Poison Ivy - A Novel

Chapter Thirteen

CHAPTER THIRTEEN -UNEDITED

The next day I woke up feeling good. I wasn't hungover, which was surprising considering the amount I drank last night. My memories of my time spent with Josh vividly replayed in my head as I carried on with my morning tasks.

I decided to go for an early jog on campus. I enjoyed a good morning workout but have not had the energy to do so since Blake died.

Blake and I would go for jogs together almost every day. For a long time, doing things that I enjoyed doing with Blake felt like a betrayal to him. It felt like I was moving on and leaving him behind. And for a long time, I didn't think that moving on was fair to Blake. Now I realized that not moving on wasn't fair to me.

I threw on a pair of leggings, a tank top, and my running shoes. I grabbed my air pods and put my phone into my running belt. I packed my water, keys, and a book into my tote bag, planning to store it in one of the lockers on campus. I usually cool down after my jog by sitting under one of the trees and reading a few chapters from my book. It was a very relaxing way to start my day.

As I closed my apartment door behind me, I couldn't help but glance over to Josh's door. I wondered if he was awake yet. As I walked past, I deliberately slowed down, listening for any sounds of life. I didn't hear him last night but then again, I fell asleep right after my shower. I stopped by the window, peeping through the opening of the curtains. It was dark inside. I couldn't see anything.

What was I even doing?

I continued past his room, chastising myself for my behavior. As I passed by the last room on the floor, I stopped dead in my tracks at the sound of a familiar voice coming from the room. I listened closely as a woman spoke, waiting for the voice to speak again and sure enough the familiar deep voice of Josh met my ear. I couldn't make out what they were saying but it was definitely him.

As I tried to listen, the voices got louder and nearer to where I was standing, causing me to panic. "Later babes, I got to go meet Jake in an hour" Josh's voice announced. Oh no, he was coming outside. I rushed down the stairs, hoping to make it off the compound before he could see me.

"Ivy?" his voice called after me when I was halfway down the staircase. What if I pretended that I didn't hear him? I had my air pods in, he wouldn't know. I continued my journey down the stairs doing just that.

It didn't work.

I heard his footsteps behind me and a tap on my shoulder. I turned around, taking my right air pod out as I acted shocked to see him. "Josh? What are you doing up so early?" I was not winning any acting awards anytime soon.

I gave him a once over, noting that he was in the same clothes he wore yesterday. My heart dropped. He must have spent the night with that girl. He noticed me looking at his outfit and opened his mouth to speak but I beat him to it, "Busy night?" I asked, raising a brow, and shooting him a knowing look.

"You could say that." he said, not giving away anything more. It was obvious though. He spent the night with that girl after he left my place. He probably just dropped by his apartment to get some condoms or something. I don't why I thought our night together would have been enough for him. He got nothing out of it after all.

"Right. Well then, glad your dick got some action" I said as I turned to leave, "I got to go".

He called after me, but I put my air pod back in, pretending I couldn't hear him. I didn't need this embarrassing moment to last any longer.

God, I fucking hate him. I hate that he makes me feel things. I hate it so much. What I hate even more is that he won't fuck me because I'm a virgin. A man with no standards, a man who would fuck any girl who throws herself at him won't fuck me.