Jack wanted one of his drivers drive me home the next morning, but I wanted to walk home instead. I’d be able to think more if I walked through town and by my old school. I really just needed time to think.
I walked by the diner I used to work at, remembering how Jack had fought for me when that guy had slapped my ass. I then went by the place we had first told each other that we loved each other, and I felt kind of sad. Everything was different then. I couldn’t stand Eli, and Jack meant absolutely everything to me. Back then, I thought we were going to get married. I thought we’d be together forever.
That was before I knew Jack even knew Emma. That was before everything went wrong. Now, my entire life was crashing down around me and I had no idea what I was supposed to do.
I stopped in front of my old school, not believing that I hadn’t been there for so long. If I had stayed there, all of my current problems wouldn’t exist. I wouldn’t have cared that Courtney was pregnant because I wouldn’t have been in love with the father of her baby. I wouldn’t have fallen in love and got my heart broken by Jack, and I wouldn’t have fallen in love and gotten my heart broken by Eli either. I’d still be the girl that only Simon loved. Even though I wouldn’t have known about his feelings for me if we were still at that school…
There were just too many memories in this stupid town. I wanted to go away, far away and never return. I just wanted all my problems to disappear for once.
When I used to walk around town, people would cross the street when they saw me coming. Everyone thought I was so tough and brutal, but that was the last thing I was right then. I didn’t think I’d ever be able to act like that outer character ever again. I was too scarred to act all big and tough again.
No one even looked at me while I walked down the street. It was like I wasn’t even there. I hadn’t ever realized it until now, now that I was really thinking about everything. Everything was so different compared to how it used to be. It made me kind of side to think I had changed so much from the beginning of this long, hard journey.
Jack said he would come over later that day, which I was glad he was doing because I just didn’t want to be left alone, especially when there was a huge chance that I would see Eli, considering the fact that he lived in the same house as me.
But when I got inside the house, everything was completely silent. Jersey Shore wasn’t on TV, so I knew both Claudia and Cassidy weren’t out there, and I was pretty sure my dad was at work. The door to my room was closed, so I didn’t know if Eli was there or not.
Not knowing why, I decided to go upstairs and toward my room, even though there was a huge chance that Eli would be inside. If he was, we’d be the only two people in the house, which definitely wasn’t good, considering the situation we were in.
Taking a deep breath, I pushed the door open without any type of warning, only to see that there was no one inside. I let out a sigh, happy that he wasn’t there like I thought he was.
I didn’t know how I was supposed to avoid him when he lived in the same house as me and I didn’t even have a room to hide away in. He was the one staying in my room, so I couldn’t stay there, and I knew Cassidy wasn’t going to be nice enough to let me hide in her room. Knowing her, she’d let me in and then lock Eli in there with me.
I stepped forward into my room, looking around to see that pretty much everything was the same as it had been when I left it. Eli really didn’t change that much, and I guessed it was because he didn’t want me arranging everything again once he left. He really could be sweet sometimes…
But that didn’t change what he had done. He had still gone and made me fall in love with him even though he knew that Courtney could have pregnant. He was even worse than Jack. He was so much worse than Jack.
I leaned against the bed post, my back to the door, as I let out a sigh. I had been kicked out of this room because of that guy. It was his fault that I had to sleep on the couch, and it was his fault that I was so heartbroken right then. I wasn’t even this hurt when Jack had told Emma he loved her.
“I’m moving out,” a new voice now said, causing me to jump and spin around to see the last person I wanted to be around. “Courtney doesn’t want me living here anymore, so… yeah. I’m moving out. I kind of assumed that you wouldn’t want me here anymore either.”
“Oh,” was all I could say back to him. “How… nice.”
“Look, Ivy. I'm sorry,” he apologized, and I didn't know if it was for scaring me or for everything that had happened the day before.
I turned my head away from him. “I really don't want to talk to you, Eli.”
“Please, Ivy,” he pleaded, taking a step toward me, which caused me to take a step away. “Please listen to me. I have to talk to you.”
“Well, I don’t want to talk to you,” I snapped, taking a step away from him when he reached out for me. “I told you last night that I never want to see you again. So just leave me alone and get out of my house, since you don’t live here anymore.”
“Ivy, I'm sorry,” he apologized again. “Just let me explain to you, please. I’ll let you be mad at me all you want if you just hear me out. Please.”
It wasn’t like Eli Hunter to say please, so I said nothing to stop him from continuing on. I crossed my arms over my chest, cocking my hip out as I stared at him. If he wanted to talk, he’d better start talking soon.
“I know what I did was wrong,” he started, staring down at the ground and not even glancing up at me as his hands balled into fists at his sides. “I know I shouldn't have done anything with you when I knew that there was a possibility that Courtney could be pregnant. But I couldn't help myself. You're just... You're so... I don't know. You were just with Jack for so long, so when you finally started kissing me back after you and Jack had been broken up for a while, I wasn't going to ruin it.”
“Well, there wasn't any point! It's all ruined now!” I shouted at him, tears stinging at my eyes, but I wouldn’t let any fall. “You and Courtney had sex, you got her pregnant, and then you hooked up with me even though you knew you were going to be a father! God, I’m so happy that I didn’t have sex with you!”
“You knew I had sex with Courtney!” he sighed, exasperated by everything that was happening. “It’s not like you didn’t know that going into it! So why are you so angry with me? I stopped seeing Courtney after we got together! It’s not like I cheated on you or anything!”
“You wouldn’t have been cheating on me anyway, since we weren’t even together!” I snapped, squeezing my eyes shut so I wouldn’t burst out into tears. “Not officially, anyway. And I’m mad at you because you did things with me when you knew you got a girl pregnant! You knew you were going to be a father, Eli! You knew you were going to have a baby but you still hooked up with me! Courtney is the mother of your child, not me! So go to her and leave me alone!”
Eli ran his hand through his hair, obviously trying to think of what he was supposed to say to me. He knew that I was right, and that I had every right to be mad at him. We had practically been boyfriend and girlfriend, even though neither of us had said so out loud, and even though he hadn’t cheated on me, he still did something wrong.
“But I don’t want to be with Courtney,” he told me, taking another step toward me. I dodged him, spinning around now so he was facing the door and I was facing the bed. “I realized a long time ago that I don’t want to be with her. She means nothing to me. I wish that I realized it sooner, before I did anything with her, but I didn’t. I don’t want to be with her. I want to be with you.”
“I'm dating Jack again,” I lied, trying to act like I didn't even care at all. Eli looked like he was about to throw up. “I was really happy when I was dating him, and I haven't been as happy since. I don’t think I ever even fell out of love with him, so I’m sure this is for the best.”
“You're... dating Jack again?” he asked, his eyes going wide as he stared down at me. “You never fell out of love with him? You've got to be kidding me. Please tell me you’re joking.”
“Nope,” I shrugged. “I'm not.”
Eli turned away from me, looking like he could have punched a hole right through the wall. I stayed silent, trying my hardest to not say a word.
“Why are you dating him again?” he demanded, still looking really pissed off. “You know he can only love Emma, and that's it. You had to learn about that the hard way the first time. Do you really want to learn it a second time?”
“Jack is coming over,” I told him coldly, ignoring what he had said as I turned my head away from him. “I don't think it would be a good idea for him to see you.”
“Who cares?” he snapped, his eyes narrowing at me. “Let him see me. I'll show him how I feel about him stealing my girl.”
I slapped his hand away when he reached out for me again. “I am not your girl.”
“Ivy...”
“And technically, you stole Jack's girl,” I reminded him sourly. “I was with him first, not you.”
Eli rolled his eyes. “Don't remind me.”
I continued not to look at him, knowing that I’d start crying if I did. I had to be strong, no matter what it took. “Well, I guess you should go,” I told him calmly now. “I really don’t think it would be a good thing if you and Jack see each other right now. I’m already nervous about how you two are going to act while we’re at school. At least you two won’t get into any trouble for fighting or breaking something there.”
“No, I think I’ll stay right here with you,” he shrugged, crossing his arms over his chest as he continue to stand before me. “I’d like to see him, and maybe even talk to him for a little bit. It’s been a while since I had a nice chat with my best friend.”
It was kind of hard to believe that the two of them had ever considered the other as their best friend. For as long as I could remember, they hadn’t ever really gotten along with each other. But who knows, things could have been different before I came around. Everything had been different for me before I went to Neverland Academy.
“Get out of my house, Eli,” I snapped, finally looking up at him so he could see how upset and angry I was. “How many times do I have to tell you that I never want to see you again? I don’t feel like trying to slap you again, because you’re probably ready for it this time. Just get out of my house!”
“No, I don’t think I will.” He shook his head, his arms still crossed. “I’m going to stay right here with you whether you like it or not. There’s nothing you can do about it.”
“Eli,” I snapped, taking a step closer to him now. “Stop being so difficult for once! We’re not going to get back together, no matter what you try to do! I’m with Jack, and you’re with Courtney! That’s how it used to be, and how it always will be, especially now that you’re going to have a baby! So do as I say, and get out of my--”
But I wasn’t able to finish, because Eli was suddenly grabbing onto my head and pulling me forward, crashing his lips to mine as he pushed me up against the wall beside my door. I did my best to fight against him, but there was no use in doing so. He was too strong for me. I didn’t kiss him back, but I was no longer struggling as he continued to move his lips against mine.
“Ivy,” he started once he pulled away from me after a few minutes, sounding like what he was about to say was hard. “I lo--”
But the doorbell rang, cutting him off from whatever he was going to say. I brushed by him, making sure our shoulders hit, and didn’t even care that he was following me. But he then seemed to remember that his best friend and my supposed boyfriend was at the door, because he then stopped at the top of the stairs, where he’d still be able to see the front door.
“Hey,” I greeted Jack once I opened the door, grabbing onto his collar and kissing him before he could say anything back to me. “I’m really glad you’re here.”
Jack looked at me in confusion for a moment, but then smiled at me anyway. I felt horrible for doing this, because I didn’t think I’d be ready for any kind of relationship for a while, but anything that got Eli out of my house was something I was going to do.
Jack smirked, wrapping his arms around my waist and pulling me toward him. I could tell that he had seen Eli up the stairs out of the corner of his eye. “It’s great to be here with you, babe.”
“Hey!” Eli shouted now, and suddenly he was sliding down the railing of the stairs and landed right beside us. “Get your hands off her, jackass, before I take them off her myself.”
Jack’s smirk only grew at this. “I can do what I want. She’s not yours anymore, Daddy.”
Even I knew that was a low blow, but that didn’t mean I was happy that Jack had said it. Barely even three seconds after Jack had said it, Eli’s fist suddenly went flying right for Jack’s face, but he was able to dodge it easily. The two of them had been friends for so long that they knew how the other fought, so I knew this fight was going to go absolutely nowhere at all.
“Will you two knock it off?” I shouted, getting in between the two of them and pushing them away from each other before they could do any damage to each other or my house. “Just stop fighting! There’s no point! Leave each other alone!”
Eli glared at Jack over my shoulder. “Whatever. I’m leaving, just like you wanted me to.”
I looked away from him when he looked at me, not able to make eye contact with him. With one last look at me, he walked out the front door and out of my life forever.
Jack’s head cocked to the side once I shut the door behind Eli. “I’m not really your boyfriend, am I?”
“I’m sorry,” I groaned, leaning against the front door and shutting my eyes. My head was starting to seriously hurt. “I told him that we were dating again without even thinking about what I was saying. I just blurted it out. Truthfully, I don’t want another relationship. With anyone. I feel like I kind of jumped into it with Eli a little too soon after we broke up.”
Jack frowned at me. “Well, I guess you won’t want to hear what I have to tell you, then.”
“What?” I demanded, pushing myself away from the door and closer to him. This wasn’t going to be good at all. “What do you want to tell me, Jack?”
Jack sighed, looking away from me. This made me even more nervous, and I was starting to get really scared of what he was going to say to me. It was obviously something horrible.
“Eli and Courtney…” he started, finally looking back up at me. “Eli and Courtney are getting married next Saturday.”
I blinked at him for a moment, not able to utter a single word. This couldn’t have been right. Jack had to have been lying to me. There was no way Eli and Courtney were going to get married when they both were only sixteen!
Even though Courtney was pregnant…
“How do you know?” I blinked, not believing my ears. “Where did you hear this from?”
“My mom,” Jack shrugged, shoving his hands into his pockets. “My mom’s good friends with Courtney’s mom, since they used to direct the school play and all. She told me that Eli’s and Courtney’s parents want them to get married for the baby. They both agreed to it this morning.”
“Damn that asshole! He didn’t even tell me!” I shouted, running my hands through my hair now. “Did he ever tell me anything or did he keep everything a secret from me? He went on about how he wanted to be with me and not Courtney and all that crap, but meanwhile his stupid fiancée is probably picking out a dress!”
Jack let out a sigh. “I’m sorry, Ivy.”
“Why are they even getting married so quickly, anyway?” I demanded, my hands feeling clammy as I wiped them against my jeans. “They’re both only sixteen. Courtney might be pregnant, but… still! They’re sixteen!”
“It’s because she’s pregnant,” Jack shrugged. “They don’t want her to be big when they get married. They want her to be small during the wedding and not huge from her baby.”
“How… far along is she, anyway?” I couldn’t help but ask, swallowing now at the anticipation of the answer.
Jack looked away from me. “About four months, I think.”
I shook my head, turning away from him and making my way into the living room. Jack followed me, and we both plopped down on the couch in complete silence. The TV wasn’t on and no one else was home. It was just the two of us, like it had always used to be.
“This was why Courtney invited me to her party,” I sniffed, realization hitting me after a few moments of silence. “She wasn’t trying to be nice to me or anything. She didn’t invite me because she knew I was going to come anyway just because of you and the rest of the Lost Boys. She invited me herself because she wanted me to be there to witness it firsthand. She wanted me there so I knew that this whole mess was the truth.”
“Ivy, I’m sorry,” Jack apologized, reaching out and placing his hand on my shoulder. “I wish that there was something I could do to help you. But I guess I’m useless, huh? I was never a good boyfriend to you, and now I can’t even be a good friend. I guess I’m just a horrible person altogether.”
“No, you’re not a horrible person,” I sniffed again, turning toward him and wiping at my eyes so tears wouldn’t fall. “You’re being a great person for just being with me now. I’m so grateful to you for sticking by me after everything we’ve been through. I just… I can’t thank you enough.”
Jack smiled at me, leaning forward and wrapping his arms around my neck now. He pulled me into his chest, and I just cried like I had wanted to all day. I cried and cried, and I didn’t even know how long it lasted for. All I knew was that this was the start of me getting over Eli, no matter what it had to take. Even if I had to get back together with Jack, I’d do what I had to do to get over him.
I’d do anything to get this pain to just stop.
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I just don't get you guys. When Jack told Emma that he loved her, you all hated him so much. And then when Eli goes and gets another girl pregnant, almost all of you felt bad for him and loved him still. Some of you even hated Jack in the last chapter even though he didn't do anything wrong. Eli got another girl pregnant, knew about it, and then still hooked up with Ivy even after he knew how hurt she was after she had been betrayed by Jack earlier. He knew how weak she was but still hooked up with her while knowing he was going to be a father. Eli knew he was the father of Courtney's baby. Both of them haven’t had sex with anyone else. The baby is definitely Eli’s.
I know most of you are on Team Eli, but who do you think Ivy’s going to end up with? Not who you want, but who you think. Remember, it doesn’t have to be Eli or Jack. It doesn’t even have to be anyone at all. She said so herself in this chapter that she doesn’t want another relationship.
And there's only four chapters left. Can Ivy fix things with Eli in time? Can she get back together with Jack in time? And she possibly (gasp) find someone else in time? Or will she stay alone like she wants to?
Wow, for chapters left... This is depressing. :/
Please COMMENT, VOTE, and FAN! <3