Brandon jumped out of his skin when his bedroom door flew open, with his angry mother storming in and saying "What is your problem? Just tell me right now what is it?"

Brandon slowly took his headphones off. Clearly Stef went to see what made Ivy so upset.

He acted clueless in the kitchen, which probably made Stef more angry at the fact that he had practically lied to her face, Brandon sighed "Mom-"

"Brandon why do you insist to interrogate Ivy on her personal life? Do you understand how confused she is right now about all of this? How heartbroken she is-"

"Well trust her to tell you. Her best friend"

Stef gave him a stern look, with his hands on her hips "I am the only one she is truly comfortable opening up to B"

"I get it!" Brandon snapped back.

Stef then crossed her arms as she leaned down to him "What is it about her that gets you so riled up? Hm? Tell me because I really don't understand"

Brandon sigh and sat back in his chair "Isn't it clear? She's your golden girl. Always number one whether she's here or San francisco-"

"That's ridiculous. I love all you kids the same-"

"She isn't even your kid!" the words came out and he couldn't take them back. But when it came to Ivy, he actually meant it.

Stef stood back up straight and took in a deep breath "We're going there are? She's not mine? Whose is she? Katherine's? The woman who abandoned her for sixteen years and popped by whenever she felt like it? Or what about your other siblings?"

Brandon scoffed "It's different"

Stef nodded and pointed to him "It's different because you have a problem with her. If we are going to get technical here Brandon, she has been a sister to you longer than the rest. Ivy has been through a rough time, she's trying to get her life back on track and she does not need you giving her a third degree"

"Rough time? Be serious mom, how bad could she have had it. Do you not think she might be playing you?"

Before Stef had the chance to really snap to him. Ivy beat him to it as she came bursting in after eavesdropping in on the conversation.

"You arrogant son of a bitch!"

Stef sighed and folded her arms and muttered a small warning for Ivy to calm down "Ivy"

Ivy glanced to Stef and shook her head "No. Aunt Stef. He doesn't get to do that" she looked back to Brandon "You don't get to make assumptions about my life when you haven't lived it or know anything about what I went through? Do you think I was having the time of my life up there? Well you know what Brandon whilst you were demanding to move out of this house and crapping all over everything that has ever been given to you I would have given anything to be here. You have no idea how long I lived in fear"

Stef gulped heavily and took a deep breath. She really didn't like what she was hearing. Ivy still hadn't told her what those fearful things where.

Ivy shook her head "You know...I was so threatened by you ever since you were born. I thought it was you that was the golden boy. And the sad thing about all of this, is whilst I was away from all of you. I did miss you, now I don't even know why"

Stef rubbed Ivy's arm and softly demanded "Go wait in my room" Ivy took her eyes from Brandon as she took a few steps back to then turn and leave the room. Stef turned her head from watching her walk out and saw the look on Brandon's face "Yeah. You should feel bad"

Brandon didn't comment. He couldn't really say anything right now that would make the situation better.

Stef walked into her bedroom to see Ivy sat beside Lena on the bed. Taking deep breaths to try and calm herself down. As soon as Ivy saw Stef walk over she said "I'm sorry for my language"

Stef waved her hand "It's fine, he kind of deserved it" she sat down on the bed facing Ivy and Lena, she gave a quick glance to her wife and then looked back to Ivy "Listen, love,I know you didn't want me to ask but I have to since I heard you say you lived in fear"

Lena's head snapped to Ivy, who quickly tensed up, her knees went to her chest. Avoiding eye contact. Stef put her hand on Ivy's leg and whispered "What happened to you, baby?"

Biting on her thumb nail, Ivy muttered "Stuff"

Lena tucked her hair behind her ear to try and get a clearer look of Ivy's face "What stuff, honey?"

Ivy took a deep breath, she gulped heavily and rested her head on her knees "Kath and Dylan didn't keep nice company...in fact whenever they brought their friends round i would make sure that door was locked and one day I made a foolish mistake in walking out of my bedroom"

One year earlier…

Ivy sat in her bedroom on her seat in front of her computer. She looked at her home screen which was of her family at Stef and Lena's wedding, one of the many pictures that Stef sent to her. Tapping her pencil on her desk as she looked down to her sketch pad. Then reaching for her mini fridge and getting out a bottle of beer, one of the sixth she managed to swipe from the liquor store around the corner at the end of the street. She wasn't proud of stealing, but it was the one thing she could do where she had control and sometimes she even prayed to get caught.

She slapped her hand on the desk, thinking that the bottle opener was there was only felt an empty space, she turned and saw that it had gone.

Ivy groaned and dropped her feet from the desk. Dylan must have come into her room and took it. She knew that Dylan had his friends round, but they were probably so focused on sorting out their drugs that they probably wouldn't notice her getting the bottle opener from the drawer.

Ivy slowly unlocked the door and opened it, to see Dyan sat with four of his friends in the living room, doing exactly what she presumed they were doing. The music was so loud she was surprised that they could even hear each other. Ivy opened the kitchen drawer and found the bottle opener in there, at least he was organised in some sense. Dylan's friends did get a look of her though, no matter where she went she always caught someone's eye. Clearly, Ivy wearing a shirt that showed off her stomach made the men think that she was something to be touched.

Eddie, one of Dylan's closest friends walked over to her and stared. Ivy raised an eyebrow and looked to him "What?"

Eddie shrugged "I'm just admiring the view"

Ivy rolled her eyes and looked down to the bottle opener "Well, look outside the window, views are just as desirable"

"I find that hard to believe"

Ivy suddenly felt his hand grip onto her thigh, making her jump at first. Eddie was rumoured to have tried and force himself on other girl's, a lot of the girls were too scared to do anything. But something suddenly came over her.

Ivy smiled sweetly "Hey which car is your outside"

Eddie cockily smirked "Black Range Rover that's outside"

Ivy nodded, almost pretending to flirt. She patted his chest and leaned into her bedroom, grabbing hold of the baseball bat that was by her door and walking out the apartment. She was followed by Dylan and the rest of his friends to outside.

Eddie nervously chuckled "What're you doing, baby?"

Ivy shot him one last smile and then swung around and smashed the bat against the car. Breaking the side mirror and the side window. Eddie ran down the steps "What the fuc-"

Ivy pointed the bat in his face "Touch me again and it won't be the car I smash next time. If i hear about you going near another girl again with their consent I will personally make sure your ass get's thrown in jail" Ivy lowered her bat down and barged past him. Walking up through the stairs, past his friends, Dylan grabbed hold of her arm.

Ivy stared at him and quietly snarled "Are you going to look out for me or him?"

Dylan, despite all his flaws and all his bruteness, deep down he was the only one out of him and Katherine that would look out for her. He let her go and watched her walk back up the stairs and back into their apartment. She practically sprinted into her room and locked it once again.

Ivy sat back against the headboard of the bed, she saw how Stef and Lena's eyes looked glazed due to their eyes filling up. She didn't want sympathy which was one of the main reasons she didn't tell them. It was silent between the three of them for a minute, before Lena gulp heavily and say in a dry voice "And what happened to that guy?"

"Eddie? He attacked another girl...almost killed her actually...so yeah he's in prison"

"And what did Katherine have to say about this?" Stef asked.

Ivy scoffed and shrugged "She didn't take notice. Dylan mentioned it but she didn't care"

Stef looked to Lena and muttered as she lay back on the bed "Mother of the year"

Ivy nodded with a sigh and then lay back beside her "Tell me about it"

Lena looked at the pair of them and then couldn't help but join in "Did any other guys harass you?"

Ivy rubbed her lips together and finally said "No Dylan's friends kind of stayed away after that"

She felt both Stef and Lena take her hands as they all kept their eyes up to the ceiling. Stef turned her head to her Ivy "So did you and Nate work things out?"

Ivy shrugged, she closed her eyes and shook her head "For now I guess. But it is hard. Knowing that he has someone else, I guess I never really thought about that until I actually heard it"

"Who knows how long that will last though" Lena shrugged.

"I think we'd be kind of narrow minded to think that his relationship can't work" Ivy ran her fingers through her hair and kept her hand above her head "I'm sure i won't feel like this forever, one way or another I'll have to move on should me and Nate not happen"

Stef turned and looked to Ivy, she saw the sadness in her eyes as she thought about it. Before she had the chance to say anything, Ivy shrugged it off and propped herself up on her elbows "Well I'm going to go and get some sleep" she leaned to one side to kiss Lena's cheek and then leaned the other way to kiss Stef's before hopping off of the bed and walking towards the door, calling to them "I love you"

"We love you too" Stef and Lena said in almost unison.

Stef shifted her body closer to Lena and wrapped her arms around her waist. Lena kissed the top of Stef's head as she heard her sigh "What're we going to do?"

Lena nuzzled her head besides Stef's "Protect her"

The next morning, Ivy was in her room as usual, shifting more things around. She couldn't sleep all night, hence she had gotten up early and decided to try and take her mind off of things. A wooden TV stand that she ordered a few days ago arrived yesterday evening. With the shifting she had done this morning, she could finally put it in place. All she needed now was the TV. Ivy pushed back, against the wall and then out her hands on her hips as she stood up straight, nodding to herself as she gave a personal approval to her instincts that it was a good spot.

It was in that moment where she heard someone at the door. Ivy turned her head and saw Jesus standing by the door, with a glum look on his face. At first she smiled "Hey" she looked to the stand and nodded "Looks good don't you think?…"

Jesus just stared at her and remained quiet. Ivy looked back to him, she dropped her hands from her hips and rubbed them together as she walked towards him, tilting her head to him as she gave him a look of concern "You okay? What's going on?"

Jesus sighed and finally spoke "I heard what you told moms last night. Bout that guy"

"You...you were eavesdropping?"

"I was going to my room, then I heard mom ask you why you lived in fear...after that i couldn't exactly just ignore it"

Ivy sighed and looked down to the floor. She wanted as few of people as possible to find out things of her past. Especially the kids. Hearing Jesus then go on to say "It was you wasn't it?"

Ivy looked back to him, not exactly following "It was me who what?"

Jesus gulped heavily "The girl he almost killed...it was you..."

Ivy's breath shuddered, she gripped to the back of her neck, asking in a cracked voice"How did you-"

"It was just a hunch. By the way you said it...I was praying I was wrong"

Ivy bowed her head down again, she pressed the palms of her hands together and against her lips, she then shot her head up and shook her head, suddenly beginning to panic "Please do not tell moms"

"But-"

Jesus please" Ivy cried in a whisper, gripping onto his sweater, trying to find her words correctly "I-I just can't cope with the look on their faces if they knew. They don't need to know"

Jesus stared at her in silence "Ivy what happened?"

Ivy sighed and dropped her hands, running her fingers through her hair "He...does it really matter?"

"Yes it really matters! That guy tried to kill you"

"That guy failed" Ivy whispered. Jesus's jaw clenched as he looked walked over and took hold of his hands "What he did was scary and horrible but it's over. I don't want to-I don't need to share the ins and outs about it...I just want to move on"

"I'm just worried"

Ivy let out a tight smile and looked up to Jesus, shaking her head "You don't need to. I'm a big girl. I took care of myself before-"

"You shouldn't have to" Jesus muttered, putting his hands in his jean pockets and elaborating "You should have been able to be a teenager whilst you could. Be with your real family, go out with your boyfriend...y'know instead of staying in your room all the time"

Ivy smirked and quietly teased "The majority of teenagers do stay in their rooms"

Jesus rolled his eyes "Come on, Ivy, you know what I mean. I hate knowing the fact that you went through all that shit. You're my best friend and...and my sister and I love you" Ivy saw how he was getting more and more upset.

Ivy quickly pulled him in for a tight embrace, cradling his head, she let out a sigh "I love you too, listen Jesus, it's not your job to take care of me though I appreciate it. The people who take care of us are moms. And with me legally being able to buy beers in three weeks" she paused and softly pumped her fist which got a laugh out of him, Ivy slapped her hand back down on his shoulder "I will be another adult in this house. Meaning I take care of you. So don't worry about me, I'm fine now"

"And what about this whole Nate thing? You're fine with that?"

Ivy took a breath breath through her nose with a small smirk, popping her gum she shrugged and said as she flicked off the stray fabric on his sweater "Well in that case is when I'll need my big strong cousin to catch me if-" she then laughed "Who am I kidding, when I fall"

Jesus gave her a soft, sympathetic smile and nodded "Promise"

"Good" Ivy laughed, then shaking off the emotional atmosphere and gave him a nudge "Now go on you don't want to be late for school"

Jesus lightly chuckled and stepped back, giving her a quick goodbye and then watched her go back into sorting her room out for a moment.

By the end of the school day. Ivy went to the school and waited for Mariana and Jesus outside. As promised, they went for their hang out on the beach. Jesus didn't say a word to anyone what Ivy admitted to him. In fact, he went on with the day and with Ivy as if nothing happened. Which she appreciated.

"So do you still think you're any good at catching a football?" Jesus asked as the three of them walked down the beach. With her arm over Mariana's shoulder, she scoffed a laugh "Please. I'm the one who taught you"

Jesus smirked as he dropped one of his backpack straps from his shoulder and opened it to take out a football. Ivy looked at it and muttered a laugh. She slid her arm down from Mariana and stepped in front of them as Jesus slapped his hand against the ball "Go deep"

Ivy dropped her jacket down to the side and clapped her hands "Give me your best shot, kid"

Mariana threw her hands up "Oh no. These nails cost money"

Ivy rolled her eyes and looked back to Jesus. He stuck his tongue out for a brief moment and then launched it at her, way above her height. Ivy leaped up in the air and caught it effortlessly, throwing it back at him straight away and winding him as it hit his stomach hard. Ivy bit her lip and giggled as Mariana high fived her and rocked their hands back and forth for a moment.

As Jesus picked himself up, Mariana looked to Ivy and then took a deep breath before saying "Can I ask you something?"

Ivy tucked a strand of her hair behind her ear as she picked up her jacket and they carried on walking "Sure" she swung her arm back over Mariana's shoulder and stayed silent to listen. Mariana took another deep breath and asked "Why didn't you come to Grandpa's funeral"

"Mariana!" Jesus scowled as he caught up to them. Ivy gulped heavily and dropped her arm once again to then fold them close to under her chest. Jesus scowled at her because he felt like the question would make Ivy feel uncomfortable, which it didn't. But it did make her feel guilty.

Ivy glanced to them and saw the sad look on Mariana's face as she added in a more gentle tone "Mom really needed you"

"I know, babe" Ivy nodded.

Mariana shrugged "Then why?"

Jesus then looked to Ivy, now a little bit intrigued himself. Ivy rubbed her forehead together and scoffed a light laugh "Well the car wasn't fixed up for starters. Katherine practically forbid me into going, she didn't see the point in going since Gramps disowned her after what she did" Ivy shrugged "And I don't know. I was too scared to try anything else incase you guys got hurt...I told your mom that I wish I could be there with her and Grams, they understood"

The twins remained silent as they let what Ivy was saying sink in. Mariana nodded and then asked another question "The wedding?"

Once again Ivy couldn't help but laugh "Do you really think Katherine would let me go to your moms' wedding? I don't even know why I tried fighting with that one. Was kind of worth the shiner I got" she didn't realise that she even said those last words. They pretty much just blurted out, she also saw the shocked look on the twin's faces. The fact Ivy said it in such a calm way instigated that getting hit was a regular thing. And on top of Jesus knowing what he knew, it just made things sound worse and worse.

"Listen guys. I've said this once and I'll say it again. I'll say it a million times if I had to. What happened to me in the past sucked, I went through a shitty time but it's in the past. I want to move on, with my family" Ivy gave them both a bright smile. That was enough to lift up anyone's spirits.

Mariana and Jesus finally cracked a smile. They accepted it. She was right, it was in the past. Ivy pulled Mariana close again and slapped Jesus's arm "Now tell me about this Emma girl"

"She's a friend"

Mariana put her fisted hand to her mouth and blurted in a cough "Ex girlfriend"

Ivy raised her eyebrows with a smirk and looked to Jesus "She's an ex girlfriend"

Jesus rolled his eyes and scratched the back of his head "Yeah that too. But we're just friends now"

"Really? Pretty sure you're still into her"

Jesus raised an eyebrow "Really? Pretty sure you're still into Nate"

Ivy pushed his head as they continued to stroll down the beach. Ivy put her hand on the top of Mariana's head and asked as she leaned hers against it "So what's this beau of yours like?"

"Mat?"

"Unless you've got a few on the go" Ivy lightly chuckled. Mariana rolled her eyes and lightly slapped Ivy stomach, then letting out a laugh of her own as she began her sentence "Erm. He's sweet, caring. A musician-"

Ivy then made a high pitched 'hmm' sound "You know what they about musicians. They don't just make music in songs"

Jesus sang over her crude comment at the top of his lungs as Mariana laughed as she cringed and lightly pushed Ivy away. Ivy looked to Jesus "By the way before I forget you better keep your grades up if you want to carry on with wrestling"

Jesus rolled his eyes "Who said-"

"Moms asked me to talk to you about it. Not just because I'm younger but because I've been there. Not with the wrestling part but with the whole screw school part"

Jesus and Mariana looked at her, wanting her to elaborate. Ivy sighed a small smile and then did so.

Stef hung up the phone from talking to Lena, as soon as she did so, Ivy came walking through the front door. Ivy looked to Stef who was sat in the dining room and sighed. She knew she was going to get in trouble, so she walked to the stairs to go straight to her room.

"Ivy Isabella Elkin get back in here!"

Ivy groaned and walked back downstairs, dropping her bag to the floor and walking into the dining room, sliding her hands in her jean pockets and stepped down into the dining room. Stef linked her hands together "So that was Lena"

Ivy raised her eyebrows and nodded "Hm, what did my sweet aunt want?"

Stef shook her head "Don't sweet talk Ivy, why did you skip your classes?"

"Cause I don't need them"

Stef raised her eyebrows to her "Really? Science, math and business class sound pretty important to me"

Ivy shrugged "I don't need them ones"

Stef groaned a sigh and cleared her throat as she tried to gather the correct words to say to her "Ivy, you cannot just get through life with doing well in english. You need more than an english degree"

"Such as?"

"Such as...taking up film class and you need math and science even as a basics to know stuff for the things you write"

"Aunt Stef, you're a cop, you're not an expert in writing"

"I am also not an idiot or a bad parent who let's her kid go off and do whatever, you are my responsibility. It's my job to guide you and tell you things like school is important because it is. There's more to life than Nate-"

"Nate didn't have anything to do with this?" Ivy shook her head as her eyebrows pinched together. Stef gave her a frown and a sigh, she slowly pushed back the chair beside her with her foot "He was with you"

Ivy rolled her eyes and sat down in the chair. Stef wasn't blaming Nate, she liked Nate a lot. He wasn't the issue. But they were like magnets, if she moved he went with her. And then if he moved she went with him.

"Nate isn't the issue…." Ivy muttered, looking to her fingernails. The way she said it, it meant to Stef that even if Nate wasn't the issue. It was something else. Stef leaned forward and placed her hand over Ivy's "Then what is it? Talk to me baby-"

"My mom" Ivy blurted out, then let out a shaking sigh. Stef heart broke as she saw the sad look on Ivy's face, Stef then took her other hand. Ivy took her tearful eyes to Stef's sympathetic expression as she heard her say "What about her?"

"It's just...it makes me feel like there is no point in me trying to achieve anything when my own mother doesn't want me. That I'm some mistake-"

"Stop" Stef whispered "Stop talking about yourself like that. You're one of the greatest things that has ever happened to me. Don't ever think you'll amount to nothing because you can be anything you want to be. Katherine isn't your mother because she doesn't deserve that title. If she doesn't want you, that doesn't matter because I want you and so does Lena. Isn't that enough?"

Ivy stared into Stef eyes for a moment and whimpered "It is...and Nate told me that I shouldn't turn my back on school. He just went with me because he didn't want me to be alone"

"Well then I suppose I should be thanking him for making sure you're okay" Stef nodded, then looking down at their linked hands again "I just want you to do well, for your own good not for mine"

Ivy took a deep breath "I'm sorry. I'll do better"

Stef smiled and winked as she whispered "Good. And if I hear about you skipping anymore classes I'll ground your ass"

Ivy tucked her hair behind her ear and rounded off with "So kiddies the moral of the story there is no matter what you are going through. Whether it's birth mothers, girlfriends or boyfriends, arguments between friends or family. It's important that you don't just stick your fingers up to those who try to help you, school included" Ivy looked to Jesus and raised her eyebrows to him "Understood?"

Jesus shrugged "You got through things fine"

"I got this job at the school because I got lucky. If I could go back and live out school again I would and it's rare that I admit to things like that, if I had never left I would have gotten the grades I wanted. This school is one of the best so don't blow it off"

Jesus took into account what she was saying and held his hands up "Okay"

"Good. Now. Let's carry on with this football"