IVY THOMPSON
It’s been three days since the party. Three days since my head has been scrambled like a goddamn egg.
JJ knows about Ben. I’m not entirely sure how much, but he knows something.
Joel and Cal can never keep their mouths shut.
I should have known that Finn wouldn’t have told him. I know that he’s not over it. He blames himself for what happened to me, for allowing the relationship to happen. Which is why he’d pin JJ down and kill him before he ever got the chance to be intimate with me again.
I spent the afternoon having a walk on the beach. I grab an ice cream and sit on the seafront, kicking off my flip-flops so I can dig my toes into the sand.
I wrap my arms around my legs and inhale the salty air, taking my time to study each wave as it plummets onto the shore. It’s therapeutic because every wave is different in the way it looks and sounds.
My phone vibrates in my pocket, and I tug it from my denim shorts before staring at Daisy’s name on my screen. I press my thumb to the notification, and the message fully pops up.
Daisy:
Hey, I know I’m probably the last person you want to talk to right now. But could we meet up? I’ve had the week to think about everything, and I’d like to speak to you in person. No shouting, just talking.
I blink rapidly at the text. She wants to talk again in person?
Daisy isn’t the usual type to start shouting and spurting her words, but when she’s upset and hurt, that side does tend to come out.
I rest my thumbs over the keyboard and contemplate how I should respond. A part of me wants to ignore it altogether, but I know that having this argument between us has made my anxiety spike.
Ivy:
Hey… uh sure. Do you want to talk today?
Daisy:
Yeah, I do. Everything is eating me alive.
Ivy:
I’m on the beachfront if you want to join
Daisy:
Okay, I’ll be about twenty minutes
I don’t reply, I lock my phone and throw it onto the sand before lying back. I stare up at the baby blue sky, my eyes flickering across the candy floss-like clouds.
As I count down the seconds in my mind, I tell myself not to freak out. This might be good, might give some closure to our past. It was messy when we last saw each other, and consideringwe’ve been friends for almost ten years, I don’t think it should have ended like that.
I glance to my left and sit up, watching as Daisy strolls towards me. Her dark hair is up in a ponytail, and she’s dressed down in a simple pink playsuit that makes her tan glow even more than usual.
“Hi.” She pauses, and I place my hand over my eyebrows so I can see her.
“Hi,” I respond. She stands awkwardly for a few moments until I clear my throat. “Do you want to sit down?”
“Thanks,” she whispers before perching beside me.
The air is filled with silence, and I swallow.
“I’m sorry,” her voice trembles. “For how I acted the other day. I was out of order and I said some really nasty stuff. This time apart has made me think about our relationship in school.”
I stay quiet and let her do the talking.
