Name Blame, the Bonding Game

In the Boulevard

Marisa-

"Hey Beautiful." Ivan greets me at the car. Holland just rolls his eyes and gets out of the drivers side. I smile and get out grabbing my books from the back seat.

"Hey, I missed you last night." I tell him as we walk inside together.

"Marisa!" A very unwanted voice calls over the milling students as I walk with Ivan.

"Keep walking." I whisper to Ivan as we quickly head to my locker on the second floor Arts Hallway.

"Why are we running exactly?" Ivan hisses as we continue our quick pace to the Arts Hall.

"Why not?" I ask.

"Marisa wait up!" He calls again.

"Is that a good enough answer for you?" I ask him.

"Crystal clear." Ivan says as we reach my locker. I open it just for the one I had hoped to avoid to slam it shut.

"What are you doing talking to my girlfriend?" Ivan asks pushing Drake back and away from me, also drawing attention. "First you try to poison her with a drink, then you have the audacity to show up and confront her at school?"

"Ivan," I try to get his attention.

"Stay out of it Mar." He tells me, "She is my girlfriend, not yours, you don't get to come talk to her whenever you want, she doesn't like you, heck I don't even know if she thinks of you as anything more than a thorn in her side."

"How was I supposed to know she's allergic to citrus?" Drake asks pushing back, "It's a stupid rare allergy."

"So a girl, who you seem to have it stuck in that empty brain of yours, that you're dating is allergic to something and you think it's stupid?" Ivan says, "I feel sorry for any girl that deems you worth of dating."

"Ivan," I speak softly and slowly putting my hand on his upper arm to pull him back toward me. "Let it go. It's okay." I open my locker again and grab my books for first and second period. I put anything I don't need into my locker and turn back to Ivan. "Can we make it to your locker without you starting another fight?"

"Sorry, but you know how Blakely family is with the Vanderbilt family. They destroyed us years back, like the feud between the Avenues and the Boulevards, I don't know if anything will solve it. They destroyed our family name and dragged it through the mud. It took generations to get it back to where it is now."

"Even if your family ended up being just another family on the street, I'd like to think we'd still be together. I'm not with you for your title you know."

"And that's one of the things I love about you." Ivan says opening the door to the English wing of the building and letting me in before following me. "I'll see you in homeroom." He promises.

He heads to his locker and then races to the History hallway and his first period. I take a seat in the back and the sub drones on about things completely unrelated to the class. I read the assigned book and do the assignments that come with it and halfway listen to the lecture.

"Miss Keaton, you're wanted in the History wing." The sub says. I collect my things and walk to the teacher's desk. I deposit the days work and walk out with the pass.

~~

"Miss Keaton, in my office." Mrs. Sanford, the head of the History department beckons me into her office. On the two opposite sides of the office Drake and Ivan stand glaring at each other. "Take a seat boys." I touch Ivan's arm and sit in the chair near him. He gives Drake a final hard stare and sits obediently. "Take a seat Mr. Vanderbilt."