Unexpected (Avi Kaplan)

Lean On Me

Ivy's POV

The next couple of days seemed to fly by. I found out that Dean's actions weren't severe enough to be convicted, a fact that no one was happy about. However, I was able to get a restraining order against him, so he couldn't come within 100 feet of me. That seemed to ease everyone's minds enough to allow them to work properly.

It was finally Friday and we were just about to run an original for the last time, then we'd be done for the day. The song was called Good to be Bad and I had to admit, Kirstie was killing it. I suddenly heard the door open and turned, seeing a woman with dark hair and glasses. I immediately recognized her from the pictures as Esther Kaplan, Avi's big sister.

I gave her a polite smile as she took a seat next to me watching. "You must be Ivy. I've heard a lot about you over the past couple weeks," she said, extending her hand for me to shake.

I took it and smiled nervously. "All good, I hope."

"Initially, no. It was horrible things, but it seems things have changed."

I felt my cheeks heating up with a slight blush as I turned my eyes back to the group. "I'm Esther if you haven't already guessed," she added with a small laugh.

"I have but it's nice to meet you," I told her just as they finished up.

"That's a wrap guys," Ben said through the microphone.

"I'm surprised they haven't noticed you just yet," I told her with a small laugh.

"They've always been a bit oblivious. Besides, I wasn't supposed to be back for another week, but I wanted to surprise them."

Just then, I heard a chorus of yells and screams as the door opened and they all filed out, practically surrounding Esther in hugs. I kept silent, allowing them to say their greetings and catch up with her.

"so how has everything been since I left?" she asked, and I laughed at the looks exchanged among the five of them.

"Truthfully, pretty dramatic ever since that one showed up," Scott said, pointing a long finger at me. My smile faded and I immediately looked down, avoiding any and all eye contact. I didn't realize I caused them that much trouble.

"In her defense, it's not her fault. She can't help what that douche does or who she's related to," Avi said immediately, giving Scott a pointed look.

"Relax Basscannon. It's the truth, but honestly, I like it. It adds some excitement," Scott said, putting his hands up in defense. I raised my head a bit and forced a small smile.

"Care to explain?" Esther asked as she sat back down. Then it hit me. I still haven't told the others what exactly is going on. Only Avi knows. I hesitantly looked up at him and he gave me a curt nod.

Taking a deep breath, I shrugged a bit. "Well, turns out Catherine is my biological sister for one. I was adopted when I was younger because of her but she means nothing to me now. And that guy from the other day is my ex. The blonde chick that helped out is my ex-best friend. I may or may not have caught him cheating on me with her," I said, dropping my gaze to the floor.

Several minutes of silence passed and I looked up at everyone that seemed to be processing the information. Instead of the outbursts I expected, Mitch smiled. "You know what you need?"

I shook my head and shrugged.

"You need to have a fun day out. We don't have to be here tomorrow so why don't we all go out? All of us. Kirst can invite Jeremy and Esther can see if Darien wants to come," he said, his wide grin never leaving. "The fair is still going on and it's supposed to be nice weather tomorrow."

There were mumbled agreements, but I was skeptical. "Come on Ivy. Think about it. Sun, beach, rides, food, more food, boys to get your mind off that asshat," Scott said with a smirk, wiggling his blonde eyebrows.

I simply nodded, deciding not to tell them that I already liked someone. The last thing I needed was constant questions about who it was.

"Then it's settled. We'll make a full day of it. Meet there at eleven sharp," the blonde said and I nodded. I stood and grabbed my stuff, preparing to walk out when I felt a familiar presence behind me.

Turning around, I stared into equally familiar green eyes. They seemed brighter than normal, almost like they were shining with joy. "I was wondering if you wanted o come hang out for a little while," Avi said with a shy smile, though one that showed his teeth.

I couldn't help but notice the small gap he had on the left side, but I found it adorable. I reluctantly shook my head, adjusting my purse. "It's not that I don't want to, but I have to catch up on my schoolwork. Keep in mind that it's my principal's trust in me to keep my grades up that allowed me to even be in here everyday," I said with a sigh.

He frowned a bit and nodded. "I don't like it but I get it. Go study. I'll see you tomorrow," he said reluctantly. I gave him a brief hug and hurried out, so I could get this over with.

The next morning, I woke up to the sound of my alarm going off. I shuffled  my phone around until I could stop it and slowly opened my eyes, flinching at the bright light. When my eyes adjusted to it, I looked at the time and sighed. 8:00. It was early, yes, but for some reason, I wanted to look good.

Hopping up before I could talk myself into going back to sleep, I grabbed a quick shower and slipped on a pair of sweats and a sweatshirt. I sat down at my vanity and carefully blow dried my hair. I then sat there for several minutes, staring at the frizzed mess before deciding exactly what to do.

I moved all my hair to one side and began giving myself three cornrow braids on the side of my head before loosely curling the rest of my hair. I then began working on my makeup, deciding on just a winged eyeliner and a tiny bit of shadow. After applying a nude lip gloss, I grinned at the outcome and hurried to my closet. "What to wear, what to wear..." I mumbled to myself, searching through my entire closet.

Before I could decide, I heard a knock on my door. Looking at the time, I saw it was already 10:30 and hurried downstairs. I did not have time for visitors. I opened the door, freezing in my spot when I saw Avi standing there. "I-You- How-"

"Mitch," he said simply, and I couldn't help but smile a bit at the irony. "You're wearing that? It's like 68 degrees outside. It's not that cold," he said, furrowing his brows. He was in a simple pair of black skinny jeans and a dark grey shirt with his black leather jacket on over it and a black beanie. Of course.

"No," I finally said. "I was actually just looking for something to wear. I didn't realize it was already this late," I admitted and stepped aside to let him in. "You can wait down here if you want. Give me like five minutes," I said, closing the door behind him.

Before he could answer, I ran upstairs and raided my closet. Settling on a pair of shorts and a white long sleeve crop top, I changed as fast as humanly possible before slipping on my white vans. I grabbed my phone and keys before hurrying back down. "If you don't mind me asking, why are you here? I can drive myself if that's what you were planning."

"It was what I was planning and I know. But I'm driving you anyway," he told me, as he crossed his arms over his chest. I opened my mouth to argue, but I knew we didn't have time for that.

"Fine." I set my keys down after taking my house key off and pulled him outside. I locked my apartment and slipped the key in my pocket before walking with him down to his car. I could feel his eyes on me most of the time, but I didn't say anything. It took everything I had not to show any signs that I noticed his constant staring, especially since that was what I was hoping for.

Climbing in, I slammed the door shut and put on my seat belt. "This is what real friends do," he said suddenly as he pulled out of the parking lot. "They give you someone to lean on in times of hardships." I smiled a bit at his words and stared out the window, realizing just how much they all cared about me.

A/N: And yet another installment of this crazy train!! I hope you guys are enjoying and thank you sooooo much for helping me reach over 100 reads! I'm so excited! Thank you to everyone that's read, voted, or commented! Love you guys!

~*~*~Ash~*~*~