It's been nearly ten months since the death of Nate Troit. Beloved son/step-son. Adored teacher by all students. Best friend. Loving boyfriend. He had been gone from all of their lives from nearly a year. And it still hurt. Like it never will never stop hurting. Ever.
Especially to Ivy. Last time you saw her, you'd think she had have gotten better as time went on, right? Turns out that's not the case. If anything she had gotten worse. Ivy thought she could deal with Nate's death and carry on with life, the way it used to be. Well, not totally how it used to be. But either way she and everyone else was wrong. Ivy couldn't deal with it in anyway. A lot of things happened after his death regarding his death that she just...broke. Distant from everyone. Including Stef. Stef tries to ignore it and tries to tell herself that Ivy hasn't been distant but, deep down she knew. But they never really said anything or acted upon it, all they could do was just accept it and hope that one day the Ivy they knew would come back to them.
"She's not home again?" Jesus said with a panic in his voice. He ran his fingers through his long brown locks and took out his phone. He began to scroll through his contacts before it being lightly took away from his hands, he looked up and reached out for it "Wha-mom!"
"We can't keep doing this. Better yet you can't" Stef laid on lightly as she put the phone down onto the kitchen table, with Lena behind her, her facial expression being in full agreement with what Stef had been saying. Jesus looked at his moms, confused "What're you talking about?"
Stef gulped heavily, Lena rubbed Stef's back and spoke for her "Honey you" she took a deep breath and started again "When Ivy first started acting out like this, we were all worried. We called her every night to see where she was and interrogated her every morning when we found her on the couch looking like a state...we did that for months and yet she still reacts the same, she pushes everyone away...Jesus what I'm trying to say is that Ivy is a grown woman, we can't treat her like a child. I know she's your sister and you love her but at the end of the day, she's old enough to know what we're doing. We've just got to back off a little"
Jesus looked to Lena, then Stef and then Lena again. He went to fight back but he already realized that she was right. He was older now, he was more mature and more understanding. But he was all the more protective because of how Ivy was now...reckless. Jesus nodded and took his phone back, he locked it and slid it in his pockets "Fine. Fine. I'm just worried, I know she hasn't been the same since Nate died and y'know with...what happened after but-I don't know I guess I thought she'd-"
"Go back to being the happy hippie she once was?" Stef said with a small, tight smile. Jesus sighed as he nodded, pursing his lips as he looked away from them.
Stef placed her hands on his shoulders "You are the best brother any sister could ask for, she knows how much you love her. She may not act like she does anymore but she knows" Stef kissed her son's cheek and then patted his shoulders "You should go to bed. It's almost twelve"
"It's saturday" Jesus said with a laugh.
"Yeah and where is everyone else" Lena laughed back "Upstairs in bed"
"Not asleep though" Jesus raised his eyebrows with a cocky smirk on his face.
"Fine, okay then just go in your bedroom and watch some movie in bed or whatever just go on" Stef laughed, patting his shoulders again before dropping her arms from him completely. Jesus rolled his eyes and nodded "Okay, okay" he turned around and began to go to the stairs.
"And hey, remember when you see Ivy tomorrow you don't say anything other than 'did you have a good night' right?"
"Right. Night moms, love you"
"We love you" the two women said at the same time. Stef huffed as she turned back to Lena "How is it that Jesus is now the more sensible one than Ivy?"
Lena shrugged and leaned on the kitchen table "She's lashing out"
"At who?"
Lena then pulled another shrug and rubbed her hands together "The world? For taking Nate and..." Lena bowed her head down for a moment and looked back at Stef. Stef knew what she meant, she nodded and rubbed Lena's hand "Yeah, I know...I can't go to sleep knowing she's still out" Stef said looking to the front door, just waiting for it to ring or open.
"I'll put on some coffee" Lena pushed her self up and walked over to the coffee machine.
An hour later and their prayers were finally answered. There was a knock at the door. Stef and Lena walked over at a fast place and opened the door to Milo and Lottie stood in front them, with Ivy swooped up in Milo's arms "Evening, Mrs and Mrs Adams Foster" Milo said with a small smile.
The two women looked at them unimpressed. But Lottie shook her head "We didn't go out with her, we didn't even know she was out...Ivy called me about half an hour ago in a club, drunk and shouting for us to go out with her. We went but only to get her" she reassured them. Stef looked at Lottie right in the eyes and knew she was telling the truth. Stef and Lena then looked at their unconscious daughter. Stef swept the hair away from Ivy's face and muttered "What are we going to do with you?" she then looked to Milo and Lottie and nodded for them to come in.
Milo glanced to Lottie and said "You got her bag, babe?"
Lottie waved the bag back and fourth and nodded "Yeah"
It didn't take long for Milo to realize that he was still in love with Lottie. He broke up with Sarah and waited a few weeks before they got together. Officially they have been back together for going on eight months, one month after Nate's death. Since then they don't really party as much, like Ivy and Nate didn't when they were sorting out their lives together. Hopefully they'll have more...luck.
"I'll carry her to her room then" Milo nodded as he held onto Ivy tighter, walking through the house into the back. Lottie slid her hands in her back pockets and looked to Stef and Lena "I'm sorry that you have to go through this. Ivy is...she's not coping as well as she plastered on just after he died"
"We know, sweetie, I think Nate's death was just the half of it"
Lottie nodded in agreement and bit her bottom lip "Does she say anything about it? Or even him anymore?"
Stef and Lena looked at each other, trying to remember the last time she even said Nate's name. It's been a long while that's for certain. They looked back at Lottie, their silence spoke to her.
"Yeah, I thought so" Lottie said with a heavy heart. A short time after, Milo came back into the house, quietly closing the door. Not wanting to wake anyone up and walked over to the front door to where the three women still stood "She's out like a light. I've got a feeling she'll need a lot of coffee and paracetamol tomorrow"
"Just say aspirin like a normal person"
Lottie rolled her eyes with a light laugh. Milo shrugged, he couldn't help it. He was British. Stef and Lena mumbled a laugh, Lena then spoke up "Thank you, for bringing her home we really appreciate it"
"It's no problem at all, we just want her to be safe" Milo nodded as he put his hand on Lottie's back "Yeah we do...could you ask her to call or text me in the morning?" Lottie added with a plea in her tone. Stef nodded and rubbed Lottie's arm briefly "Of course" she then looked to Milo and pointed to him "And I'll see you on Monday" Milo smiled and gave her a small salute "Yes Officer Adams-Foster, see you on Monday" Lena opened the door for them.
"Bye you two" Lena said with a small.
"Cya later" the pair both said as they walked out of the door. Milo swooped his arm over Lottie's shoulder and let out a big sigh "What?" she mumbled. Milo sighed again through his nose and pulled out the bag out of his pocket "She's still smoking weed" Lottie's jaw slightly dropped. Ivy told Lottie that she stopped it.
"You're not gonna tell Stef and Lena are you?"
Milo just shook his head as he put the bag back in his pocket. Lottie gulped heavily and muttered "What are we going to do?"
"I don't know. She won't listen to anyone these days, I-well we thought it was just a phase"
"Long freaking phase"
Milo kissed the top of Lottie's head "I know. We've just got to try and make sure she doesn't do anything worse"
9am, Ivy's eyes slowly opened as she felt a nudge of her shoulder. She looked up to see Stef standing over her, with a cup of coffee in her hand and an aspirin in the other. She wasn't smiling at her, she just looked...fed up. Stef cleared her throat and put the coffee and aspirin on the side table as Ivy slowly sat up rubbing her eyes. Stef tilted her head and spoke in a slight bitter tone "Fun night?"
"Hardly even remember it" Ivy grumbled keeping her hands over her eyes for a moment. She then pulled her hands away and looked up to Stef "Time?"
"About nine am" Stef shrugged, she pointed to the aspirin "That will sort your head out" she then walked over to Ivy's wardrobe and picked out a sweat shirt and her sweat pants. Laying them out on the bed as Ivy placed the pill in her mouth, swigging it down with her coffee. Ivy made an 'ah' sound as she swallowed the drink and put it back on the table. Stef turned to Ivy "Are you hungry"
Ivy looked to her and shrugged "Sure"
Stef rubbed her lips and tugged on Ivy's shirt "Get out of these, I'll put them in the wash"
Ivy stood up and took of her shirt, passing it over to Stef, she glanced at her before putting on her sweat shirt and muttered "No lecture?"
Stef looked back to Ivy from the shirt in her hands, Ivy now had her back to her. Stef softly answered back "I'm tired of giving you lectures, sweetheart. I'm just thankful that you didn't wake up still drunk out of your mind that I had to bathe you like baby just like I had to two weeks ago"
Ivy gulped heavily and bit her bottom lip, not replying at all. She didn't even turn around to look at Stef. And Stef just accepted it. She was used to it by now. More than she cares to admit. Stef walked over to the door "Come in the kitchen when you're ready"
"Okay" Ivy muttered.
"Oh and Lottie also wanted you to text her"
Ivy then turned around with her eyebrows furrowed she shrugged "When did she say that"
Stef sighed and raised her eyebrows "Last night, better yet this morning when she and Milo brought you home. You rang them asking them to come and join you for drinks but instead they found you and brought you home"
Ivy nodded and looked back down to her phone "Right" pretending that she remembered now that Stef mentioned it but really she had no idea. Stef left Ivy to it. When she heard the door shut, Ivy dropped the phone and rubbed her eyes again. She held the palm of her left hand to her forehead and took deep breaths, running her tongue across her bottom lip she let out a shaky breath. She brought her hand down to her chest, over her heart and gripped onto her sweatshirt. She glanced over to the photo of Nate she had beside her bed side table. Looking as if he was smiling at her. Sometimes she couldn't stand it. Especially when she gets in states like this.
Ivy picked her phone up from the bed and sent a quick, brief text to Lottie Hi, honey. Thanks for last night. Sorry for being a pain.
She slid her phone in her pocket, along with putting her hands in both as she walked up to the house. She took her right hand out of her pocket and opened the kitchen door to find the rest of her family surrounded by the table, eating their breakfast. They all looked up to her, with little smiles on their faces.
Ivy gave them a forced, tight smile and said as she shut the door "Morning, family"
Ivy sat next Callie. Across the way from Brandon and Jesus. Jude was on the very on of the table with Lena as Stef was at the top of the table with Mariana. Ivy lightly scratched her forehead as Stef poured her another cup of coffee "Thanks" she muttered as she held the warm mug in her hand. Ivy put cereal in her bowl and poured in some milk, she hardly even spoke. It was like this most mornings now.
"Good night last night?" Ivy looked up to Jesus's big brown eyes. She rubbed her lip together and cleared her throat as she chewed down her cereal. Ivy gave him a little nod with her eyebrows slightly raised "Yeah, it was good"
"We didn't hear you come in last night?" Mariana asked in a light tone. But still had concern written across her face. Ivy looked to her and glanced to Stef. She wasn't an idiot, obviously she wasn't going to say that she was brought home past out by Milo and Lottie. Ivy licked her bottom lip and shrugged "I came through the back...didn't want to wake any of you guys"
Mariana understood and gave her a nod with a smile.
Ivy's phone buzzed in her pocket. She took it out and read the text from Lottie. It's not a problem. Btw, Milo took the bag of weed away. Just in case you were planning on blazing later. Ivy rolled her eyes and slid her phone back in her pocket. Well it's official, Lottie was mad at her. Ivy promised her that she'd stop smoking that stuff, and she intended to stop, but she was easy to give in to it once she gets stressed or feeling...well...depressed.
"You okay, bear?" Stef asked in a mumble, reaching out and rubbing Ivy's arm. Ivy looked to Stef, sliding her tongue across her top teeth she nodded "Yeah, I'm fine"
"She is not fine!"
"Stef" Lena strained her tone, trying to get her wife to keep her voice down. Stef put her hands on her hips and paced up and down her bedroom "I don't know what to do anymore Lena! It's like I don't even know this girl anymore, she looks like Ivy and speaks like Ivy but she is just a totally-totally different person"
Lena sighed as she sat on the bed, glancing down at the duvet, she didn't comment.
"We've been trying so hard with her" Stef cried in a whisper looking to the ceiling. Lena took her eyes back to Stef and took hold of her wife's hand "I know...it's...it's stressful" Stef looked to Lena, tapping her foot to try and keep her emotions from rising to the surface, but you could hear it all in her voice "I don't blame her. I don't...but I just don't understand what I-what we can do or say anymore"
"Why don't you suggest her going to see a therapist again?"
Stef let out a dry laugh and shook her head "No. Not after last time"
Two weeks ago...
Stef walked into Ivy's room. She didn't hear her come in last night. She walked in to find Ivy on the floor of her bedroom, out cold. It sent Stef into an instant panic "Ivy?!" she yelled, running over and kneeling down in front of Ivy, cupping her face and shaking her "Ivy! Ivy! Wake up, come on wake up!" Ivy's eyes slowly began to open "That's it, come on" Stef shook her more lightly. Ivy sat up, she looked at Stef in the eyes and then suddenly snapped her head to the side and threw up on the floor. Stef leaned back on her knees and sighed deeply as Ivy coughed out. Ivy's eyes were so droopy, she looked like she was going to pass out. In fact, she was. Stef grabbed her to prevent her from falling back to the floor "No you don't" Stef lifted Ivy off her feet. She was surprisingly stronger than she let on as she lifted Ivy over her shoulder and carried her into the bathroom.
She turned the bath on. In the mean time she had to wake Ivy up. She was in the clothes from the previous night so they were going to get in the wash anyway. Stef took the shower head from the bath and turned it on, she even put it on cold to give that extra alarming feel to Ivy as she hosed her down "Wake up Ivy!" Ivy's eyes shot open "Jesus Christ!" she shrieked, holding her hands up to try and block the water out.
"Yeah Jesus Christ, that was my thoughts exactly when I found you drunk out of your mind unconscious...again"
Stef turned off the shower. Ivy was clearly still in no fit state to undress herself never mind bathe by herself. So Stef had to undress and get Ivy in the bath. Ivy just sat there as Stef wiped her body down "Where did you go last night then?"
"Erm...I don't even know some club-I'm not even sure where"
Stef slid the wet sponge down Ivy's back and looked at her from behind "How'd you get home. Please don't tell me you drove"
Ivy shook her head and mumbled "Called a cab"
"Well, at least you had some sense still left in you" Stef passed her the sponge so Ivy could wipe her arms and the rest of the front of her body. Stef squeezed the shampoo in her head and put in on Ivy's head "You've been smoking pot again haven't you"
"What? No I-"
"Ivy your clothes stink of it. So don't even bother" Stef muttered in a disappointed tone. Ivy bit her lip and didn't comment. A part of her felt like apologizing but...she just stayed silent.
"You can't keep doing this" she heard Stef say, finally breaking the silence.
"I don't see what the problem is"
Stef stopped washing the shampoo in Ivy's hair and dropped her hands "The problem, Ivy, is that I hate seeing you in these states. I hate having to reassure the kids that you come home safe in one peace because they worry about you so much. I hate that you don't even think that much of yourself anymore that you just do this nearly every weekend...you're barely keeping your job the amount of times you show up late now and call in sick. You're lucky mama is the vice and convinces Monte to keep you on...it's been nearly eight months since what happened-happened"
"You don't think I know that? Nine months since Nate and..." Ivy hitched her breath and shook her head "Do you even have a point?" Stef began to rinse the shampoo out of Ivy's hair and didn't give her an answer. Yet. Ivy got out of the bath, now freshly clean and dressed in her sweats, which is what she now wears 90% of the the time when she's at home. When they went back into the living room, Ivy was drying her hair down with the towel. That was when Stef decided to answer Ivy's question "I do have a point to what I was saying before"
"Which is?" Ivy asked, not looking at Stef as she continued to rub the towel against her head. Stef gulped heavily and took a deep breath "I think you should go talk to someone...go see a therapist?"
Ivy stopped rubbing the towel on her head and slowly looked to Stef "Are you joking?"
Stef shook her head and clasped her hands together "Ivy. What you're doing it's-it's not healthy, mentally you're-"
"Don't even dare finish that sentence!" Ivy snapped and pointed at her with the towel still in her hand "You know what I've been through!"
"Exactly, I know what you've been through...and that's-"
"You think that me being the way I am means I'm crazy? That I'm being reckless? Putting myself in danger!? I'm twenty one freaking years old! Going out and getting drunk is not out of the ordinary for my age group"
"No it's not, you're right but it's why you're doing it"
Ivy's face dropped, she lowered her arm and tilted her head ever so slightly "What is that supposed to mean?"
Stef felt her eyes fill up, she spoke in a whisper "Honey, everything that has happened...you're punishing yourself"
Ivy hitched out a laugh, she nodded looking down at the floor and bit her lip "Punishing myself"
Stef closed her eyes for a moment and let out a sigh "God...Ivy I didn't mean-"
"Get out" Ivy shook her head, throwing her towel aside causing it to hit the wall, she walked over to the bed, Stef followed and muttered as she placed her hand on Ivy's back "Baby please-"
"Get out, mom" Ivy pushed Stef's hand off her back by fiercely pulling her shoulder forward. Stef stepped backwards. Ivy didn't say anything. She didn't look at her. She just sat on the bed, legs crossed. Back to Stef. Not saying or moving anything.
Eventually after a minute of a long silence, she left.
Lena pursed her lips and looked to the floor for a second, still holding onto Stef's hand. Lena looked back to Stef, whose eyes stayed on Lena the entire time. They didn't say anything, Lena just pulled Stef into her arms and held her.
As their children, all except Ivy. Heard the whole conversation on the other side of the door.
Depressing start? Oops.
Ivy has really changed from who she used to be huh? Poor Stef, she's trying so hard.
So this is the start of my sequel, hope you guys stick with me to see who will help to melt down Ivy's now frozen heart.
What do you think happened to Ivy after Nate's death? Don't worry. I won't keep you in the dark with that for too long ;)
Please leave reviews below!
