Ivy in the Shadows by Chris Woodworth Page B

the back. I always thought she could have been a ballerina the way she moved so gracefully. She patted the seat next to her.
    â€œCome sit, Caleb. Tell me about yourself.”
    Good luck with that, I thought. I was starting to think that Caleb didn’t know anything but made-up stories.
    â€œHow far did you travel, ma’am?” he asked.
    â€œHalfway across the country! I was raised here in Indiana and just could not wait to shake the dust off my shoes and get out of here. Now look, I’ve come full circle. Couldn’t wait to get back. I’ve been living in Georgia. You ever been there, Caleb?”
    He shook his head, so she continued to tell him about her life in Georgia and I lost all interest. I knew the how-Aunt-Maureen-moved-to-Georgia story by heart, having heard it a million and one times from her and Mama, so I stood and tried to sneak upstairs to get to the phone in the hall there. I planned to call Ellen and tell her about Aunt Maureen’s visit and maybe, just maybe, she’d let me off the hook about Alexa’s party.
    I got three steps up when I heard “Am I boring you, sweet pea?”
    â€œWhat? No!” I said. “It’s just that I…” Lying never came easy to me so I decided to saw off a slice of the truth. “I just need to call a friend.”
    â€œWell, why didn’t you say so? Nothing’s more important than girl-talk. You run along, honey. Dinner will be ready at six, okay?”
    I smiled but I’ll bet you dollars to doughnuts that my face made more of a grimace. Five o’clock was when I was supposed to be at Ellen’s.
    I took the stairs two at a time and punched in her number. Once she got on the phone I tried to get out of going but no such luck.
    â€œYou’ve got to be kidding me! I told you today how important this is to me, Ivy.”
    â€œIt’s just that Mama doesn’t approve of boy-girl parties and I thought I could sneak out but now I’ve got my aunt Maureen here. I don’t see how I can do it.”
    â€œJust do it,” she said. “I don’t give a rat’s behind how you do it. If you were a real friend, you’d be over here right now helping me straighten my hair!”
    Then she hung up. Slammed the phone down is more accurate. Ellen was always a little high-strung, but since she’d heard about this party, she’d been strung tighter than a guitar.
    I threw myself down on my bed. What was I going to do?
    Then I sat up. At five o’clock, Mama would still be at work, and Aunt Maureen didn’t know that I wasn’t supposed to go to a party. Heck, she probably wouldn’t even ask where I was going. Or I could lie. Well, as I said, I wasn’t very good at lying but I didn’t need to go all out with the truth, either.
    I changed into the clothes Ellen bought me and ran downstairs.
    Aunt Maureen was in the kitchen stirring something in a pot and Caleb was peeling potatoes.
    â€œThere you are! My, Ivy, you didn’t have to dress for dinner! JJ’s job is to set the table— without wearing his Heelys. ” She looked at him and raised her eyebrows. “Caleb is our potato person. You can be our salad maker.”
    â€œOkay,” I said, and began yanking veggies out of the fridge. I grabbed a knife and quickly hacked up the lettuce.
    â€œWhoa, girl! You’re not killing snakes,” she said. “Didn’t your mama teach you how to make a salad?”
    â€œShe did. It’s just that … my friend? The one I called? Well, she wants me to come over because she’s … upset.” Truth. Because if I didn’t go, the word “upset” wouldn’t begin to cover it. “So I guess I’m trying to hurry.”
    Aunt Maureen took the knife from my hand. “Ah! Boy trouble?”
    I started to protest because Mama said she’d put me in an all girls’ school if I even thought about boys, let