Disclaimer: I do not own Sky High.
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Ivy zipped the back of her dress, and adjusted the straps so they fit on her broad shoulders. She looked at herself in the full length mirror, and although the dress was shorter than anything she'd ever worn, she felt oddly comfortable. Midway down her thighs with a slit in the back, form-fitting showing off her close to perfect figure, pure-white satin with a straight neckline and thin straps. With an empire waist seam, and a small slit down the center of the bust line, Ivy smiled at her image of Warren's reaction to the revealing dress. She had let her hair dry completely straight, before adding a few perfect curls to the very top layer, and she had let it fade from it's black state the day before back to the dark ruby of the entire week. She pulled on her mid-calf, white leather heeled-boots, finished her gray, black and red eyeshadow, added a touch of dark red lipstick to match her hair, and she left her room, black mini-trench coat in hand.
Lash hadn't seen Ivy since she had left school the day before. She hadn't been home when he got back, and she hadn't left her room the entire day. When he knocked on her door and got no response, he assumed she'd been in the shower and hadn't heard him. He got dressed in his black tux and a black and white striped t-shirt, and waited anxiously in the living room for her. He'd slipped a note under her door saying the last bus for the school left at precisely eight-thirty. He glanced at the clock above his mantle. Eight-fifteen. He turned to walk down the hall and get her, when he saw her standing blocking his path.
Ivy had put her coat on over the dress and buttoned it completely. She had a sheer, thin white and silver scarf that she wore around her neck, and a thick silver cuff on her left wrist. Lash gave a nervous smile when he saw her, and she returned it with a pleasant, almost happy one of her own. Lash went to let Walker know they were leaving, and returned to the living room in an instant. He opened the door for her, and the two of them sped down the street to the stop.
"I'm sorry I've ignored you all day." She didn't turn to look at him, simply stared into night.
Lash turned his head towards her. "It's fine. Your first priority is to take care of yourself." He paused for a minute to see a smile pass over her face. "You look beautiful, by the way."
Ivy shifted her weight to face him, with a huge grin across her face. "Just wait 'til you see the dress." She raised her eyebrow suggestively just as the bus came. She boarded the bus, leaving Lash to stand just a moment to contemplate her statement, smile devilishly, and follow her to the third row of seats. There were few others on the bus, most of them sophomore's and freshmen.
"Taylor and Tony are already there. They called asking when I was coming only about seven times." He rolled his eyes, and sighed angrily.
"Did you tell them you were waiting for your date?" Ivy looked at him with a tinge of humor sparkling on her lips.
"Yeah. They didn't even know I had a date. Taylor asked who would even think about going with me." He looked back at her, and an anger passed through his eyes.
"What wonderful people they are." Ivy smiled sarcastically, and the bus landed with Lash laughing loud and hard.
Ivy and Lash entered the gym to see most everyone dancing. Layla came running over as soon as she saw them enter, and gave Lash a huge hug before turning to Ivy and repeating Lash's nervous smile.
"I don't get a hug?" Ivy put her hands on her hips and mock scoffed.
Layla smiled widely at her friends lifted spirit and gave her an even bigger hug than the one she'd given Lash. She led Lash and Ivy to the table she'd grabbed for their group, and was surprised to see Magenta and Zach still sitting. Will looked miserable and sipped his punch.
"Whoa, who died?" Ivy sat down without undoing her coat, and Lash sat beside her.
Will glanced at the dance floor, hinting that Ivy should do the same. She turned her head hesitantly, eyes lingering on Will's expression for a moment longer than necessary, before fully comprehending the scene before her.
"Is that her?" Ivy felt her face flushing with anger and jealousy.
Warren was, most willingly, dancing with a tall, dark, and beautiful Native American girl with long braids, and sparkling green eyes. She was in a long royal blue dress that swept the ground, and black flats.
"Yeah. He hasn't said a word to any of us all night. Just came in and started dancing." Ivy looked at Zach who didn't even attempt to hide his disappointment and sadness at their rejection.
"Who is she?" Ivy turned to Layla, who undoubtedly knew.
"His first girlfriend. They were together for over two years, granted it was middle school, but she moved away. She's visiting her grandpa for a little while, and Principal Powers agreed to let her come, but only cause she was good friends with Aponi's mom."
"She's a super?" Ivy turned back to look at the dark-skinned Native girl. "She's beautiful." Everyone turned to look at Ivy, and saw her posture shrink, and her hair begin to fade to a lighter shade of red.
"Yeah." Layla continued. "Her name means butterfly. One guess what her power is." She shrugged sadly.
"She flies." Ivy sighed. "Does she have wings?" She turned her attention back to Layla who nodded. "Well, as long as he's happy."
Zach snorted. "He looks happy all right." Ivy turned back to see Aponi slow dancing with him, both laughing.
Lash glanced at Ivy, whose hair had darkened again and face had flushed that angry red. Her eyes began to fold, but stopped midway, and reversed back to their gray.
"You can't just sit and stare all night. Gotta make him look at you." Lash whispered so only Ivy heard, and she looked at him stupidly.
"What would he be jealous of? Look at her, Jordan." She looked back at Aponi.
"You'd be surprised." He didn't take his eyes off Ivy's face as he stood up and unbuttoned his jacket. "C'mon. We're not just gonna sit here all night."
"I don't really feel like dancing right now." She turned back to the table, and Magenta shrieked. They all turned their attention to her, and her attention was fixated on the dance floor in horror. Ivy, Layla and the boys whipped their heads around to see Warren and Aponi gently kissing each other.
Lash leaned back down. "So. Let's give him something to be jealous about." He offered Ivy his hand, and she looked up at him with a mischievous smile. She took the offered hand and stood up. Slowly unbuttoning her coat, feminine gasps and gawking boys from all around fixed their attention on her. She slipped the coat off her shoulders, and let it rest on the back of the chair. Zach and Will both looked up at her, and Zach nearly fell out of his seat. Layla and Magenta glanced at her, then at each other not sure whether to be jealous at their boyfriends' sudden distraction or not.
Lash led Ivy out to the dance floor, most of the student population staring at her as they went.
"See?" The started dancing slowly. "Everyone else is staring. Why wouldn't he?"
"Maybe because he's too busy sucking face with Butterfly-Girl." She felt her eyes folding again, and she shut them and squeezed them tight to stop it.
She and Lash danced for a few songs, until Taylor and Speed spotted them.
"Lash. What are you doing with her?" Ivy and Lash stopped and turned to see Taylor and Speed standing before them. "Don't tell me she's your date!" Ivy saw Taylor's face slowly twist into a jealous rage.
"Yeah. She is." He turned his back to them and took Ivy's hand to continue dancing, when Speed grabbed his friends shoulder and whipped him back around.
"Don't talk to her like that, man. Not cool."
"I'm tryna dance here, you guys mind?" He ignored Speed's stare and again focused on Ivy, who was smiling in admiration that he was finally breaking away from them.
"Who is that girl dancing with Warren?" Taylor's attention was completely diverted by Aponi. "Who is that girl kissing Warren!" Ivy heard Taylor's breath catch in her throat, and she maneuvered around Lash just in time to catch a falling Taylor.
"Hey, calm down. Can you stand? Here." Ivy grabbed Taylor's arm, and draped it around her neck. "Lean on me. Lash get her other arm." Lash grabbed her other arm without question, and mirrored Ivy on Taylor's other side. Together they helped Taylor walk over to their table.
"What in the-- ?" Will immediately stood up and went over to Ivy. "Are you joking? Since when are you friends with her?" Will was outraged in his own right, but Ivy ignored his complaints.
"Speed, get her some water." He was back in the blink of an eye with a cup of cold water, handing it to Ivy.
Ivy knelt down next to Taylor, who was weakly sitting in the chair that held Ivy's coat. She managed to get the entire cup of water down, and her breathing slowed and the heaviness faded back to normality.
"You OK?" Ivy rubbed her back a little in comfort.
Taylor looked up at Ivy, unsure of how to respond. "Why are you being nice to me? I hate you."
Ivy smiled. "So I'm told. But if there's one person I despise above you, it's her." She nodded in Aponi's direction, who was still contently kissing Warren on the dance floor.
"How are you so calm about it?" Ivy turned her attention back to Taylor, who looked utterly helpless and broken-hearted.
"Because. If it makes him happy..." Her voice trailed and she shrugged.
Will, Layla, Magenta and Zach all stood around Taylor, listening to the two girls exchange dialogue about Warren and his old flame. For the first time since Warren and Taylor's break-up, they saw vulnerability in her when she spoke about him, not anger.
Layla sheepishly stepped forward to Taylor and knelt down beside Ivy. "You wanna dance with us? I promise we're still fun." She gave Taylor a warm smile, and was pleasantly surprised when it was returned, even if weakly and sadly. Taylor nodded, and took a deep breath before standing up. Layla's knee-length brown dress rustled as she stood, and she gently smoothed the skirt. She adjusted the cap sleeves and V-neckline before complaining it was still too big, even after alterations. Magenta laughed at her, and retied her corsette style back. Lash took Ivy's hand gingerly and the group of eight made their way onto the dance floor.
Taylor and Speed started dancing to the slow song, but she could tell his attention was elsewhere.
"What's up, Tony?" She tilted her head to the side a bit, in an effort to be casual.
"Nothing." He continued dancing, but Taylor stopped abruptly, and he stared at her. "You still have feelings for him, don't you?"
Taylor took a step back from him and shifted uncomfortably. "I'm just not used to seeing him with someone else. I don't still like him, Tony." She shook her head as if he were crazy to think such a thing.
"Maybe not. But you do still love him." He continued to watch her, and she dropped her gaze to the floor.
"I've tried to stop, Tony. You don't understand how I've tried to get him out of my head." She looked back at him, with small tears welling in the corners of her eyes.
Nearby Ivy and Lash could hear the entire conversation. She looked at him worried.
"Well. Good luck, Taylor." He mock bowed to her and left the floor.
Ivy and Lash immediately stopped dancing and watched Speed slam the gym doors open and leave the building. Ivy looked up at Lash.
"I'll try to talk to him. Don't know what good it'll do, but..." She shrugged, squeezed Lash's hand and jogged after Speed. Lash went to Taylor, who stood where Speed had left her, and he pulled her in close to finish the slow dance.
"Ivy's talking to him. Hopefully she'll work it all out." He reassuringly patted her back.
"She's good at that, isn't she?" Taylor mumbled into Lash's shoulder.
"Actually, she kinda sucks at it." Taylor let out a small laugh, and as the song changed into a faster one, they changed momentum to match the beat.
"Speed! Hey, Speed, wait a sec!" Ivy dashed out of the main building and down the first flight of steps to meet Speed on the landing.
"What? Haven't you caused enough problems?" He turned on her, dark and angry.
"I haven't done anything. Look, I know this must be killing you but--"
"No. You don't know shit." He pushed her shoulder back and turned his back. He went to the waiting bus and boarded it.
Ivy stood, watching the bus take off into the air, shocked that Speed could be so cold. Eventually she made her way back to the gym where she saw Warren and Will in a verbal fight, with Layla, Magenta, and Zach standing silently and awkwardly. Ivy walked over to the three bystanders, and linked arms with Layla.
"Where's Lash and Taylor?" She whispered quietly so she didn't interrupt the boys' quarrel. Layla turned her head and nodded back to the dance floor. Ivy nodded her understanding and turned back to Will yelling at Warren.
"You've been a total dick all week, Warren, then you show up here, with some random girl that you've never even mentioned before yesterday, and you ignore us all night."
"I haven't see you all week, Stronghold. How does that qualify as being a dick in your book?" Warren stepped closer to Will, meeting him at eye-level, neither willing to back down for the sake of their pride.
"You need to stop brooding and get over yourself." Everyone within hearing distance gasped at Will's unusual forthrightness.
"What?" Warren stepped even closer to Will, heat and smoke starting to rise out of him.
Ivy stepped forward then before someone got hurt, and she pulled Will away from Warren. "Will, stop. This isn't the time or the place." Will didn't take his eyes of his best friend. "Will." Ivy turned Will's face so he was looking at her instead. "Stop. Go dance with Lay. Have a good time. You can do this later." She pushed him in Layla's direction, and reluctantly was led to the dance floor. Magenta and Zach gave Ivy small smiles and followed them. Ivy turned back to Warren, whom she hadn't spoken to in over a week. He stared at her, and quickly looked her up and down.
"You look --"
"Stop." She put her hand in front of his face. "Don't say a thing, Warren. Just go back to you female. I'm sure her mouth is starting to get dry." Ivy went to leave him, but he grabbed her hand and pulled her into his chest. He wrapped his arms around her, unwilling to let go. "Get off me." She struggled to get out from his hold, but failed.
"She's just a friend." He looked at her in the eyes as she continued to fight against his grip.
"I don't care what she is. Your life is none of my business, now let go of me." She hit him as hard as she could with such minimal use of her arms and hands.
He pulled her closer to him, and pressed her into his chest. He leaned down to close the gap between them, and whispered in her ear. "You look amazing tonight, Ivy." His soft breath was hot on her ear, and traveled down her neck and spine, but she refused to let the shiver and goosebumps show. He gently kissed the skin beneath her earlobe, letting his lips linger for just a moment before letting go of her completely and walking away without a second glance.
"What was that about?" Ivy whipped around to see Layla and Lash standing behind her.
"The ass has moved on from ignoring me, to mocking me." She lied, but let her honest frustration show. "Whatever. Let's dance!" She grabbed their hands and pulled them both back to the dance floor.
Everyone danced for hours. Taylor had slowly melted the exterior layer of ice she'd acquired, and became the friendly, fun girl they'd known when Warren was dating her. Will was the last of the group to accept her change of heart, but ultimately let it go because he understood the depth of her hurt. Taylor and Ivy were more similar in personality than anyone had ever realized or noticed, and the two girls spent most of the night dancing with each other and singing at the top of their lungs to the music.
"You've been waiting so long, I'm here to answer your calls... I know them other guys', they been talkin' 'bout the way I do what I do, they heard I was good, they wanna see if it's true..."
In the midst of their dancing, Taylor noticed Warren and Aponi had returned to the floor, hand in hand, exchanging quick kisses now and then, and she turned the other way.
"Uh, gross. I'm gonna dance over there." Ivy grabbed Lash's hand and dragged him quickly to the otherside.
"Don't these people have any shame? I would never do something like that." Ivy was honestly embarrassed watching the two of them.
Lash smiled as he moved to look at her. "And you also never wear stuff like this." He pulled the strap of her tight white dress. "Uncharacteristic much?" He raised a laughing eyebrow.
"Oh, you love it." She laughed at him and continued to dance.
Lash was lucky Trent came at that moment to distract Ivy, so she couldn't see him blush in agreement.
The rest of the night passed without any issues or problems, and Ivy and Lash returned to the house with more energy than they'd had when they'd left. They burst into Lash's room laughing and play fighting, the way they did.
"So. Warren wasn't happy watching you dance with me." He pushed her shoulder, watching her anger and embarrassment grow and fight each other for control.
"Oh, whatever. I'm over it." She took her boots off, and looked at Lash, who stood staring at her with a mock agreement written on his face. "What!" She flailed her arms at him.
"Liar." He said simply while taking his own shoes off. She smirked at him before going into her room to change into her sweats. She returned to his room within minutes and he was lying on his bed in gray sweats. He patted the edge of his bed, inviting her to join him, and she accepted the offer.
They lay side by side on his bed for a few moments before he leaned over her and flipped on the radio. After settling back next to her, he turned his head to face hers. "Why do you care about him?"
She returned his stare, and did her best to shrug. "I don't know. Because... He's... I don't know. He was there for me?" She turned back to face the ceiling that had the galaxy painted on it.
"The whole tall, dark and handsome thing did you in?" He turned his own attention back to the ceiling.
"Somethin' like that." Ivy smiled and looked at him again. Her smile faded as she saw his own saddened expression. "What's wrong?" She frowned at him.
"Nothing. Just tired, I guess." He turned his head and faked a smile.
Ivy continued to look at him, studying his face. His hazel-chestnut eyes, shaggy hair, cute nose... Perfect lips... Her gaze stayed locked on his lips for an instant before finding their way back to his eyes. She nervously raised her left hand up to rest on his cheek, gently stroking the soft skin. She saw the confusion in his face, and smiled slightly. She slowly, gently kissed his lips, unsure of exactly how to; she'd never been able to touch anyone, let alone kiss them before three months ago.
She pulled herself away from him, and saw the confusion had intensified. "What was that for?"
"Just seemed right." She felt her mood dampen by his response, before he leaned in to kiss her back. She leaned over, so she was above him, and she entangled her fingers in his hair as his arms wrapped around her waist and back, hugging her. Slowly, his hands found their way onto her skin, and the lights above them begin to fold in, glowing dimly. Ivy briefly pulled herself away from his lips to look at him. He returned the smile in her eyes, and she kissed him again.
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Ohh no!!! Haha Happy Thanksgiving, y'all!