Bet my Life (EDITING!!) #BOOK1

Oliver- How to save a life

TRIGGER WARNING: Mention of Abuse, suicide.

Oliver Everett Carson was no stranger to broken hearts. He felt it twice in his life when his dog died when he fell in love with the wrong girl. There was something about him, that made him so sensitive to other's pain. That gave him the healing touch, his ability to save sad souls.

The happy-go-lucky twin was always the one who fixed people. He saved them from themselves. All his life, he was the overlooked one, not that he minded. He was the one who preferred staying in the background, than basking in the centerstage. And that was what drew Ellie to him. His sweet nature, interesting personality, quirky behavior, and his ability to rescue people from the depths of despair. The way he saved his brother when he got his heartbroken. The way he saved Nathan from his anger. The way he saved Zach, from his abusive stepfather. He goes all out for the people he loves, and never expects anything in return. Who wouldn't want to love a guy like him?

Elizabeth Hudson, known to the world as Ellie and to him as Zach's baby sister, was the girl who caught his eye. The sadness behind her smile was something he saw through, every time. He knew that she was off-limits, but her innocence, her honesty, her beauty made it difficult for him to stay away. He fell for her when she was the shy girl that used to hide behind Zach, clutching his shoulder. She was 2 years younger than him, which was one of the reasons he always felt the need to protect her. To shield her from all the evil, but he didn't even realize that he was way off. That girl was stronger than he ever could be.

Zach and Ellie's mom remarried when the boys were 5, a year after their father's tragic death. Their stepfather was an abusive drunk, who used to hit their mother. Zach did his best to protect his mom, going as far as bearing the brunt of the hits. When they got older, he hit Ellie for the first time. Zach broke his nose but was stopped by their hysterical mother, who was too scared to leave him. Worried for his sister's safety and angry at his mother's decision, he left with Ellie and went straight to the twin's house. At two in the night, drenched in the rain, a 12-year-old Zach and a 10-year-old Ellie showed up at the Carsons, covered in bruises. Mr. and Mrs. Carson were shocked at the state of the two kids. When asked, the kids refused to tell them what had happened. They spent the night there, both of them camping in the twin's room.

Ellie couldn't sleep all night, unable to cope with what had happened. Oliver went and sat next to her, holding her hand in complete silence. She cried on his shoulder, and he didn't say a word. He just held her, till both of them fell asleep.

That was the night he became her protector, going out of his way to make her laugh. Growing up, he spent his time with her, rather than with the guys, not that any of them seemed to mind. Especially not Zach, who just believed that Oli was like a big brother to Ellie.

When Ellie got her first boyfriend, Oli wanted to punch someone. However, realizing that it wasn't his place, he reeled it back in. But, when that idiot broke her heart and there were tears in her eyes, Oli, along with all the boys, TP'd Rick Davis's house and smashed eggs on his bicycle. Totally worth it.

When Oli turned 16, he had his first kiss with her. The effect Ellie had on him was beyond words. And though it took her some time to accept it, she felt the same way. They decided, without further delay, that Damian would know about them. They would tell him the very next day. It was all planned until his parents got a call from the hospital that night, that both the Hudson kids were barely conscious, and that Mrs Hudson was in a critical state.

Their stepfather was arrested, but now, Zach and Ellie had no one else. Rushing to the hospital, he saw that both of them had been beaten up badly. After multiple surgeries and 2 weeks, they gained consciousness. Oli, Eli, Nate, Chace, and Lily never left their side. Not for a minute. Their aunt, who was now their legal guardian, took both of them home after a few more weeks of hospital stay.

He wanted to meet Ellie, wanted to hug her, kiss her, but she ignored him. After 1 month of ignoring, she sent Zach to deliver a message. That she no longer felt the same way about him, and their relationship was over. Zach, upset with his sister for breaking his best friend's heart, hugged Oli, till he was out of tears. He wasn't angry with either one of them. His sister needed someone like Oli in her life. Even if she was too stubborn to see it.

A few months later, Oli received a call from a frantic Nate. Ellie. His sweet, innocent, beautiful, Ellie had tried to kill herself. Zach, thankfully, got to her on time and saved her life. He went to meet her in the hospital. She was a shell of a person. Her green eyes were no longer full of life. She looked at him with a hollow expression, almost like she didn't see him.

It was his fault. Maybe if he would have fought for her harder, she wouldn't have done it. He wouldn't make that mistake now. He wouldn't let anything happen to her again. Zach, however, intervened and decided that the best thing for Ellie would be to finish her remaining school years in France with their aunt. He stayed back, now nursing his healing mother.

Not all love stories have a happy ending. Theirs was the perfect example of that.

A few years later, in college, Oli met someone who reminded him of Ellie. The same sad smile, trying to conceal the pain. He couldn't let her down. He had to save her because he couldn't save Ellie. He couldn't make the same mistake again. He had to save Zoey.