Author's Note: sooo I didn't finish editing last night because I was exhausted. But you guys have waited long enough. Just a heads up, things are subject to change (within the chapter) later today.
Jude adds a mixing bowl to the already pilling dishes in the kitchen sink and finishes the small tower of pancakes they were building. Always the first to awaken in the morning, Jude usually made breakfast— typically throwing frozen waffles in the toaster for the three of them and calling it a day. But every so often, they would surprise Ivy and Carina with a meal made from scratch. Today—Saturday— was one of those days.
Today starts the beginning of a Manny-filled weekend.
On the floor in front of the tv, Ivy and Carina are enjoying their pancakes at the coffee table. Carina's fingers are sticky with syrup while Ivy eats hers plain, depriving herself of the sugary sweetness she so desperately desired. They were passing the time by watching some drama show while they waited for Manny to arrive. Carina arranged for a Lyft to pick her up and she would arrive within the hour.
Ivy couldn't stop glancing at the door, listening to hear the long-awaited knocking. Since their Facetime call, Ivy has been eager to make up for the lost time. Though a few days weren't enough to atone for the months Ivy practically ignored her, it had to count for something that she was trying.
It was more than other people did for her.
BUG: I'm here
"She said she's outside," Iv announces, just as knocking commences at the door.
Both Jude and Carina pause their movements awkwardly with realization and then scramble to answer the door. Carina gets there firsts, wrenching the door open and revealing Manny's wide-spread grin. She didn't even step foot in the apartment yet and they were already tackling her with hugs.
Ivy rose to her feet, eager to see her younger sister. Jude and Carina finally release Manny who is giggling at the rush of attention. Manny had matured a bit since the last time they saw each other. While both of them had taken on their mother's dark skin and their father's height, Manny was the darker one of the two also has their mother's curves and wide hips. Ivy shared their father's slender figure, yet another unwanted attribute.
Once Manny lays eyes on her sister, nothing else mattered. Dropping her bag to the floor, she pushes to place herself in between Ivy's arms. Resting her chin upon Manny's faux locs, Ivy sighs happily. Nothing would ever top the feeling of holding her baby sister. "Hi, Bug."
"Hi, Vee Vee."
The sister pulls away from one another after a moment though Manny sticks close to Ivy's side. Jude picks up the bag off the floor, taking it to their bedroom. A phone on the coffee table vibrates with urgency as multiple text messages flood the screen. Ivy and Carina sit back down on and Manny takes a seat between the two on the couch. Carina picks up her phone, typing away.
"So what's on the agenda for today?" Manny inquires. "A movie marathon? Spa day? Shopping spree?
"What about a pool party?" Carina suggests, looking up from her phone.
"Ooh! I like the sound of that."
"Who's pool party?" Ivy asks.
A pinkish tint took Carina's cheeks as she looks at Ivy with guilty eyes. "Elias' pool party."
Ivy is ready to shake her head at the idea. Elias didn't like her. She felt the power of his disdain back at auditions when he refused to look at her as he pin her number to her. He didn't even watch her dance, spending the entire time staring at his phone. So what interest would she have in showing up to the party of someone who hates her (with good reason)?
"I don't know... I don't think I'd exactly be welcome there."
Carina touches Ivy's leg, explaining, "No, No, don't even worry about all that. I already smooth things over and he said he doesn't care if you come or not."
"Who is Elias?" Manny says, turning the attention to her. "I don't wanna be anywhere my sister isn't welcome, so you can go and we'll stay here."
"Some guy that helping out with the showcase," Ivy answers.
Jude returns to the living room and takes a seat next to Manny. "So Elias just texted me. Are we going to the party or not?"
"No," Carina says, stuffing a piece of pancake into her mouth with one hand and texting with the other.
Taking her by the hand, Jude drags Manny into the kitchen, showing her the stack of pancakes Jude made for her. Carina pouts as shovels the food into her mouth and turns her phone off. Ivy's own phone vibrates beside her on the floor. She unlocks it after seeing a notification from Darren.
DARREN: I'm sorry that you don't feel welcome to come to the party. But you totally are.
IVY: Your friend hates me. I don't wanna be anywhere I'm not wanted
DARREN: No he doesn't
DARREN: Okay maybe he does but who cares. The party's not for him anyway. It's to celebrate the end of auditions while we wait for the cast list. You deserve to be celebrated. You were amazing up there.
Both of their messages were sent at the exact same time.
IVY: I'll think about it
DARREN: Besides I want you here
Hearing that Darren wanted her there, almost eased her thoughts about going. It was nice to know that he wasn't completely mad at her. My friends deserve to be celebrated too, Ivy thought, and not "suffer" because of her actions.
"We can go," she found herself whispering. Although when Carina's head snapped over to her like she had been waiting to hear those words, Ivy thought herself predictable.
"You mean it?" she asks. Ivy nods and Carina grins. "If you start to feel the slightest bit uncomfortable, I promise we'll leave immediately. No ifs ands, or buts".
Ivy presses her lips in a line as Carina stands, empty plate in hand. Walking into the kitchen, she cheers, "Never mind, guys! We're going."
Sparing a glance at her own plate, Ivy hadn't even put a dent in the pancakes on the plate. Only a few square cut pieces were missing despite her not feeling full. She joins her sister and friends in the kitchen and puts her food away to eat later.
"Ivy, you sure wanna go? Because you and I can just stay here while Rina and Jude go," Manny offers though Ivy reassures that it's okay. "I, uh, didn't pack a bathing suit because I assumed we were staying in."
"Well, you're in luck because I just ordered a bathing suit but it didn't fit, so you can have it if you want," Carian says.
"Mmm, okay. Show me!"
Manny and Carina head to Carina's room where Ivy hears Manny comment before the door shuts behind them, "If it's ugly, I'm gonna be soo upset."
Jude and Ivy disappear into their own bedroom; Ivy slips on a slim black one-piece bathing suit and Jude puts on their swim shorts paired with chest binder made for swimming. The two meet Carina and Manny in the living room. Assuming that they have already changed, the four of them pack a large tote bag with towels, sunscreen, house keys, and anything else they might need as they wait for their Lyft driver to arrive.
They pull in the driveway of the Monterey Hotel half an hour later and the staff members open their doors for them and guide them inside. The interior of the hotel is pristine and clean like Ivy expected, the walls a beige color and the accent rugs a cool blue. The male receptionist instructs them to take the elevator to the top floor where the rooftop pool is located.
Exiting the elevator, they follow the sounds of music and playful screaming. Ivy squints at the bright sun as they stroll over to the other occupants. Jude, Ivy, Carina, and Manny situate their things on the white beach chairs and begin to apply sunscreen to themselves.
Ivy finds Elias staring at her from the pool. She tries to ignore him but when he taps Darren who sits on the edge of the pool, she forces herself to wave at him with a grim smile.
"Is that who I think it is? It can't be," Manny asks flabbergasted in the midst of pulling her shirt off, displaying a white bikini top. It was a bit too small for Ivy's liking but as long as nothing was exposed, she supposed it was okay.
"It is. I meant to—"
Manny was gone before she could finish, speed-walking over to him. "Darren?" she calls out hopefully.
He stands up hesitantly she approaches, saying her name in return. Manny nods eagerly and pulls him into a hug, his wet pale skin meeting her dry skin. The pair sigh into one another, warming Ivy's heart. Darren makes a move to pull away but Manny gets in one last tight squeeze and then lets him go. She still staring at him like she couldn't actually believe that he was standing before her.
Leaning on his forearms on the edge of the pool, Elias peers up at them, head tilted in confusion. "Who's this?"
Darren's answer is blocked as someone screams in the pool. Carina and Jude have already abandoned her to join in on the fun; Ivy scans her surroundings, appearing like an oddity being separate from the group. Even more so because she was the only one still wearing her beach cover-up. She teeters on the idea of just walking over there multiple times before getting up to do so.
Approaching Manny and Darren, her heart is running a marathon. Were people watching her? She knew for a fact that Elias was. Did they all hate her as he does? Did they think she looks ugly in her bathing suiting? She bought it because she heard that black is supposed to be a slimming color. Maybe it wasn't doing a good enough job. Ivy didn't know but the thought was making her sick.
"Hey," is all she says, trying not to let the worry show on her face. She's always had great control over her expressions.
Darren says a small greeting while Elias says nothing. A pair of eyes are on her but their her sister's, glancing between Ivy and Darren with rising excitement.
"Wait! Wait!" Manny suddenly says, waving her hands about.
"What's wrong ?"
A genuine smile— showing pearly white teeth and everything— takes up the majority of Manny's face. "Does this mean you guys are getting back together? Because if it does, that'll be awesome! I am so hap—"
"No, we're not getting back together," Darren answers, beating Ivy to it.
"And thank God for that," Elias mutters under his breath.
Manny snaps, "Who asked for your input?"
"Manny!"
"What!" Manny says in an annoyed tone. "Whatever. I'm getting in the pool"
She shoulder buts both Darren and Ivy as she walks in between them to get to the stairs descending into the pool. Ushering a quick apology for her sister, Ivy follows after her, not wanting to be left alone with the two boys.
Upon entering the cold water, Ivy finally takes inventory of who from NYSD is here. Angelica and her crew are here playing a game of chicken at the other end of the pool. She never bother to learn of their names, none of them were considered competition besides Angelica. Like she is a really good dancer. Like really really good. But Ivy would never admit that to her.
Manny descends further under the water with each step, to where Angelica and her friends are. She must have asked to join their game because soon she was climbing onto some guy's shoulders, laughing as she positions herself. Too busy staring, Ivy didn't notice the wave of water about to hit her in the face.
She opens her mouth in shock only to see that Jude is the cause of it. Slowly turning her head to face them, the muscles in her face tighten to showcase her annoyance. The corners of Jude's lips begin to turn down as Ivy gives a hard shove of water in their direction, giggling when her shock spread to Jude. Soon the pair becomes a trio, Jude, Ivy, and Carina splashing one another.
And for once, nothing plagued her mind, Ivy was just a girl hanging out at the pool with her best friends.
─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───
Carina and Jude, later joined by Manny, stay in the pool to play mermaids while Ivy climbs out to get something to drink. First walking over to beach chair where her things were to grab her phone and towel and then over to one of the coolers. Amongst the ice are several alcoholic beverages and a few water bottles sprinkled in. Whoever packed these was obviously looking to get white girl wasted. Plunging her hand in, Ivy pulls out a bottle of water and takes sip. She unlocks her phone but not before seeing a notification from her email. The notification reads: SUMMER SHOWCASE CAST LIST. It was sent ten minutes ago. It was too late, a scream had released itself from Ivy's lips. Ivy covers her mouth quickly though the music has ceased and everyone's eyes are on her. All movements have stopped, the only thing to be heards is the light sloshing of water.
"Is everything okay?" Darren inquires, climbing over the side of pool.
Ignoring him, Ivy looks back at the screen, her thumb hesitantly hiting the notification, opening her email. "The cast list is out," she mumbles.
"What'd she say?" Angelica says. She tucks her wavy blonde hair behind her ears, away from her face. "Ivy, is the the cast list out?"
Ivy nods her head, too scared to continue any further into message.
The next few seconds are a blur; all of the dancers race to their hands on their phones, leaving behind the flirtatious hockey players who groaned at the sudden absence. Quietness transforms to talks of nervousness and excitement. Manny, Carina, and Jude are soon standing by Ivy's side, sharing her same nerves.
"Whatever happens, Just know that I love you guys," Jude ensures.
"I'm too scared. I can't look!" Carina winces, biting at her finger tips. "Ivy, you look! You saw it first."
"Okay."
Taking a deep breath, she scrolls upward, keeping an eye out for any of their names. After scrolling past a couple of names, she reads: Duet - Carina Fukuda & Brandon Daniels
"You got the duet," Ivy announces. Carina stares at with disbelief, her eyes teary.
"I got the duet?" she whispers as a single tear slide down her cheek. Manny pulls Carina into a tight hug to congratulate her as she cries happy tears.
Ivy lists off Jude's name twice as she continues down the list. Jude had auditioned for three group dances but only got chosen for two. Jude joins the hug, grateful to even be chosen at all.
Palms sweating, Ivy is beginning to lose hope when she hasn't seen her name appear once that is until she reached the last item on the cast list.
Closing Soloist - Ivy Marent
Time isn't real. Air doesn't exist. And the ground is getting ready to collapse beneath her.
"I-I-I'm the soloist," Ivy stutters at first. She read over her name many times and it still didn't feel like it was happening. "Oh, my fucking gosh! I'm the closing soloist!"
She jumps up and down with glee unlike she's ever felt before. This is new territory, unexplored and barely skimmed. Ivy never knew that it was possible to experience this sort of happiness. Her friends and younger sister encircle her in their arms, joining Ivy in her delight.
Pulling back, Ivy looks Carina in her eyes and asks, "Wait, you're not mad that I got the solo?"
Carina rolls her eyes and laughs. "Mad? If anything, I'm happy! We're in the showcase, bitches!"
Jude cheers, excitement taking over as they run to jump in the pool. Carina follows suit, squealing all the way there. Ivy glances down at the email again, the idea of her being the summer showcase soloist still not setting in. Manny swallows Ivy in another tight embrace and presses a soft kiss against her cheek.
"I'm so proud of you, Vee Vee," Manny whispers in the creasee of Ivy's neck. "I just knew you could do it. Just like you always do."
Heart swelling, Ivy took in the words, savorying them like a good meal. She repeats Manny's words in her head though this time with her mom's voice. She hasn't seen her mom since Novemeber for Manny's birthday. Thank goodness, the place was flooded with teenagers otherwise it would have been really hard to avoid her in the two bedroom apartment.
But Ivy isn't going to let the past dictate her future, especially not when she has something this bright to look forward to.
Manny releases her and reenters the pool. Ivy begins to walk to back to her chair when Darren stops her midway. Wet hand on her upper arm, he smiles at her with pride. HIs dirty blonde hair is wet and framing his face, dripping water droplets upon hisr chest. They first rain down on his pectorals, then race in between the ridges of his abs. Some of them even travel into the waistband of his gray swimtrunks making it hard for Ivy to look away.
Forcing herself to make eye contact, Ivy lets the corners of her mouth upturn even more then they already were. Nothing could kill her mood.
" I wanted to say congrats! I overheard that you got the solo. Rightfully so. You were amazing!"
He lightly touches her shoulder again before passing by her to get to the coolers.
Ivy looks to the sky and says with a smirk, "I told you people wanted to see me up on stage."
"Rat Bastard."