Until they weren’t.
“Still….” She pauses. “I think it’d be better coming from you. You are our Title I reading coordinator.”
“I suppose.” She’s right. It’s sort of my job to talk to parents about this type of thing. I just don’t want to. Not to Nash.
Nicole isn’t letting this go. “She doesn’t ride the bus. He picks her up.”
“Why doesn’t she ride the bus?” Weallrode the bus.
“Something about a bully teasing her about Ivy.”
“God, kids can be jerks.”
Nicole nods. “So, maybe you can catch him after school tomorrow?”
“I’ll try.” I don’t want to talk to Nash, not about this, because she’s right, Nash Watson is a cranky ass. I’m pretty sure the last time he smiled was at Isaac’s wedding, and the photographer made him do it. On second thought, what am I worried about? He doesn’t even know who I am.
Nicole isn’t finished reminiscing. “He had it all.”
“No.Theyhad it all.”
Nicole scoffs. “Until she got knocked up senior year. Then, shit got real for the golden couple.”
“It changed things, that’s for sure.”
“She never got over the fact that she wasn’t nominated for prom queen again her senior year.”
I remember something about that. “He was on the court, though, right? The prom king?” I vaguely remember the controversy. She was too far along, showing quite a bit. They didn’t think it would be appropriate to have a pregnant prom queen. “Pretty sexist, if you ask me.”
“Absolutely.”
Then it hits me. “Hey, weren’t you the prom queen that year?”
“Yes. Don’t remind me. It took me months to get her to speak to me. That woman could hold a grudge. Our friendship was never the same after that.” She sighs and crosses her first and second fingers. “We used to be so close.”
I’d heard things about Ivy DeLucas being somewhat high-maintenance, but I’d never witnessed it firsthand. She visited our house once, with Nash, before her pregnancy. She seemed nice. Not to me, personally. She didn’t even look at me, but to my parents, she was polite. Her hand was always touching Nash. I remember that distinctly. I was jealous of her hand. And the rest of her, to be honest.
“Ivy wasn’t the only one who lost in that deal. Nash was supposed to go down to Texas to play baseball. He had a full ride waiting for him.”
“He could have gone.” I mean, lots of people have kids and still go to school.
“I remember him telling DJ—” She looks at me. “You remember my high school love, DJ?”
“Vaguely.”
“Anyway, DJ said that Nash wanted to support them all. He wanted to take care of everything.”
I remember Isaac saying the same thing.
“That’s when our happy Nash went away,” Nicole says with a sigh.
“Not at first. After Andi was born, he seemed happy. Then Isaac said he changed overnight. When Ivy….”The minute Ivy DeLucas ran off in the middle of the night for Los Angeles, seeking fame and fortune.I know that story is cliché as heck, but it happens more than you think. Now she’s IvyDeLuna.She’s doing okay out there; I mean, she’s been in one commercial for dish soap and an extra in a horror movie. I watched the movie twice and never saw her. I even stopped it several times and searched for her in the crowd scenes. Maybe she was cut.
“Last I heard, she was dating another actor.”
I’d heard that too. “Has she ever called you?”
“Nah. I’m pretty sure the only contact she’s made was to her mom to tell her she was fine and not to worry. And that was right after she left. I think she’s been radio silent ever since.”
