Only Fools

Chapter Twenty Two

I wake up to the sound of my phone ringing.

"What," I snap, already pissed at whoever thought it was alright to call me at this hour.

"Well, at least you're alive, I guess," Ivy laughs through the phone.

"What?" I repeat myself as I yawn, rubbing my eyes groggily.

"You didn't answer any of my texts yesterday," she informs me.

"Oh shit. Sorry. I didn't realize," I say, though half of it is a lie because I did realize, I just wasn't sure how to respond without accidentally conveying the pain of the disappointment I felt.

"It's fine.... do you think we could hang out today?" Ivy asks me.

"It's to early to make plans for the day," I tell her.

"It's 11am, Aspen," Ivy says rather deadpanned.

"Oh well...."

"No. We're going to hang out, and I'm going to pick you up in thirty minutes, so you better be ready,"

Her tone brings a smile to my face because I can't help but find it adorable.

"Whatever you say, Ivy,"

She hums into the phone.

"See ya," I say.

"See ya,"

And just like that, the phone call is over and I'm left laying in my bed, trying to rub the sleep out of my eyes. After a minute or so, I finally sit up and then proceed to get ready for the day.

After quickly washing up and pulling on a sweatshirt from one of my many years of cheer and a pair of leggings, I take a final look in the mirror. My eyes still look tired as a result of having just woken up, but the smile that takes over my face at the prospect of spending the day with Ivy quickly outshines them.

It's then that I get the text from Ivy that she's arrived. As I leave my room, I take note of my brother's door still shut tight, signaling that he's clearly not up yet. And as I walk past the living room to leave the house, I notice my dad peacefully sleeping on the couch. I quickly sneak over to pull a blanket over his unconscious figure before then slipping out the door and practically skipping over to Ivy's car.

"Someone's happy today," Ivy says with a laugh as I slide into the passenger seat.

"I don't know why. I'm being forced to hang out with you," I tease her. Ivy just rolls her eyes at me before she proceeds to pull out of my driveway and off to a destination I then realize is a mystery to me.

"Where are we going?" I ask the girl beside me who smirks in response.

"You'll see," she responds mischievously. I let out a disappointed sigh at her words which doesn't rattle her at all. And so I just decide to stay quiet for the rest of the car ride and pull out my phone to distract myself from looking out the window and ruining the surprise over the destination.

And after just a few more minutes of driving, the car stops and Ivy pulls the keys out of the ignition. I look up and a frown instantly overtakes my face at the realization of our destination.

"We're on break, Ivy," I pout as I take in the sight of our school's track and football field.

"And?" my best friend asks as she opens her door and hops out of the driver's seat.

"And I don't want to be here!"

"Oh well," Ivy says with a shrug before slamming her door closed. My mouth drops open and I stare at her smirking through the window for a moment before I hop out of the car and walk over to her.