Chapter 5

Ivy stood outside Justin’s door, her heart racing as she tried to steady herself. It felt like she’d been staring at the door for hours, running through a hundred different ways to explain what had happened, but none of them seemed right.

Finally, taking a deep breath, she opened the door. As she stepped inside, her gaze fell on Justin lying on the bed,  his face scrunched up and squeezed against the pillow, his features contorted in a mixture of discomfort and exhaustion. His eyes were shut tight, and his brows were furrowed, deep lines etched across his forehead. His mouth was twisted, lips pursed, and his jaw clenched, giving him a pained expression. His body was sprawled across the bed, limbs splayed out in every direction, conveying a sense of utter relaxation and surrender. 

  The soft glow of the bedside lamp cast a warm light on his tense face, accentuating the tension in his muscles, and for a moment, she stood there, frozen, taking in the intimate vulnerability of the scene before her, she just watched him, feeling a pang of guilt.

“Justin…” she murmured, her voice barely above a whisper. He didn’t respond, didn’t even turn his head to look at her.

Swallowing, she moved closer until she was standing right by his bed. “Nothing happened between me and Trevor,” she said softly. “It was just Trevor being… Trevor.”

At her words, Justin finally looked up, his expression guarded. “Trevor being Trevor, huh?” he replied, his tone dripping with sarcasm.

“Yes,” she said, her voice firmer now. “Do you really think I’d want anything to do with him like that? You’re my best friend, Justin. He’s just… Trevor.”

Justin sat up, the frustration in his eyes evident. “I walked into the kitchen, Ivy. I saw him behind you, his hands on your waist, his lips close to your neck. And you’re telling me that I should just brush it off because it’s ‘Trevor being Trevor’? How does that make any sense?”

She took a shaky breath, struggling to find the right words. “I was caught off guard, Justin. I didn’t expect him to—well, to do that. But it didn’t mean anything, okay? I didn’t want it.”

He ran a hand through his hair, still visibly upset. “Ivy, it’s not about what you wanted or didn’t want. It’s about seeing you like that and feeling like… like you liked ir.”

Ivy stood frozen, her eyes locked on Justin's, feeling the weight of his words hit her harder than she’d expected. She took a shaky breath, forcing herself to keep calm as his frustrated gaze bore into her. He was hurt, and it was painfully clear that he was struggling to hide it.

“Justin, it wasn’t like that. You know I wouldn’t do something like that,” she said, her voice softer now. “Trevor was just… messing around, being his usual annoying self. I didn’t ask him to do any of that, and I definitely didn’t want it.”

Justin’s jaw tightened, his fists clenching by his sides as he sat up, still visibly irritated. “And you think that makes it okay?” he snapped. “I can’t just pretend I didn’t see what I saw, Ivy. It felt… I don’t know, it felt like you didn’t even try to push him away.”

Ivy blinked, trying to hold back the sting of guilt and frustration that was starting to build. “I was shocked, okay? He just came up behind me, and before I knew it, he was—”

“Touching you,” Justin interrupted, his voice quieter now but still carrying an edge. “And you didn’t do anything.”

She looked away, feeling the guilt settle deeper. “I didn’t know what to do,” she whispered. “But it didn’t mean anything, Justin. You’re my best friend. You’re… you’re the one I care about.”

For a moment, silence filled the room, stretching long and heavy. Finally, Justin sighed, letting some of the tension go as he dropped his gaze to the floor.

“Ivy… you know I trust you,” he said, his tone softer, almost defeated. “But Trevor’s my brother. It’s not easy watching him cross boundaries with you and just pretending it doesn’t get to me.”

“I get it,” she murmured, stepping closer, her hand reaching out to touch his arm gently. “I’m sorry, Justin. I should have handled it better. I’ll talk to Trevor and set boundaries. I don’t want this to come between us.”

Justin looked at her, his eyes softer but still tinged with doubt. “Alright… but I need to see it, Ivy. I need to know you’re serious.”

She nodded, her resolve firm. “You will. I promise.” 

The tension between them slowly faded as Justin nodded, letting out a deep sigh.

“Trevor loves competition,” Justin said, a small smile tugging at his lips. “He always thinks he can win, but if he believes he can take my best friend away from me… then he must be pretty stupid.”

“Definitely,” Ivy replied with a laugh, and they both chuckled, the lightness slowly returning between them.

Justin stepped closer, looking at her warmly. Just as he leaned in, intending to kiss her cheek, Ivy turned her head to say something—only for his lips to connect with hers. 

They froze, eyes widening in surprise before they quickly pulled back, both of them looking anywhere but at each other.

“I… I didn’t mean—” Justin stammered, rubbing the back of his neck, cheeks flushed.

“It’s… it’s okay,” Ivy replied, her own cheeks burning as she tried to suppress a nervous laugh. The air between them felt charged again, but this time in a way that neither of them quite knew how to handle.

"Okay... that was quite awkward," Justin said, scratching the back of his neck, a nervous chuckle escaping.

“Yeah…” Ivy nodded, still laughing nervously, her eyes darting to the door. “okay, bye!” she blurted, practically darting out of the room before he could say another word.

As soon as she closed the door behind her, Ivy paused, her hand instinctively touching her lips. The memory of the brief, unexpected kiss lingered, and she felt a shy smile tug at her lips.

Ivy made her way to her room, still feeling the lingering warmth from the accidental kiss. She closed the door behind her and leaned against it, her hand instinctively moving to her lips. A smile crept across her face, her heart fluttering at the memory.

She walked over to her bed, flopping down and covering her face with a pillow to muffle her excitement. "Get it together, Ivy," she whispered to herself, but the thought of Justin’s lips brushing hers made it hard to calm down.

Lying there, she replayed the scene again and again, wondering if he had felt the same spark she did.

She couldn’t wait to tell Stephanie about it. Ivy could already picture her friend’s exaggerated reaction, complete with wild theories and dramatic scenarios.

The next day at school, Ivy spotted Stephanie by their lockers. She rushed over, barely able to contain her excitement as she recounted everything: Trevor’s bold move in the kitchen, Justin’s reaction, and the unexpected kiss. Stephanie’s eyes widened with each detail, and when Ivy finished, she practically squealed.

“Oh, Justin was totally jealous!” Stephanie exclaimed, nudging Ivy with a knowing grin.

Ivy shook her head, laughing. “No way. He was just acting like any best friend would if they found their friend in a... weird situation with their brother.”

Stephanie shook her head, smirking. “Nope. Trust me, he has a little crush on you. Best friend, my foot.”

Suddenly, a voice interrupted them. “Who has a crush on you?” Ivy and Stephanie froze, turning to see Justin standing there, eyebrow raised.

They exchanged a quick, panicked glance before Stephanie smoothly replied, “Oh, just a school nerd crushing on Ivy, no big deal.”

Justin narrowed his eyes slightly, clearly unamused. He rolled his eyes, catching onto Ivy’s secret-sharing with Stephanie. He had never been a fan of how Ivy confided more in Stephanie, always feeling a bit left out just because he wasn’t “one of the girls.”

Stephanie gave Ivy a teasing smile and nudged her before walking away, leaving Ivy and Justin alone.

“So... a nerd?” he asked, nudging her playfully.

“Oh, stop it,” she laughed, giving him a gentle shove.

“What? You haven’t told me about any recent crushes,” he teased, raising an eyebrow. “Or has Stephanie taken over as your new diary?”

She rolled her eyes. “What, so you can meet him and tell him not to even look my way? ”

He chuckled, raising his hands in surrender. “No... I wouldn’t do that. Promise.” He watched as she turned to her locker, grabbing a book.

“Your girlfriend?” she asked casually, glancing over at him.

“Kulture?” he asked, trying to play it cool.

“Oh, excuse me, Mr. Playboy. Let me be more specific. Which girlfriend are we talking about?” she smirked, making him chuckle.

“Yeah, please do,” he replied, laughing.

“Kulture is... well, Kulture,” he sighed. “But honestly, she’s a bit too full of herself. I don’t like her attitude, and... let’s just say, she’s not that great in Sex.”

“First of all, I do not want to hear about your sex life. Eww. And secondly, if she’s not the one, then maybe it’s time to move on,” Ivy replied, wrinkling her nose.

He laughed. “Alright, alright. I’ll figure it out soon enough.”

Ivy couldn’t hide her smile. She’d always felt Kulture acted like she owned the world, and it was a relief to see Justin finally noticing it.

“Anyway, class time,” she said, grabbing her books. “We have chemistry together, right?”

“Yep,” he nodded, draping an arm around her shoulders as they started walking. “Let’s go make some ‘chemistry,’ then,” he teased with a grin.

“Smooth, Justin,” she laughed, playfully rolling her eyes as they headed off to class together.

~~

Class ended quickly, and soon it was time for lunch. Ivy and Justin had made plans to eat together since they didn’t get to do it often. As they walked toward the cafeteria, Kulture appeared out of nowhere, striding up to them with her usual confident flair.

“Justin!” she called, reaching for him as she planted a quick kiss on his lips.

Justin gave her a polite smile. “Hey, babe.” He pulled back slightly, though, not quite returning the same enthusiasm.

“Can you come have lunch with me?” Kulture asked, batting her lashes.

“Actually, I’m having lunch with Ivy,” he replied, glancing at Ivy with a smile. “But you’re welcome to join us if you want.”

Kulture pouted for a moment but nodded, walking off ahead of them. Ivy rolled her eyes, trying to hide her irritation.

They grabbed their food and headed to their usual table, settling in when Kulture joined them moments later. She handed Justin a drink with a sweet smile, which he accepted.

As she sat next to him, her hands kept finding reasons to brush against him. After a while, she stood up to make a call, leaving the drink in Justin’s hand.

Justin turned to Ivy, holding it out with a playful smirk. “Want a sip?”

Ivy hesitated, eyeing the drink before finally reaching for it, her fingers brushing his. She took a small sip and set it down, trying to ignore the butterflies that somehow always surfaced around him.

As she another took a sip, Justin watched her with an amused grin before taking a drink himself. The soda was unusually sweet, with a strange aftertaste that they both noticed but shrugged off. They continued eating, laughing and joking like they always did, but soon, a wave of heat washed over Ivy, spreading from her cheeks down to her neck.

She glanced at Justin, who was fanning himself. "Is it just me, or is it super hot in here?" she asked, her voice sounding a bit hazy.

Justin chuckled, though his laughter seemed slower than usual. "Nah, I'm feeling it too... like, way too hot." His gaze drifted to Ivy, and his expression softened, a dazed look in his eyes. They both couldn’t help but giggle, feeling lightheaded and a little too happy for no reason.

Their bodies felt warm, almost feverish, and everything around them seemed softer, more vibrant. The sounds in the cafeteria felt distant, fading in and out, while their laughter became uncontrollable, echoing in their ears. Neither of them understood what was happening, but in that moment, it didn’t really matter.

They were lost in each other’s laughter, flushed cheeks, and goofy smiles, not noticing the concerned looks from people passing by.

TBC...