14: You’ll learn to respect me

Ivy's POV.

Planning Amari's party with her was the only thing keeping me sane.

Everything else was suffocating. But when Amari and I sat together, talking about decorations, music, and themes, I could almost forget.

Over the past few days, Amari and I had grown closer. She had an effortless way of making people feel comfortable, a kind of charm that made it impossible to dislike her. And even though we came from different worlds, for once, I didn’t feel like I had to keep my guard up.

After school, she invited me over to her place to go over plans for the party. We sat on her bedroom floor, sketching out ideas in a notebook, throwing around different themes and decorations. She had a clear vision—something elegant yet fun, and I helped fine-tune the details, adding small touches that would bring everything together.

For the first time in what felt like forever, things felt normal. No pressure, no tension, just easy conversation and lighthearted planning. It was a brief escape, a moment where I could pretend everything in my life wasn’t falling apart.

Demi had been forcing us to sit with Brandon during lunch for the past few days,

It didn’t matter how many times I tried to come up with an excuse. I had even told him I wanted to sit with Jackie, which wasn't an excuse because I always sat with Jackie during lunch. But he had just ignored me, and forced me to sit with Brandon.

Brandon didn't even want us with him. He was clearly irritated by our presence, and I don't know if Demi was just too oblivious and dumb to notice, or he did, but ignored it.

But he had never told us to leave either. Instead, he acted like we weren’t even there, always scrolling through his phone with an air of absolute indifference.

Today, the same thing happened again. We were seated at Brandon's table for lunch, and Amari was seated beside him as always, talking to us about her experience in our school.

Suddenly, she dropped her fork and rested her chin on her hand and turned to me. “You know what? We should totally do a double date.”

I stiffened instantly.

“We’ve never gone out together. You, me, Demi, and Brandon. It could be fun.”

I felt my stomach twist into knots.

Being in the same space with Brandon and Demi for hours could be the worst thing I would experience. And I didn't want that.

I forced a tight smile. “Actually, I—”

Demi’s fingers curled around my wrist under the table, squeezing just hard enough to send a warning.

I swallowed my words. I should have known better than to try to argue.

“Sure,” I murmured instead.

Amari beamed. “Great! Saturday?”

Brandon finally looked up from his phone, his expression unreadable.

“She can’t.”

Demi’s hold on my wrist tightened slightly.

Amari frowned. “Why not?”

Brandon leaned back, stretching his arms behind his head, completely relaxed. “Ivy has somewhere important to be.”

My brows furrowed in slight confusion.

Demi’s grip on my wrist loosened, but I could feel the anger radiating off him.

Amari pouted. “Oh. That sucks. Well, we can reschedule—”

“No,” Brandon cut her off, his gaze flicking to Demi before settling on me. “She won’t be available anytime soon.”

I was relieved and thankful for Brandon's intervention, even though I had no idea why he did that.

Demi didn’t say anything, but I knew I would get hell from Demi when we were done from here.

As soon as lunch was over, Demi dragged me away from the cafeteria just as I expected. His fingers wrapped around my arm in a bruising grip.

He didn’t stop until we were in a secluded hallway, the sound of students fading behind us.

Then, he let go, shoving me back against the wall. I winced as my back hit the cold surface.

“What the fuck was that?” His voice was low, dangerously quiet.

I kept my eyes down. “I don’t know what you mean.”

Demi scoffed. “Don’t play dumb, Ivy. You don't want me around, right? You probably think you’re too good for me now. Too high up to be seen with someone like me.”

“That’s not true,” I whispered.

“Bullshit.” His fingers curled into fists at his sides. “I see the way you look at me now. Like you’re better than this. Like you’re better than me.”

I shook my head. “Demi, that’s not—”

“I don’t need your fake apologies,” he snapped. “You will learn to respect me soon enough.”

There was something sinister in his tone, something that made my entire body go cold.

I wanted to ask what he meant, but I was too afraid of the answer.

Demi stared at me for a moment longer, then turned and walked away, leaving me standing there, shaking.

The second he was gone, my legs gave out.

I sank to the floor, my breath coming in sharp, uneven bursts. My hands fisted into my shirt, gripping the fabric like it would somehow keep me together, keep me from breaking completely.

I hated this.

Hated how powerless I felt. Hated that no matter what I did, no matter how much I tried to reason with him, I was still trapped.

Tears burned behind my eyes, but I refused to let them fall. I forced myself to take slow, shaky breaths, pressing the heels of my palms against my face.

Not now. Not here.

I squeezed my eyes shut, exhaled sharply, and forced it all down. The fear, the anger, the helplessness, pushing it deep into the pit of my stomach.

Then I got up, dusted my skirt and made my way to class. I didn’t even make it halfway before running into Jackie.

“Hey,” I said, trying to keep my voice even.

She didn’t return the greeting. Instead, she stopped a few steps away, arms crossed. “Can we talk?”

Something about her tone made my chest tighten.

“Of course.”

Jackie exhaled, shaking her head slightly.

“Ivy… I don’t know what’s going on with you, but you’ve been acting differently. Ever since you started dating Demi, you’ve been pulling away. From me. From everything.”

“That’s not true,” I said quickly.

“It is. You never have time anymore. You’re always running off to deal with whatever Demi wants, and when you’re not, you’re somewhere in your head, a million miles away.”

I opened my mouth, but she wasn’t finished.

“I’ve barely seen you outside of class. We don’t hang out, we don’t talk like we used to—hell, you don’t even text back. And the worst part? You know it’s happening. You see it, and you don’t care enough to fix it.”

The words hit, and I hated that they did. Because deep down, I knew she was right.

I knew I was slipping away.

But what was I supposed to do? Tell her the truth? That every choice I made was one step closer to losing everything?

“Ivy, you’re distancing yourself. You’re pushing me out completely. And if you keep this up, you’re gonna ruin our friendship.”

My throat tightened. “Jackie, look—”

But she was already stepping back, already done with the conversation. She turned and walked away.