13. Ivy
IVY
I t’s jarring when the bell chimes and the class immediately draws to an end. Professor Gorgan mutters something about a quiz for our next lesson and my breathing stutters. No one seems to notice my distress as they all saunter from the room, one by one, leaving me to sink in my own despair.
My hands curl into fists on my desk as I rise to my feet. With a sharp inhale, I find the strength to cut across the classroom, coming to a stop before Professor Gorgan as he finally takes a seat in his chair.
He doesn’t look my way as I rub my lips together nervously. He barely offers me half a glance when I mumble his name.
“Professor Gorgan, I?—”
“If there is something you wish to ask, Miss Hayworth, please do get on with it,” he interjects, his terse tone reminding me of my father.
My lips pinch as I try to hold back my irritation. “I didn’t understand ninety percent of what you were saying in the class, Professor. It was almost like I had joined halfway through the topic. Is it possible to do something to catch up?”
His eyes finally find mine, an air of disbelief widening them behind his frames. His chair creaks as he leans back, steepling his hands together as his irritation becomes clear.
“Miss Hayworth, do you not feel you’ve been handed enough already, given the fact that you’ve skipped the first two years of Neverbound Academy?”
I shake my head. “I didn’t ask for that, and I’d rather start at the beginning with everyone else, I?—”
“Please,” he scoffs, shaking his head. “You can’t tell me The Angel of Heaven’s Ridge pulled some strings and now wants even more to be handed to her while the rest of the student body works hard for it.”
I gape at him. I didn’t ask for any of this. Do I want to be here? Yes. But I didn’t have anything to do with whatever he thinks this advanced path is.
My muscles tighten as I stand tall, rolling my shoulders back as I level him with a stare. “Professor Gorgan—” I start, but he quickly waves me off.
“Miss Hayworth, let’s save both of our breaths, shall we?
” His knuckles whiten as he grips the arms of his chair, rising to his feet with measured precision until he’s looming over me.
“You wanted to fast-pass your way through Neverbound Academy, and now the two-year deficit you have given yourself has come to bite your behind. Maybe in the future, you might consider your actions before you take them.” Lifting a hand, he waves me away, and I instinctively take a step back.
“I’m not asking for anything for free. Just a tutor or extra material so I can still learn,” I retort, my frustrations getting the better of me, but he continues to stare me down as he waves his hand, almost taunting me.
My mouth sets in a thin line as I glower at him.
I didn’t do this to myself. I’m trying to improve my lack of knowledge and understanding, but it seems the rejection of my fated mates has hindered me in even more ways than I could have imagined. The look on Gorgan’s face makes it clear I’m alone in wanting to fix this.
Exhaling, I lose the will to protest against him. It’s clear in his posture and air of arrogance that I’m not going to get anywhere.
Defeated, I spin for the exit, making it two steps before a distant pop rings out and the room darkens. My heart stutters as I take a second to understand what’s happening.
The lights are all out.
“It seems you’re in even more luck. With the power outage, classes will be halted. Which means you get to enjoy another day here at Neverbound Academy learning nothing.”
Glancing over my shoulder at him, my eyebrows pinch. “I don’t understand.”
He sighs, not bothering to look my way as he speaks. “No power means no classes, Miss Hayworth. You may as well make your way to the dorms; classes are cancelled.”
On the brink of delirium, I hurry for the exit, darting through the empty halls until I make it outside just in time to see a swarm of students all heading toward the dorm rooms.
I thought he was lying, baiting me into making my situation worse, but it looks like my next class really isn’t happening.
Brushing my hair back off my face, I take a deep breath, ready to follow them, when I hear my name being called.
Following the sound, I find Meadow racing toward me with a beaming smile on her face. My blazer crinkles beneath her palms as she grabs my arms.
“I’m so glad I found you,” she practically sings with excitement. My confused stare makes her smile widen. “You weren’t planning on going to the party without me, were you?” she asks, cocking a brow at me while my eyes crinkle with uncertainty.
“Party?” I repeat, and she nods eagerly.
“Of course, the power party,” she reiterates, and I continue to blink at her, clearly not up to speed.
My silence must give me away as she laces her arm through mine.
“When a power outage occurs, everyone heads down to the beach for a party,” she sings, overjoyed with excitement, but a heavy weight settles in my gut.
“That sounds… great,” I mumble, and she rolls her eyes.
“We’re going, right?” she says with a giggle, and I gape at her.
“I didn’t think so?” It’s a question, not a confident statement; my mother would be glaring at me right now, but I’m out of my depth.
“We are most definitely going, Ivy. Besides, you look stressed. We need to work that out of you so you can move past it and have a good time,” she insists, slowly starting to tug me toward the dorms, and I fall into step somewhat nervously.
“I don’t know if this is a good idea, Meadow,” I mumble, and she snickers.
“There’s only one way to find out.”
Staring at my reflection, I watch as my dress shimmers, the material gliding beneath my touch as I run my hands over it.
I’m trying really hard not to fixate on how overwhelming my day has felt, only to have it end with some kind of party that I find myself attending.
I press my lips together, my eyes fixated on where my dress comes to a stop.
It’s mid-thigh.
That’s a lie.
It barely covers my ass.
What would my mother think?
Uncertainty wars inside of me. I’ve spent so long falling in line, whether I liked it or not, that it’s hard to make a decision for myself.
Do I want to go to the party? Honestly, I don’t know. Something tells me this is going to be nothing like the parties I’m used to. The fact that my dress doesn’t graze the floor and my makeup is more smoky than demure confirms it.
Have I shifted from listening to my mother’s advice to following a friend’s insistence, or am I finally allowing myself to be seen?
Returning my attention to my reflection, I pick myself apart.
My blonde hair is coiled back off my face, nestled in a messy bun on top of my head with a few strategically placed curls falling loose. My mother would have insisted on it being down, cascading over my shoulders with pride. This way, I feel like I can actually breathe.
Instead of the subtle soft tones around my eyes, my makeup is dark and smoky, with a pink gloss shimmering on my lips. My mouth curls with delight. I love it.
Instead of some obnoxious ballgown that I would spend the entire night fussing with, I’ve borrowed one of Meadow’s dresses. The silver shimmers as the fabric molds to my body. The halter neckline exposes my back and leaves a glimpse of my chest on display.
Paired with cute white sandals, forgoing my irritating kitten heels, I feel like… me.
“Ready?” Meadow asks, appearing beside me in a matching dress, only it’s a deep, emerald green instead of silver, and her sandals are black.
It seems she’s the kind of girl who finds a style she likes and buys it in every color.
I wonder what I would be like if I had such freedom?
Shaking off the thought, I nod at my friend.
“As I’ll ever be,” I mumble, trying to hide my nerves.
I must do a good job because she doesn’t say anything to the contrary as we head out of her bedroom and down the stairs.
It seems that with the power outage, the quirky entryways to each building have shut off, so when she invited me back to her room, I wasn’t so nervous.
Reaching the bottom of the stairs, I try to blend into the background. The foyer area is crammed with people, each shouting and hollering among their friends as they get ready to head out.
“Wait by the door. I’m just going to tell Toby we’re ready,” she explains before disappearing into the mass.
Worming my way through everyone, I sag with relief when fresh air envelops me. Pressing my back against the stone wall, I take a deep breath, peering up at the sky. It’s painted in an array of mottled colors, with blotchings of pinks, blues, and lilacs exploding above me as the sun begins to set.
It’s so pretty.
I sense eyes on me, and my breath stutters as I try to remain calm, anticipating one of my fated mates as I follow the burning sensation to the other side of the front door.
My gaze, however, collides with a tall girl, her mousey blonde hair pulled back off her face in a sharp ponytail.
Her eyes are narrowed, lips pinched, and demeanor hostile.
When she realizes she has my attention, her features grow more irritated.
She takes a single step forward and I brace for impact, ready for her to unleash whatever problem she has on me, but before she can get any closer, Meadow and who I can only assume is Toby come barrelling out of the Land Protector’s dorms.
“Toby, this is my friend Ivy. Ivy, this is my fated mate, Toby,” she explains as a few other guys saunter out of the building after them. They hover enough to make me feel like they’re friends with Toby, each passing a glance over me before continuing their conversation.
Clearing my throat, I smile. “Nice to meet you,” I mutter, instinctively extending my hand, and he takes it.
“Angel,” he clarifies, and it takes everything in me to keep my smile in place.
Because Meadow doesn’t seem to know who I am, I idiotically assumed he wouldn’t either.
I was wrong.
“Angel?” Meadow repeats as I release his hand, and I turn my full attention to her.