15. Ivy
IVY
“ I t’s official. Last night was quite possibly the worst night of my life.”
Ember huffs as she floats beside me, a pointed look on her face. “That’s not true.”
“Are you sure?” I just might die on this hill today, but she’s having none of it.
“Your night ended earlier than intended, but you put yourself out there; that’s progress,” she insists, darting around the room before settling at the foot of my bed.
“It’s not that it ended earlier than I intended; it’s how it ended that is driving me insane,” I grumble, and she sighs, stretching out along my sheets, a millimeter away from actually touching them. I wonder if they’ll catch fire if she does touch them.
“Did you leave silently?”
Her words snap down my spine, igniting a flicker of confidence I didn’t realize was lying dormant inside of me.
I sit up tall. “No.”
She grins from ear to ear. “So, you may not have enjoyed the party the way you wanted—the liquor, the dancing, and all of that—but you had something much better, Ivy. You just have to choose to see that perspective.” She’s right.
“I’m right, I know I am. Especially if you stood up for yourself.
From what I know, that’s not something The Angel of Heaven’s Ridge would have done. ”
“You’re right,” I blurt, shuffling off the side of the bed before running my hands over my uniform. The power isn’t back on, but Ember insisted we should be ready regardless.
“Of course I am. Now, are you ready for me to order food, or?—”
“No. I’m ready to go out for food,” I interject, riding the wave of confidence that lingers.
She smiles at me, whizzing toward the door as I grab my bag and follow after her. “Do you think you can introduce me to this Clay now?” she asks, and I roll my eyes.
“I would like to avoid him for the rest of my life, thanks,” I grumble in response, recalling the cute green sprite who had turned my night around with light conversation and a calm atmosphere until he revealed who his person is.
Nope.
We’re not falling down that slippery slope.
“Fine, we can circle back to this later. Go, be your badass self, and I’ll be here when you get back,” she declares when we reach the bottom of the stairs.
The familiar ring of fire around the entryway is still nonexistent, leaving uncertainty to churn in my gut, but I swallow it down as I turn my attention to Ember.
“You’re not coming with me?”
She shakes her head. “Badass means leaving your sprite at home. You’ve got this, Ivy,” she insists, waving me out the door.
Taking a deep breath, I tilt my face up toward the sun, stepping out under its morning rays with a smile.
With a pep talk from my closest friend, a sprite of all things, I head toward the dining hall as last night floods my thoughts once more, but this time, I’m determined to channel Ember’s attitude and see it through a different light.
Before I can approach it with a fresh mind, an arm links through mine and I yelp.
Startled, my gaze locks on Meadow’s as she smiles beside me.
“I was just on my way to come find you. I’m sorry about last night, it was?—”
“Nothing for you to apologize about,” I interrupt, smiling at her as we continue to head toward the dining hall.
“I feel like I should. I didn’t chase after you, and I?—”
“I think I might have died if you had,” I admit. The last thing I needed was more drama. Besides, I apparently needed the time to think… and meet Clay.
“Are you sure? I felt like a terrible friend.” The sincerity in her eyes is undeniable, reaffirming how much I like her.
“You’re good. I needed a moment to breathe, I swear.”
“Good. But, did you want to talk about it?” she asks, worrying her bottom lip, and my thoughts are snapped back to last night once again.
I rub my lips together, deep in thought as I consider her offer. The noise picks up as we enter the dining hall, but she doesn’t rush me for an answer. Not even when we take a seat and I lose myself in choosing my breakfast.
It’s only when I opt for the French toast and an orange juice that I turn my attention to her.
“Apparently, I have some fated mates that are assholes,” I mutter, and she snickers, her gaze cutting to the center of the room where they sit.
My lips pinch, my eyebrows too, but I can’t stop myself from casting my gaze over each of them.
“Baron is firmly at the top of my shit list after last night,” I admit, my eyes narrowing as I glare at him, all while he keeps his head dipped, as if he doesn’t know I exist, or can’t feel the daggers penetrating him from my stare. That irritates me more.
“He definitely earned it after last night,” she mumbles, and I nod, forcing myself to shift my attention next to him.
“Archer isn’t much better; he’s just been a little more discreet about it,” I add, and she nods in understanding, although the look in her eyes tells me she doesn’t have a clue.
My gaze catches on the carbon copy of Baron, except brown eyes meet mine, and a tiny crook to the corner of his lips greets me. My cheeks flush as I quickly dip my head.
Because of Clay, he may get a few brownie points, but the kindness that he’s aiming directly at me is off-putting, reminding me of the night he rejected me along with the others.
Ass.
My attention finally turns to Teddy, and a flash from last night consumes me. Him, surrounded by women, all carefree and happy. He’s definitely sandwiched between Baron and Archer on my despised list, but more because of emotions I refuse to acknowledge or address.
“Baron definitely seemed concerned with where your attention was last night, but they act as if you don’t exist right now. What’s that about?” Meadow asks as our food arrives.
I take a bite of my French toast before I answer. “It’s the question of the hour.”
“Do you want them to care full-time or…” She leaves her question unfinished, but the implication isn’t missed.
“I want them to fall off the face of the Earth, never to be seen again.”
Her eyes widen in surprise. “That’s… intense.”
“So is being rejected by all four of them so publicly,” I mumble, narrowing my attention on my food to stop myself from exposing any more of my vulnerabilities.
“I’m sorry, Ivy. You’re right. That’s shitty. I can grab a shovel if you want help clearing them out?” she offers, and I snicker, the small sound quickly turning into a bubble of laughter.
My chest feels lighter by the time I stop, my cheeks aching from the smile plastered on my face as I’m reminded again that I’m not alone, even if my fated mates aren’t by my side.
“Keep it safe for now. I’m not into taking drastic action, but my priority has to be making sure they know they can’t control me,” I declare, silently reconfirming that I won’t fall foul of their actions that mirror my father’s. “Anyway, tell me more about Toby. He seems like a good guy.”
The smile on her face is genuine as she gets all dreamy-eyed.
“I’ve spent forever waiting for my fated mate.
Well, I guess we all have, but it wasn’t until the moment his name was called that I was worried what he might be like.
The concern didn’t last long. It was as if my heart knew he was going to be everything I wanted and needed.
Kind, considerate, sweet, and hot. Definitely hot,” she says with a giggle, and I muster the most positive sound I can manage, but I’m sure it sounds like a strangled cat.
He did seem nice and considerate, she’s not wrong. I expect to feel a wave of jealousy creep through me, but nothing comes. Maybe it’s just delayed. That green-eyed monster seems to follow me everywhere at the moment.
“You look good together,” I say with a smile, and her eyes meet mine.
“You think?” I nod, and her grin spreads wider. “Thank you. I shouldn’t gush over it. Especially not when…” Her words trail off as she waves a hand at me and I immediately shake my head.
“Don’t even consider me right now. We all wait a lifetime for this. You deserve it.”
She presses her lips together in a thin line.
“Can I talk to you about something?” she asks, inching closer, and I nod.
She takes a moment, scanning the area to make sure no one can hear her before she speaks.
“He… I… Have you…” She shakes her head, frustrated, before she exhales sharply.
“I’m a virgin, and he’s two years older, so I’m losing my mind. ”
“Is he pressuring you?”
“No. Not even a little, I just… feel out of my depth,” she admits, and my shoulders sag with relief before I place my hand on her shoulder.
“Honestly, I’m pretty useless when it comes to anything… intimate,” I admit, tipping my head down enough to hide behind my hair. “I’m a virgin too.”
“You are?” she blurts, about twenty decibels louder than necessary, and I grimace. “Sorry,” she whispers, her nose crinkling as she winces. “But you look so… you’re stunning. How have you never…”
“You’re going to make me blush,” I muse, and she smirks. “But honestly, being my father’s daughter was enough of a chastity belt with little to no effort from anyone else. Besides, there was never any time for dating or letting my hair down.”
“That’s almost… sad,” she admits, and I nod.
“After last night, I get the feeling they just waved another banner over my head, scaring everyone away from me,” I grumble, stuffing the last bite of food in my mouth, and the way her eyebrows pull together confirms my concern.
“Maybe we could work around it. Silas seems interested.”
She’s not wrong, but am I interested?
“Regardless, I should probably take last night as a sign to focus on catching up with schoolwork instead of finding someone to take my V- card,” I admit, and she manages a half smile.
“I’m here for you regardless. Well, technically not right now because we need to go to class and… actually, I’ve got Offensive Warfare, which I think is an open class for the entire academy. What about you?”
She talks a mile a minute, thinking out loud as I try to keep up, but I nod, recalling the schedule I memorized.