𝐄𝐕𝐄𝐑𝐘𝐓𝐇𝐈𝐍𝐆, 𝐄𝐕𝐄𝐑𝐘𝐖𝐇𝐄𝐑𝐄 ✧ 𝐬𝐚𝐦 𝐮𝐥𝐞𝐲

1

"Well, that's the last of it." The man sighed, dropping the box in front of Ivy's room.

"Thank you, Mr. Swan. You live so far, you didn't have to do this. But — thank you." She rambled, shaking his hand frivolously.

He chuckled, "I'm the sheriff, I gotta welcome the new resident. It's really no problem. And please - call me Charlie. I'm just happy Bella's gonna have a new friend." She nodded, moving her hair out of her face.

She tugged at her flannel, "Well, I'll be sure to meet her when she leaves the house or something." She awkwardly replied.

"If she ever leaves the house." He grumbled though it was loud enough for her to hear. He sighed and looked at her "Anyways, Mr. Lee has always been a great help to us. I'm glad you're here to take care of him, it helps me sleep better at night."

"I should've been here earlier anyways, it's just me and him now." She laughed to mask the loneliness she felt when she realized that after her grandfather passes away, she'll be the only one left. No one would be there for her anymore. Ivy cleared her throat.

"I better get going then. I got to go check up on Bella. Just holler if you need anything." He turned to leave but she stopped him, "Mr. Swan?" She called out.

"Has something happened with Bella, if I may ask? Is she okay?" Ivy asked voice laced with genuine concern. "Is there anything I can do to help?"

Charlie smiled softly at the petite girl, "No, there's nothing you can do. She just - it's - it's just boy problems. Her boyfriend, he uh- he left without telling her. She's heartbroken about it." He explained quietly.

"O-oh.." Ivy trailed off, unsure of what to say. She had never heard of anyone just mentally deteriorating because of a broken heart. But to be fair, Ivy never had many chances to experience love. She was always too busy taking care of her family or making money.

Charlie nodded, a half-smile on his face as he shut her door. She shrugged and fell back onto her bed.

"Well, hey - if you wanna come hang out at our house let me know. You're always welcome." He told her warmly.

She saw him out the door and watched as Charlie drove away in his cop car.

Her room was nothing special. She loved monotone, neutral colors, so everything was either a shade of black, white, or grey. Everything was neat and tidy, she cleaned every day. Her closet didn't have anything flashy, they mostly consisted of sweaters and T-shirts, she might've had a few pretty dresses for special occasions. The carpet was a fluffy dark black. Multiple pictures of her childhood were hung neatly on a board above her wooden desk, which only had a simple laptop and a stack of some books. She had a TV, as a gift from her grandfather, for her to use whenever she liked, as well as a new phone. There was a separate section on her bookshelf where she kept her grandfather's books.

Grandpa Lee was a writer and a famous one, too. He was u known in the mainstream media, but he was a big name in literature. He mostly wrote fiction, rarely ever did he write murder mysteries. Still, Grandpa Lee was most famous for his crime novels.

"Ivy!" Her grandfather called out. She rushed downstairs, even jumping over a few steps, worried about if he had fallen or injured himself in some way. But when she opened the door to the study, she found him sat on his wheelchair, completely fine. He simply held up a chessboard. A sly smile spread across his face.

"Fancy a game?" He asked. She let out a breath she had been holding in.

She was playing white, and he was playing black. Nobody could beat Arthur at chess, not even Ivy, who was a decorated chess player. "So, how do you think school's gonna be like here?" He asked, placing down a rook. Ivy clicked her tongue, she looked at the chess pieces, unsure of what to do.