Vivi

Chapter 1

Ivy

"What are you doing here? I thought you were too good for this crowd?" Barbie asks as soon as she sees me walk through the doors.

I know, it's hypocritical of me to call her Barbie with my blonde hair and blue eyes, but I have a good reason. Her name is Barbra you see, and we used to be friends. Until I found out she's a walking piece of fake flammable fucking plastic. Ergo, Barbie.

Barbie looks me up and down while she scrunches her nose in disgust. As if I don't look good enough or good at all. She's, of course, sporting her usual pink lip gloss. Her dress is obviously the same shade of pink. Her heels are, thank the lord, silver. Not pink. I must be missing a lot of pink for her taste.

"I've asked myself that question twenty times already and I just got through the door," I answer honestly while shaking my head at her.

She smiles at me with the same smile she let loose once I learned who she really was. It's obnoxious. She looks like you've just told her she's won the lottery or a fully paid vacation.

"Then go home," she suggests while crossing her arms.

Barb, my darling, I fucking wish, I think as I shake my head at her.

"Ivy!" my mom exclaims with a smile as she practically pushes Barbra out of the way to hug me.

Barbie sways on her high heels before getting her balance back. She shoots me one last glare when she sees how I'm obviously laughing as my mom embraces me. After Barbie storms off I pull back from the hug with a slight smile left on my lips.

"I was so worried you wouldn't come," she confesses and I roll my eyes as my smile fades. She knows I hate these events. They hold too many memories for me.

While my mom soaks in everything that reminds her of... the past I run as far away from it as possible. I don't like being reminded of what I no longer have while my mom enjoys remembering just how fortunate she was to have had it. We are two completely different people.

"And why would you think I wouldn't come? Because I hate being here?" I ask like it's a real question. I tilt my head in curiosity and make an extremely confused look.

"Ivy, I'm glad you came," she says in full appreciation. Me being here helps her soak in the past.

Sometimes I think she likes to act like it never even happened. I wish I could do that, but I could never, not even for a second, forget what happened.

I'm not one of those people who can live the fantasy they create in their heads. I'm a realist. It happened and there is nothing I can do to reverse it. Going to the events I used to and plastering on a fake smile to compare to the real one I used to wear isn't going to bring him back.

"Of course I came, you asked me to," I say with a shrug as I look around the room. Anywhere but in my mom's eyes. She knows I'm not happy here.

"I'll go socialize and do all the other stuff I know you want me to," I inform her before walking off.

I grab a glass of champagne on my way over to a smaller group that has been eyeing me curiously since I entered. I didn't particularly hate talking to the people here, but I didn't like it either. It was always about their work and I felt like I was in a big business meeting. And a business meeting is so not how I want to spend my Saturday night.