Meet Me In The Umbrella Garden

Chapter 6: The Mask

"Do you... ever get lonely living here all by yourself?"

"... No."

"But it's so big! And you've lived here alone for so long? W-where are your parents?"

"..."

"Oh... Did I–? W-was that too personal? I'm sorry, I shouldn't have–"

"No, it's okay."

"H-huh?"

"... You probably couldn't help but get curious. Honestly, who wouldn't even?" 

"..." 

"..." 

"Will... Will you be okay here by yourself?" 

"I mean, I have been for the past three years I've lived here so why would now be different?"

Well, as much as Ivy meant those words that time... It surely didn't feel that way now.

It was a weird conversation, indeed. Ivy never thought she could end up accidentally revealing that much to a person she barely knew for just a few days. But she did. And that, in itself, was just one of the things that made the conversation weird.

The girl sighed, the upper half of her body slumped onto her apartment's kitchen table as she just looked at what she could before her: her apartment, which she always knew was dull but only looked duller now that Luke had pointed it out.

Well, it had always felt strange to her, to have someone. But now, it suddenly felt strange for her to be alone.

Was she okay being by herself? Of course. She had lived the past three years by herself, already having adapted enough to be able to take care of herself. But did she get lonely? Well... she did feel lonely now. That was one thing. And one thing she wished she could control, as she felt that all-too-familiar overwhelming feeling looming over her again.

It was coming back, and right when she was getting vulnerable. Ivy didn't like that at all, but what could she do? She couldn't control it, so what was the point of getting mad?

Suddenly, she felt she needed someone. Oddly enough, it had to be Luke, the boy that had walked her home in the rain the weather forecast failed to notify her of. But then again, who else could she think of? No one, other than...

Well, that isn't really the biggest concern now, is it?

"Someone... please come," Ivy begged, as her chest got heavier and her eyes began to well up. It had been quite a while since she actually felt alone.

And it sure felt horrible.

Well, it's not like she had any other choice either way. She didn't really have any close relatives she could freely call on, and even if she truly wanted to call Luke over, she didn't have his number. In the end, she spent the night alone, crying herself to sleep. And when she woke up the next day, she felt extremely horrible.

Her eyes had welled up. And they didn't seem like they would be going back to normal soon. But she still had to go to school or else she would get into trouble once it's known that she's been skipping school days only because she didn't feel like going.

And so, grabbing a face mask along with her school bag, Ivy headed to school, hiding her welled-up eyes with a mask and the guise of a cold.

Of course, Luke was the only one who questioned the mask when she came into school. And noticing her red eyes, he got worried.

"Are you okay? What happened? Your eyes are really red. Are you sick?"

"I caught a cold," Ivy responded, her voice sounding hoarse, even after she tried to get rid of it this morning with ginger tea. Thankfully, though, at least the quality of her voice could back up her lie.