Oblivion

Ivy was sprawled lazily across the couch in the Kirch family living room, watching intently as Pat and Tim played video games. She smiled slightly as Tim won, yet again. Pat was never very good at Xbox. Even she could beat him, and she hardly ever played. This was how it was every day. After school, she would catch a ride with Pat and they would come home and play video games or hang out. It was a routine they very rarely broke, though sometimes Pat's other friends would tag along, claiming they had nothing better to do.

Ivy sighed as her phone began to vibrate in her pocket.

"Who's that?" Pat asked her, his eyes still glued to the tv screen as they started a new match.

She bit her lip before looking at her phone.

"Just Leo," she told him.

She didn't even notice that Pat suddenly stiffened at the mention of his name. Ivy slowly stood up, throwing her arms up in the air and stretched.

"I better get going, I guess," she said.

Pat and Tim paused their game as she stepped over their legs. Pat stood to hug her goodbye, as always.

"Pat?"

"Yeah?"

"You do know I'll see you tomorrow morning, right?"

"Your point is?"

Pat rolled his eyes, pulling away from their hug and smiling down at her. Ivy paused for a moment, thinking.

"Nothing, I guess. See you in the morning."

She walked to the front door, but stopped before stepping outside.

"Later Tim," she called out.

He yelled his goodbye back to her and then she was gone, running across the lawn to her own house. She had to admit, there were a lot of benefits to living next door to your best friend. And she always made the best out of it. Ivy quickly made her way up the stairs to her room, running straight to her closet to pick out an outfit for the party Leo had invited her to.

She hadn't told Pat about it. She never told Pat about Leo's parties. Whenever she asked Leo if it was alright to bring a few friends, he shrugged her off saying it would already be too crowded, and then continue to complain that her friends didn't like him. Ivy didn't want to hurt Pat's feelings, therefore never even mentioned them. But despite sparing his feelings, she couldn't help but feel guilty for keeping secrets from her best friend, the one she told everything to.

"It's for the best," she whispered to herself.



Ivy walked through the front door of Leo's house, looking around at the masses of people that were scattered around the house and across the front lawn. The music was blaring and the stench of alcohol and smoke filled the air. She quickly made her way to the kitchen, pouring herself a drink, and then wandering through the crowd in search of Leo.

After searching for what seemed like forever, she found one of his friends. She couldn't remember his name, but she knew she wasn't particularly fond of him. He, like many of Leo's friends, was obnoxious and rude. As she approached him, she couldn't help but wrinkle her nose at his dishevlled appearance.

"Hey," she yelled over the music. "Do you know where Leo is at?"

He shrugged his shoulders and pointed to the stairs.

"Try upstairs!"

Ivy squeezed past all the bodies, finally reaching the stairs and walking quickly up them, away from the main crowd. She walked down the hall and stopped just outside a familiar door. She knocked loudly before opening the door slowly, peeking in to see if Leo was inside. But as soon as she opened the door, she wished she hadn't come upstairs at all.

There, sitting on the bed, was Leo, his lips attached to another girl's mouth. She was frozen to the spot, her eyes wide as she witnessed the scene in front of her. After a few moments, she cleared her throat, crossing her arms and glaring at the blonde that had previously been attached to Leo.

"Ivy?" Leo said, stunned.

"Care to explain yourself?" she asked him quietly, turning her stare to him.

"Ivy, it's not what it looks like-"

"No, it's exactly what it looks like."

Ivy's hands were now balled up in fists at her sides, shaking.

"I can't believe you would do something like this, Leo."

Leo took a step forward, extending his arm to reach for her, but Ivy quickly stepped back, almost spilling her drink on the ground.

"Don't touch me," she muttered, shaking her head. "We're over, Leo."

Ivy ran from the room, stumbling down the stairs and out the door. Tears were now streaming down her face as she got in her car and drove away, toward home. She felt stupid and vulnerable. She had ended up in the same exact position several times before, but still refused to ignore the pattern. Her relationships always ended the same way. Why couldn't she find that one person who would treat her right, like she was actually worth it? Ivy was beginning to think that guy didn't even exist, though she desperately hoped he did. It was just a matter of finding him.