“Are you sure you’re up for this? You know after everything that happened last time?” asked the blonde haired sexpot dropping me off. My best friend, one of two of my only friends, and she was not even going to let me pretend this was Ok.
Which was why I loved her.
Even if my blood pressure could not even handle this situation.
“Obviously not,” I snapped. I took a breath, and then another one and then counted to five in my head to calm down, or attempt to calm down. I didn’t need to apologize to Exie; she would know she wasn’t the reason for my temper. Well, at least this time. “But what choice do I have? He says I have to go back to school, so she is making me go here. God, I can’t wait until I’m eighteen.”
“Like that will make any difference,” Sloane, the final third of our threesome remarked bitterly.
“Focus on the trust funds ladies, we have a plan,” I repeated our lifelong mantra softly, knowing it would soothe all of our nerves. Only two more years to go until that money became mine and I planned on taking full advantage of the dearly departed biological father I never got to meet. He stayed married long enough to my mother to knock her up, take care of my future and then give up his fight with cancer.
Thanks a lot Daddy Dearest.
That’s what made him such a phenomenal fatherly candidate. The cancer that is, and all of the money of course.
And it didn’t hurt, I’m sure, that before his illness had nearly finished the job of murdering him slowly and the chemicals had taken away his hair and stripped him of his dignity that he happened to be a very attractive man.
Or so my mother says.
I’ve never even seen a picture of him.
“I need to get out of here,” Exie grumbled, flipping her waist length blonde hair over her shoulder. “I feel like I’m going to catch something.”
“You’re such a snob, public school is not contagious,” I laughed.
“Are you sure about that?” Sloane clarified, narrowing her big brown eyes on the downtown campus.
Since I actually wasn’t sure, I didn’t answer. It could be contagious, what did I know?
“You guys better go anyway. We’re going to get mobbed if you don’t and I am really not in the mood for a pack of rabid high school boys this early in the morning. Or worse, jealous girlfriends.” I twirled a loose auburn curl around my finger absentmindedly, trying to remain casual. I didn’t like to get worked up about things. I mean, sure I was probably a little bit feisty with my temper, but other emotions bothered the hell out of me and I preferred to avoid them all together- yep, all emotions.
“What are you going to tell them, Ivy?” Exie asked with just the tiniest tone of sympathy. I turned to look her in the eyes, knowing both these girls hated feelings just as much as I did. I couldn’t say that’s why we were best friends. Honestly, we were friends because we had no other options, but it did surprisingly bond us together in a way that didn’t make much sense.
“I’m not going to tell them anything. I’m going to let them believe whatever rumors they want to and just focus on getting to graduation day.” I sighed, knowing that whatever rumors were being spread were not kind or flattering, but it was a routine I was familiar with.
“If that’s what you want,” Sloane sympathized. I had been down this road before, but a six month absence from school would only intensify whatever was being spread around about me.
“If you have a better idea S, I’m all ears. But I can’t tell them the truth, the girls will hate me no matter what, and the boys will keep being boys. So it doesn’t really matter what story they believe as long as they leave me alone in the process,” I snapped again.
Sloane let out a very long, exaggerated sigh and nodded her head in agreement with my argument. “You’re right.”
I sighed feeling guilty for my irritable behavior and gave her an apologetic smile. She raised a slim shoulder casually and sent me a small smile so I knew she didn’t hold it against me. We were all nervous about my return to school, all on edge. At least she understood where I was coming from.
“Hey, Ivy,” a teenage boy approached confidently. Oh great here we go.