Rivals in Business, Allies in Love

Chapter 24

~Zavier~

"I just don't get it. Why would she be talking to him?" She even looks comfortable and Ivy is never this comfortable with new faces. I vaguely remember this guy from the gala. I've seen him in passing. "She hates me but talks to him?" Hate is being used very loosely here by the way. Ivy and I are fine. We coexist without plundering each other. We're a little beyond tolerating each other. We're the F word. Okay, maybe that didn't come out quite right. We're friends is what I was hinting at there.

"What's up?" Thomas hooks his bag on his shoulder as he joins us near my locker. It's uncharacteristic of him to have dark circles and disheveled here. What's going on with him?

"Nothing. Just Zavier freaking out over the fact that Ivy is talking to a guy that's not him." I scowl at Jackson's obvious misinterpretation of my actions. He's acting like I'm kicking and screaming. Its an observation.

"I'm not freaking out." I clarify with a hint of defense. They say this like Ivy and I are some kind of thing. "I just don't get why."

"See? Freaking out." Jackson again, concludes. I throw my hands into the air.

"Tell me this." I point at them to gain their attention. "Have you ever seen Ivy talking to anyone, ever?" They open their mouth to speak but I speak over them to dismiss the obvious comeback they're going to give. "Willingly." They shrug.

"So what? You think she's being held hostage?" Thomas chuckles, obviously making fun of me.

Christian cups his hand around his mouth. "Yow, Ivy. Blink twice if you need Zavier." I kick him in the shin and an ouch escapes him. He wasn't loud about it but still, letting it escape his mouth is still grounds for scolding.

"You're really funny." My sarcasm is heavy. "A new person shows up at our school and you three are not curious at all?" The last time an important someone showed up here, it shifted the dynamics of everything tremendously. I still remember the day she topped her first exam, sharing the number one spot with me. At first I thought it was luck. A one time thing but no, she became an academic weapon. She has been locked and loaded ever since.

"What will he possible do now that he's here?" I can think about many things Thomas.

"Kidnap Ivy?" Christian throws in that incredibly irrelevant comment.

Just to take a jab at Jackson, I throw in the smoke. "Maybe steal your girl." I even gently elbow him in the side to make him know I'm talking about him. The guy, Giovanni I've learned his name is, has already garnered a fandom. Who's to say Erin isn't one of them.

Thomas turns to Jackson with a grin. "He means his girl." Very funny. I can't help but wonder if he's her type. She seems to be really into whatever they're talking about. It's not something you see very much with Ivy.  Somehow, I'm not comfortable with it. I don't know what it is but it nags at me a little. She'd rather eat bricks than seen talking to me in the hallway.

I shift, only to find Zander.

My hands curl at my sides, a wave of anger simmering at the surface.

My father actually got them a house nearby and enrolled him into Kersher. He seems to be fitting in just fine on his first day. He managed to pull two of my classmates into his inventory.

His eyes collide with mine, his grin widening further. Contrary to his, my face remains stoic and lacking humour. He even had it in him to raise his hand and wave in my direction.

I don't care about Zander. I'll be completely honest. I'm not going to be an unnecessary asshole to him. All I ask is that he treats me like he will any other stranger. He better not go running his mouth about our relations either. That's advice more for himself than me. My father is a man that values his pride. If Zander is to go boasting about his addition into the Manharti household, the media will have a field day. Probably why he kept them in the dark for this long.