Ivy Cordelia Boarding School

Chapter Thirty-Five

THE DAY BEFORE WINTER BREAK

s.

I roll over in bed, covering my head with the duvet and pretending, for just a little while, that it was still dark outside. We'd been going to parties all week to live it up with Taylor since she was leaving to go to Stryker and my body was exhausted. Today was the first day that I wasn't out until five in the morning, but I still felt drained.

Taylor admitted to us that she knew she'd never be able to keep up with the workload here, and planned to leave anyway. Peony had been accepted into ICBS in the summer of eighth grade, but decided to go to Glenwood with Taylor instead. And she would've left this time, too, if Taylor hadn't convinced her to stay.

"It has always been your dream to come here and thrive with the best of them, and you fit right in. You were bored at GBS, because you didn't feel challenged enough. Don't give this up because of me".

They were going to take over Cancun for the break, along with Kennedi, Elliana, Armani and Damien. They left yesterday morning, then Nastassia and Grayson that same night. I never knew how close they were, but after Gray forgave her, I'd never seen a cuter friendship. They were going to vacation with his family in the French Alps during the holiday, having asked me to come along, but I declined.

In lieu of traveling, I decided that I wanted to stay at home, even though my parents would be away at Stryker. I'd been all over the world already, but hadn't stayed at home for extended periods of time in four years.

A knock sounds on my door at around nine o'clock, which is weird, since all of my friends are already gone. I pull the zipper of my suitcase shut before going over and seeing who it is. Rhys stands there, sporting a lazy grin on his pretty face.

"Do you need something?" I ask, raising a brow at him. He pushes his way past me and into my room, before taking a seat on my bed.

"We've never gotten to talk much, so I figured we probably should now, before we have to live together" he tells me, picking up the bra that I'd just changed out of and immediately going to see what size it was. "D's. Nice".

I roll my eyes, going over to a second suitcase which still had clothes piled all around it. "What do you mean live together?" I ask, getting on my knees and proceeding to shove them inside.

"I'm really close with your family. I met them through Ace, and they kind of took me in after that. You can call and ask them, if you don't believe me".

I study him warily as he fiddles around with my bra, clasping and unclasping the straps. "Practicing for when you finally get lucky?" I ask and he laughs, taking a small pillow from the bed and throwing it at my head. "That hurt" I complain, pouting, but he just laughs even harder.

"So, you're close with my family. Does that mean you can't vacation with yours? Ace won't even be home. He's going to Miami with friends. And apparently, you aren't one of them".

Any happiness in his face vanishes. "I was JOKING. He probably doesn't want to hang around a high school kid with his cool college friends, is all".

He shakes his head, letting out a shaky breath.

"It's not that. Ace and I aren't really FRIENDS. I'd call him more of an older brother figure. But I don't HAVE family, except for yours. I lived in a foster home until your parents arranged for me to come to Glendale, while I worked with a tutor to be able to come here. Luckily, I got a fast pass".

Now I felt like the worst person in the world. "I'm sorry, Rhys. I don't...I didn't-".

"You don't have to apologize. You're not the one who abandoned me, are you? And you didn't know, so it's okay. But, if you feel really bad, you can make it up to me over the break. I'll expect breakfast every morning, and for you to fluff my pillows every night".

"It's a definite no to the pillow fluffing, but you can have breakfast every morning if you cook with me. And for a bonus, I usually walk around in my underwear. Deal?".

He flashes me a wicked grin.

"Deal".