The rest of the summer was as good as you could imagine. It was the most normal summer I've had yet. I was a regular teenage girl who got to sleep in to noon each day and hang out with her boyfriend every night. I didn't have added stress of work for the first time in ten years. And I didn't miss working one bit.
"Will you please take that stupid bandaid off your face?" I ask, plopping down on the couch next to Elliott and handing him his drink.
It has been three weeks since Jett stabbed Elliott. There's just a scab left on his cheek. Sadly it's not a scar like the Harry Potter boy wanted.
"Come on, Ivy! It makes me look like Nelly," he says with a grin. "So hot in here!"
I snort at his attempt to mimic the rapper, but play along nonetheless. "I am getting so hot. I want to take my clothes off!"
Somehow we end up dancing all around the living room to the 2000's song looking like idiots. Also, somehow Elliott ended up shirtless and I ended up in just a sports bra. Hey... normal couple stuff, right?
"I want to strangle her!"
My eyes widen as Addison walks into the house. I fall to the floor to cover myself with a pillow. Elliott just stands there and laughs. She slams the door shut and starts pacing around the the living room.
"It-it's not what it looks like!" I say in panic, zipping my sweatshirt up and handing Elliott his t-shirt. "We were just-"
"Brianna Holden is such a hoe!" Addison screams, completely oblivious to the two of us.
"So, how was your first day of school, Ad?" Elliott asks as he puts his shirt on.
She shakes her head and puts on one of those deathly smiles. "So great, Elliott! So, so great!"
"Calm down," I say and go to her side. "Tell us what happened before you explode."
"Do you want to know what happened?" she asks angrily. "Do you really want to know what happened?"
"Yes, that's why we just asked," Elliott states the obvious.
"Well, Brianna Holden ruined my life! That's what happened!" She waves her hands around the air like a madwoman. "Now I'll have no friends and no life and-and I'll have no other option but to move to Canada!"
Elliott smiles. "Don't you think you're being a bit dramatic?"
"Just wait until you hear what she did!" she snaps. "I'm not being dramatic. I'm so not dramatic that I'm almost under-dramatic. I should've shaved my whole head and transferred schools by now!"
"Tell us what she did already!" I practically beg.
"See for yourselves." She pulls her phone out of her backpack and taps around before covering her face with her arm and handing me the phone.
Elliott hovers over me, eager to see what Brianna Holden has done. I look at the screen and see it's an Instagram page. There are 54 posts of what seems to be writings from some type of book or journal.
"What is this?" Elliott asks, clicking on the most recent post.
"It's my diary!" she screams. "That bitch posted my diary on Instagram!"
"Okay, first of all, language," I warn. "Second of all, I'm sure not that many people saw it or cared to read all of it."
"Okay, first of all," Addison mimics, "you're not my nanny anymore." She huffs. "And she followed like every person in the United States of America! I know for a fact Mikey read it. And kids at school today kept whispering and pointing at me. That stuff is super private. So, that's it. To Canada I go!"
I frown, knowing that I'd be just as upset as she is. I mean, the whole point of a diary is to be personal and real, not holding anything back. Not that I had much of a social life, but if I did and my diary was posted for everyone to see, I'd be mortified. "I'm so sorry, Addison. Did you try to report the account?"
"Yeah," she sighs. "Nothing happened."
"Did you at least beat the shit out of Brianna?" Elliott asks hopefully.
Addison shakes her head. "No, brother. I avoided that confrontation because I don't want to further tarnish my reputation by nearly killing her."
"Well, you have to beat up Jonas," Elliott says. "I give you permission."
"Oh, yeah, I already did. He's outside on the porch, complaining about a pain in his groin or something," she informs casually.
I widen my eyes and rush to open the front door. Jonas is collapsed on the porch, holding his manhood and crying.
"Ivy!" he gasps when he sees me. "I think I see the light!"
I hold in a laugh and crouch down to be at his level. "I told you she wasn't allowed in this house. None of us wanted you to date her. You did this to yourself."
"I know," he sighs. "I was blinded by love."
"It's okay, buddy. Everyone falls for someone they shouldn't at some point in their lives," I preach. "Though, sadly, you fell for the biggest wench in Oregon." I stick my hand out to help him stand up. "I'll go get you some ice while you apologize to your sister."
He nods, mumbling something about how it makes sense that he would have to apologize for getting beaten up. I follow him inside the house and find a bag of frozen broccoli in the freezer to bring to Jonas.
Addison asks if I could go upstairs and talk to her for a bit. I leave Elliott to lecture Jonas about how the last person he should've devoted his life to was the same girl that snuck into his room and slept in his bed without him knowing. Once in her room, Addison falls apart. She starts crying and telling me every little detail about her day.
My heart breaks for her. The things in her diary were regular teenage thoughts: her crushes, her bad days, her good days, her feelings. She tells me that her diary is her favorite way to organize her emotions and deal with her disorder. To have that exploited is absolutely horrifying.
I try my best to give her advice, but this situation isn't easy to deal with. Jonas dealt with bullies, physically and mentally. But high school is different, as it is the start to your journey in finding yourself. She was so excited to start this with her brand new clothes, her near-perfect first boyfriend, and her strong friend group.
The best I could do was tell her that, in the scheme of things, opinions others have of you in high school isn't that important. Obviously you want to be liked, but that comes with your personality and how you act to others. It's not about the rumors. She'll grow into herself in the next four years, and all this drama will seem foolish when she looks back at it.
"Addison!" Elliott screams from downstairs. "There's someone at the door for you!"
Addison groans and stuffs her face in her pillow. "Send them away."
I nod and go downstairs, prepared to shoo away any of her friends or pesky gossipers. But instead there's Mikey, holding a stack of movies and microwaveable popcorn.
"Hey, Ivy. Are you working here again?" he asks. "I thought Flynn might've gone and quit."
I roll my eyes and hit his arm. "Go upstairs and be a good boyfriend."
"Wait," Elliott stops him. "No boys upstairs. It's policy."
Mikey nods and steps down from the first step. "Sorry, sir."
"I'm just joking, kid," Elliott says with a laugh.
Mike offers an uncomfortable smile before going upstairs with his movies.
I smile. "You shouldn't mess with him so much."
"Yeah, I shouldn't," he agrees, though we both know he won't stop. "Hey, did you hear anything from Brown yet?"
I shake my head and follow him into the kitchen where he grabs us water. "It's hopeless. I was supposed to start this semester next week. I haven't gotten any information!"
"Just let me loan you the money," he begs. "It's killing me not doing anything."
"Why? If I don't go to college, then I get to be with you more," I say, making up a random positive to this situation.
"I'm not going to let you give up your future so we can spend a few more weekends together, Ivy."
I shrug. "I'm just postponing my future for now. I promise I'll be fine. I think I can start taking classes at the community college soon."
He nods and takes a sip from his glass of water. "Well, you're welcome to join me at my first day of work tomorrow. I hear it's bring your girlfriend to work day."
"Convenient," I laugh.
Just then, Flynn bursts in through the garage door with about eighteen bags of groceries in his hands. "Can someone tell me why Ethan needs fifteen boxes of croutons?"
"Kid likes his croutons," Elliott comments briefly.
Flynn slams the bags of groceries down on the counter and sighs. "I can't wait for your mom to come home next week."
"Yeah, you've mentioned," Elliott says and pats his friend's back. "It'll be a bittersweet moment, getting our mom back while losing our other mom."
"Speaking of the mom status, Bethany called me mama last night. It was kind of intimidating, but I've decided it's an honor."
"She does that to everyone," I say. "One time we invited Abraham over and she called him mama too."
"You hung out with Abraham without me?" he asks in shock. "He's my friend! You said you didn't even like him, Liott!"
Elliott laughs. "He grew on me over the summer. I see him at the cliff a lot. I think I'll miss him the most."
"Well, get used to it. He's studying in Paris for two years."
"The city of love," I muse. "Must be because he's sick of being the human tricycle."
"Is that like a scary movie reference?" Elliott asks, confused as to why Flynn and I find my joke so amusing.
"Oh my gosh! Ivy, we are so glad you're here!" Crystal cries when she walks into the house through the garage door, not carrying a single grocery. Rose and Ethan are empty-handed as well.
"What's up?" I ask as Ethan gives me a side hug.
"The third grade is absolutely insane!" Rosie exclaims.
I laugh and pick Ethan up in my arms. "I can't wait to hear all the drama. How was pre-school, buddy?"
"I pooped my pants twice, so Flynn had to come and pick me up early."
Flynn shudders and continues to load the fridge with the groceries. "Look, kid, it's not happening again tomorrow."
"I have to go back tomorrow?" he asks in horror. "You said this was one time thing!"
"Come on, Ivy," Rosie urges, tugging on my free hand. Crystal starts pushing my butt toward the family room.
Elliott gives me a wink before I leave to hear all the drama of third grade. Ethan plays with my hair, pulling and tugging and knotting it. Oddly enough, I missed this. The funny thing about living across the street is that I'm here all the time, but it feels like I'm never here. The kids always fight for time with me.
"Can you believe he said that to the teacher?" Crystal asks me eagerly.
I shake my head, as if I have just heard the most life-changing news. "You're kidding! What happened after that?"
After another hour with the girls, I get a text from Nora to come home for dinner. I say goodbye to the family, saving extra time to talk to Addison. Mikey leaves with me.
"Can I ask you a question, babysitter to baby?"
I smile and nod. "Ask away, baby."
"How mad would you be if I broke up with Addison?" he asks casually while picking up his bike.
I raise a curious eyebrow. "Well, it would depend on the situation. If you're thinking about breaking up with her right now in her fragile state, I'd probably have your mom lock you out of your house for three weeks. But otherwise..I think I'd only make it a day or two."
"Of course I wouldn't break up with her now," he says. "I just...I don't know. Reading her diary kind of freaked me out. She's just really in love with me. Is it bad to be uncomfortable with that? We're fourteen and it sounds like she wants to marry me."
I shrug. "I don't know, Mike. I get it. I mean, I'm like the pro of being afraid of commitment. I haven't even told Elliott I love him yet."
Mikey smiles. "Yeah, but you have a reason for that. I'm just being a weenie freshman. At least that's what my mom called me."
"Well," I laugh, "she's not wrong." I walk next to him as he bikes down the driveway. "Here's the thing, I don't know much about relationships, but I do know a lot about teenage girls. Addison is feeling all new emotions with you, so she'll exaggerate and say you're the one she wants to marry and whatnot. That's just teenage girl things. If what a girl wrote in her diary were one-hundred percent true, I'd be in love and married to Newt Beckett."
Mike squints his eyes. "Isn't he like in jail now?"
"He had nice hair in the eighth grade," I argue. "But do you get my point?"
"Sure." He stops riding his bike when we get to the top of the Jenkins' driveway. "So, hypothetically thinking, would you still think of me the same if I were to break up with Addison?"
"What are you talking about?" I ask.
"I don't know. You've just gotten a lot closer to the Kennedy's this summer. I feel like you don't really think of me the same anymore. I'm more Addison's boyfriend than Mikey to you. So, if I weren't Addison's boyfriend, you wouldn't think of me."
I pout my lip. "How could you think that?"
"I don't know, Ivy. Is that crazy to think about? Aren't you worried what they'll think of you if you're no longer Elliott's girlfriend?"
I look down at the driveway. I have thought about that before, but I didn't like where my mind took me. "You don't have to worry about that with us, okay? You were my Mikey before you were Addison's boyfriend."
"Yeah," he says, his eyes meeting mine. "Right. Sorry. I'm being an insecure, weenie freshman."
"Then I'm an insecure, weenie girlfriend," I admit.
"Well, you haven't even told him you loved him, so I can't argue that one," he says with a grin.
I roll my eyes. "Go home, weenie."
"Later, nanny Ivy," he sings and pedals down the road.
I watch him ride away and think about our conversation. How could I have made Mikey feel like I'd choose the Kennedy's over him? Why haven't I told Elliott I love him? Why is Brianna Holden such a bitch? How could that boy tell his teacher she looked like an oversized who character? Everything is tied together in a single trait: insecurity.
I walk inside and sit down at the dinner table with Nora and Jett. Their aunt and uncle went out to dinner. Jett cooked us a healthy Raman noodle dinner.
"How's Addison?" Jett asks. "I saw that thing on Instagram. I reported it like fifty-seven times, but it didn't get taken down."
"She's crushed," I sigh. "I just feel so bad for her. And now I have Mikey questioning whether he should break up with her. I saw that Flynn bought expired vegetarian hot dogs. Things couldn't be going worse."
Nora pouts. "Flynn is such an idiot."
I smile softly. "It's really hard. I feel exhausted from being there." I eat some of my noodles. "In other news, how was school for you, Jett?"
"As much as I hate the public school system, it was fine. I have two classes with Jonas. And all the girls want to be friends with me."
I laugh and hit his arm. "Way to go, Jett. It must've been the Kerry Washington studded shirt."
"Oh, you know it," he says. "Jonas doesn't seem to mind the attention I get from all the ladies. I think he appreciates having a lunch table of girls."
"You make a good wingman, yeah?"
He nods with a laugh. "At this rate, I could get into the wingman hall of fame by age twenty-one."
After dinner, I go upstairs to research more on Brown. I've sent too many desperate emails and I've gotten no responses. Nora comes into my room to help me as well.
"So," she pauses, "have you tried contacting your mom?"
"No," I say. "I don't her in my life."
"I'm not saying that. I think maybe you should think about suing her. You're eighteen. That money was yours, not hers."
"I know that, Nora. I just don't want to go through any of that. Right now, I want to move on with my life."
"How's that working out for you?" she asks.
I roll my eyes. "Nora, you don't know what I've been through this past month, okay? I find out I have two half siblings, and, yes, I am thankful for you, but to find out eighteen years late sucks. I found out my father died. My mom stole my money for my dream college. And on top of all that, I'm just trying to live a normal teenage life and stress about normal teenage things like telling my boyfriend I love him. I don't have enough left in me to go to court. Do you get that?"
She looks down briefly. "Yes, Ivy, I do. But I'm just-"
"I'm one incident away from having a breakdown similar to Britney's in 2007," I say. "So, please, Nora, don't question how I'm dealing with things."
"Okay, yeah. I'm sorry," she mumbles and sits down on my bed.
I keep scrolling through the Brown website in search of something that can help my situation. It's too late to apply for scholarship money, unless I enroll again next year. I could write a paper about my situation, seeming just as desperate as my twenty-three emails. Or could just become an escort. I wonder if Elliott would be able to support my future goals then.
I don't even notice that Nora left. I feel a little guilty for snapping at her. She just wants to help, I know. But everyone's trying to help. No one's really listening.
Once I finish researching with no new information after three hours, I decide to text Elliott. I know he has to work tomorrow, but he doesn't start until after lunchtime. I really need him right now. If anyone can put me in a better mood, it's him...or Will Ferrell on SNL.
He picks me up in his car, the familiar music of REO Speedwagon playing on the radio. "What do you want to do at this hour?"
I shrug. "You're the one who is always out until five in the morning. What do you recommend?"
"Nothing that would appeal to you."
I drop my jaw. "Excuse you. What does that mean? That I can't hang?"
"You sound like my grandma," he laughs.
"Thank you," I say and stick my tongue out. "Now, tell me what you usually would do with someone like...oh...I don't know...a model?"
He shakes his head. "This is about Carter?"
"No, no," I promise. "I just need to take my mind off of things, okay? I want to have fun. Pretend I'm some random girl that you're hanging out with for a night, no strings attached."
He looks at me like I'm crazy, though the smile on his face tells me he isn't opposed to my burst of spontaneity. "Okay, well, normally any girl I'd 'hang out' with for a night isn't wearing her pajamas."
I look down and blush a little. "Oh. Well. I'll go change."
"No," he says and stops me from opening the car door. "I want to hang out with Ivy."
I bite my lip, hiding a giddy smile. "Okay, but that's not the point. Now, I'm going back inside to change and you're going to change out of whatever that is."
He looks down at his t-shirt and gym shorts. "What's wrong with what I'm wearing?"
"Is that what you'd wear when you're hanging out with a girl?"
"Will you stop saying hanging out?" He laughs and pulls his car to the curb. "I can't believe you're making us do this."
We go back into our separate houses to change. I can't stop smiling, excited to spend this last night before everything starts changing. He starts work. Flynn leaves for college. Nora is in high school. The kids are gone at school most of the day. Mrs. Kennedy comes home. I'm not going anywhere.
I throw on one of Nora's dresses, after asking her for permission while she was snoring loudly. It's a tight fit, but I decide that's what any random girl that that Elliott's hanging out with all night with no strings attached would wear. There are some heels in the mud room that fit me nicely. It would make a good uniform that escort job I might have to take.
"What the hell are you wearing?" he asks in a laugh as we both climb into the car.
I laugh and take in his outfit. He wears dark pants with a button-up shirt that is unbuttoned enough for a peek at his toned chest. "Same goes to you, Fabio."
He laughs and starts the engine, driving toward the town and turning the volume of his music way up. He has also changed the station to rap, which I know he isn't a big fan of.
"Is this how you impress the ladies?" I ask.
He glances over at me with a smirk. Once in town, he parks in front of a bar. He shuts off the music. "You sure you want to do this?"
"I can hang, Liott."
He laughs and gets out of car, leaning against it as he waits for me to get to his side of the street. We cross over to the bar where we walk in easily. I was expecting some bouncer to check our ID's or something.
A man at the bar looks surprised to see Elliott, a welcoming smile on his face. "Nate, what are you doing here?"
"Hey, Evan," Elliott greets with a head nod.
I remember when I found his fake ID that was the name. Nate. The one from New Jersey. The one I never imagined I'd be on a date with.
"Who's your friend, Nate?" a waitress in a cut-off top asks, eyeing me suspiciously.
"This is Ivy..." Elliott looks at me with a confused look. "It's Ivy, right?"
"Yeah," I say and smile awkwardly towards the glaring waitress.
"Can we get a round of shots?" Elliott asks, pounding his hand on the counter of the bar.
We sit down on the stools. I look around at the place that is hopping with people in their mid-twenties. They all look pretty drunk already, though some are fresh on the night like us. The man next to me has settled his gaze on the limited cleavage the dress offered. I turn in my seat to face Elliott completely and have my back to that man.
"You hanging?" Elliott asks quizzically, even a bit challengingly.
"I'm hanging," I mouth back.
The waiter drops a tray of tiny shot glasses in front of us. "ID's?"
Elliott hands him his fake one. I look at him with wide eyes, but all he does is unbutton another button on his shirt. I don't get the hint.
The man hands back Elliott's ID and turns to me expectedly. I panic. What do they do in the movies? Shoot, Ivy. You have to think quicker than this!
"Oh, great!" Elliott mutters and throws his ID on the floor.
I get that hint. I lean down to get it as he does. "What do I do?" I whisper-scream.
"Sell yourself!" he whispers quickly and pops back up.
I stay hunched over and grab the ID off the floor. Sell myself? Well, if I had a price tag sticker, maybe this would be easier. I sigh and straighten up in the chair.
"ID?"
"I-I," I take a deep breath, "I think left it in my other purse. I'm so dumb."
"Yeah, I can't serve you these without seeing your ID," he says.
I frown and lean across the bar, grabbing on to his arm before he walks away. "Please," I pause, "I only have one day left before I go back to Paris with my husband."
"That's your husband?" he asks, pointing to Elliott.
"No," I say. "My husband is at home with the kids. Abraham is just so boring, you know? I need someone like Nate here to keep up my appetite."
Elliott covers his mouth with his fist, pretending to clear his throat. I know he's holding back a laugh at my horrible acting.
The man raises his eyebrow. "I don't know if I can-"
"Please," I beg, sounding sincere.
He sighs. "Fine. You should probably talk to Abraham about your issues though." He walks away to take someone else's order.
Elliott high-fives me under the bar. "Cheers to that miracle."
I laugh and lift up a shot glass, tapping it against one of Elliott's. "Cheers to me being able to hang."
Hours pass and we end up at the cliff, tipsy and slap-happy. It's more than likely dangerous to be at the cliff in the state of intoxication we're-- me more than Elliott-- in right now, but at least we're having fun. At the bar, we took shots, and I did my first body shot. We danced with strangers. We played off of the Paris and Abraham story. Elliott was the perfect random strange to hang out with no strings attached, even though in reality every single string is latched on him.
"Let's jump!" I say excitedly, peering over the edge.
"I don't think so," Elliott laughs, pulling back on my hand and holding me to his chest. "It's too wavy right now. Plus you're drunk, so you'll probably hit your head on a rock or something."
"But nothing bad has ever happened to you! You used to jump drunk all the time!" I point out. "You told me that yourself!"
"That was before-" He stops himself and shakes his head. "I don't think it's a good idea. We'll do it another time."
"I'm never going to be able to jump when I'm sober," I say rather truthfully. "I'm too much of a weenie."
He smiles half-heartedly. "You shouldn't talk badly about yourself behind your back." He tugs on my hand. "Let's go home."
"What's that feeling you get when you're jumping?" I ask, trying to remember what he told me.
"I don't know. Kirk said it feels like he's about to pee his pants," he says with a smile.
There's a thrill unlike anything else when you take that leap and fear everything going wrong, but then you crash into the water and know you'll be okay.
"I just want to know I'm going to be okay," I say to myself, pulling my hand out of Elliott's grip.
Before he can stop me, I get a running start and jump off the cliff, my hands in the air and a smile on my face.
~~
AN:
I decided that this delay on an update sort of fits with the time jump in the story, so it's totally okay (but it's not and I'm sorry)
it's super busy as the holidays approach and I just couldn't find time to write. but I spent all of today writing this chapter! it's a bit of a mess but so am I (I have definitely said this before) I hope you guys enjoyed!
some MAJOR drama is coming your way - and no- Ivy doesn't die...or does she???!??
oh! also! I'm judging a Christmas One Shot competition with a bunch of other talented authors (much more talented than myself)! I added the page with the information as it's very own reading list, so go check it out and join!! I'm horrible at explaining things so definitely go and check that out! You can message me with any questions and I'll do my best to answer them #TTC2016
#iviottneedstosayiloveyou #flora #jonett #maddison #briannaholdenisahoe #weeniefreshman #sueivysmom #dontdrinkanddive
â¢commentâ¢voteâ¢enjoyâ¢