Beautiful to Me.

Ivy Kane begins another new chapter in her life. Another relocation for her mom’s job. High School can be scary enough but starting over as a Junior in a new state, new school… Ivy is petrified.  Tyler Clark and Dominic Cavalier have been best friends since the first grade. The boys, both jocks, and buddies with Lena Blair the poplar cheerleader. Ivy, trying to look like another school is no biggie, trips over a book she dropped and falls over it as she toss’s everything she was holding in hers arm’s up in the air and thrown all over the school football field as she was walking to school. Tyler, Dominic and Lena decide to taunt and tease Ivy. Dominic starts to grow a crush on Ivy after he learns more about her. But does he stop tormenting Ivy or does he stand up for her? Ivy ends up devastated, feeling beyond repair and decides to kill herself.

Does Dominic get to her in time or is the letters she leaves behind all he has left of her?

Ivy

High School Junior, First Day

I so do NOT want to do this again. How many times can I reinvent myself. I can
’t stay any one place long enough to make any friends. I am as awkward as any human can possibly be. I take a deep breath and let it out.

             
Turning 17 in 2 weeks, and I don’t have a car. My parents recently divorced. Yeah, after 22 years. Why bother getting a divorce after you are married that long beats me. My father found a “Newer Model.” My mom is on a “Hate all Men” kick because of my father. I have to follow the leader when it comes to where my mother decides to live every couple months. She tells me she is trying to “find herself.” Really? Who needs to find themselves in their forties? Where have they been? Of course, as usual, my mom always tells me that I don’t understand. I’m too young or inexperienced or too innocent to understand the hardships she faces.

             
I think she should try changing up schools every semester and see how she feels about how I can’t understand anything. Kids at my age are brutal. I try to stay invisible. I try to just “blend in” with the crowd. I don’t want to or need any extra attention. All attention does is gets me in trouble or made fun of.

             
My mom having already left for her new job. I throw clothes around from the boxes I decided not to unpack. Why bother? We should be packing back up in another couple months. I am sick of packing and unpacking. I finally gave up. Best to just live out of my boxes.

             
I pulled my long chestnut brown hair in a pony tail, looking at my face. Not too great Ivy is what I tell myself every time I look in the mirror. I just look… average. Size 10, some think I am skinny enough, some think I still need to loose weight. I have deep dark brown eyes and I generally dress casual. I can be all girly but cowboy boots I am obsessed with. Last place we lived was on a ranch in Texas. Got to learn how to ride a horse. Actually had my first crush on a boy back there. What about what I want? I didn’t want to leave, yet we up and backed with not much of even a good bye to most. It’s embarrassing and sad I think.

I pull up my jeans and slip on my boots. I tie a sweater shirt around my waist and over my t-shirt that is pink and says Flower Power.

              Grabbing a granola bar, and heading out I walk to my new school with my files in tote to bring into the office with all my school records and doctor papers. Apparently every school needs to make sure you are up to date on all vaccinations. LIKE ANIMALS.

             
I have always been an average student. B’s and C’s. Nothing crazy. Just down the middle. Plain Jane. I just want to get through High School, and move on with my life. I don’t want to keep jumping around with my mother. Maybe I could try getting into a college and be stuck in one place for a few years. Maybe I could get a job some place and live by myself. I’m good at being by myself.

             
I am so busy thinking to myself, I didn’t realize I was already on the school property. I look around at what looks like the football field and bleachers. And look, Oh goodie, just in time for the Rah-Rah try outs. I laugh to myself at my own joke. Why do I laugh at my own jokes? Oh yeah, because I can’t keep friends for 12 weeks and then end up starting all over. I get tired of telling my story. Where I came from, age, religion, details on my personal life. Boyfriends, hanging out crowds, what circles I go with, who I know. All these questions, and I just don’t even bother telling anyone about the real me. I recently started making up stories about who I am and where I came from. It’s all make believe, but it actually makes me feel better to make up a fictional character and play the part of being someone else since my life is as exciting as the bumps on pickles are. Besides, 11 more weeks, we should be on to our next destination and these people, like the other six cities and states, will never see me again. So no harm done.

I walk quietly past the cheerleaders and their stupid pyramid
’s and crossing over the field near the bleachers where a few kids are sitting talking.

             
I shuffle down the field and as I go, I look over at one of the boys and he doesn’t notice me but he has the best smile I have ever seen on another human being. I actually felt myself smiling while looking at him smile. No sooner did I think that and I tripped and fell, “Umph,” throwing my school files and doctor records all over the field as I lay flat on my stomach, wishing I could just disappear.

             
All the kids near by are now pointing and laughing at me. I look down over towards the bleachers and see the two boys laughing with the cheerleader and I feel even worse. I look back down, trying to grab as many papers as I can as quick as I can so I can run off the field.

             
“Here, let me help you.” I hear from behind me and I quickly turn around and plop on my ass to the field as I see that the person wanting to help me is the guy with the killer smile. He hands me some folders and papers he collected from a little distance down since the papers were flying around and I sit there like a moron with my mouth gaping open like I just crawled out of a cave and didn’t know we should be clothed and can speak as humans go.

             
“Hi, I’m Dominic. Sorry for me laughing. I just thought you looked cute. I didn’t mean to sound mean. Besides, you know how it goes with friends and all, right?” He asked. And of course, even though I no, have never had that problem before, I admit out loud I completely understand. “No problem. Thanks for the help. I’m Ivy. I must look like a fool. I’m sorry.” I quickly said getting everything out in one breath, I stood up and brushing grass and dirt off of me. I looked back up at him and I took a quick breath. This Dominic was so good looking up close. His eyes were green, very bright green. He had short dark, typical jock hair cut. Broad shoulders, he looked solid like a rock! And the cherry on top was he was TALL. He looked about 6’4”. Me at 5’4”, Dominic was a giant and looked so incredible. I bet he had a lot of girlfriends.

             
“Your first day?” Dominic asks me, smiling.. “Huh? Oh, right.

yeah, first day.
” I mumbled making him show off that killer smile. And then we hear the first bell ring. Just my luck. Naturally the bell had to go off at that moment.

             
“Thanks again.” I say quickly as he turned and walked away. I tell him as I pull everything back into a stack of not knowing what goes with what now, I figure the office can figure it out. As I stand, looking for my quickest route, I notice the cheerleader strolling by with Dominic and another guy. They are all laughing. And then I notice Dominic. He has a smirk on his face and tries to introduce us. “Hey guys, this is… Ivy, right?” Dominic asks me as he smiles down at me. “Ivy these are my friends, Lena, and this is Tyler.” Dominic says as he nods over to his friends, who are still mumbling something to themselves and still laughing.

“
Wow, Ivy, you really need to work on your coordination skills don’t you? Are you in those “special” classes? You look like you don’t know how to talk.” Lena spats out at me, looking like she is all high and mighty. Tyler doesn’t make any comments and Dominic looks at me, then down to his shoes, and back to his friends. “Lena, leave her alone, let’s go. We are going to be late again for Mr. Lake’s bullshit class on English.” Dominic states as he shoves his friends along to leave my embarrassing spill scene.

             
I wanted to kick myself in the ass! I can’t believe I didn’t respond to that Lena Rah-Rah. I must seem like I need special classes. Great. I just pray I don’t see them too often and I pray I don’t see them in my classes.

             
I finally make it to my first class, History. Ms. Moore is the teacher and I sneak in a bit late because of the office stop with  jumbled files of records and transcripts, and some grass to go along with the mess. I found a seat in the back, thank God, and drifted off. After I heard the bell, I snapped out of it and gathered my things and headed for the door. “Miss Kane? Can I have a word with you please?” Ms. Moore asked gently. I stayed behind, waiting for the class to file out.

“
I didn’t want to cause you any embarrassment by introducing you to the class. I know you aren’t from around here right?” Ms. Moore asked me softly. I just shook my head and looked down at my boots.

“
Look, if you ever need someone to talk to, you can always come to my classroom ok? Anytime.” Ms. Moore bent down a bit to look at my face. “Ok, thank you.” I said softly. Ms. Moore finally excused me and I went to my Biology class.

             
Walking in a daze, trying to just make it through the day, I seen my Biology class had the three musketeers in it. I really could not WAIT (Exaggeration of course) to be in there every single day. I left out a deep sigh, walking into the class and found the only seat available next to Dominic. I smiled, sort of and sat down, pretending to pay attention to the teacher for the entire class.

I felt someone was staring at me and I happened to see out of the corner of my eye that the Rah-Rah looked as if she were shooting poisonous daggers at me. I just rolled my eyes and shook my head. I hope this girl leaves me alone was all I could think of.

              The teacher gave us 15 minutes to read over some packet of information we were to expect in his classroom and work group information, lab times and extra credit study program with a study partner. This is when Lena began to spit mean comments out at me.