I was fighting a fire breathing dragon, my flaming sword inches from his neck when a heard the whispers of a song playing. Was that Katy Perry? Ivy!
I jumped up in my bed to find my phone going off.
I reached over and answered it.
"Hello?" The sound of sleep in my voice.
"Oh, I'm glad you're awake. Will you let me in?"
"You're outside?" I furrowed my eyebrow in confusion.
"Precisely your window. I don't understand why you keep it locked all the time."
"To keep people like you away." I sighed and through back my covers walking over to the window. She was sitting, trying to keep her balance on the roof.
"What the hell are you doing?"
"Going on a murdering spree, now let me in, scalawag."
That was what she called me. Everyone else was a savage.
I pulled the latch and swiveled open the window as she came tumbling inside, falling flat on my bed.
"Why are you wet?"
She turned her head to speak clearly "Some assholes water their grass at midnight. Fucking savages, Cal."
She got up and walked over to my dresser grabbing a t-shirt and shorts.
Before I even realize, she's already taken off her shirt.
"Must you?" I look away.
"Please, seeing me shirtless is like seeing your mom naked. You'll be fine."
"I try my best to stay out of radar of my mom's nakedness."
I hear her laugh and I turn to see her take off her jeans. There were bruises and scrapes on her knees, most likely from when we were kids. I saw a large scar angling down her right leg. I looked away.
Her jeans crumpled onto the floor.
"It's safe, scalawag."
I sat on my bed and looked up at her.
"What if you wake up my mom?"
"She loves me, she says I keep you grounded."
"I don't think that was a compliment."
She shrugs and sprawls herself out on my bed, her head in my lap, looking around.
"You really need to change the decor, it's starting to look like a little boy lives here."
I looked around. It was kind of childish. I had superheroes everywhere, from Batman bed sheets, to a Spider-Man lamp. There was a small corner by my desk that had pictures of villains that Ivy pinned up.
"You need every character of the story, scalawag. Mrs. Fagwad would be ashamed."
Mrs. "Fagwad" was our English teacher, Mrs. Fayod. Despite the name, she was a really good teacher.
"Hello, earth to Scalawag!"
I looked down at her.
"Why are you at my house?"
"Because, I have terrific news."
I sighed. Usually her 'terrific news' meant possible jail time.
She leaned up and sat across from me.
"My cousin is living with me."
I furrowed my brow."Really?"
"Yeah."
"Why?"
"Oh, his mom went all schitzo yesterday and she's in some looney bin. The state found out that he had relatives and now he's here with us."
"Wow. Is he alright?"
"Eh, more or less. He doesn't talk a lot, but that'll change. Oh, and he's riding with us to school."
"Lovely." I couldn't hide the sarcasm in my voice. She completely ignored it.
"Well, bye." And with that, she fumbled out of my window, her wet clothes in hand, and droplets falling from her hair.
"Why couldn't you just text me like a normal person?" I yelled out of the window.
"Where's the teenage rebellion in that, scalawag." She was already walking down my driveway.
I laughed and shut my window, and laid back in bed. Ivy has a cousin.
This isn't what surprised me, I mean she had brothers and sisters she's never met before, but I was surprised someone thought Ivy's dad was a good guardian.
I thought back to the scar on Ivy's leg.
I tried to relax to go back asleep, but to no avail. I was restless.
