Off to Neverland

Off to Neverland (41)

Just like they always did, Claudia and Cassidy went shopping right after they dropped Eli and I off at home. Now that Eli was paying us so much money to live in our house, it wasn’t that big of a deal that they went out shopping. At least it got them out of the house. The only reason I was upset about it before was because they had been spending money that we didn’t have.

Eli was giving me a look that I couldn’t read, so I thought nothing of it as I dropped my backpack off next to the couch (which I should have just been calling my bed…) before heading into the kitchen to find something to eat. Eli followed me, freaking me out just a little.

“Why are you following me?” I asked him as I opened the fridge. “It makes you look creepy. Even more than usual.”

Eli’s eyebrows rose. “Oh, so I’m creepy?”

I shrugged. “I guess there’re other words to better describe you than creepy.”

“So,” Eli started, not even asking about the other words that described him. “You kissed Simon.”

“What?” I blinked, sure that I heard him wrong. “What did you say?”

“I said,” Eli started, and it sounded like he was mocking me, “you kissed Simon right in front of the school. Willingly. Not to mention Jack was only a few yards away from the two of you…”

“What?” I nearly screeched, dropping a water bottle that I had pulled out of the fridge. “What do you mean Jack was there? I didn’t see him!”

Eli rolled his eyes. “I’m sure the ex-boyfriend did not want to be seen by his ex-girlfriend and her supposed new boyfriend.”

“No!” I cried, making a beeline for the phone without even picking the water bottle up. “Simon isn’t my boyfriend. I just… I found out that he’s really liked me for a long time. Actually, he’s loved me for a long time. I confronted him about it and he asked me to kiss him. I couldn’t just… I didn’t want to… I don’t know! I’m still confused about everything with Jack! If I knew he was there, I never would have done anything!”

Eli shrugged. “I’m not the one you should be saying that to. Jack is.”

I was out of breath from yelling at Eli as I picked up the phone and dialed Jack’s number, which I had memorized even though I didn’t have to.

I glared at Eli, who raised his hands in surrender before backing right out of the kitchen.

As the phone rang, I felt my stomach turn. I didn’t know if he knew my home phone number, so I was worried that he wouldn’t answer.

My fears were right, because he didn’t answer. I let out a sigh, waiting for the beep before I said, “Hey, it’s Ivy… Call me back when you can, okay? We really need to talk.”

I hung up, afraid for the time when Jack would call me back. I really had no idea what I was going to say to him; I had just called him in the heat of the moment.

I let out a sigh before turning toward the living room, but the ring of the home phone stopped me before I could. I turned back toward it immediately, picking it up right away since I couldn’t check the caller ID.

“Jack?” I asked, and I couldn’t help but notice that I sounded so desperate to talk to him.

“Ivy,” Jack greeted now, but he didn’t sound happy at all. “How’s Simon? The last time I saw him, he seemed great.”

“You have no right to be angry at me,” I snapped at him as I gripped the bulky, old phone in my hand tightly. “You are the last person that should be angry at me! We’re not even dating anymore! I can kiss whoever I want!”