Hot For Sensei

Chapter Eleven

Time passed, and the holidays flew by. Thanksgiving had been pretty simple, just a big meal at her grandparent's house. Ivy had never been fond of Thanksgiving, so the monotony of it didn't bother her, but Christmas was different. Two things hurt Ivy that day. First, was the lack of snow. Her grandma had gone all out with food and decorations, but there was no white Christmas like back home. Instead, there was a slight down pour of rain, making the outside a muddy, ugly mess. This was also her first Christmas without her parents. She tried her best to put on a good face for her grandparents, but a hole gaped open in her heart, and she couldn't stop the memories from consuming her. Every Christmas eve she would make Christmas cookies with her mom, then they would all decorate the tree- her dad getting scolded for eating the popcorn garland. After that, she would help her dad shovel the driveway and sidewalks if there was too much snow, and when they were done, they all had hot chocolate and watch Christmas movies. Then they would each get to open one gift before bed, and they usually fell asleep in the living room after that. There was warmth in those memories, she missed them so much, but she refused to cry in front of her grandparents. Her grandma had put in so much effort, after all, and she wouldn't be the one to ruin her day.

All of her boys made the holidays a little easier. Eli had invited Ivy, Dimitri and Miguel over for a Lord of the Rings marathon over break and being able to fully let her nerd side out was refreshing. Miguel was training harder than ever, determined not to waste his second chance. Still, he made a point to spend time with Ivy when he could, and she was thankful for that.

Ivy had spent a lot of her free time with Robby. His mom was gone more and more since she met her, and although Robby put on a good face, she knew he was hurting inside. Ivy still hadn't told Robby about Johnny, and the way his mom was acting was a major reason why. It seemed like every time Ivy worked up the courage to tell him, something bad happened, and she didn't want to add to his sadness. Instead, she cooked him food and cuddled him and listened to him talk. He always thanked her, as no one else would listen to or take care of him, but still, she felt the nearly constant pang of guilt that came with keeping the secret she held.

When school was done for the day and they were back home, Miguel and Ivy went their separate ways. He was off to Cobra Kai again, and she didn't feel like going today, though she promised she would tag along tomorrow. She leaned up against her door to smoke as Miguel left the complex with a wave. Her phone rang once he was out of sight, and she answered it without checking who it was.

"Hello?" she breathed, exhaling smoke.

"Hey babe, you busy?" Robby asked.

"Nah, just got home." She flicked some ash to the ground, "What's up?"

"Grab your favorite movie and come on over." She could hear his grin, "And don't worry about cooking this time, I got it."

"Alright." Ivy let out a laugh, "See you soon."

"Bye."

She tossed her cigarette into the lot and went into her apartment, knowing just what movie she wanted him to watch. After grabbing the movie and switching out her backpack for her purse, she headed off to see her boyfriend.

She entered his apartment without knocking, as she was no longer a secret, and found Robby messing around in the kitchen.

"Hey, whatcha making?" she asked as she made her way to him.

"Just some frozen pizzas." He stood to look at her, "You don't mind pepperoni, do you?"

"No, I love it." She smiled, setting her purse and the movie on the counter.