“Like me?”
“Stop!” Tanya yanks Veronica back, “you can’t say shit like that.”
“My parents hate her now!” Veronica screams.
“Because she dated a girl?” I tsk.
“It’s your fault!” Veronica screams at me and I laugh.
“Girl, homosexuality isn’t contagious,” my eyes land on Tanya, “ask her.”
Tanya’s mouth falls open and her face turns a bright red.
“What?” Veronica looks at her.
“She kissed me the first year of high school and went on to date tons of boys.” I clap, “she’s normal.”
I pick up my backpack and look back at the three of them, Tanya looks like she might faint and the other two are staring at her like she may very well be contagious. Stupid assholes.
The day drags on and when it comes to math, I see we have a new teacher. Not a substitute, an actual new teacher and she’s here for the rest of the semester.
When the bell rings, I’m out of there just as quickly as the others, and anxious to ask Aunt Adri about the situation.
Aunt Adri’s office is huge with large floor to ceiling oak bookcases and it’s eerily similar to Dean’s. That’s why I tend not to go in there and usually have her secretary go get her.
“Hey Ivy,” Aunt Adri’s voice is sweet and soothing, “great to have you back.”
“Thank you for bringing me my work all week.” I smile.
“No biggie. What’s up?”
“Mr. O’Connor has been replaced?” I drop my voice so the secretary can’t hear.
“Yes, he resigned last week.” She tells me. “Something about finding better opportunities.”
I guess that’s good, right? One less thing I have to stress over, and this way he’s not trying to corner me into threesomes. I just can’t shake the lingering tendrils of doubt and I wonder if there isn’t more to it. I brush it off because honestly, I have enough shit on my fucking plate and this is a gift.
“Okay.” I grin. “Thanks!”
“Have a good night, sweetie.” She blows me a kiss and heads back into her office.
Good riddance, Mr. O’Connor, wherever the hell you are.
ME: Your favourite subject at school?
Yesterday I asked her about drugs and when she said Oxy, my stomach landed at my feet.
Mom has had severe back pain for twelve years now due to a severe car accident. She even had surgery but she is prescribed Oxycodone for days when her pain is unbearable.
She doesn’t like to take it and leaves it for days she feels almost immobile. Charlotte had every opportunity to take those pills and Mom trusted us enough to never actually track them.
Charlotte could’ve been the one to bring Ivy the Oxy and Charlotte herself could’ve been taking them. It makes me so fucking sick that I didn’t see it.
As I’m slowly piecing together the life of my sister before she died, I am learning more and more about the family I was surrounded with daily and the things I’m learning are heartbreaking. Charlotte severely bullied Amelia, Charlotte took drugs, and Dad slowly drank himself to death for years.
Ivy: Science.
I stand staring at my phone, trying to think of anything else to ask her, something to continue the conversation, but my mind is still trying to wrap around the inner workings of my dead sister’s mind. I slide my phone back into my pocket and proceed to bring lunch back to Mr. Greene.
The old community center in Whitsborough has been changed into a shelter for abused children and Travis Greene runs it. Behind that building, Vincent Greene built the HQ for his business and that way they work closely. I sometimes see Ember Greene go between them when she’s visiting her husband and his brother.
This family is tight and they keep a lot of information just to their inner circle, I would be lying if I said I didn’t want to be in that inner circle. Dad tried to get in there but apparently those walls are impenetrable. I want to learn how to be that successful, to have that drive and make something of it. The more time I spend working for Vincent, the more I love it, and the cars are an added bonus.
Some of these cars are rare, like only a hundred ever produced or custom factory paint job, and I fucking foam at the mouth for all of them. I heard Vincent tell Travis that his son Saxon doesn’t have a love of cars, Ivy loves them but doesn’t want the business, and his only hope of passing on the family business was Dahlia, who likes her Princess Barbie car, so he feels there’s a chance.
I want to tell him to take a chance on me, that I love everything about this business, and I would love to be his protege. I’m just waiting to prove myself. I look up to the man because he’s a straight shooter and works fucking hard. He’s not a CEO that sits and lets everyone else work for him, he’s driving all over the country and even other countries for these classic cars.
I bring lunch into the boardroom and find Travis, Emmett, and Ember in deep conversation with Vincent.
“Sorry guys.” I mumble and drop the bag on the table.
“Neil Jones.” Ember smiles at me, Ivy could be her fucking clone.
“Hello Mrs. Greene.” I nod.
“Oh shit, no, don’t do that. Call me Ember.”
“Okay.” I nod, not happening.
“Thanks for checking in on Ivy and Saxon this weekend.” Vincent adds.
“No problem,” I nod.
“Saxon is taking a liking to you, even if he does think you want to bone my daughter.” Ember’s eyes are twinkling with humour but I’m choking at her words.
“I… no… it’s not… shit.”
They all begin to laugh at my stuttering and coughing and Emmett leans back in his chair.
“Ivy is complicated,” he scratches the hair on his chin. “She looks like she’s hard to reach because her outside is built really strong, but it’s a facade, she’s soft as a marshmallow and just needs someone to love her right.”
“Like someone we know.” Travis coughs into his hand.
“Yeah,” Ember
