Page 65 of Clint & Ivy
IVY
As Elle’s sporty redSUV pulled out of the parking garage, she turned up a song on her playlist that I didn’t recognize. I imagined asking her questions about her life. But the voice in my head sounded tired, and I didn’t trust myself to say anything out loud.
When we passed through the front gates of her family’s community, Elle announced, “My brother wants to fuck you.”
“Oh,” was all I could think to mumble.
“Why do you sound grossed out?”
“I wasn’t expecting you to say that.”
“I should have mentioned it a few songs back, but I’m not sharp in the morning. Catch me in the afternoon if you ever need advice.”
“Um, so we’ll talk then?”
Elle flashed me a smile. “I was kidding. I might be dumb right now, but I’m smart enough. What kind of advice do you need?”
“I don’t know anything about sex.”
“Not even how the penis and the vagina work?”
“No, I guess I know that,” I mumbled and shrank down in the seat. “I’ve seen porn. I know how everything fits together.”
“Good, but if you need real advice about the actual fucking process, you need to ask someone besides me. I’ve never been conscious for sex before,” Elle said and then snorted. “I always say that like it’s a brag or something. Anyway, you should get advice from someone with more experience. Vanessa likes hooking up. But never ask her advice about relationship stuff. She has odd ideas.”
“Okay, but who would I ask for relationship advice? I only know your family so far. Oh, and I met Rock.”
“My mom turned a bad man good and kept him interested for three decades. I bet she’d know the answer to any relationship stuff,” Elle explained before pulling her SUV into the driveway of her parents’ house. Turning off the engine, she leaned against her door and studied me. “I assume you aren’t on birth control.”
Panic seized my chest, making me think of my faulty heart. “I might not be able to take birth control.”
“Why?”
“I had health issues when I was little,” I said while gripping the door handle as if I might need to run. “I don’t understand my health situation. No one explained anything. Then, my mom died, and I stopped seeing a doctor.”
Elle reached over and tugged my hands off the handle. “Let’s not pretend you could outrun me with your bite-sized legs, okay? Just settle down and use your words.”
“I’m afraid Clint will reject me if he knows I’m defective.”
Elle whispered, “Objects are defective, not people. I’m sorry your family didn’t teach you that.”
“You’re going to tell Clint,” I whimpered as hot tears pooled in my eyes, and my heart raced with panic. “He hasn’t even seen my good qualities yet. Now, he’ll know I can’t give him what he needs.”
Elle sighed deeply and left the SUV before walking around to my door and tugging me out. She wrapped her arm around me and walked us inside.
Entering the Reed family’s rustic lakeside home, I heard the familiar sound of Journey’s “Who’s Crying Now” playing from the kitchen.
“Mom!” Elle called out over the music. “I broke Ivy!”
Shay hurried out of the kitchen to find me teary-eyed again. Without hesitation, she wrapped me in a hug. While she babied me, Elle went back out to the SUV to get Hanzee’s carrier.
