The Collymore Family

Chapter 13

The textbooks clutched in Irene's arms weighed her down, but that didn't stop her from enjoying the beautiful weather today. Her long, white dress swayed in the wind as she walked away from campus. There were only a few other people walking out of the building as well, since many of them had left through the main door. Irene preferred to leave using the side door, because not only could she leave faster, but the area outside of it was much more quiet and peaceful. It gave her some time to take her mind off of the relentless studying she would have to do once she got home, even if the moment didn't last long. Irene walked through the path, heading over to the parking lot, when she suddenly felt a jolt of pain in her foot.

She stopped. Irene brought up her leg and stomped onto the grass, and sure enough, the pain happened again. Feeling this made Irene realize that there was likely something in her shoe, but she assumed that if she could just make it to her car on time, she could just take it out at home. So, she decided to keep walking. However, the first step she took immediately made her stop. The pain in her foot was too much, and Irene grimaced at the pain.

Oh my goodness, Is there a needle in my shoe or something? Irene thought to herself. It could be a rock, but how could a rock cause so much pain in the sole of her feet? Irene turned around and scanned the entire campus. A few metres away, just outside of the campus, was a black, wooden bench. Irene walked slowly over to it, limping every few steps to prevent whatever was in her shoe from poking the sole of her foot. When she finally made her way over to it, Irene plopped down on the far left of the bench and placed her textbooks on her right. She couldn't help but look around at the surroundings near her. A large tree was right behind the bench, and the green leaves and branches were so big that they hovered over the bench, casting a shadow onto Irene. Irene couldn't help but think that this was the perfect place to stay for shade. Despite autumn approaching, it was still quite warm out, and this tree seemed to be in the right place at the right time. Irene found herself leaning against the bench, relaxation settling into her body. She began to swing her feet gently. Irene nearly forgot entirely about what was in her shoe, until she felt a sharp pain in her foot once more.

"Owh." Irene sighed. Whatever was in her shoe certainly was not a rock, and it was definitely something she needed to remove fast before she went insane. Irene bent down and reached to untie her shoelaces. Once she'd done that, Irene took it off and looked inside. To her astonishment, she found a small, thin twig in there. A twig? How on earth did that get in my shoe? Irene was surprised. And how could a twig cause so much pain in my foot? Irene thought back to when she was first arriving at the campus. She had stepped through and nearly tripped in a pile of twigs earlier as she was making her way to the university. That was likely why it was in her shoe, although she couldn't recall feeling it when she walked to class, but that could've just been the twig in a different position away from her foot. So basically, her clumsiness had caused a twig to be stuck inside her shoe and poke the sole of her foot.

Irene lifted up the shoe and dumped the twig out, watching it fall to the ground, as well as a few tiny rocks. She then slipped her shoe back on and began to tie her shoelaces once more. As she was doing so, she felt the presence of a woman sit beside her. Irene didn't bother to look, instead continuing to focus on tying her shoelaces. However, the soft voice that came out of the woman made Irene jolt her head up in surprise.

"Irene?"

The voice had just said her name. Irene felt herself jump as she heard her name being called, and a sense of panic come over her. Who was this person and how did they know her? Irene jolted her head up in surprise, only to be greeted with a familiar face.

Ivy.

Just from the look, Irene could tell immediately that it was Ivy. She completely recognized her from when she visited her. Although now Ivy was dressed in completely different clothes, Irene could immediately tell it was her. Not just by her face, but by her hair, too. More specifically, the clip holding her hair. She had a golden crescent shaped clip, the same one Ivy was wearing when Irene had first visited her. Ivy was wearing a beige blouse and a pair of black trousers. She was also carrying her dark green handbag as well. Irene was quite shocked at the sudden reunion. However, that didn't mean Irene wasn't happy to see her.

"Ivy---Hi! I didn't think I would see you here!" Irene gave her a smile.

Ivy smiled back. "Me neither. I just sat down to check my bag for something, and I see you here! It's a pleasant surprise to see you again, Irene."

The way Ivy spoke to her was as if they had been friends for years, which was sort of odd, considering they had only met once before this, and that once was Irene knocking at her door and asking for newspapers.

Ivy turned and looked around, noticing the campus not too far away. "Is this the university you attend?"

Irene nodded. "Yes, it is. I just finished class."

"How did your presentation go?"

Irene was confused. "What presentation?"

"You know, the one where you needed to research about the death of that little girl on Nightingale Avenue? The reason you came to ask for newspapers?" Ivy replied, turning her head to face Irene again.

"Oh, that presentation." Irene had completely forgotten about her excuse. "It...it went well." She kept her answer short, praying to herself that Ivy wouldn't ask anymore questions.

Thankfully, she didn't. Instead, Ivy nodded and looked back around at the campus. "How have you been doing?" She asked.

"Not the best." Irene didn't mean to tell the truth, but she'd been wanting to tell someone, and the words somehow seemed to calm her down.

Ivy reached into her handbag and began to shuffle through her things. "Why not?"

"It's just...somebody lied to me. They told me they wouldn't tell someone something, but they did." Irene obviously didn't mention Linh's name, and she didn't plan on telling Ivy, but the act of letting it all out really just made her feel much better.

Ivy turned her head to look at Irene. "Oh, dear. I'm sorry, I know how it feels. I probably shouldn't even be asking."

"No, no, it's okay." Irene reassured her. "It actually feels kind of nice to let all of this out." Despite saying this, Irene really hadn't let all of her emotions out. She was still feeling so many things at once, mainly because she hadn't exactly told Ivy the full truth. Although, telling her part of it did make her feel better.

Ivy let out a soft sigh and closed her handbag. "You know," She began. "You can always come to me if you have any problems. I mean, I know we don't know each other all that well, but I was your age once, and I've been in your shoes once, too. If you need help on assignments or other things, or even if you just want to talk, you can always just come to my door."

Irene was surprised by this sudden offer. Honestly, It was what she wanted to do, since now she knew she couldn't trust Linh after what she'd told Mrs. Collymore. Irene couldn't risk it. Ivy was supposed to be her second option, however she didn't know how to ask her without sounding weird. Ivy seemed like someone she could trust, someone she could tell about 'Angel', and everything else that was going on at the Collymore family.

"Are you sure?" Irene's voice came out quieter than usual.

"Yes, I am. It gets quite lonely living alone at my house with nobody around. It would be nice to have some company, and I would be willing to help. You can always just drop by at my house, I wouldn't mind at all." Ivy slung the handbag over her shoulder.

Irene's mouth curved into a faint smile. "Thank you. I'll keep that in mind." It seemed weird to be happy over something like this, but befriending Ivy would not only help her with the investigation she was conducting, but it would give her someone to talk to when she was upset or just wanted to let her feelings out.

Ivy stood up off of the bench. "I need to get going now, but if you do end up dropping by, I'll see you again."

"I will. Thank you." Irene's voice was still quiet, but now it had a lighter mood to it.

Ivy smiled and nodded, before turning her head and walking down the sidewalk. Irene watched as Ivy walked away, feeling much more happier. She had progressed even more in this mystery. Now, she had someone she could talk to and possibly tell 'Angel' about. She could finally speak to someone about everything that she had been hiding and keeping to herself this past week. She could finally trust someone.