Meet Me In The Umbrella Garden

Chapter 3: The Bay

"I don't even know you that much. Who do you think you are to be inviting me somewhere?" That's what Ivy asked Luke.

But even as she seemed in complete disbelief of the situation, the boy seemed to remain naive as he looked at her.

There it is again... That innocent sparkle in his eyes. "Do you have a curfew? Are you not allowed to be out at this time of the day?" He asked, and Ivy could only breathe out in further disbelief.

"Hey..." She was ready to berate him, but then she stopped. And she got an idea, right from the boy's words. "Actually, yes. I have a curfew. And it's already passed so if I don't get home now, I'm gonna be in a lot of trouble. So scram! And let me go home."

Ivy quickly picked up her bag, and she stood, just as the supervisor announced that they could finally go home. And she tried to ignore her seatmate as she left the room, only for him to suddenly come running before standing infront of her.

"Wait!"

"Ugh! Why is he stubborn?!" Ivy internally groaned. Meanwhile, in reality, she glared at the boy before her, causing him to flinch and take a step back. He had even previously had his arms stretched out at his sides, but since the girl glared at him, suddenly, he felt intimidated, and his arms slightly lowered.

Now Ivy felt bewildered.

Crazy, isn't it? She was almost intimidated by this new kid the first time she saw him, but now, here he was, being intimidated by her.

"W-wait a sec..." Luke spoke, his tone hesitant as he stood straight infront of the girl. "I... I have an idea."

Ivy eyed him, her glare disappearing a little now as she waited for what he had to say. Well, she definitely wanted to leave already, but she though of this boy before her. Naive, innocent, yet otherwise stubborn and with a little bit of rebellious spirit inside him. And with that last characteristic, she could almost tell what he was going to say.

She knew it, too, of course. She's used it before in the very few times she got into detention before. That when you're late to a curfew, the best thing to do is to...

"... be even later."

Ivy barely caught the beginning of what Luke said, but she had a feeling that she did get it right.

And thus, she frowned at him. "Hey... Are you trying to get me killed? What if my parents get even madder at me because of that?"

"But that's exactly what we're trying to avoid," the boy replied, ever so hardheaded. "Just text your parents that you're out at a friend's house. We'll hang till they've probably calmed down and then we can go home. I'll walk you there, too."

Now, this was absurd, Ivy thought. Why was this boy so bent on trying to get her to hang out with him? And the fact that he just told her to text her parents that...

"I don't have friends." With a straight face, Ivy said those words, staring back at the boy to see his reaction.

Rightfully so, Luke's face dropped. Now he seemed flustered, because he quickly looked away from the girl as he rubbed his nape. "O-oh, well... I-is that so?"

Ivy only hummed in agreement. Though she really only said that to ward the boy off of her, it was still true. "Now, will you let me go?" Luke said nothing this time. And Ivy couldn't help but let out a sneer before she walked past him. "Thought so," she mumbled, loud enough for him to hear, still.

Of course, who would ever want to hang out with someone with no friends? After all, there has to be a reason why they don't even have friends in the first place, right?