Pulse

After Daniel saved her butt that night, Ivy had some tough choices to face. She could let him in, and risk everything. Risk her thoughts, feelings, and music for this stranger who may not even like her company. Or, she could push him away, and risk having him have been the very best friend she would have ever had. Risk her life being entirely different, possibly worse, without him.

But she didn’t have to make that choice yet. Or at all, if she played her cards right. She could leave it up to him. Then it would be on his conscience. The proverbial blood would be on his hands. Ivy sighed in confusion, and rolled over, falling asleep almost instantly.

A few days later, Ivy’s mother came home, under very strict orders from her doctor to “take it easy” for a few days. The company where she worked even offered to extend her sick leave by a few days, as long as she was alright. Ivy loved her mother’s boss for being so understanding.

“So, what are we going to do today?” Ivy asked, walking up behind her mother and throwing her arms around her mother’s neck.

“Well, baby, I desperately need to go to the store, and one of your little friends called. He wanted to take you to the park. If you want my opinion, I think you should go because I think this boy likes you.” Her mother nodded, satisfied with her own conclusion.

Ivy’s head was swimming. Boy? What boy? Was it George, her partner for the monstrous English project? Was it Harold, the boy she’d turned down over a dozen times because of his mean disposition and the tendency of all of his girlfriends to end up pregnant?

“Momma,” Ivy began softly, trying not to let any emotion into her question, “Did he say what his name was?” Regardless of her intentions, Ivy’s nails were digging into her palms. She was nervous, obviously so, and even her mother could tell.

Her mom laughed. “Yes he did.”

“And you’re not going to tell me what that name was, are you?” Ivy frowned, hoping against hope that her mother was going to be nice and go ahead and tell her.

Her mother just laughed. “You’d better go get ready to go. He said he’d be here around 3 o’clock, and he’d have you back after dinner.”

“Oh.” Ivy sighed. Since it was going to take so long, Ivy figured it was probably either George, wanting to do the project early as always, or the incredibly easy to turn down Harold. Either way, the afternoon would be uneventful. She hurried to her room to change out of her pajamas and take a shower before her “company” arrived. After her shower, she decided to wear her favorite T-shirt, the one her mother had gotten her from the company trip to a horse ranch, and an old pair of jeans. After all, it wasn’t like she was trying to impress anybody.

The doorbell rang just as Ivy was putting the finishing touches on her hair. Whoever her visitor was, he had impeccable timing. Putting on her game face, which consisted of a very fake smile and tense eyes, Ivy opened the door. And then nearly slammed it shut again.

Standing in her doorway was none other than Daniel. Holding a single daisy. Ivy quickly looked down at her appearance - the too-big T-shirt, the old, paint-smeared, holey jeans, the fact that she hadn’t put on make-up. And then she cringed, partly for looking so horrible, and partly because she cared that he saw her looking this way. For some reason, the latter frightened her immensely.

“Well, um” Daniel cleared his throat. “You look, uh, lovely?” He half-smiled.

“Shut up.” All of the pleasant pretenses were instantly gone as he spoke those words. “You’re lucky my mom didn’t tell me who was going to be at the door. Or else I wouldn’t have answered.”

“Ouch.” Daniel said, putting the hand that wasn’t holding the daisy to his heart. “I thought we were over all of this…”he swished the daisy around in the air, looking for the right word “unpleasantness.” He finally decided, extending the daisy to her. “I even brought you a flower.”

“Good.” Ivy said, snatching it from his grasp, “I’m sure my mom will love it on her kitchen table.”

This was obviously not going the way Daniel had wanted it to, and he was looking very sad and droopy. Ivy felt bad for making him feel that way, and then felt worse for feeling bad. She wanted him to be happy, and, strangely, that was hard for her to accept. Finally, after what felt like hours of arguing with her better half, but was only about twenty seconds, Ivy put her hands on both of her hips and looked at him, pursing her mouth in the strangest expression, but in reality, only imitating the pose he had done just a few short days earlier that had her doubting his sexuality.

“So, are we doing this, or not?” she asked.

Daniel’s head whipped up from studying her carpet to look at her excitedly. “Are you serious? Do you really want to go, or are you just saying that?”

“Let’s go, Daniel. Let me get my purse.” She tried to step around him, but he wouldn’t let her. Instead, he held out his arm, from which Ivy’s purse swung delicately, waiting for her to pick it up.

“How did you…” Ivy shook her head and took her purse from his arm. “Where to, chief?” She asked, laughing at the thought that just a few moments earlier, she had wanted to slam a heavy wooden door in his face, possibly (hopefully) breaking his nose.

Daniel looked at her mischievously as she climbed into the passenger seat of his jolly rancher-smelling car. She shut the door, and he climbed in after her. Ivy felt her pulse pick up speed as he locked the door behind her, put the car into gear, and started to drive. He was on the highway before Ivy found her voice again.

“Daniel.” She demanded. “I said: Where are we going?”

“That’s for me to know and you to find out.” He looked over at her briefly and flashed a smile that sent shivers down her spine.

Ivy felt her pulse run cold as she realized the horrible possible outcomes of the situation. Here was this girl, in a virtually unrecognizable car, with this guy who she didn’t really know, speeding down the highway to God-knows-where, but it most assuredly was not the park, since it was in the opposite direction. She felt the adrenaline pulse through her veins.

This , she thought, could end badly.