Chapter 31: Chapter Fifteen-2

“Goodbye, Lee,” I whisper as I shut the door. “There’s one chapter in my life I hope to never open again.” I sigh and take my bags upstairs where I unpack for the next hour, placing all my things back inside my room. I am seriously going to forget Lee from now on. Mom doesn’t get home until a few days later: Saturday. There is only about one day and a half left of vacation. I try to drag the days as much as possible. I really don’t want to have to go back to school. People get on my nerves. “Honey,” Mom says, “why aren’t you doing anything productive?” She’s carrying a white basket full of laundry. We’re in my room and I’m lying on my bed, my head dangling off the bed as I read my book upside down. “I am doing something productive, Mom,” I argue. I shake the book in my hand. “I’m reading.” Mom folds my clean clothes and puts it in my drawers. It smells of lavender—Mom’s new favorite detergent. “Yes, reading is wonderful and all, honey, but why don’t you go do something? Meet some friends? Go to the mall? I don’t know, go outside?” Mom suggests, folding more clothes in a crisp way—like the stores do—that I never get right. “Well, seeing that there’s about three feet of snow outside—how am I supposed to go anywhere?” I say to Mom as I continue reading Mary’s Pain. It’s a book that I have to finish by the end of vacation, which I only started yesterday but it’s not so bad. “You’re so hopeless.” “Thanks, Mom.” “Okay, I’ll be in the laundry room if you need me. Holler if you need me,” Mom says as she stands in the doorway. “’Kay,” I say. Mom leaves my room and I continue reading my book. I really need to finish reading it. There’s an essay I have to do after I finish reading. Everything’s silent for a few seconds until my phone starts vibrating from the nightstand. Without looking, I pick up. “Hello?” “Hey, girl!” Candy chirps. “How was the romantic getaway with Lee?” Lee. I had been doing a good job of steering away from that name for the past few days—doing anything to avoid his name or anything about him. But Candy just brings it up within a second. “First, it wasn’t even romantic. It was horrible,” I say. “And… he’s got a fiancé.” Candy gasps. “Yeah, I know. Can you believe it?” “A fiancé?” Candy almost yells in my ear. ‘What do you mean fiancé? How could he not tell you? How could anyone not know? How didn’t you know? What is wrong with the world these days?” She starts mumbling incoherent things about Lee. “I really don’t know.” A weird, knotty feeling spreads over my stomach. “Look, I have to go. Call you later, okay?” I hang up. This strange feeling is in my stomach. I think its hate, jealously, disgust, anger all balled up into one. I lay on my back on the bed, staring at the ceiling. Listening to my breathing makes me feel so peaceful. I almost doze off before my phone rings again. “Hello?” “It’s Lee.” The knotty feeling is back. “Yes?” “Listen, you have to let me explain,” Lee says. “I just have this real guilty feeling about what I did to you. You should let me explain, first.” He waits for my answer. I stay still for a couple of seconds and the only thing I hear is his breathing. “You don’t have to explain anything to me. I’m just a girl who got you into some annoying problems. It’s fine. I’m hanging up now.” “No, wait Ivory!” Lee says. I stay quiet, indicating I’m still here. “Listen, my fiancé thing—her name’s Penny. We’ve been close friends we were little. Our families are really good friends. Her family owns Littleton Corps. So when our families decided it was a good idea to get us married and merge the companies, I had no say in it.” “Why don’t the media know? Why did they spread rumors saying I’m your girlfriend when you already have a fiancé?” I ask. “The media wasn’t told yet. We planned to tell them once I turned twenty-one and once Penny came back from college in France. Well, I’m twenty-one and she’s back from college. The time would be now but I just don’t know. My—my father’s death wish was for me to get married to her.” His voice cracks at the end. Lee’s voice never cracks. He’s finally opening up about his father, too. “Then why’d you agree with me?” I ask. “You idiot. You have a fiancé and now all the media thinks we’re together. And some of your business partners.” “Yes, I know. I have thought this all over. Don’t worry. When Penny and I officially announce it, they’ll forget about you and me. We’ll officially announce it and they’ll forget you—who didn’t officially say with proof.” “Oh,” I say, somewhat offended. “Ivory… about your con—” “Lee, it’s okay. Listen, I don’t like you. I said it at the spur of the moment, okay? I have no feelings for rich, ignorant men,” I say, hoping it offends him. “In fact, I already have a date next weekend.” And my lie just keeps getting bigger. “Really? Who?” Lee asks, sounding unsure and curious. “Mark,” I say, his name at the top of my head. I need to stop lying. Look where my latest lie got me. A broken heart and embarrassment. I need to start fresh—without Lee, without lies. Just me. “I don’t think you should—” My anger boils higher. First, he rejects me and then tells me about a fiancé I never knew existed and now when I try to save the last of my pride, he’s trying to push me down again? “Save it, Lee. I’m not interested in your selfish thoughts. Thanks for telling me about your fiancé, anyways. Not like I care. Don’t call me again.”