She needed a few quiet minutes to herself. A few minutes to think about how in the hell her perfect corner of the world had gotten so irreversibly screwed up. This was not supposed to be Ivy McWhellen’s Life, that was for sure.
The night air was sticky-hot and wet—strange for so early in the summer. It felt a little like rain—except that the sky was almost clear. She wished, not for the first time, that she had a pool, like their neighbor. Her family lived an empty lot over from a giant, rather odd mansion with one of the best pools she’d ever seen. It was gorgeous.
It wasn’t that her house was small, or not nice. It was actually pretty big, and her mom was a great decorator. It was that living next to the mansion was like living in a Polly Pocket house in a Barbie’s Dreamhouse kind of world.
Ivy wondered if she could sneak over for a swim. The woman who lived there usually went to bed early. Ivy crossed the empty lot separating the homes and wedged her feet between the slats of the fence surrounding the mansion. She hoisted herself up, just like she’d done a million times—but someone was there. Someone Ivy recognized.
The boy from her psychology course.
The one who Dr. Stratford had locked out.
“Hey!” she shouted, hoisting herself the rest of the way and dropping over the fence.
Mattie
Tuesday, June 9
Mattie had been working very hard trying not to think about the fact that Derrick had only texted him once in the past two days when he heard something scuffling about near the fence.
(Maybe someone.)
He sat straight up.
“Hey!” he heard.
He lifted his head, and there she was—a beautiful, tan girl scaling his aunt’s fence like she’d done it a million times before. Actually, she looked familiar.
“You’re in my psych class,” she said, coming up to the patio as if she just trespassed all the time. “I’m Ivy McWhellen. I live next door. I didn’t realize Janice had a kid.” She smiled at him, wide and confident. She was the type of girl who was used to getting what she wanted. She expected it, in fact, and she made sure everyone around her had the exact same expectation.
She was the type of girl Mattie might want to date if he were someone else—someone louder and brasher.
Mattie shut his laptop and stuck out his hand. Maybe he could use a friend. “I’m Mattie Byrne. And Janice is actually my aunt. I’m staying with her while I take the class. So.”
Ivy shook it. “It’s nice to meet you. Actually, it’s nice to know someone is going to actually going to get some decent use out of the house and the pool this year.” She grinned, looking at the water, which was lit from underneath with color-changing lights. Right now, it was a vivid purple. “You swim in it yet?”
Mattie shook his head. (He’d meant to. He’d just been . . . distracted.)
“You should,” she said. “I sneak over here at night a lot. It’s seriously the best pool ever.” She half smiled and sat down on the bricks of the patio, looking out over the water. “So what are you up to?”
“I came out here to see if it was easier to not think about my long-distance boyfriend from beside an awesome pool.”
That was the thing about Mattie. He was honest.
Usually.
“And?” She raised her eyebrows.
“Not successful.”
Ivy laughed. She took off her sandals and dangled her toes in the water. “If I lived here I’d never think about my ex,” she announced. “It’s a magical ex remedy, I’d think.” She looked up at Mattie and patted the brick next to her. “There’s room for two. Or two hundred.”
Mattie left his laptop on the little table, eased out of his sneakers, and sat down next to her. He touched his toes to the water. It was nice—cool on his feet, a delicious contrast to the wet-hot air.
His phone pinged, and he leaped up to grab it from the table. But it wasn’t Derrick. It was his mother.
Love you, the text said.
“Expecting a call from the president?” Ivy teased. “Or the aforementioned boyfriend?”
“The latter.” Mattie sighed and sat down next to her again. “He’s been so weird lately, you know? I think he’s having trouble with me leaving for the summer.”
At least, he hoped that was it. It was easier to think about than the alternative—that Derrick was over him. Had moved on to greener pastures. Didn’t need him anymore.
“Where are you from, anyway?” Ivy kicked at the water, sending a spray across the pool.
“Pikesville. North side, by the reservoir.”
“Pikesville!” Ivy said, sitting up excitedly. “My parents have a little cabin near there. What’s your boyfriend’s name? Maybe I know him! I know lots of people from Pikesville. It’s totally weird that I haven’t met you.”
It was probably because Mattie wasn’t the most social creature. But he didn’t need to tell her that.
“Derrick Waters,” he said. “We’ve been together, like, I don’t know, six months?”
Only he knew exactly. Six months, eleven days. He kept a little calendar, and he put a neat checkmark at the end of each day before he went to sleep. It was one of those stupid little things he did that he’d never confess to Derrick.