Page 25 of Of Heather and Thistle
Ivy recovered too quickly:“Oh my God—…is thatwhat this is about? …Heather, come on… —what— …you think I had somesecret meetingwith him or something?”
Heather stayed quiet.
Ivy’s voice pitched higher, her laugh sharper: “Oh my God—wait…Did he say something weird to you? …Ugh, Iknewhe was kinda awkward. Bookish guys always are… What did he say? …Because if he made you uncomfortable, I swear I’ll—”
“—Stop.” Heather cut her off.
Another beat of silence.
Heather exhaled— a humorless, exhausted laugh escaping her lips. “You’re actually going to lie to my face right now.”
Now Ivy panicked: “Heather, no—hold on—what are you eventalkingabout? Whereisthis coming from?!”
Heather’s pulse roared in her ears. “Italkedto him, Ivy. …Iknow!”
A dramatic silence stretched out between them that felt like the death of their friendship.
Then Ivy did theinevitable—she tried to spin it. “Heather, babe, I don’t know what he told you, but you seriously need to consider the source.”
Heather closed her eyes, forcing herself to breathe before she snapped.
“I’m supposed to believeyouoverhim?”
Ivy latched onto it immediately. “Exactly!” She let out a breathy, almost relieved laugh, like she still thought she could salvage this.“He’s obviously twisting things, babe. He likes you—I mean… duh… why wouldn’t he? …But guys do this all the time, you know? They make it seem like the girl was all over them just to look cool. It’s honestly pathetic.”
Heather shook her head slowly. “…Ivy…”
“…What?!” Ivy’s voice was getting tighter,more desperate now.“…Girl, youknowI’d never do anything to hurt you! Why are you letting some random guy mess with your head?!”
Heather inhaled sharply through her nose. “You said you’dnever spokento him.”
Ivy huffed. “I hadn’t!”
Heather’s voice dropped. “Then how did you know to suggest I go out with him?”
Checkmate.
Ivy’s breath hitched. Caught. Heather couldhearher scrambling, trying to grasp foranyexcuse, but she hadnothing.
Finally, Ivy let out a forced, nervous laugh. “Okay, wait—hold on.This is totally out of context.”
Heather felt somethingcrackinside her.Out of context!Like this was somemiscommunication.
Her voice came out hollow: “…So it’s true.”
And now Ivy snapped: “OH MY GOD, HEATHER, WHY ARE YOU ACTING LIKE THIS IS SOMEBETRAYAL?…IT WAS JUST ADATE!”
Heather inhaled sharply. “Just a date?”
“YES!”Ivy’s voice was laced with frustration now, anger replacing her panic. “You’re acting like Isold you off! …I was trying tohelp! …I knew you wouldn’t put yourself out there, so yeah—I gave him a littlepush.”
Heatherlet out a sharp, bitter laugh. “Apush?”
Ivy scoffed. “Oh, comeon!If I hadn’t said anything, you never would’ve gone out with him.”
Heather’s stomach twisted. “So what did you say, Ivy?”
Silence.
