WE'VE ALL GOT HEARTS

Chapter 5

I rush through my house, grabbing anything I need from the attic where I sleep as quietly as possible so as not to wake up Mom. I throw on an over-sized hoodie and some skinny jeans before heading down the ladder between the attic and the rest of the house. This is my normal routine since Holly and I started walking to school together.

My house wasn't very big, but I didn't mind this in the slightest. I was honestly just happy to have a roof over my head.

I, quickly and quietly, make my way to the door, sneaking out as I have every morning.

"IVY!"

Shit.

"Ivy, what are you doing?" Mom sounded hysterical, as she does most mornings when she's on her pills. Or when she's not on her pills. She's kind of just hysterical all the time. "Come here. Come away from the door!" I walk towards her, hesitantly nearing the high-pitched shrieking noises leaving her body.

She slaps my face moderately hard, grabs my arm, and slams her foot down on my foot. "You should be ashamed of yourself." She throws me at the door. "GET OUT OF MY HOUSE!"

I pick myself up and get out the door as quickly as possible while being very careful not to trigger another round of hysteria. I shut the door very carefully only to turn around and run straight into a wall of person. Holly.

Hoping I can play this off, I start a conversation like I would any normal day that we walked to school together. "So, how are you?"

"Ivy, what happened in there?"

Oh God, don't get hung up on this. "Nothing. Anyway, how are you?"

"Ivy, stop dodging the question."

"I'm not 'dodging the question'; you are. Why won't you tell me how you are? Is something wrong?" I could be a politician the way I turn these questions on people.

"I'm fine. Nothing is wrong with me. Why is there a red mark on your face?"

"I don't know, man. Stop asking me about it. I don't feel comfortable talking about this."

"This doesn't matter whether or not you are comfortable with telling me. This is about your well-being."

"Well, I'm pretty sure you can put two and two together to figure it out!"

Neither of us say anything. I glare at the ground. I want someone to know, I really do, I'm just afraid that I'll start using whoever I tell as a therapist. No one wants to be friends with someone who complains all of the time. I haven't been that person since 7th grade and I do not plan on returning to that kind of mentality.

"Ivy, we're taking the day off today." It's just above a whisper that he says this, and I am sure that I must've misheard.

"What?"

He loops his arm in mine, smiles, and repeats, "We're taking the day off today. You don't need the stress of school, you need a break. We're not going to school today."

I didn't really want to go to school, but, being the goody-two-shoes I am, I had never skipped before. Well, I suppose today is a new day.

"Sounds good."

Holly looks down, quite surprised by my answer. I wait for him to say something, but I don't ever get an answer. He just takes my answer and my arm and runs.