirt didn’t fly up beyond what she had deemed the safe area. The area that hadn’t been freshly decorated with reminders of past mistakes, present thoughts, and future failures.

“I’m not going anywhere.” 

Olivia wasn’t sure if she believed Harrison. Of course, she had no reason to not trust the boy standing in front of her, but part of her lingered behind. A part of her told her to stand guard at the palace. “How do I know you won’t hurt me, too? How do I know you’re not going to get tired and fed up one day and see someone better on the street, someone with less – less of whatever the hell it is I carry, and walk away because they’re easier?” Liv looked down. “It’s easier to go. You know I won’t mind. I’ll be happy for you. You can get a job in Boston – coverin’ the Sox. Leaving is safer, Harrison. Leaving won’t disappoint you.”

"Stop pushing everyone away." 

“Do you think I like this? Like I like being alone? Like I prefer not having anyone around when I need them? I don’t. Not at all. It just happens. Like I wake up and people begin to realize what they could have if I wasn’t around,” Livvy wiped at the corner of her eye. “I don’t push. I try not to. I just exist, as I am - to you right now, and it happens. I can’t help it. It’s – it’s how this works, Harrison. I don’t control this.” she covered her face for a minute. “When I was a kid we had a swing set in the backyard. Mama built it for me and Daniel. It was my favorite thing in the world, and when she died – my Father tore it down. He said he always hated the damn thing because it made too much noise. It wasn’t the swing set that made noise, it was me. My screamin’ and yellin’ because I was happy – Father didn’t like that. So I pushed it down. Then Father, he – well, you know what he started doing. So I pushed more of myself down. As I pushed and pushed myself further and further away I became someone else. Someone scared and mean – someone bitter and angry. Someone like the taste of orange juice after toothpaste,” she wiped away tears once again. “Harrison I don’t know when I’m pushing people away, I think I’m just being myself and everyone else is finally realizing what kind of a monster I really am.”