“Hey,” he smiled at me. “How were your classes today?”
“They were fine,” I shrugged and got inside the car.
“So... do you want to go out somewhere tonight?” he asked.
“No,” I frowned.
“Why not?”
“I’m tired,” I said. It was true too. All this driving back and forth was making me really tired.
“Oh,” he nodded silently and then drove us back home.
I got out of the car when we reached my house and then waved at Brandon. “Goodbye.”
He nodded at me and then drove away.
I was just about to go inside my house when I heard someone calling out my name.
“Ivy!” a voice said. I turned around and then saw a guy running towards me. It was the guy I’d cancelled my study date with.
“Uh... hi,” I greeted him awkwardly. I hadn’t seen him in a while, and I really didn’t know what to say to him now.
“Hey, Ivy,” he said, still looking at me like he was trying to read me. “Where have you been? I’ve missed you.”
I swallowed. This was really awkward. “I... um... hi.”
He arched a brow at me. “Hi?”
“Uh... sorry,” I said, feeling more flustered by the moment. “I’m really tired right now, so can I talk to you later?”
“Sure,” he shrugged. “I’ll wait here.”
“No,” I shook my head immediately. There was no way I could deal with this guy right now when my heart was already racing at his proximity. “I mean... I don’t know when I’ll have time later, so we should catch up later.”
“Okay,” he nodded again.
I nodded back at him and then turned to run inside my house.
I saw my brother and mother in the living room, but they both ignored me when I ran past them and went up to my room.
As soon as I was inside, I closed the door and locked it, then flopped onto my bed. I had never been this stressed out in my life. First, there was the issue of Brandon. And now that guy from class was showing up at my house too.
How was I supposed to deal with all this?
I slept the rest of the evening and then woke up again to get some food. I walked downstairs and saw that my brother was sitting at the kitchen table. He smiled at me as I walked towards him.
“Hey,” he greeted me.
“Hi, Ethan,” I replied with a small smile.
“Want to sit and have dinner with me?” he asked.
“Sure,” I nodded and took a seat at the table with him. Then I started eating in silence.
After a few minutes, Ethan spoke. “So... how was your day today?”
“It was fine.”
“That’s good,” he nodded. “Was Brandon with you today?”
“Yes.”
“Did he try anything today?” he asked immediately.
“Like what?” I frowned.
“Like kissing you or trying to get physical with you,” he explained. “Tell me if he does anything like that again.”
“I will,” I nodded. But I wasn’t sure if that would happen anyway. Brandon wasn’t interested in me that way. He had only wanted my brother’s help, and that’s why he was going out with me. I knew that for sure.
Ethan nodded. “Good.”
“So how was your day?” I asked him.
“It was good,” he smiled. “I’m glad you’re going out with Brandon now.”
“Yeah, me too,” I replied. I wasn’t really happy about it. But I couldn’t let my brother know that. He would have been really mad at me if I’d turned down Brandon’s offer without even thinking about it. He hated me getting in trouble.
“Do you think that’s a good idea?” a voice said from behind me. It sounded like my mother, but I didn’t turn to look at her. She wouldn’t be talking about my dating Brandon unless she had a problem with it.
“Yes,” Ethan said immediately.
I saw him look at our mother with a confused expression. “What do you mean?” he asked her.
“I mean... maybe it’s not a good idea for Ivy and Brandon to be together,” she replied.
I frowned at her words. She hadn’t had any problems with me and Brandon dating before. What was going on with her now? Was she finally realizing what I’d known all along? That I was just being used by Brandon?
“Why’s that?” Ethan asked her, looking just as confused as me.
“Because... because Brandon is going to turn twenty-five next month,” she replied slowly, looking at Ethan like he was supposed to know what she was talking about. But he didn’t seem to. He just frowned at her.
“What about that?” he asked.
“Well...” our mother trailed off, looking uncertain like she was trying to figure out how to say what she wanted to.
I looked back and forth between the two of them, trying to make sense of their conversation. It seemed like they were hiding something from me again, and I didn’t understand why. I was a grown adult, but they were still treating me like a little kid that couldn’t handle the truth.
I scowled at both of them. “What are you guys talking about?”
Our mother turned to look at me, then immediately dropped her gaze when she saw the glare on my face. “It’s nothing,” she mumbled.
“Mom,” Ethan started.
“No,” she shook her head quickly. “It’s fine.”
Then she turned around and left the kitchen, leaving me and Ethan with more questions than answers. But then he shrugged and went back to eating his food, so I did the same.
He obviously wasn’t going to tell me what had been going on. I would just have to figure it out myself. But there was no way that would happen until I knew exactly what my mother and brother had been talking about.
After a while, I finished eating and then got up to go back to my room. But before I could get away, Ethan called out to me.