The Ivy League

The Ivy League Part 44

Part 44:

          I lay face-down on my bed, sobbing stormily. As rude as I had been, and as much of a disappointment to my parents as I was, I still couldn’t get past the pain that the news brought.

          I am moving to Canada. No Grace, no Jake. No Jay or Jeremy or Mark. These thoughts only brought on more waves of tears until I felt like I’d cried enough to fill a bathtub. Vainly, I tried to cheer myself up.

          No Ivy League. No Ellen. I sniffed, not really feeling comforted. It wasn’t in me to walk away from a fight. And where does Nate fit in? a small part of me asked. Did the thought of leaving him behind cheer me up, or make it even harder to go? I didn’t know.

           Feeling utterly miserable, I cried and cried until my lips became numb, a massive headache threatened to explode, and my body ached from exhaustion. I strained, trying to hear the sounds from downstairs. It seemed quiet.

          About a million different plans raced through my mind. Some involved fake kidnappings, ransom notes, a bit of torture, a rather clever way to fake my death and leaving a note asking to be buried in California, and even elopement. I wondered how much I would have to bully Jake before he agreed to go along with my plan of us getting married because of an imaginary baby on its way.

          My scheming was interrupted by an unholy ruckus arousing downstairs. The sounds were familiar – my brothers were wrestling. Bitterly I wondered how Julie reacted to that. Shocked, probably, while my parents calmly looked on from the sidelines.

          The sight of my doorknob slowly twisting open gave me a scare. Before I could think, I was gripping the nearest thing I could find in case I needed a weapon. My eyes widened when my uncle sheepishly walked in.

          He looked surprised to see me, eyes swollen, clutching a bottle of nail polish.

          “Erm,” he said awkwardly. “Am I interrupting?”

          I shrugged, not looking at my uncle and tossing the bottle on my cluttered bedside table. It was amazing how quickly I messed up my room, even with Rebecca cleaning it every day.

          “Listen,” he began gently. “I never meant for you to be sent away. It was never my plan.”

          He went on when I didn’t respond. “I’ve truly enjoyed having you here, Courtney. You’re my niece, and as crazy as you sometimes make life, it was a good change. For the first time, I found myself having fun, laughing with you. Well, mostly at you, but you didn’t need to know that,” he said hastily. “Every time, I was actually looking forward to coming home. It never used to be like that.”

          I looked at him, crossing my legs on my bed.

          “I know that you and Julie don’t get along,” he probed. I shifted, refusing to look at him. “But she’s willing to give you a chance if you’d do the same for her.”

          I gave a mental snort. It’s a bit rich that Julie is willing to give me a chance, when I was here first. The next moment I realized how childish that sounded, almost like I was getting territorial. But in truth, Julie was plunked in Leslie’s rightful spot, and I didn’t like it.

          How do you know it’s her rightful spot? Maybe Isaac is really happy with Julie, and you’re messing everything up for him.

          I remained quiet and so did my uncle. Below the fight was in full swing, and I distinctly heard something crash to the floor. My parents would not be happy with the little monsters once their sibling rage was over.