Introducing Ivy ✓

The Distance

COLTON

A few weeks pass by slowly, Ivy's been hanging out with her girlfriends lately. Almost as if it was an excuse to not talk to me. I tried to not make it awkward between us but somehow life always makes it like that. It's almost as if she's been putting distance between us.

It was Friday night and I was currently at the diner in SoHo by myself. Sometimes you just need to focus on yourself, you know? I was sitting on my laptop in a back booth finishing up an essay that was due tonight. Stupid Shakespeare. I can't understand the shit what he's saying.

Young men's love then lies
Not truly in their hearts, but in their eyes

Stupid Romeo and Juliet. This is the most pointless story I've ever read. They fall in love and die for each other. I only have a paragraph left to write and it's almost eleven at night, and it's due at midnight. Suddenly I'm taken away from my essay when a person across from me slams the laptop shut, "What the fuck," I mutter and looked up. Are you kidding me?

"Colton, why are you here alone? It's Friday night."

I roll my eyes, "Well Leah, some of us don't like to party every weekend. I have an essay due tonight."

She groans before reaching across the table and eating a fry out of the basket that was next to me. "You turned into a loser, you know that?"

"Can I ask why you are still here?" I was beginning to get very pissed off with her now. Who does she think she is?

"I'm just having a conversation with you, Colton." She suddenly gets up when a group of her friends calls her over, "Well I have to go. Call me sometime?" No.

I open my laptop back up and suddenly have a burst of energy to finish it. I didn't want to be here anymore. My parents and sister were out of town visiting my uncle this weekend so I was home alone. I couldn't go due to testing and practice. So, he took off coaching for the day but I still had to practice. How ironic.

I finish up my essay, submit it, and head out the door of the diner. I climb in my Jeep and drive to my favorite place to hang out; the pier. We lived right by it so it was a walking distance from my house but tonight I decided to drive. The temperatures were dropping every day, it was in the sixties now. I didn't want winter to come yet. I wanted to live out summer just a little longer. When I get to the pier I get out and go to the private secluded spot only I know about. Well, Ivy and I of course. We found this place together years ago. Ever since then, this was our spot. I sit down and stare out at the city. The bright lights reflected against the water. I begin to think about life again. I wonder what the future will be like.

Where will I be? Who will I be with? Who will I be? Where will Ivy be?

Since it was October now, we had homecoming coming up. I probably needed to find a date. Could I take her? Last year I went with Claire and she went with her friends. Would she even want to go with me? Damn, when did life get this complicated?

"Colton?" A voice behind me calls out.

I whip my head around to see the girl I love, "Ivy! What are you doing here?"

She smiled before sitting down next to me. She was in her pajamas but she still looked stunning. "Well I was going to come over and keep you company since you're home alone, but you weren't home so I came here."

I wrapped my arm around her bringing her closer, "Oh sorry. Did you call me?" I pull my phone out of my pocket to see I had two text messages and a missed call from her, "Shit sorry I didn't hear it."

"It's okay. I was going to start worrying if I didn't find you here," she chuckled. She rests her head on my chest as we stare out at the skyline of New Jersey across the water.