What's Your Sign?

Nate had to pick up his pace a bit in order to catch up with the frazzled yellow-haired girl. He didn't want to have to call her name across the hallway and possibly embarass her further.

Someone short was blocking the distance between them. Nate decided to be swift and slipped the Smartpen in the open zipper of Ivy's bag without her knowledge. Ivy continued on her way without looking back.

Nate watched from a distance as she rounded the corner. He was suddenly shoved to an inlet in the hallway by a pair of rough hands.

"What was that?" The owner of the hands demanded.

Nate peeked around his anxious friend to scan the halls. "What was what?"

Joseph clenched his jaw, frustrated with Nate's ignorance. "In class -- you know who that girl is, right?"

Nate nodded. "Ivy Forbes."

"Right." Joseph squinted his dark eyes. "Jackson Forbes' younger sister."

Nate nodded a second time.

Joseph shoved him harder this time. "So why did you help her out in class?"

Nate was too distracted by student traffic. "Did you see any other offers being made?"

When Nate tried to escape, Joseph pinned him to the cinderblock wall. "Dammit, he killed my sister, Nate."

"Jackson didn't kill Kate." Nate said grimly. "Kate killed herself."

"Well there's got to be a reason why, and Forbes' name is written all over it."

Nate tried his best to politely remove his friend from his walking path. "Relax, would you? Ivy's not Jackson."

Joseph rolled his lips and gave up, recognizing the sickening tone of truth in Nate's voice.  

~oOo~

Ivy swooped into an inlet to catch her breath. She still felt the fire in her cheeks.

She closed her eyes and took a breath, encouraging the comforting vibes that spread throughout her body. 

On a whim, she decided to check her Smartphone. As she was rummaging through her bag, she came across it. The Smartpen.

How? How could it be here now, in plain slight, when all week long it had been missing? Ivy blamed the event on her continuously bad luck streak this week.

Ivy lifted the Smartpen in her fragile fingers and frowned. She could tell it had been stolen based on the foreign feelings in her fingertips. Yet it still felt somehow familiar...

She dismissed the thought and placed her Smartpen in the safest pocket of her bag. Then she tried to reach Jackson on his Smartphone.

For probably the hundreth time this week, Jackson didn't respond. He even missed her birthday, and Ivy was sure that eighteen was one that should not be missed.

She could make an educated guess as to where he was. His mysterious new lover, Nina, lived in the depths of the city. He was head over heels, Ivy could see it clear as day. He may have loved Nina more than he loved Kate.

If that were true, and Jackson's horoscope led him to the city, it was not good news for Nina.