Chapter 60: What would you do about a long-lost friend?

As Ivy walked passed a park nearby her home with Andrew and Sandra, it reminded her of how she used to enjoy playing hopscotch in primary school. The thought of a friend request received in the afternoon from a long-lost childhood friend, Jane slipped into her mind. Ivy recalled she used to call her every afternoon to annoy her even with simple homework questions. She laughed a little but soon let her mind tell her the reason she stayed away from Jane. While she did that, Sandra couldn't help but find out what Ivy was laughing at."What's so funny?" Sandra asked while Andrew was busy with his mobile game."Oh, remembered when I was in primary school and we were in different classes, I was a close friend with an annoying girl, Jane. She used to make small matters into huge matters while big matters she took it lightly?" Ivy explained."Oh, Jane. Yes, yes. She transferred to another school in secondary. Why? What happened? Why would you suddenly think of her?" Sandra asked curiously."I received a social media request from her today…" Ivy sounded skeptical. "You know I don't usually approve of people like that you see. I wondered how come I didn't block her last time when I unfriended her long ago." Ivy whined as Sandra raised an eyebrow."You always have the tendency of doing that don't you? But true enough, she was a dramatic friend when she grew up. We understand why you had to stay away. She deserves that but now, what will you do about it?" Sandra asked while they continued to stroll home side by side with Andrew walking ahead of them still concentrating on his game."I don't know. I was just wondering that day how she was out of the blue and here I am with her friend request. Maybe she changed? But it's risky you know to let her in after getting fed up and agreed to not bother bout her once and for all." Ivy explained. Sandra could understand her as she nodded and knew she couldn't do much except to let Ivy think about it herself.They both sighed as Andrew who wasn't paying attention to their conversation earlier turnaround when his game was about to end and heard them sighing. "Why are you two sighing?" "Because you're just so slow," Sandra hastily walked past him when Ivy teased him as Andrew was dumbfounded for a moment. "What should we have for supper?" Sandra asked as Ivy chuckled at Andrew's reaction. "You will get fat in no time, Sandra! Andrew wouldn't like that!" Andrew began to realise it was just the girls pulling his leg again."I'm sorry! It was just a very tense match session earlier... Please don't ignore me! Oh my gosh, you're all so petty." Andrew whined as he picked up his pace with the girls. Sandra rolled her eyes and looked away pretending to be angry while Andrew tugged on her left shoulder."Stop whining like a girl, Andrew." Ivy continued to tease as she laughed with Sandra on the way back with the thought of the friend request still lingering in her mind.Ever since that night when Ivy came to terms with Nick, they had been in touch more often while Jason had been looking after Nancy who had been admitted into the mental hospital. Jason rarely had much chance to sit down and do nothing for such a long time. He thought he would be rushing work all the way after Mr. Jing's event but here he was caring for his obsessive ex-girlfriend while his workload was taken over by Nick instead. He began to do a lot of thinking about the past events and the future he was looking forward to. It hit him hard to realise how many failures he had in trying to confess to Ivy. He even still had the necklace with him as he twirled the stars in a full moon pendant under the moonlight. "How am I to ever tell you my feelings Ivy with my current situation?" Jason blinked away the unexpected tears as he stared at the starry skies above him. "I miss you, Ivy…" Jason thought to himself as he let reality hit him while his magnetic bracelet began to shimmer a little. It was definitely not a good time to bring up this matter as Ivy's finals crossed his mind. He was convinced her smart brothers would be able to help her out with tutoring. As he wanted to get up from the bench from daydreaming, he finally took notice of the faint shimmering on his bracelet. The last time he ever recalls seeing this was when he stood under the aurora back then during his teen days during his family trip. That was also when he bumped into young Ivy. As the events crossed his mind, he couldn't help but wonder if it was really Ivy whom he met. He sat back caressing his faint shimmering bracelet as he smiled looking at the pendant.Ivy was also looking at the same moon that night from the balcony of her house. Instead of having Jason constantly in mind, she had been distracting herself with studies lately but even then, that made her mind wander to Jason sometimes. The brothers were also busy with their respective preparation while Ivy revised with Andrew and Sandra. Ever since the event of Mr. Jing was over, the merged business was booming with requests for consultations and talks which Nick has been handling with Marcel. However, another matter was bothering Ivy this time too. Her nuisance trio friends had been bugging her to be in a study group with them. She knew she didn't want it but they were all meant to meet again and she didn't want to offend them. She was rather lost in finding her ways to reject them in an amicable way as she sat thinking for days. As she enjoyed her cup of tea, she couldn't get over the fact that Jane had added her on social media a few days ago as she paced up and down.A vibration on her mobile phone shook her attention away from her thoughts for a moment as she read the text update from Nick telling her he was home and was about to shower before preparing for tomorrow's work. She smiled as she replied telling him not to sleep too late. She couldn't help but enter into her chats with Jason just to see his profile picture. She sighed heavily finding herself heading back to him again as she looked up at the sky on the bright moon while taking a seat on the couch. "I miss you…" She mumbled just when Ryu was about to step onto the balcony to accompany his troubled sister. Ryu quickly sat next to her making her feel cozy as she slipped in for a warm hug from him.  "Cry if you want to. I know it's tough… you have to endure it alright?" Ryu thought Ivy was sad but instead, she was just bothered about her friends and they tend to remind her of Jason. Ivy giggled in his arms while she noticed her bracelet was shimmering faintly. She took a closer look at them and thought they were reflections from the pool as she ignored them. Ryu felt strange when he pulled Ivy up and scanned her eyes which were dry. "What? I wasn't crying…" Ivy laughed lightly as Ryu raised an eyebrow before he smiled and tickled her. Ivy squirmed giggling away in his arm. "Then why do you look so frustrated and confused?" Ryu questioned as he rubbed her cold arm he caught before he pulled a blanket by his side to cover Ivy. The warm coziness made her ease in closer to her brother. "Hmmm… it's a long story…" Ivy said gently. "Go on, I have time. I'm on a break from studying so much past few hours…Is it your trio friends again trying to bully you?" Ryu asked urgently as Ivy smiled and pinched Ryu's cheeks."Why are you so smart hmmm…" Ivy said as Ryu pulled down her arms and placed them in his hand. "Why are you always letting others take advantage of you? See it was them then Jason and now what… Nick next?" Ivy listened in disbelief. "Since when Nick is taking advantage?" Ivy whined."Take it easy, Ivy. Boys can be persistent. Give them some time..." Ryu moved over a little at the couch to pat her shoulder.Ivy sat straight back up. "Why do teenagers get so much peer pressure, Ryu? Are our hormones that psychotic?" Ivy sighed as Ryu chuckled."Has Nick made a move on you? You know sooner or later the both of you might even get together. I would prefer him compared to Jason who is always so complicated. Come on let me see your conversation." Ryu teased as he tried to grab hold of Ivy's phone while Ivy smacked him."I have never known you're so naughty!" Ivy laughed as Ryu successfully grabbed the phone with his long limbs and read their messages which Ivy had nothing to hide. "Hmmm... very decent yet not too intimate. You know when Ray told us what happened I felt the both of you seemed to share the same fate… Something like… a twin flame. You're one soul but split into two. There must be a history lurking behind the fate of the both of you…" Ryu explained nonchalantly as he kept scrolling their messages while Ivy was amused thinking about her twin flame before this to be Jin but instead she couldn't help but agree with Ryu as she hit his head lightly. "If only you spend your memory space on studies rather than on such nonsense!" Ivy laughed. "Finding a suitable brother-in-law is also my responsibility…" Ryu retaliated with a chuckle while Ivy rolled her eyes. "He is just not my type. I just don't find chemistry with him just like me and the subject itself. I have no chemistry at all with him. Sometimes, I had this idea that if I don't cross paths with people I don't meet or work with anymore but I have them on my social media, I felt like blocking them but you know it would be awkward if I were to do that while still in contact." Ivy whined which Ryu find it strange as her topic seemed to have gone into something new. "Is something bothering you Miss Hothead that you need to disconnect someone forever? Let me guess… Is it Jason or Nick or even Nancy perhaps?" Ryu asked skeptically. Ivy laughed at his tease. "You're such a teaser, arent you?" Ivy crossed her arm with Ryu's and leaned gently on his shoulder."No none of the people you knew. I wonder why didn't I do that with a primary school friend. She was someone I was very close with back then. When grandpa passed away and I told her, she came with her family to visit. We played and joke a lot together but I guess puberty caught me first and made me grow up understanding things and myself faster than she did." Ivy gave a sad smile as she recalled playing with Jane at the school playground."And? Why did you need to disconnect her too?" Ryu asked curiously."Well, she tends to take big matters for granted while small matters she would meddle with it as though they are big ones. It somehow was disappointing and frustrating at the same time." Ivy sighed. "Back then we had social media. So I unfriended her there when she moved to a new school. Funny how I recently thought of her and she added me again on social media after so long." Ivy sipped her tea while pacing in front of Ryu."Problem is, I'm not sure if she is still the same. I understand that people change but am I gonna risk letting her in again and spoil the great memory and destroy the genuine naive friendship we had back then?" Ivy explained as she continued pacing."I couldn't make up my mind. It's been a few days. I told myself I shouldn't think bout it during bad days and perhaps decide on it on a good day. I'm waiting for that day to come." Ivy explained as she stood by the balcony facing Ryu. Ryu knew Ivy had been under tremendous pressure lately aside from preparing for her finals and dwelling on Jason and Nick, now she had to dwell on her friendship matters. Ryu sighed at his sister's tiring life. "You should give it a thorough thought through and it will still end up being you to decide because it's your memories and feelings. People do change and they do deserve second chances. Besides, you're at the age where puberty had hit you both, so maybe she had become better perhaps?" Ryu advised as he stood to walk towards the balcony."And even if she is still the same which I doubt so, the memories you had are yours. It will always be kept there as yours unless you choose to take them away. Take your time and think through both of them. But I would rather if you leave them aside till after your finals?" Ryu continued advising as he stood beside her.Ivy nodded. "Sounds good." She took a deep breath of the bright shining moon hovering over them while Ivy kept noticing the faint shimmers on her bracelet. She twirled her bracelet reminiscing nights like this she used to share with Jason. "Ivy…" Ryu called out as he admired the moon. "Your trio bullies should be gotten rid of too. You should stop letting them harass you." Ivy looked away from Ryu as she gave a serious thought for a second before she nodded. "I know. I'm working on that." Ivy mumbled as she watched the pool at the lower ground shimmering its reflection at them. Ryu knew Ivy had a lot to think about so he decided to throw another matter at her."And… I'm not an expert in love matters but I think you should not focus on anything except your finals. As for the rest, you have already had a decision in mind and it's only a matter of time." Ivy listened meekly as she blinked and nodded at Ryu's advice. Ryu held a hand over his sister's shoulder and gently pat her. "You still have us to support you now. Don't keep things to yourself alright?" Ryu comforted knowing Ivy must be in a mess with her feelings now. He knew letting go wasn't easy but was glad to see Ivy gradually doing it. Ivy leaned in on Ryu's shoulder and felt grateful for such a moment where if half a year ago she was told she would enjoy such moments, she wouldn't have believed it and thought it was a joke.