Ivy

(iii) mid-september

          "CLARA, OH MY god."

The blonde hair of said girl swished about her shoulders at the sound of her name. "What?"

Ivy narrowed her gaze. "This is the third time I've caught you eyeing him today. Actions speak louder than words, you know."

"Please. I was glaring at him because he won't stop tapping his foot. You know how much I hate newbies - they're so jittery."

"He can't help it. He's got a bug." Clara waited for the punch line. "The jitter bug."

The one-liner caused her to roll her eyes. "I'm splitting my sides with laughter. Ha ha ha. Ha."

"I'm funny. Admit it." It was true; she was. But Clara would never let her think so.

"You're also trying desperately hard to hide the fact that it's you who likes him," she said.

"The new boy? I - no. No. I can't like someone I've never spoken to."

"God, you're such a soppy romantic. This is you: 'I have to really get to know him first; I don't believe in love at first sight, not like those other girls! I need him to bear his soul to me -'"

"Oh, shut up. You know, sometimes you're so hilarious that I fall asleep laughing so hard."

The school bell let out a shrill ring, triggering the scraping of chairs and rustling of paper as pupils filed out of the classroom. The two girls continued to bicker about who was the better comedian, barely getting past the doorway, before the bag in front of them got caught on the door knob from its owner's haste in leaving.

"Hey, watch it. Why are you so desperate to leave?"

"Oh, sorry!" The boy in question turned to move the caught strap, but due to his struggle to reach it, others behind him became too impatient and began to barge past.

Clara, having had a change of heart, pulled the strap away from the handle for him. The boy smiled gratefully. "Cheers."

"No problem, jitter-bug boy."

"What was that?" The three of them walked down the hallway together.

"Ignore her. Uh, it's Ben right?" asked Ivy instead.

"Yeah. And you...?"

"Ivy. And this is Clara."

Clara cut the exchanges short. "I'm calling you JB boy. Actually no, just JB. Yeah."

"Uh... sure. If you want."

"You look like a JB too. Kinda. Except you're a bit too lanky." She shrugged. "Still works."

"You're funny," murmured Ivy, shaking her head.

"Aha!" She pointed a finger at Ivy, eyes gleaming. The other girl scowled. "So I am the funnier one!"

"You know what? Let's just drop this." Ivy looked over at Ben, while Clara's smug smile made itself comfortable on her lips. "So how are you finding the school so far? Know your way around yet?"

"Yeah, it's alright. Nothing amazing but not terrible. And I'd say I'm almost a pro at getting around."

"Nice." Clara sighed. "But I know what you mean. School's, well, school, right?"

Ben nodded in agreement. "Nothing awe-striking about school. It is what it is."

It is what it is. Aaron had said that once. It had sounded so uncharacteristically wise and old-man of him, and sad. It was a sad phrase.

"Amen to that. Can't wait to bloody get out - whoa!"

"Oomph." Ben had tripped over his own laces, and with Ivy distracted and Clara too late, he fell onto the shiny linoleum floor. They helped him back up.

"You're a bit of a klutz, aren't you, JB?" remarked Clara, amused.

Ben smiled and scratched the back of his head. "Guilty."

* * * * *

Having finally reached home, Ivy yawned and stretched, before returning to a lazy, end-of-the-day slouch. She greeted her dad in the kitchen.

"Hey, Bob." (His name was Steven. Inside joke.)

"Hey, daughter." He was busy slicing his way through a medley of vegetables, with a pencil of all things tucked behind his ear. An architect through and through.

Ivy rested her head against his arm, watching him chop. "Ratatouille?" she asked hopefully.

"Not like in the movie this time, but yes. Yours and Isaac's favourite." He began to hum along to a Paolo Nutini song, sounding quietly in the background. Her dad would claim that if it wasn't for Paolo, he and Mum never would've gotten together, and Ivy believed him.

"How is he today?"

"He's okay. Asleep right now. Happy that a couple of his friends are coming over for the weekend."

Ivy smiled. "That's good." Okay was good. Better than days in the past when there were a lot more not so greats and a bit worse for wears. "I think I might join him for a bit, in the land of Nod."

Her dad nodded. "Alright. I'll wake you two up when dinner's ready."

She carried herself and her bag upstairs, feeling her eyelids turn heavy, and peeked around Isaac's door before going to her own room. It gave her comfort just to see him for a second or two, to know that in that moment he was there and well and okay.

"Ah." Ivy let out a sigh when her body hit her bed, not bothering to take her jacket off. Before she could doze off though, she had to check her phone. She pressed the button. A message from Clara, but no messages from Aaron yet, not since their conversation had ended last night. She made a mental note to text him before dinner, about school, or Isaac, or the new boy; anything. She'd missed him today.

Uncontrollably and thankfully, Ivy felt herself sinking into sleep. It is what it is.