When I first started crushing on him, I already knew he’d never actually date someone like me. But I still held onto that tiny bit of hope. That maybe, one day, he’d be mine.

Now, I don’t even have that.

I wish I could erase the last two days completely. Go back to having a harmless crush that didn’t hurt anyone, not even me. Now I don’t even know how I’m supposed to show up at school.

How am I going to face Julie? She knows I fell for him. I fell for her brother. Our relationship will never be the same again.

And worse, he knows how easily I fall. And he used that. He took advantage of it.

I don’t want to go to class tomorrow. But what excuse do I have?

Then I remember what Mom always says – “Don’t take the ivy trail on your way back home. It’s full of poison ivy. I know it’s shorter but take the long way. Always take the other path.”

“Of course, Mom,” I had promised.

But today? Today I want to take that trail. I need an excuse. Any excuse not to go to school.

About five hundred metres from school, I turn and slip into the ivy trail. Two bikes pass me as I walk. Then it’s quiet again. When I reach the wooden walkway, with a fence on each side where the ivy grows thick, I stop and wait. I look around to make sure no one is coming. Then I climb over the fence and let the leaves brush against both of my hands.

It stings. I’ve had this rash before. I know exactly what’s coming. But the sting on my skin is nothing compared to the one in my chest.

I walk the rest of the way home, already bracing myself for whatever Mom has to say. And I know, it’s not going to be good.