The Paradox

"Beep beep"

The loud sound of the alarm clock woke her up. Her eyes were only half opened.

"This damn sound of the alarm. It's so annoying!", she mumbled to herself.

BANG!

"Now it's quite. Quite is better. I like better", she said after breaking the alarm clock.

Well, she never really liked alarm clocks, she had a phone to set alarms so why do people have to gift her alarm clocks when they could give something as special as an octopus?

"Ah- too awake now!"

Apparently, Ivy Blaise was still half asleep. She wasn't as happy and excited for her first day of university as she was the previous day.

While getting ready, something caught her attention. It was a dairy, kept on the desk which was reflecting the sunlight from the window towards her.

"It's been 2 months since I stopped writing", she wore a sock and walked towards it. It was an 11 inch large black journal with several colourful loose sheets attached to it. While turning the pages, she muttered, "Should've stopped earlier."

She took her other sock in her hand and started walking toward the kitchen.

"He~llo~" she said loudly. So loud that even her neighbours said it back.

"Well seems like someone, lost her mental stability!", said Sylvia Blaise, her mom.

As Ivy walked toward her dad to hug him, he held a pen in his hand and put it in front of Ivy's face pretending like it's a mic and asked, "So, Ivy Blaise, today is your first day of college, would you like to share how you feel about it?"

"I feel like I should've slept for 5 more minutes"

"What's wrong? You look like you didn't get to sleep for a week", her mom asked with a frown.

"That bad?", she said with exhaustion while looking at the mirror.

She indeed looked miserable for not getting much sleep due to her excitement the previous night. Vincent Global University, one of the best noble universities in the world.

"Don't worry about that, your mother made you some snacks. Your favorite, Not mine. Obviously!", her father exclaimed dramatically.

Her parents have always been cheerful but there was something a little different.

Are they going to ask me again to get married? No it can't be!

"We've something to tell you". He continued his speech with a wide smile staring at her mom, "I and your mother are going out on a date tonight."

Without even listening, Ivy hollered, "No! I'm not sharing my cake with anybody!"

Soon she realised it was not about marriage but their date. It was surprising to her as well as her mother.

She flushed and said with a loud voice, "What are you talking about? We're just going out for dinner!!"

Ivy was certain that there was something off. Without giving a second thought she said, "Respect single people's feelings!"

In an instant she realised that she called herself trouble by saying that.

Ivy wasn't born in an ordinary family. She was the daughter of a well known business merchant. Though she was only 19, her parents wanted her to get married soon as the heir of the Blaise family to ensure the Blaise name lived on.

Shooting a glance at her, her mother said, "Our Ivy is single? Do you want me to find you a handsome man to take care of you?"

She snapped out of her daze. She turned her head away quickly, muttering, "I think I'm getting late. Enjoy your date, bye!"

She took a bread from the plate and hastily ran away from the conversation, she turned back to look for her bag and escaped as fast as she could.

As she was sauntering, she couldn't stop thinking about the date her parents were talking about. She felt like there was something off. Both her parents work together and there were times when they went out for dinner or to spend time together for days. Ivy knew there was something more to it. What were they hiding from her?

"Ivy!"

She heard a familiar voice from the other side of the road. It was Kate and Alex waiting for her on the bus stop.

"Kate! Alex! You're early."

She said while running towards them with her hands up front to hug them.

They were the only two friends she has ever been comfortable with.

"We ain't early. You're late!", Kate Ritch said. They've been in the same class all the way from elementary to high school. As for college, they planned to stick together.

"We missed our bus for you", Alex Benson said demurely. Alex, Kate and Ivy have known each other since they were in elementary school.

"What? Why didn't you go ahead?", Ivy said in disbelief. Of course, she could read them. She knew that her overly dramatic friends would never admit to be considerate. So if they ever do, then certainly they're lying.

"Because I wanted to go with you", Alex said flirtitiously, in his words, seductively. Ivy noticed how Kate's expression changed as soon as the words slipped out of Alex's mouth.

She likes her for sure, but will she get mad at me for flirting with Alex? She's been into him since elementary school, why couldn't she fess up already?