Poison Ivy

Part One

Ivy's POV

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"Ivy is poison."

Ivy Montoya turned around in her seat, glaring to hide her discomfort. She heard the whispers halt at her stare, but the moment she faced the board, they started back up with a vengeance.

"They call her Poison Ivy for a reason."

"Nobody likes her. Why is she even still in school?"

"I bet she's wearing a wig. No hair could be that fake."

"Its too pink to even look like dye. Maybe you should try pulling it off!"

A chorus of laughter erupted behind Ivy, and she spun around with her fists clenched, daring a soul to try and come near her. When everybody silenced again, she stood up.

"If anybody has something to say about me, say it to my face!" She growled. Her green eyes flashed, but no one said anything, until Ivy heard a cough behind her.

"Miss Montoya," Ivy's Algebra teacher said strictly. "Sit down and pay attention, or I'll be forced to send you to the principal's office."

"Yes, ma'am," Ivy replied, still glowering at her classmates. When she sat back down and her teacher turned her back, Ivy felt a balled-up piece of paper hit the back of her head. Quickly snatching it up, she saw the words "freak" and "attention whore" scribbled on the inside, along with a few other names.

Ivy stood up and threw the paper like a baseball at a bleach-blond girl who was snickering in the back row. It lodged itself between her jaws and stopped her short.

"IVY MONTOYA." The teacher ran over and grabbed Ivy's forearm. "What the hell is the matter with you? Go to the front office. Now!"

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Ivy gazed out the car window, arms crossed. Her mother was unusually silent as she drove Ivy home early from school. Usually, she'd be screaming and hollering about how could Ivy get suspended, what was she thinking, did she know that her mom did not have time to leave work just to bring her daughter home for terrorising a student, things like that. But no, Ms. Montoya just had her lips pressed together in a frown, shaking her head like she didn't know what to say. And Ivy knew why.

They passed by the mall, the grocery store, then the trees that clustered around their neighbourhood. The awkwardness increased until it was almost a tangible thing, finally making Ivy feel regret. It wasn't her mom's fault she'd been so aggravated lately.

"Hey, Mom?" Ivy began, turning to look at her mother. She paused suddenly, surprised. A single tear rolled down her mother's cheek, and she wiped it away quickly as if Ivy hadn't already seen it. Ivy hurried on, "I'm really sorry. I've been trying, really. It's just... you know?"

"Yeah," Ms. Montoya said wearily. "I know. But you know things could be so much easier on you if you just told someone."

"How about no?" Ivy muttered, knowing her mother was right. She'd had the diagnosis for over a year now, almost two, and she knew she didn't have much time left, as cliche as it sounded. Just a few months left, the doctors had admitted sadly.

"What about Michael?" Ms. Montoya suggested, trying to keep her voice upbeat. "You've known Michael since you were three. Why don't you tell him, at least?"

Ivy bit her lip thoughtfully as the minivan began to park in their cramped garage. Michael Skinner had been her best friend, up until middle school when everyone teased him for "secretly liking Poison." They split apart and didn't hang out so much anymore, but Ivy could still feel the minor stirrings of affection for her once-friend. And she thought they could be close again, if they tried.