Chapter 8
1087 Words
Chapter 8: The Bed Scandal
The silence lasted exactly three seconds.
Then Ivy pointed at Asher.
"He started it."
"What?" Asher asked.
"I don't know what happened yet," Grace replied.
"Details are irrelevant. I'm protecting my future."
The room exploded into chaos.
Grace looked delighted.
Theodore looked concerned.
Mochi looked guilty.
And somehow, Asher looked like he was enjoying himself.
That was the most offensive part.
Ivy crossed her arms.
Nobody appreciated how difficult her life had become.
Three weeks ago she was single, emotionally stable-ish, and only mildly dramatic.
Now?
Now her ex-boyfriend lived in her childhood home and her mother was conducting investigations like a reality TV host.
Grace stepped further into the room.
"Let's start from the beginning."
"No."
"Why not?"
"Because I won't survive the middle."
"Interesting answer."
"I know."
Grace turned toward Asher.
"Asher?"
"We were talking."
"On her bed?"
"There were no chairs."
"There are literally two chairs."
Everyone looked.
There were, in fact, two chairs.
One was covered with clothes.
The other was occupied by a giant stuffed alpaca.
The room suddenly became very quiet.
Theodore pointed politely.
"Is that alpaca wearing sunglasses?"
"His name is Fernando," Ivy answered automatically.
"...Of course it is."
"He's sensitive."
Nobody knew how to respond to that.
Grace looked seconds away from laughter.
Meanwhile, Ivy wanted the floor to open and swallow her whole.
Not kill her.
Just store her temporarily.
Like emotional luggage.
"Anyway," she continued quickly. "Nothing happened."
Grace nodded slowly.
"Mhm."
"Nothing."
"Mhm."
"Why are you saying it like that?"
"Like what?"
"Like a woman who watches too many romance movies."
Grace gasped.
"The audacity."
"I inherited it from you."
"Fair."
For a moment, everyone fell silent.
Then Theodore made the mistake of noticing the notebook.
The notebook.
The cursed notebook.
The one sitting half-hidden beneath a pillow.
His eyes narrowed.
"What's that?"
Ivy lunged.
Asher lunged.
Grace lunged.
Nobody had ever moved so fast.
Unfortunately, Grace won.
Because mothers possessed supernatural abilities.
It was science.
"Oh?" Grace flipped it open.
"Oh no."
"Oh yes."
The smile slowly spread across her face.
Ivy immediately began planning her escape to another continent.
Chapter One.
Operation Avoid Hercules.
Chapter Two.
Emergency Exit Routes.
Chapter Three.
Potential Disguises.
Grace read aloud.
"'Fake amnesia.'"
Theodore laughed.
"'Pretend to join a monastery.'"
Asher covered his face.
"'Move to Iceland and become mysterious.'"
"I WAS BRAINSTORMING!"
Nobody cared.
The laughter became significantly worse.
"There's illustrations," Theodore wheezed.
"There are what?"
"There are drawings."
"No."
"There are."
"No."
"There are stick figures."
"No."
One stick figure was labeled IVY.
The larger one was labeled HERCULES.
The larger one had giant muscles.
The smaller one appeared to be screaming.
Even Asher lost the battle against laughter.
Ivy stared at the ceiling.
This was how she died.
Not dramatically.
Not heroically.
Humiliated by her own notebook.
A true tragedy.
The rest of the evening became unbearable.
Every fifteen minutes somebody referenced the notebook.
Every.
Single.
Fifteen.
Minutes.
Dinner was worse.
Far worse.
"Can you pass the salt?" Theodore asked.
"Sure."
"Thanks."
"You're welcome."
A pause.
Then—
"Still planning to move to Iceland?"
Ivy nearly threw a dinner roll at him.
Traitor.
The real betrayal came from Grace.
Her own mother.
Her flesh and blood.
The woman who was legally obligated to protect her.
"So, sweetheart," Grace said innocently.
"No."
"I haven't said anything."
"Your face has."
"I was just wondering."
"Dangerous."
"If Asher is Hercules..."
"No."
"What would you call yourself?"
"No."
"The people deserve answers."
"There are no people."
Theodore raised his hand.
"I count as people."
Mochi meowed.
"Fine. Two people."
Dinner somehow ended without casualties.
A miracle.
Later that night, Ivy escaped outside onto the back porch with a blanket wrapped around her shoulders.
The garden lights glowed softly.
Crickets sang somewhere in the darkness.
For the first time all day, nobody was laughing at her.
Peace.
Glorious peace.
The screen door opened behind her.
Peace lasted approximately twelve seconds.
"You ran away."
She didn't need to turn around.
"Technically, I relocated."
Asher stepped onto the porch.
The swing creaked beneath his weight as he sat beside her.
Not too close.
Never too close.
Always giving her space.
It was annoying.
Because she noticed things like that.
The blanket slipped slightly from her shoulder.
Without thinking, he adjusted it.
The gesture was small.
Automatic.
Unthinking.
The kind of thing people did when caring about someone had become habit.
Neither spoke immediately.
The quiet wasn't uncomfortable.
Just...familiar.
"I forgot about the notebook."
"Clearly."
"I should burn it."
"Probably."
"I should burn myself with it."
"That feels excessive."
She laughed.
A real laugh this time.
Soft.
Unplanned.
The kind that escaped before she could stop it.
For a moment, neither looked away.
The porch light cast warm shadows across his face.
His expression gentled.
And suddenly Ivy remembered being twenty-two.
Sitting in his car.
Stealing his fries.
Arguing over music.
Talking about futures neither of them understood.
The memory arrived without permission.
It lingered.
Then quietly settled between them.
"I was awful to you."
The words slipped out before she could stop them.
Asher didn't answer immediately.
A breeze moved through the garden.
Somewhere inside, Grace laughed at something Theodore said.
Home.
Everything felt strangely like home.
"You were scared."
She looked down.
"That's not an excuse."
"No."
"Then why aren't you angry?"
Finally, he turned toward her.
The question hung there.
Simple.
Honest.
Dangerous.
When he spoke, his voice was quiet.
Because some part of me understood why you left.
The answer hit harder than anger ever could.
She swallowed.
Looked away.
The porch suddenly felt too small.
Too warm.
Too familiar.
Too full of things neither of them knew how to say.
Before she could respond, the back door flew open.
Grace appeared holding her phone.
Excited.
Far too excited.
"Oh perfect!"
"No," Ivy answered immediately.
"Yes."
"What happened?"
Grace grinned.
"The wedding planner just called."
Theodore appeared behind her.
Looking equally pleased.
"We've chosen the venue."
"Congratulations."
"And..." Grace's smile widened.
"No."
"And next weekend we're taking everyone with us."
"No."
"To help with wedding preparations."
"No."
"It'll be a whole family trip."
"No."
"A three-day family trip."
Silence.
Absolute silence.
Then Ivy slowly turned toward Asher.
He looked just as trapped as she felt.
Which would've been comforting...
If Grace hadn't delivered the final blow.
"Oh, and there are only two rooms left available."
Ivy closed her eyes.
Because whenever Grace Collins smiled like that...
Someone's life was about to become significantly more complicated.
- Writer
