"Hey, hey," Elliott calms me down, his fingers stroking my hair as I cry against his chest. "You'll be okay."

We went into the car after the call from my mom, and I told Elliott everything that happened. I told him about my mom, Jett and Nora, the money. I told him every last detail. I cried, and he held me in his arms, protecting me from any more hurt.

"I don't know what to do," I say, sniffling and wiping my running nose. "I saved all that money for so long, Li. I gave up having a life for that money. And-and she just took it!"

"We'll figure something out, baby," he promises, his hands rubbing my back gently, calmingly. "You can get a loan from the bank to help pay for your first semester. I can talk to my mom about raising your wage. I'll help you as much as I can, okay? You're not doing this alone."

"It sucks so bad," I say, starting my crying fit all over again.

Elliott sits with me as I cry, just there for the support. I appreciate having a shoulder to cry on, someone to be there for me. After years of being alone, of keeping everything inside, to myself, this is exactly what I've been waiting for. I have it here with Elliott. I'm so in love with him.

"Want to hear something funny?" he asks after I have subdued to a quiet cry. "Flynn and I used to talk about how one day we'd grow up and marry sisters and our houses would be right next to each other's and our kids would be cousins as well as best friends. Well, now we're dating sisters so..."

I force a smile, knowing that he is trying his best to cheer me up.

"So, what do you want to do? I can drive you to your mom's house where you can slap her numerous times. We can go to Nora and Jett's house. Um...is there a special place you and your dad used to go? We could-"

"Elliott," I stop him, taking his hand in mine, "I'm okay. You should stay here." I sniffle. "You have to support Jonas."

"Promise you're okay?" he asks.

I nod. "Yeah, I'll just go back to the house and mourn the loss of my future quietly in the last room I'll be living in before I'm a homeless person who lives in a cardboard box."

"I hear cardboard boxes can be pretty comfortable," he jokes, leaning forward to kiss the top of my head.

I smile before pulling the car keys out of my bag and wiping under my eyes one last time. "Call me if he finds out whether he made it or not, okay?"

"Yeah." Elliott steps out of the car, standing at the rolled-down window with his hands against the car. "We'll be home as soon as this thing ends. By then, I'll have those minions turned into your personal slaves."

I shake my head and roll up the window. Elliott motions for me to roll it back down almost immediately. "Yeah?"

"Don't do anything stupid without me."

~~

I can't remember exactly how or why, but two hours later I ended up sitting on Brianna Holden's top bunk while drinking wine with Jake Acker.

"And that's why I think my parents are Brad Pitt and Jennifer Anniston."

I nod, taking his Jake's interesting theory. "I totally see that."

We drank a lot of wine.

I gasp when my phone starts ringing loudly, springing to an upright position and snatching my phone from the covers. "Hello?"

"Hey, Ivy, you're on speaker," Elliott says. "Jonas has something to tell you."

I hear muffling through the phone before Jonas' loud voice comes through the speaker with, "I made the team! Well, I was like at the bottom of the roster, so I probably won't play a lot...but I made the team!"

"Ah, totally wicked, dude!" I slur my words together. "Way to bend it like Steve Harvey."

Jake giggles from the bottom bunk.

"What?"

I whack my hand against my forehead. "I meant that other guy. The, like, super hot soccer player who is also a dad. Talk about a D.I.L.F.!"

"Okay, and we're off speaker phone!" Elliott says quickly. "You okay?"

"Who? Me?"

"Yes, you." I can hear the irritation in his voice.

I giggle. "I'm perfectly okay! I feel great!"

"I told you not to do anything stupid without me, Ivy! Where are you?"

"Brianna Holden's house," I answer giddily.

"What the-" He stops to clear his throat. "Ivy, are you with Jake Acker?"

"Oh! Yeah! He's under me right now! Want to talk to him?"

"Elliott, the road!" I hear Addison scream.

I toss my phone to Jake who is sitting on the bottom bunk. He catches it and puts it against his ear.

"What's up, Elliott Kennedy?"

I swing my legs back and forth, taking a huge swig straight out of the bottle of wine. I really can't remember how I ended up in this situation. I remember driving home, watching a movie, and heading over to the grocery store because we were all out of chocolate, the John Tucker of candies. Right, because the movie I watched was John Tucker Must Die. But how did I end up in Brianna's bunk?

"I don't actually know, man. Yeah, yeah," Jake says into the phone, stumbling out from the bottom bunk and handing the phone back to me. "He didn't want to talk to me."

I frown and take the phone. "New phone. Who is this?"

"Ivy, I'm going to drop the kids off at the house and come to pick you up, okay?"

"Oh! Hi, dad!" I joke.

Elliott sighs and ends the phone call there.

Yikes. I hope he isn't mad. Who am I kidding? Even a drunk Ivy Lynch can imagine how mad her boyfriend is going to be. He is already generally jealous of Jake Acker, which is absurd because I have never been in a such platonic relationship with anyone. I've even felt an attraction toward Flynn, his best friend. He's not jealous of Flynn, but maybe he should be. I mean, Flynn is so hot.

"I could totally make out with Flynn McClean," I accidentally say out loud.

Jake nods. "I get that."

"Holy s-word," Brianna says as she walks into her room. "Are you both drunk? My mom is not going to be happy about this."

"Well, I'm screwing your mom. She doesn't care what I do."

My eyes widen along with Brianna's as we both look at Jake in shock. "What?"

Jake nods. "I just said that out loud, didn't I?"

Brianna screams at the highest frequency a human can hear. I cringe inside, due to both the scream and the situation at hand. Jake covers his ears and tries to stand up from the bed but stumbles a bit. Brianna has already ran out of the room, slamming the bathroom door shut.

"Whoa, dude," I say, my mouth in an 'o' shape. "That's messed up."

"Oh, who are you to judge, Ivy Lynch? You're sleeping with one of the kids you nanny!"

"Don't make me sound like a pedophile!" I yell, not even registering the fact that Jake knows I am with Elliott. "Wait." I jump off the top bunk, luckily landing safely. I march over to Jake and grab him by his shirt. "What do you know?"

"I know a lot of things. I know you lied to me about Abraham. I should've known. How could anyone actually like Abraham?"

I frown. "Hey! I think Abraham is a real catch."

"Please, if you were going to go for one of those guys, Kirk is clearly the better option. He has a really nice abdomen section."

I nod, unable to argue that one. "Okay, true." I look down and see my hand still has his shirt clutched in it. I let go of Jake and clear my throat. "So, how did you find out?"

"How do you think I found out? Brianna told me the second she got in the car. Smooth, by the way. Making out with the door unlocked while trying to keep a secret relationship. Good idea."

I bite my cheek, squinting my eyes. "Whatever. At least Elliott isn't married!"

Jake scoffs. "Their marriage isn't healthy anyway. I'm doing the whole family a favor."

"You sound insane."

"Well, maybe you'd understand if you weren't drunk off your ass!"

And then I slap Jake Acker.

Well, technically all that wine slapped Jake. It just went through me. I'm the real victim.

The doorbell rings right then, as Jake holds his cheek in shock and I stand with wide eyes after realizing I actually just slapped a man. Neither of us move for awhile. The doorbell rings again. I picture an irritated Elliott standing at the door. With that image, I grab my bag off the floor and hurry downstairs, tripping on the bottom step and nearly twisting my ankle.

"Hey, Li," I say, opening the door and lunging into the arms of my boyfriend. He doesn't hug me back. I frown and pull away. "I really wish I had an explanation for this."

"Yeah, so do I," he laughs sharply. "Where's Jake?"

"He's upstairs. I kind of just slapped him."

Elliott raises his eyebrows. "Why?"

"Because I'm drunk and he called me drunk and he's sleeping with Mrs. Holden and Brianna told him about our relationship and he was judging and I totally have the right to judge whereas he has no rights! No rights!"

"Jake is sleeping with Mrs. Holden? That's like something straight out of an exotic novel my mom would read," Elliott gags.

I giggle a bit too hard in my drunken state.

"Let's go home, okay?"

I frown. "My mom sold my home." Suddenly, with the help of the alcohol in my system, I become very, very upset. "I'm a homeless person."

"Ivy, you're not a homeless person," he says sweetly. "Come on." He rubs my back, taking my hand in his and shutting the Holden's front door. "You'll always have us."

"What about when we break up?"

"When?" he repeats. "You're a cynical drunk, I see."

"Sorry," I apologize as he helps me in the passengers' seat. "If."

"Thank you." He walks around to his side of the minivan. "You know, Ivy, I don't know what we'd do if we broke up. It would suck. And you'd be a hobo. Remember that the next time you ever think about dumping me." He laughs to himself. "Who am I kidding? You won't remember any of this."

"Hey, I have a good memory!"

"How'd you end up in Brianna Holden's bunk bed drinking wine with Jake Acker?"

I frown. "That I don't know."

"Right," he laughs and stops the car at a red light. "I kind of like your drunk personality though. You're all cute and unfiltered and un-Ivy-ish."

"What a compliment. You like me better when I'm un-Ivy-ish."

He smiles and drives through the green light. As we pull into the driveway, Ethan and the twins are playing with chalk on the sidewalk. Addison and Jonas are kicking back and forth a soccer ball while Bethany is on the porch- unattended as far as I can tell.

"Brianna tweeted that her nanny and her boyfriend's nanny were drunk off her mother's wine in her bunk bed. What do you have to say about this, Ivy?" Addison interrogates as soon as I step out of the car.

"Yeah!" Jonas gangs up on me. "What do you have to say for yourself, you big fat punk?"

Elliott pushes Jonas in the chest with his right hand, knocking the boy over. "Hop off, squirrel boob."

Jonas and Addison don't push it any farther. They let us walk inside, where Elliott takes me to his room and tells me to take a nap.

"I can't just take a nap because you tell me to. I'm not even tired."

"Shh," he says and pats the top of my head. "Goodnight."

"Elliott-"

"Shh!" he repeats louder before shutting off the lights and closing the bedroom door.

I roll my eyes and slide under the covers, inhaling his scent. It's a mix between cologne and grilled cheese sandwiches. I like it. I turn on my side and stare at the wall with a few pictures and posters.

Strange, I think. I haven't really been in Elliott's room very often. It's usually him coming to the guest room rather than me going to his room. I think it's the old fashioned side of me that thinks it's weird to go into a boyfriend or girlfriend's room while their family is home. I've never had a boyfriend before, obviously, so I guess I don't know the natural side of things.

I'm not trying to snoop or anything, but I can't help but look around through a few of his drawers. Hey, I'm still drunk. I can blame it on the alcohol.

I start dancing along to the song as I search through his desk.

"Whoa," I whisper when I find a Polaroid picture of Carter barely dressed. I shove it back in the drawer and walk back to bed. That's enough snooping for me.

"Elliott, stop lying!" I hear Addison scream from downstairs. "What is going on?"

I'm unable to make out any other responses, for they decided to argue in hushed voices. It upsets me to hear the two fighting because of me. I was the one who made Elliott lie to his family. I thought my job was more important than a family being honest to one another. Now that my job is nearly useless, I want all the lies to end.

When Elliott comes back upstairs, I'll let him know that I want him to tell the family. I'll do it with him, even though I'm still overwhelmed about everything that has happened. It's adding another stress to the situation, but in a sea of wounds, a paper cut doesn't do much damage.

I wait for him, my mind unable to stop thinking about the photo of Carter. And no, not like that. Just in the fact that she has been so bare in front of him and they probably did some other things after that. What if Elliott wants something like that from me? I don't think I'm ready for that. Not that I'm afraid to be intimate with him, I'm just focusing on the morals I've grown up with from Mrs. West.

Mrs. West.

Why didn't I think of calling her to begin with? She always knows what to do. If there's anyone I need to talk to, it's her.

I pull out my phone and dial her number, anxiously biting my tongue. It isn't easy to put into words everything that has happened to me. "Hello?"

"Hi, Ivy. Are you calling because you missed me or do I need to call an ambulance or a hit man?"

I smile. "I just need someone to talk to. You're the closest thing I have to a real mom."

"What happened?" she asks, her voice going serious. "What did your mother do?"

"She sold our house," I start, "and bought a new one."

"Oh. Without telling you?"

"Nope. Not a word. That's not the worst of it." I sigh heavily. "She used my savings to pay for the new house."

Mrs. West gasps. "Honey, no! She did not."

"She did," I say, holding back tears. "And I'm so scared. Elliott doesn't understand that I can't rely on his family for things. If we break up, then I'd be on the streets. His family is so special to me, just as he is. I love them and I love him, but that will all go away if something happens. I need a future of my own, and my mom just ripped that from me." I bite my lip. "Oh, I'm dating Elliott Kennedy by the way."

"The same boy who had you walking alone on the busy streets alone at night because you got into a fight?"

I scrunch my nose up. "Yeah...that's the one."

"Well," she pauses, "if he's anything like Addison, then I approve."

"Yeah, they're nothing alike," I laugh.

She laughs with me before bringing back the important subject. "Listen, Ivy, your mom has taken things from you your whole life. I never liked the way she treated you, but look at the person you are now. You have the capability to be so great, Ivy, and to make great changes in this world. Don't let her take that away too. You're legally an adult. That money is your money. Pardon my French, but I advise you to sue that bitch."

I widen my eyes. "Mrs. West!"

"Sorry, but I'm not sorry. Ivy, she stole your money from you. I don't know how the bank okayed that. You have to take this to court. And if you're too emotionally tired to do that, I'm paying for your college."

"I don't think I can go to court. I also found out about some half-siblings and my-my father passed away."

"Oh, honey," she whispers. "I'm sorry. I never knew your father very well, but I can imagine this is hard for you."

"It's okay. He wasn't really in my life. I'm more overwhelmed if anything else." I take a deep breath. "But with that being said, I won't let you pay for my college."

"What do you want to do then, Ivy?"

"I don't know," I say. "I have known that I wanted to be a nurse since the third grade. I knew all fifty states by first grade. I knew that I wanted to fall in love with someone I trusted. I've had all the answers all my life. I don't have an answer to this one."

She is hesitant to say her next words. "I don't think that you have to know."

"What?"

"Sue your mom; don't sue her. Take my offer; don't take offer. Marry Elliott; just kidding, do not marry Elliott." She laughs at her own joke. "You'll know what to do when the choice you want to make becomes evident. Just talk to Brown first, alright? Maybe they'll take away all your problems."

"Mrs. West," I pause, "where's my home?"

"Here," she answers easily. "Or there, with the Kennedy's. Or maybe with your half-siblings. I'm not sure. You're not alone, honey. Your home is with those you love, so don't worry, baby girl." She takes a deep breath. "Now, I have to go get Mr. West's foot out of the stair railing."

I smile softly. "Good luck with that. Thank you for the advice."

"No problem, dear."

"Honey, I'm losing feeling!" I here Mr. West scream just before she hangs up the phone.

I place my phone on the nightstand and shut my eyes, trying to rid my headache. Elliott walks in not even five minutes later. To him, it looks as though I listened to his instructions clearly.

"Hey, you awake?" he asks softly, sitting at the end of his bed.

I sit up. "And sober."

He laughs. "Good."

"I want to tell the kids."

"About everything that happened? Are you sure you're ready?"

"Well, actually," I pause, "I wanted to tell them about us."

"I thought you said you were sober!" His eyebrows raise in surprise. "Seriously? What about my mom finding out?"

"Elliott, there's only so many days left of summer. Plus, now that this job is essentially useless, I don't even need the money that badly."

"Hey, don't say that," he argues. "This job is important and so is the money you get. You still have a future."

"Yeah," I agree with a heavy sigh. "But after feeling so disappointed in Jake for messing with the Holden's, I realized how much of a hypocrite I was. This lie could tear apart your family."

He shakes his head. "That won't happen."

"Either way, I still want them to know." I take a deep breath. "Don't you?"

"I mean, sure," he says with a shrug. "But I think you should be the one to tell them."

I open my mouth with a small laugh. "I don't think so. If I go down, you're coming right along with me, buddy."

"Fine." He kisses me swiftly. "Ready?"

"You want to do it right now? Jonas just found out he made the team. I don't want to ruin his day."

"We have them right where we want them, Red. They're all in a good mood, but not like a super good mood because of the whole Jake Acker and wine and David Beckham situation."

I nod, biting my tongue. "Right. What'd you say to them?"

"I just explained that you've been going through a tough time. They understood. I mean, Ivy, they love you."

They love you.

My stomach does a flip at those simple words that would mean nothing had it been anyone else. Home is where your loved ones are. Mrs. West was right. I shouldn't be afraid to feel safe here.

Looking at Elliott, his perfectly sculpted face and beautiful eyes, I feel a lump in my throat. My ears start to ring as I pan out the next three words I say. "Elliott," I start. "I-I love..."

His eyes widen in what appears to be horror, or maybe it's just surprise. I think he is accurately