CLOUD NINE | GLEE • OC X OC | ON HOLD

•001•

IVORY COLLYMORE RACED DOWN THE STAIRS WHEN SHE HEARD THE DOORBELL RING.

"I got it!" She yelled to her aunt and uncle, who were sitting at the kitchen table with their dinner.

She flung the door open to see her best friend, Luke Havens standing there with a huge dorky smile printed on his face.

"Luke! You're back!" She threw herself into his arms, as he steadied the both of them with the railing.

"I'm back!" He laughed, taking in the scent of her strawberry shampoo, before tightening his grip around her waist.

Ivory moved in with her aunt and uncle at the beginning of middle school since her mother was arrested for multiple DUIs under her name, and her father passed away when she was eight years old.

"You have to tell me about your trip. Come in!" The two parted from their hug, and they raced up the stairs to her bedroom.

Luke flopped on her bed, before using her headboard to support his back.

Ivory lay next to him, before turning towards him.

"The trip was amazing, Ivy." He started, using the nickname that he and Noah Puckerman gave her. "I mean, the food was great, and the scenery was amazing." He rambled. "I'm telling you, Ivy. If you ever get the chance to go to Italy, fucking take it. You'll love it there." He smiled.

"I hate that I wasn't able to go. I wish I did." Ivory sighed, and Luke nudged her thigh.

"Don't sweat it. You had your problems here that you had to deal with." Luke looked up at her. "Now, tell me how you and Kiara are doing?"

Kiara Reyes. Ivory's girlfriend since the end of freshman year. Kiara was the new girl in school, and Ivory was her knight in shining armor.

The two hit it off instantly, and Ivory asked her out a few weeks before school ended.

She came out as pansexual to her aunt and uncle, and they instantly accepted her. Hell, they even made sure Ryan's firehouse and Grace's employees accepted her.

"We're good, yeah. I mean, I didn't get to see her this summer, since she was always busy with her family, but, with school starting tomorrow we'll get to see each other more." Ivory shrugged.

Since summer started, Ivory felt that Kiara was pulling away from her. Whether it was purposely or accidentally, she didn't know.

"How was your summer, besides not seeing your best friend or your girlfriend during it?" Luke asked, making Ivory smile.

"Besides that, it was great. I helped at Aunt Grace's diner for the most part but hung out with Noah, Finn, Alex, Reggie, and the rest of them from the glee club." Ivory explained.

Luke listened to her talk. He watched as she explained everything with her hands, and how her eyes would light up when she mentioned something that she loved.

"You're staring, Luke." Ivory laughed, shoving his head to the side.

"Sorry." He felt his face get hot. He looked away from the girl, before sitting up. "So, tell me, how excited are you for softball this year?"

"Oh, super excited. People are still congratulating me on the walk-off home run I hit during the championship game last season." She smiled. "How about you, you ready for hockey this year?"

"I don't know, I might not go back to them. I was thinking about trying a different thing this year." He started.

"What? You love hockey, what's changing your mind?" Ivory tilted her head.

"Glee Club. I figured I would want to try something new this year, but because hockey practice and glee club go at the same time, I would go with the new thing, and do hockey outside of school." Luke explained.

"Well, I am excited to have you join. You'll get to hear me cuss out Berry every day." The two laughed before Luke checked his phone.

"I should get going home. I will pick you up tomorrow before school, okay?" Luke stood up and started to walk out of her room.

"Yeah, cool." She nodded and watched as he left her room.

☆::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::☆

SIX O'CLOCK CAME EARLY FOR IVORY.

Especially when she was up half the night practicing for softball after school.

Once she had changed out of her pj's, she moped down the stairs, before grabbing an apple from the bowl.

"Morning, kid." Ryan took a sip from his coffee.

"Morning, Uncle Ry." She smiled, before slipping her shoes on.

"Is Kiara coming to pick you up this morning, or is Luke?" He asked, sitting down at the table.

"Uh, Luke is." She answered when she heard a car horn from outside. "Speak of the devil. I gotta go, I'll see you later." She quickly walked outside and got in the front seat of Luke's car.

"You ready for the first day?" Luke asked, pulling away from her house.

"Yes, I am." She smiled, "How about you? Still gonna try out for Glee Club?"

"Yep! Nothing is gonna change my mind." He said. Making her laugh.

Once they pulled up to the school, the two started walking through the halls, everyone grinning at the two of them.

Jacob Ben Israel, or JBI, came sprinting up to Ivory, before shoving a microphone up to her.

"Ivory Collymore, what do you have to say about your short-term girlfriend, Kiara Reyes, ghosting you a few weeks into the relationship?" JBI asked.

"Come on, man. I just walked through the doors. You couldn't have waited until I at least put my shit in my locker?" She shoved the camera and microphone away from her and continued to walk past with Luke by her side.

"Alright, this is your stop. I'll see you at lunch." Luke smiled, before walking away from Ivory.

☆::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::☆

JACOB BEN ISRAEL HAD FOUND LUKE STANDING AT HIS LOCKER.

"Luke Havens, my blog wants to know how long you've been in love with Ivory Collymore, and how you feel about her girlfriend." JBI pointed his microphone at the boy.

"Uh, I'm not in love with her." He lied, covering it with a chuckle, "She's my best friend, and her girlfriend is my friend. So I'm happy for them." He started.

"Happy enough to where you would rather be alone forever instead of getting over Ivory?"

"No more questions." Luke pushed JBI out of the way, before slamming his locker closed and walking away.

He hated that JBI was right. He was in love with Ivory. And he would much rather be alone than with someone else.

☆::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::☆