Ivypool

I'm so bored, waiting for Dustpelt to come with the menus and our drinks. I check my phone - no texts, notifications, or anything to keep me busy. Ferncloud rushes over with a tray full of drinks.

"Sorry," she apologizes. "We're having a busy night." The place is packed with Warriors High School kids. I take my coke gratefully and sip the ice-cold drink.

Ding.

I pick up my phone. It's a text from Breezepelt, who is sitting at another table with Foxleap, Icecloud, Toadstep, and Hazeltail. I look over at him, and for a moment, his piercing green eyes meet my blue ones, and then he mouthes "Text me back I'm bored." Looking around to see if anyone has seen our exchange, I pick up my phone, and then I stop when I see Heathertail. The pretty, athletic girl from Wind is glaring at Foxleap and Hazeltail, her lavender eyes narrowed and her full lips twisted into a sneer.

What does she want with them? Is she jealous? I seriously can't imagine Heathertail being jealous of anyone. She's smart, pretty, popular, and the boys at her table aren't even eating - they're just trying to get her to talk to them. She sees me, snorts, flips her hair, and turns back to Furzepelt and Harespring, who are undoubtedly gossiping.

Uncomfortable, I run a hand through my hair. I don't like the way she glowered at them. Nobody messes with my friends, especially not when I'm around.

Ding. And then again. Ding.

I focus on my phone again and read the texts.

Hey I'm so bored rn

Ivy? I know ur there.

Text me back lol i'm so hungry

I text him back, my thumbs flying over the keyboard.

Lol same. Looks like everyone else is too.

The response comes immediately.

Icecloud's poking Toadstep with her straw until he tells her who he likes XD

LOL! Looks like somebody's eager ;)

Yeah lol. he types back. And then, Hey when did u dye your hair it looks cool

I raise my eyebrows - he actually noticed! Dovewing and I both had black hair, until Dovewing went to a salon and dyed hers an icy pink. When I saw how cool it looked, I decided to dye the ends of my hair a teal color that matches my eyes. I wanted mine to be different from Dovewing's. I wanted to show anybody who thinks I can't hold my own that I'm not just Dovewing's twin sister anymore.

And so far, it seems to be working.

Thanks :) I type back.

"Excuse me," somebody says behind me. I turn around and see Stormfur, his sister Feathertail, and his girlfriend, Brook.

"Oh! Sorry,' I reply, caught off guard. I try to scoot my chair in, but it doesn't move. "Wha-" I scoot harder this time, but it still doesn't move.

"Looks like your chair is glued to the ground," Brook points out sympathetically. She stares pointedly at Toadstep and Foxleap, the pranking duo. They're known across school for pulling of the most daring (and annoying) pranks on unsuspecting students and teachers. Dustpelt finally appears with the menus, drops them on the table, and then rushes over to us.

"May I help you?" he asks. When he sees that the chair has most definitely been superglued to the ground, he rounds on Foxleap. "SONNN!" he bellows. There's a crash as Ferncloud drops a plastic tray. Everybody in the diner jumps, and coffee sloshes onto the ground.

"Yes, father?" asks Foxleap, widening his eyes to look innocent. Toadstep smirks, covering his mouth - it was obviously his idea. I narrow my eyes at him. This is pretty awkward, what with Stormfur, Brook, and Feathertail, and the rest of the diner staring at me in amusement.

"Did. you. do. this?" asks Dustpelt. His brown hair is sticking up, and he takes a menacing step towards Foxleap. We all know he wouldn't harm a hair on Foxleap's head, but he still looks pretty scary. Foxleap shakes his head vigorously.

"No, my lord, I would never stoop so low to harass a damsel like that," Foxleap replies. "Father, you do me wrong!" he cries, puffing out his chest when Dustpelt continues to stare at him suspiciously. I'm not even mad anymore - Foxleap's high, blustery voice is too much, and I'm shaking from holding in my laughter. My eyes meet Breezepelt's sparkling green ones, and he grins at me and wiggles his eyebrows. I smile back.

Dustpelt finally relents and walks over to me. "Excuse me, can you move to the other table while we sort out this, ah, problem?" he asks. I nod and walk over to the other table, sliding into the chair next to Breezepelt's. Not on purpose or anything, it was the only seat left.

—

Ivy: What?! Why are you looking at me like that?

Me: *wiggles eyebrows* Breezepelt and Ivypool, sitting in a tree, K-I-S-S-I-N-G. First comes love, then comes -

(Ivypool binds and gags me)

Me: mrrffh!

Ivy: As I was saying….

—

"Hey, what are you gonna order?" Breezepelt asks me.

"Well, I dunno, maybe the cheese fries?" I reply. My stomach growls at the thought of greasy french fries dipped in melted, orangey-yellow cheese. My dad's a chef at a fancy restaurant, so I've tried a lot of elegant and delicious foods, but I'm still a sucker for cheese fries.

"Same," says Breezepelt, as if he knows what I'm thinking.

"Do you wanna share a large order?" I ask him. I'm not sure whether he'll accept, but his response will give me a bit of insight into whether he thinks of me as a friend or… something else. Breezepelt hesitates, then nods. We sit back and sip our drinks in companionable silence until Dustpelt comes to take our orders.

Breezepelt

Man, that girl Ivypool. She's so daring and smart, and she's beautiful as well. Still, so many boys have dumped her - I don't get why. Maybe they just couldn't handle her, I don't know. But now she seems like one of those girls who will date boys, get them to soften up, and then dump them just to make them feel the pain that she felt. Trust me, I've met plenty of those girls. My father's old girlfriend, Leafpool, was like that.

I don't know, I hope she likes me. But the chances seem kinda slim, considering the bad experiences she's had with boys. Next to me, Ivypool leans back in her chair, smiles at me, and offer me an earbud.

"I love this song," she says. Hesitantly, I take it, not sure of what I'm going to hear. I'm surprised to hear Bright by Echosmith playing, and I'm even more surprised when I hear Ivypool singing along, her voice just as soft and soulful as the lead singer's.

"Dude," I say, pulling the earbud out of my ear. Ivypool stops the track on her iPhone and looks up at me. "Have you ever thought about going for the talent show?" Ivypool sighs and shakes her head.

"I don't know about singing in front of a crowd," she says. "It just makes me nervous."

"But you're in our show choir! You have to sing and dance in front of a crowd," I protest. It's hard for me to believe that anything would faze her, but I suppose we're all human. Ivypool sighs again.

"Well, going solo is different," she says decisively, brushing her hair across her face. And that's the end of that because Ferncloud comes with our order. The fries come on a big platter with a pot of cheese in the middle.

"Enjoy," says Ferncloud. Her kind, green eyes flit between me and Ivypool, and she smiles knowingly. I duck my head and blush, praying to Starclan that Ivypool didn't notice. Ivypool smiles, then dips a french fry into the gooey cheese. I do the same, and we chew in silent bliss. The french fries are crispy and crunchy on the outside, but mealy and soft on the inside. The cheese is warm and tastes amazing - just the right amount of salt.

Soon, the fries and cheese are gone, and our stomachs are completely full. I try not to think about how much I've eaten tonight and instead focus on Ivypool. She's talking about Dovewing and Bumblestripe, who are sitting at the other table.

"I just don't know…" she trails off. "Dovewing likes both of them too much. She says she's just 'trying them both out' to see who's right for her. But somebody's going to get hurt eventually, and I just don't want her to get herself into a mess."

"True," I say. "Tigerheart has been trying to get her back for the past week. He was really depressed when she dumped him." Ivypool sighs and nods.

"Is everybody done?" asks Honeyfern. She's the de facto leader because it was her idea. "Alright, we need to pay now, so everybody just pay for their own order."

"I'll pay," I say quickly, taking out my credit card. Ivypool opens her mouth to protest, but then she smiles instead.

"Thank you," she says, laying a hand on mine. "I had fun."

"Ivypool?" Icecloud asks. "Come on, I wanna stop at the bubble tea shop before we go back to the dorms." Ivypool gets up, smiles at me again, then leaves.

I had fun. I smile and leave a tip for Ferncloud, then I leave, whistling Bright by Echosmith.

—

Awwww so cute! Anyways, what do you think? Should Cinderheart and Lionblaze stay together? What about Icecloud and Toadstep, and Hazeltail and Foxleap? Most people said IvyXBreeze, so that's what you've got!