THE FORBIDDEN STEP-SIBLING AFFAIR

Chapter 4: I'll be seeing you around

Ivy

When morning came mum and I went through the morning routine without saying a word to each other. That made me even more mad because she wasn't acknowledging why I was angry at her, they were not just tantrums. The least I expected was an apology that not until we both left the house did I realize that it wasn't coming. So, it was on, the silent treatment game.

"Hi Mrs. Sanders!" Ophelia said happily.

"Hello, Good morning. Have a good day!"

"Likewise!"

It hurt to see my mother being friendly to my best friend while ignoring me like a tree stump. We let her drive out of the parking lot before Ophelia turned the car around. When rubber met the tarmac, you'd have thought it was a race between her and mum.

"It's this bad"

"Yap, we are not talking to each other"

"Okay"

Silence ensued again as the car glided on the well-maintained road, the sun was high up in the sky spreading the warmth with its golden flickers. I rolled down my window and let in the fresh air, my mind roaming far and somehow hearing voices in the howling wind or was it just my conscience eating me up from inside. What if mum was right and if anyone had to apologize it was me? I must say it didn't feel so nice to be wrong.

"Talk to her, am sure you two can agree on something"

"We don't agree on a lot of things"

"Then compromise unless you are telling me Ethan..."

"Don't "

"Okay" She zipped her mouth with a hand gesture and threw the key away through her window.

The Hunt academy surely lived up to its status, senile white Portland stone-made buildings bringing the feeling of purity and unmatched tranquility. Emerald green perfectly mowed lawns shrouded by well-trimmed hedges of green and yellow flowers. Along the paths made of curb stones were trees, pines, blue woods but my favorite was the weeping willow right in front of the administration offices. Students were moving in one particular direction-the academic section, even in uniform some looked like models, blondes and brunettes, their hair hanging free down their backs in braids, some tied in ponytails while others in pigtails carrying their bag packs. Boys had the latest hair styles trimmed on their heads, basically everyone was trying to stand out rather than to fit in. We left the parking lot with Ophelia walking side by side, waving to some of our friends and occasionally stopping to hug and French kiss with the girls.

"The mood is electric, what's happening?" She couldn't stand the silence however so she sparked a converse.

"Nothing I know of, maybe today apart from being a Friday everyone just woke up feeling grateful to be alive"

"I am grateful to be alive. You?"

"Do I have a choice? Life has to go on whether you're grateful or not"

"It's really easier when you are grateful"

"Whatever"

The class filled up and as expected the last person to come in was the life skills teacher who also coupled up as the school therapist. Mrs. Thorne, she was like a mother to most of us at school and rumor had it that she had psychic powers and could read minds, tell what you're thinking by just looking at you. For that reason, we avoided eye contact but still made sure we looked so keen in class. On the bright side, she was also a free relationships counsellor, a good one, not that I could attest to it having never been in one before. If there was a hall of fame for people who were very green in matters of the heart then I surely belonged in there.

"Good morning, you all look vibrant today" she said keeping her books on the ancient teachers’ desk, it was time for her usual lap. In her mid-fifties, blazing copper colored pixie cut hair with oval-shaped Metallic-frame glasses hanging on her nose bridge, in a white dress from which her firm long shaved legs protruded. On her feet a pair of black moccasins-arguably the only pair in the entire school, she walked carefully as though the floor was made of egg shells, "Ivy!'

I froze when she called out my name. Headed straight towards me, the first thought that struck my mind was mum. Had she called her about our little scuffle back at home? Mrs. Thorne was known of addressing some private issues in the public domain. Everyone looked at me as my dry-cracked lips trembled, trying to find the right words. When she got to my desk an invisible wave of her pungent cologne hit me and made it worse.

"Mrs. Thorne" I was struggling to clear my throat and make eye contact.

"You look lost, care to tell us what's on your mind so we can help you out?"

"Nothing Mrs. Thorne, sorry"

That was among the rarest, once in a blue moon of times I was being caught absentminded in class and the whole time she was going to keep a close eye on me. Which meant no cheeky business with Ophelia who wouldn't stop making faces at me. One of the most boring classes ever, also due to the fact that she chose to talk about relationships and how to strengthen and break them. Something to do with give and take, how much we want to take and don't care about giving. The entire three quarter of an hour seemed like they were discussing me. Talk of relief when the bell rang to bring an end to the first period.

"She is definitely going to ask to see you in private" Ophelia was basking in the glow of my misery, usually it was her who was caught not paying attention and it must have felt good to realize that I was no exception.

"You're not making it better. Besides how long have you been caught doing God knows what during class time?"

"We're talking about the present Hunnie. Don't get too stuck in the past" She said leading us to the library, the next period was a free lesson and we dedicated it to reading some fun new books.

"She hasn't sent for me yet that means she won't"

"Don't be so sure....so here is where all the magic happened"

If you’re wondering about her statement not making any sense, we were in the lift and honestly the moment we got in memories of that short but fun trip from the top floor to the ground floor hit me like a tsunami and drowned me in desire of being in his arms again. Though he was not even there It was almost as though he was hiding in shadows, I could feel his grey eyes on me and his balmy scent engulf my entire breathing system making it hard for me to breath normally.

"Hey!" Ophelia annoyingly snapped her fingers in my face.

"I hate that hypnosis kind of s**t"

"Then don't black out next time. You seem nostalgic. Yearning for his lips again?"

"Stay out of my life b***h" I whispered when we got close to the librarian’s office, it was typically quiet but also because it was empty almost as if the students were boycotting.

"So, you girls didn't read the notice?" She asked busy typing away on her keyboard.

"What notice?" We both asked looking at each other surprised.

"This notice" she finally raised her gaze and pointed on the notice board. Written in bold was a printed announcement of a five-hour renovation works scheduled from ten. We would have caught it were it not for her distraction and also partly his.

"Sorry I guess no library today, let's go girl. Thank you, Mrs. Brown!" I said on our way out, she just waved and went back to whatever she was doing behind the computer.

A chance to walk around and check on the girls presented itself. This time instead of reminiscing about my moment in the lift we took pictures. Ophelia however was against the idea of keeping them in the gallery and she decided to upload a few on my less active i********: account.

"Holly s**t!" She screamed looking at me, the lift pinged and we walked out. She was yet to tell me what got her worked up and giving me those furtive glances.

"Are you going to tell me what's wrong?"

"It's not wrong, in fact it's great. Ethan just liked your photo on i********:"

"Bad joke!"

"Ooh you don't believe me, here" She almost shoved the phone through my throat due to my doubting Thomas behavior. And so, after seeing with my two eyes I believed.

"It's probably a mistake you know...."

"He is stalking you"

"Come on, I don't have bikini shots he might want to look at we both know it's a fuckin mistake"

"And there you go again with your obsessive personal belittlement"

"Did you just come up with that?"

"At least I know what I want to be after the remaining eight grueling months of high school"

"Lucky you. And here comes the stalker"

"How do I look?"

"We don't have time for this" I whispered even though he and the coolest boys club in the school were far away almost fifty meters. Too bad there was no escape route, there was but it was awkward to go back and punishable to avoid walking on the curbstone path and instead going over the hedge.

Damn he was handsome, leading the group of four as an Alpha male he was. Busy explaining something to his hot friends, though cold compared to him. He was the fairest and the atmosphere changed, the air and my body was feeling funny almost like I was getting sick but in a good way, not to throw up kind of way you feel me? No, you probably don't. Was it time to face the fact he just took my breath away, then he burst into laughter and it was the among the coolest sounds he made, he was like a walking vault of fun. And then our eyes met, at the back of my mind was another moment of shame loading but it would have also helped to get Ophelia off my back. Though I had some questions of my own that needed just a moment with him. To my surprise he stopped.

"Guys, walk along see ya in a minute" He directed and the boys waved at us as they picked up the pace, I could imagine how Ophelia was feeling.

"Hi Ethan" Ophelia said stretching her hand, "big fan"

Ethan didn't hesitate to shake her arm coyly, "Thank you, can I get a moment with Ivy please?"

Was he reading my mind or something? Eminem said be careful what you wish for, he was right. Now I didn't know what to say to him, especially when he was looking at me like that. Made me feel like I was the most amazing thing he had set his eyes on.

"Sure, take all the time you need. I'll watch from a distance" She giggled winking at me. Never seen someone happier for me.

We moved by the side of the hedge to let other students pass and they were giving us those looks, no surprise. You know why.

"You're among the few girls who make this uniform look this great" those were his opening words and an image of me in the uniform brushed my mind.

"Thank you. You look great too"

"I've been trying to find the words, I just needed to talk to you a little after that..."

"Ooh yeah, it was a mistake"

"Maybe but it felt good, at least for me"

"Definitely good. For me too"

"So, I guess I'll be seeing you around?"

"You too, bye" I cleared my throat and started moving but apparently, he was also thinking about taking the same route, we almost bumped into each other which would have felt great thanks to our reflexes. Then we both tried to let the other pass and ended up looking like a couple of dimwits. Fate didn't want us to leave.

"You first" he finally said moving to hedge and granting me some sort of safe passage.

"Thank you"

Even while walking away I could feel his eyes glued on me. Ophelia had always told me my ass was great I was hoping she wasn't just joking. I was really struggling to walk normally. That aside, what did he mean by seeing me around?