Chapter Text
So, I wrote this because a) I'm obsessed with Sex Education, b) because I have been really blocked on original stories and content recently so I thought this would help stir the juices, and 3) because I really Ola, but I can't just through Maeve to the side. Also sorry about the formatting. This is my first story on ao3 and I'm still getting used to the stuff.
“You’re kidding,” Eric responded, shocked. He walked next to Otis, his reclaimed best friend, who had just made out with a real life girl the day before but more importantly, masturbated successfully for the first time.
“No, I’m not.”
“How did it feel? Aren’t penises kind of weird but completely incredible at the same time?” Eric said, reminiscing on his secret rendezvous with the bully who shall not be named.
“Seriously, Eric! There are people around!”
The over-excited best friend shushed him. “No, you need to let the world know that you, Otis Milburn,” and after a dramatic pause, shouted, “made out with a girl and masturbated last night!”
“Eric!”
“Otis, I need to talk to you.” The angry tone of Maeve Wiley cut immediately through the embarrassingly light air. Otis shot angry eyes at Eric who got the message and walked away. He then turned his attention to his business partner.
“What’s up? Is this clinic related?” Otis asked innocently.
“No. That’s just over. That’s what I wanted to tell you. I don’t need it anymore,” the blonde finished shortly and then walked back towards the school gates. Otis’ eyes widened. He knew he had pissed her off at the dance, but he thought everything was okay. He got a feeling that something was off, so he ran after her. He was still her friend, after all.
“Maeve, if this is about what Eric just said, it’s no big deal. I mean, like, it’s not weird. He was just making it weird because it’s Eric and he makes a big deal about everyth-”
“Just stop, Otis. I found this in my laundry. I stopped by your house yesterday because I thought you’d want it back.” She reached into her bag and pulled out a navy sweater with “Otis Milburn” sewed into the tag. She then dug through her bag again and pulled out a pack of cigarettes. She lit one, took a short drag, and blew the smoke out from her mouth and nose before continuing to walk.
Meanwhile, Otis, frozen, gripped the sweater and opened his mouth and closed it at least three times.
“It was a great business for a while, but I’m bored.” She yelled behind her, withholding the information about her possible expulsion at the expense of her brother. Otis, unfreezing, again ran in front of her.
“Maeve, I don’t think that’s a smart idea. They need us here.”
“Yeah, well, tell that to Headmaster Groff,” she snapped, pinching herself in the process. She knew she had said too much. Maeve also felt the nicotine rush go to her head. She dropped the cigarette and stepped on it.
“Wait, what do you mean?”
“God, it’s nothing, Otis. Sometimes people are just dealt a bad hand and they have to figure it out.” Maeve started walking past Otis when he reached out and caught her arm.
They stood side by side. It wasn’t the closest they’d ever been to each other, but it felt like it was, like they were really noticing for the first time after the bridge. Both their hearts stopped for a second as they recognized little details about each other they had become familiar with like how he was at least half a head taller than her even in her boots and how her eyeliner filled in all the gaps between her eyelashes that he hadn’t noticed were so long until that moment.
All she wanted to do was what she had meant to do the day before, but she knew she couldn’t do that to him. He had Ola. He was happy.
“Otis-”
“Seriously, Maeve. What’s this about? Was it the trophy? Was it too much? I can return it, but they’ll probably be suspicious when they see your name carved into it.”
“It’s nothing. I just have to pack Sean’s shit right now, okay?”
“Your brother’s gone?”
“Yeah, but it’s no big deal. He does that.”
“No, Maeve, it is a big deal. Do you want me to go with you so you aren’t alone?”
“Can you just stop being nice for one second? It makes it all so difficult.” She pulled away again, noticing a surprising surge of frustration. She was apparently past the sadness stage of her grief, and had just transitioned into anger. “God, Otis! You make everything so confusing! You give me your weird sweater on the bridge on a weird night where I know you felt something but you didn’t do anything because you’re a weird dickhead. Why can’t you just be like a normal dickhead? You know, this whole thing was dumb.”
“Slow down, please.” Otis was trying to follow, but he kept getting caught up on things he was pretty sure she didn’t want him to know.
“I wish you hadn’t come late to class and sat next to me so Professor Alcoholic could tell me to go chasing after you.” She felt her face get red as she realized how mean she had been to him when they first met. “God, I wish you would’ve just fucking kissed me on that bridge!
“I don’t know what’s happening, Maeve! I don’t know if you know what you’re saying!”
“Of course I know what I’m saying, asshole!”
“I didn’t kiss you because I didn’t want to do it wrong! You know how… inexperienced I am while you were standing there with all your practical application. I didn’t because I didn’t know how!” Otis knew he was getting flustered and that this wasn’t effective communication, but he felt a little too invested in it that he couldn’t pull back.
“Well, you sure knew how to do it with Tuxedo!”
“Tuxedo?”
“Ola, Otis! God, you’re such a moronic prick!”
“Well, I wasn’t going to say no when she asked me if I wanted to kiss her!”
“She asked you? It’s like she’s from a fucking romcom.”
“Well if you had asked on the bridge, I would’ve done it, probably!”
“Do you want to kiss me?”
“Yes!” Otis froze as he realized what he just admit, but before he could take it back, Maeve’s lips were on his, in broad daylight. They both stopped breathing despite the desperate need for oxygen after all the yelling. He felt her flatten her feet from her tippy-toes. She felt him exhale which felt like an invitation to deepen the kiss, so she slightly opened her mouth, curious about what he might do. He took the cue sort of and soon, she felt his hands find their way to her waist where they stayed for too long. Maeve grabbed his hands and moved them up to her face. Otis tangled his right hand in the hair at the nape of her neck leaving Maeve shocked at how smooth of a move that was. Her hair was rougher than he was expecting, but that didn’t make it any less pleasant to touch. It felt very her. Maeve recognized a power in him that she only saw in him once at the dance. His power was his vulnerability and man, did he feel vulnerable. As if he didn’t know how to kiss her.
She felt him pull away from the kiss to rest his forehead on hers. She felt more complete than she was expecting and she kind of wanted the sweater back so she could keep wearing it.
“Maeve.”
“Otis,” she sighed, somewhat relieved.
“But, Ola.
Immediately, she snapped into reality and saw the guilt on his face. He wouldn’t be able to live with this without telling the other girl and Maeve already knew Ola was suspicious. She felt her own guilt and anger and sadness all crash into her.
“Shit.” She pulled away completely leaving her friend standing close but alone in front of her. “I need to go. I can’t be on school grounds.” That was a whole other thing she hadn’t told him. “I’m really sorry, Otis.”
Maeve turned and started walking towards her house and away from her home.