"Hmm? Oh, it says 'your story isn't finished'. It's a quote I found that I really like." Her phone buzzed, it was Julianna.
Jules: Got cornered on my way out, save me!
She sighed heavily.
Ivy: I'll be right there.
Jules: Thank you!!
"Looks like I have to go save my friend. I'll see you later, my star boy." She flashed a dazzling smile and went to save Julianna.
"I- oh, okay." He smiled like an idiot as she walked away. Star boy…
She rounded the corner to see Julianna cowered against a wall with three familiar figures. "Hey!" They turned, relief washing over Julie's face. "Get your filthy hands over off her before I break them off!" Two of the three did a double take when they saw who was speaking and took off, but the third didn't. "You don't scare me, little girl." He laughed. "I should though." He simply looked at her and before she knew it, the world went black.
~~~
She woke to whispers and white walls. The nurse's office with Julie by her side. "Ivy? Ivy! Oh thank goodness!" "What happened? Why does my head feel like a pound of lead?" "Shhh, don't talk. He got you pretty bad. He knocked you out and beat you up, I had to pull him off. And before you ask, I'm sorry but everyone saw cause the teachers had to carry you in." Oh. Lovely. She could practically hear the news buzzing through the school halls already. I wonder if my star boy will come see me…
The entire school had gone haywire in a way everything seemed quiet. Whispers were heard around the halls as he walked through the halls. "Yo, Jackson, did you hear?" Zavian came up behind him and pushed him a little. "Hear what?"
"There was this fight with this girl named Iris or Ivy or something. It was really bad. She's in the nurses' and everything." Idiotidiotidiotidiot.Immediately, his feet were moving, the rest of him with him. Every part of him went numb. Ivy. He almost flew to the office and through the doors. "Jackson!" He didn't stop. "Jackson, where are you going?"
He saw her laying on the bed all beaten up and his heart stopped. "Ivy," he whispered. He couldn't will himself to go any further.
Julie had since left for class, leaving her alone. She glanced up at him and smiled a little. Busted lip, brusies everywhere, black eye, cut up like a side of beef, she was sure it wasn't a pretty sight. She patted the chair next to her. Don't leave me alone…
He heard a wisp of some thought, but it wasn't loud enough to really hear it. All he hear was something about 'alone'…
"Hey there." He walked up slowly. Who did this?! He could feel the anger welling up inside him, but he kept it down as much as he could. A warm smile covered it. He collapsed into the chair beside there. "You oka-" Idiot. "Wait, no, you're obviously not okay. I mean, it's more of, like just, letting you know that I'm here for you and stuff because you know and I- Sorry I'll stop." He looked to her, slightly embarrassed he couldn't even keep control of his rambling when she was hurt.
An amused smile overtook her lips. She grabbed a small pen and paper from the table beside her. 'Stop worrying about me, I get enough of that from Jules. I'm just happy that my star boy came to see me. Also, I can't talk. Doctor's orders. But just don't leave me. Being alone in here sucks.' Her handwriting was small yet neat, the opposite of her personality.
He took the paper and read it quickly, his face getting red at reading "my star boy." He looked to her and smiled. "Yeah, well, I can't not worry about you. That's impossible." He chuckled a little.
'Really now? I think it's pretty easy considering you don't even know me.' Sad but true. Yet I'm still falling for you. I'm falling for a guy I don't even know. The words practically echoed in her head. (Which means they're loud)
Her thoughts struck him. And I for you…
"Well, I mean, I tend to worry a lot. About a lot of things. Too many most of the time." He thought for a moment. "I mean, we could get to know each other better." The bell rang right after he finished. My first absence.
'Please don't leave me in here all by myself. It's so boring and there's nothing to do. Besides, I think we should get to know each other better.' She smiled hopefully.
"I won't, I won't. I'll get my first day out of class." There was an odd feeling in his stomach that the butterflies seemed to cover. "So, what would you like to know about me?"
'Anything really. Interests, hobbies, friends, whatever. And whatever you say, I'll explain about myself.' She got lost in his eyes handing him the paper, her gaze freezing on his own, trapped.
Oh, galaxies. Her eyes were spectacular. Even with the bruises and cuts around them, they still lit up with a light that mimicked the stars above. He continued to look at her as he began to explain himself. "Well, I mean, I love to read about stars and space and stuff, but I'm guessing you already knew that. Photography I guess could be counted." That was an understatement. If he could afford to get a nice camera, he would. "But I mean, I'm not that much into anything else." Except you. "Zavian's my only really good friend. I think that's it. Now your turn."
Oh my God I'd kiss you right now if I could. 'Well, let's just start at the beginning. My parents were killed when I was a baby, so I live with my two older sisters. amy (the most wonderful woman in the world)'s 25, Lillian's 19. I'm really into drawing, but I'm better at landscapes than people. Night skies are my favorite. So many different colors and shapes. Every night is a bit different.' She shook her head, she needed to get over her random rants. 'I'm a reader, I'll read anything and everything 4,000 times. My sister's think it's an issue. I've known Julianna since 4th grade and she's the only person that stuck by me while the rest of my high school career was abandoned by the growing rumor that I was a druggie. Don't know how that started. But yeah, that's me.'
And I love all of it.
He was smiling so hard, his cheeks hurt. "That's amazingly cool. Not the druggie part, really everything else the books and stuff you know?" She seemed like the person he could love on a daily basis. Someone who could just forget that he was just "star boy", obsessed with staying up every night just to watch the stars. Or maybe she'd like that.
She dug through her messenger bag and pulled out a sketchbook, flipping to a gorgeous night sky, shadowed by trees but still beautiful. 'I drew this last night, I was too nervous to sleep.'
He took the drawing into his hands, mouth dropping open. "This is amazing. You captured, like, everything perfectly! I just, wow!" He could feel himself smiling really hard. "Wow."
She smiled a little. 'Meh. Some of the shading is a little off and I used my felt tip pens instead of gel so the texture is getting on my nerves but yeah, it's kind of good.'
"Kind of?!" He looked to her. "This is more than amazing! Like, I'm not joking! Because you know how you have those people you tell them it's good and it's not and it's a mess to be honest- point is, it's not one of those times. It's so amazing, I can't explain." You can't even form your words now. Great.
(I'mma pretend this is Friday rather than Monday for a very good reason. First day can be a Friday, shush.)
'Well…I usually do my canvas paintings over the weekend so they have enough time to dry. Maybe you'd like to come watch tomorrow?' She smiled shyly. She never let anyone watch her paint, not even her sister's. But she trusted him. She was bringing him into her safe space. She just hoped he'd accept the invitation in.
(XD It's chill)
He sat there for moment. "You'd…Let me watch?" Of all the artists he knew, most, if not all, were very careful with who they let see their work.
She nodded, her shy smile going nervous. 'Drawing or painting is where I'm the most, well, myself. I thought maybe you'd like to see it.'
"I'd love to see you- uh paint. Right, yeah pain. I mean, I want to see you, but that probably sounds weird right? But I just. Yeah." He could feel his cheeks still red.
Oh I'm going to regret doing this. She stared up at him for a few seconds and before she could back out of her decision, reached up, grabbed him by the collar, and tugged him down into a kiss.