Even though Courtney was the last person I wanted to talk to out of everyone on this planet, I knew that I had to do so. I highly doubted that just talking to her would get her to not marry Eli, but it was always worth a shot…

I stopped right outside her dressing room when I heard the familiar cackle of my step-sister. I cursed under my breath, not wanting her to be there while I talked to her friend. As I continued to listen in, I heard another cackle and recognized it as their friend Janice.

“I can’t believe this is actually working!” Cassidy laughed, and I now peaked in through the crack in the door to see that their friend Rebecca was in the room as well, the only one sitting down as Courtney twirled around in her wedding dress. “This was genius!”

Courtney giggled as she did a twirl. “I know.”

“You are seriously the smartest girl I have ever met,” Janice smiled now in her airheaded tone of hers, since she hadn’t ever been really bright. “You’re my role model, Courtney. I hope to be just like you someday!”

She sounded like a child, but I kept my mouth shut and kept listening.

Courtney laughed selfishly before flipping her hair. “Doesn’t everybody?”

I noticed then that Rebecca was the only one out of all four of them that didn’t look happy. This confused me, since I thought that she’d be happy that her friend had won, but she looked like something was troubling her, and this only made me feel even more uneasy.

They continued to laugh and giggle while Rebecca just sat there for a few more minutes, and I was about to turn and walk away, give up on everything, until Rebecca spoke.

“What are you going to do when Eli finds out you’re not really pregnant?”

This caused the three giggling girls to stop laughing and glare at their friend. She cowered back just a little bit, but still expected her question to be answered. All I could do was stand there in complete and total shock, not understanding what was going on at all.

“I already told Janice and Cassidy this, but I guess I’ll have to tell you, too,” Courtney began now, looking like she could have slapped Rebecca, “I’m going to just fake a miscarriage in a couple of weeks. Eli will already be married to me for a little while then, that bitch Ivy will be completely out of the picture, and he’ll feel so bad that his baby died that he’ll have to stay with me.”

Janice and Cassidy cackled again, both of them agreeing on Courtney being the smartest person they had ever met. I just stood there, wanting to hear more of this conversation now that I knew I had the upper hand.

“But…” Rebecca swallowed, and I felt kind of bad for her. She really hadn’t ever done anything bad to me like the rest of them, and I never really understood why she hung out with them. “You had ultrasound pictures, and positive tests results from the doctors. How could you have gotten all of that if you’re not really pregnant?”

Courtney rolled her eyes at her friend now, as I she was the stupidest girl on the planet. I was even more interested now, because I had no idea how Courtney could have gotten all of that when she wasn’t even really pregnant.

“I did the doctor a few… favors,” she shrugged with a giggle, and we all knew what she meant. “He was really easy to manipulate.”

This was all I needed to hear. I knew what I had to do, and that was to stop this wedding. I didn’t know where Eli was, so I couldn’t go and talk to him just yet. This meant I was going to have to wait until the wedding started.

I heard a scream from inside Courtney’s dressing room, almost causing me to jump right out of my skin.

“The wedding starts in five minutes!” Cassidy shouted, and I knew that it was almost show time. I had to find my friends and go sit with them before someone caught me and I got thrown out.

I saw the three Lost Boys and Chloe sitting in one of the pews in the back, and I was grateful that they got a seat farther away from the front so I wouldn’t be seen. But now, I wanted to be seen. And I wanted to shout everything I knew out to the world.

Tyler was sitting next to Henry, and he looked so uncomfortable that it wasn’t even funny. Henry looked like he was enjoying the fact that his boyfriend was acting completely awkward, and I was glad he felt that way and not upset.

Jimmy and Terra sat beside them, and I then looked back at the pew behind us to see Simon, May, and Emma. Even my dad and Claudia were sitting around here somewhere. Everyone seemed to be here to celebrate Courtney and Eli’s marriage, but little did they know that I was planning on ruining it all…

“Ivy!” Emma gasped when she saw me, but then quieted herself when my friends shushed her. “What are you doing here?”

I shrugged, sitting in between Jack and Chloe so I wouldn’t be at the end of the pew. “Just crashing, that’s all.”

Emma smiled at me. “Good job.”

I merely shrugged again. “I try.”

When the music started a few minutes later, I slumped down in my seat so no one walking down the aisle would see me. Eli hadn’t seen me from the front of the church, but I was glad. I didn’t want him to see me just yet.

Courtney’s dress made her look fat. There, I said it.

She didn’t seem to notice that I was there either, which was still a good thing. Now that I knew her secret, I couldn’t help but hate her even more than I already did. I couldn’t believe I was so close to letting her win without even fighting. That wasn’t the type of person I was.

I couldn’t help but notice how absolutely miserable Eli looked compared to Courtney. She looked like this was the best day of her life, and he looked like this was his worst. He thought his entire life was now ruined, and it was all because of this girl.

The beginning of the ceremony went by slowly, and it was so boring that I nearly fell asleep. I didn’t want to hear this, but I couldn’t interrupt it just yet. I had to wait until the perfect time to let my presence be known.

“If anyone believes that these two should not be wed,” the priest began now after what felt like hours, looking around at all of us now, “speak now or forever hold your peace.”

It was silent for a few moments, and I knew that it was time. It was time to stop all of this madness from continuing on.

My friends were all staring at me, as if waiting for me to jump right up there and pounce on Courtney. But I wasn’t going to do that. I wasn’t going to look like the child.

I calmly stood up from my seat, all of my friends grinning at me while everyone else in the room looked absolutely terrified. I could see my father place his face in his hands, worried I was going to embarrass myself. Claudia looked just as outraged as Cassidy and Janice as they continued to stand up there next to Courtney. Candice looked like she could have ripped my head off, but this wasn’t the first time.

I stepped out into the aisle now, Courtney looking like she could have killed me if she could. But I wasn’t looking at anyone else anymore, because the only person I cared about was Eli. He looked me up and down at first before staring right into my eyes.

“I am not the kind of girl who should be rudely barging in on a white veil occasion,” I started, quoting the Taylor Swift song until I laughed at how ridiculous I sounded. “Okay, no. I am totally the kind of girl that would barge in here and stop this. The tension in here is just a little too high…”

I heard Chris snort behind me, and I almost laughed as well because I knew he’d react to it.

“What are you doing here?” Courtney demanded before I could say anything else. “Last time I checked, I didn't invite any ex-girlfriends of the groom.”

“I was never his girlfriend,” I made sure to inform her, and this made her even more annoyed for some reason.

While I continued to stand up there, I didn't really know what I was supposed to say. I knew I had tell everyone that Courtney wasn't really pregnant, but I didn't know how I was supposed to do that without blurting it out.

“It's a good thing you didn't invite any of your ex-boyfriends, Courtney,” I smiled at her now, trying to act as kindly as I could because I wanted to cut her head off. “This place would be overflowing with people if you did.”

She looked completely outraged, and I couldn't help but notice Eli smirk. I wanted to smile at him, but I kept my gaze on Courtney and didn't break it.

“Your most recent... well, let's call him a boyfriend, was actually a doctor,” I smiled at her now as I slowly made my way up the aisle. “Do you want to tell us about that, Courtney?”

She scowled at me like she always did, but I could see fear in her eyes. “No, thanks.”

“But I think that it’s a very important story,” I continued now, and she continued to only stand there and listen to what I was saying. She knew that I knew, and there was nothing she could do about it. “Are you sure you’d rather have me telling everyone and not you?”

“Ivy, I think it’s about time you leave,” Cassidy snapped at me now.

I ignored her. “We can do this the easy way or the hard way, Courtney. Pick one.”

She continued to scowl at me, and all I did was continue to smile right back at her. I was no longer going to back down and let her win. I was going to fight, and I wasn’t about to lose. She was not going to manipulate Eli into marrying her.

“What are you trying to say?” Candace spat at me now as she stood up from her spot in the front row. “Could you please not ruin my daughter’s wedding like you ruined the school play?”

I couldn’t help but snort now. “Huh, I ruined it? Okay, whatever helps you sleep at night.”

Candace looked like she was going to strangle me. “Someone get this girl out of here!”

“Not just yet,” I grinned before someone could grab me. “I haven’t even gotten to the important part.”

“And just what is the important part?” Candace demanded now.

“Courtney isn't really pregnant!” I announced, unable to hold it in any longer as my anger got the better of me. “She hooked up with a doctor and that's why she had a positive test result and ultrasound pictures! She was just going to fake a miscarriage after marrying Eli! She did this all to keep him away from me!”

“You have no proof!” Courtney shouted at me.

“Yes, I do,” I nodded, now turning toward Rebecca, who stood up there, completely traumatized. “Rebecca? Is all of this true?”

She looked at me, terrified as she then looked at Courtney, who was giving her a warning look. Rebecca gulped, but then turned toward the audience.

“It's true,” she informed the audience. “Courtney isn't really pregnant.”

Murmurs ran through the crowd, and Courtney was completely red in the face. She knew she was caught, and there was nothing she could do about it. She was not going to get Eli, no matter what she did.

“But there’s another reason you can’t marry Courtney,” I finished off now, my throat feeling dry as I stared Eli right in the eye. “You can’t marry Courtney because… because I love you.”

It was the first time I had ever said it to him, and he now stared at me with wide eyes. I didn’t care if my family was in the crowd, or even anyone else. I wanted everyone to know that I was in love with Eli Hunter.

Instead of saying it back to me, he took a step toward me and wrapped one arm around my waist, pulling me closer to him before pulling me in and pressing his lips to mine. I heard Chris whistle while I kissed him back, but the kiss didn’t last for very long because Courtney then pushed us apart.

“No!” she shouted, stepping in front of me so she was facing Eli now. “Eli, don’t listen to her! I love you more than she ever could! You love me, don’t you? We’ve been together longer than you have with her! It’s me you love, right? Right?”

For some reason, right then, I felt kind of bad for Courtney McGuire. She had been so nasty to me the entire time I had known her, but right now she was on the verge of tears and sounded so desperate. Maybe she really did love him and had an awful, possessive way of showing it.

“I’m sorry, Courtney,” Eli told her now, and tears streamed down her face. “But I don’t love you like that. I never did. I’m sorry for leading you on.”

She let out a sob, taking a step back away from the two of us, as if she was in shock. Did she really think that Eli was in love with her? Even before Eli and I started doing things together, I could tell that he never loved her. She was just an object to him.

“Just go back to Jack!” Courtney now shouted at me through her tears, and I fought the urge to look back at the English boy. “Everything was fine when you were with him! I might have not liked you even when you were with him, but at least you weren’t ruining anything for me! Go back to hating Eli! Start dating Jack again! Stop ruining my life!”

At first, I didn’t know what I was supposed to say since Jack was in the same room as us. I didn’t want this to turn even more awkward, and I was pretty sure that was what Courtney was intending to do by bringing him up. She wanted me to feel bad.

“I loved Jack, at a time,” I started calmly, thinking about what I said before I said it. “But times have changed, Courtney. I’ve changed, and so has everyone else. Jack’s one of my best friends now, and I realized that maybe that’s all he was ever supposed to be. Eli is the one I’m supposed to be with.”

Courtney stumbled back again, looking like she was about to break down. It made me feel even worse for her, but I didn’t back down. I couldn’t.

Eli now turned toward me, his face more serious than it had ever been before. “I love you, Ivy.”

I bit the inside of my lip to stop myself from gasping. For a moment, I didn’t think he was going to say it back to me. I knew he liked me, but I really didn’t think he was going to tell me that he loved me back. Especially in front of this many people, including my family and his.

Courtney let out another sob, dashing right down the aisle and out the doors, Cassidy and Janice running right after her. I watched them go, hoping that somehow Courtney could move past this. She might have been horrible to me, and she might have tried to trick the guy I loved into staying with her, but she still didn’t deserve a horrible life. I really did hope things worked out for her, somehow.

“You love me,” I couldn’t help but smile at Eli, wrapping my arms around his neck and pulling him closer to me.

“I love you,” he whispered in my ear, and I knew he was smiling as well.

And I couldn’t have been happier.

After everyone had left, my friends and I just sat in the pews, none of us really saying anything. I didn’t really think anyone really knew what to say after everything that had happened. Henry, Terra, and Jimmy were almost completely clueless about everything that was going on, and it was almost the same case for May and Emma. I was surprised Simon hadn’t filled them in, since he was sitting right next to them. But I guessed it was good that he had kept his mouth shut…

“Guys,” Tyler suddenly sighed, standing up from where he was sitting and I stared at him. He was acting strangely, and I wasn’t the only one out of my friends that thought so. “I have something to tell you guys. It’s important.”

I stared at him in surprise. Was he going to say what I thought he was going to say, in front of all of our friends, right then and there? After the huge deal that he made it out to be, was he really going to come out?

“I’m gay,” he suddenly blurted, and all the girls around me looked completely shocked. I did as well, since I didn’t think he would have done this so suddenly, but the three other Lost Boys didn’t look surprised in the slightest.

“You finally got the nerve to tell us,” Eli grinned, his grip on me tightening.

All I could do was stare at him for a moment, not believing he actually said that. Had they seriously known all along without us realizing it? We had been freaking out about them knowing for such a long time!

I couldn’t tell if Emma was heartbroken or just shocked, but I couldn’t help but feel bad for her. She had liked a guy that was gay for a long time, and I was sure she felt like a complete fool for doing so.

“How did you know?” Tyler asked them now.

“Come on, dude,” Chris laughed. “You’ve never had a girlfriend before Ivy, and she was fake. We were all starting to wonder what was up.”

“You also didn’t like Emma back,” Jack said now. “And she’s one of the most beautiful girls in the world, other than Ivy.”

Eli’s grip on my waist tightened as he pulled me into his chest. “Hey.”

“I was in love with her, mate. I can think what I want.”

“Not anymore.”

“At least I've gotten farther with her than you have.”

“Not for long.”

“Okay!” I shouted, growing very embarrassed and uncomfortable by this conversation. “Enough about that!”

I really hoped that this rivalry over me would end soon. Jack seemed alright about me being with Eli, but I could tell he was going to tease him whenever he got the chance to. Not that that was going to bother me all the time…

Tyler looked so relieved over the fact that his best friends weren’t going to judge him, and I knew things were going to be different from now on. I was sure I wasn’t going to have to deal with Courtney any longer, and no one was going to fight any longer. Everything was perfect.

“I heard you’re leaving Neverland,” Eli told me now with a frown on his face. “What is that about?”

“Actually,” Chloe butted in before I could say anything to him, “I talked to her dad about it. He never took her out of Neverland; he just told her that he did. He knew she’d want to change her mind about it later.”

I shouldn’t have even been surprised. That was just like something my dad would do… But I was grateful for it.

All the couples now paired up and chatted with each other, no longer paying attention to Eli, me, or the fact that Tyler was gay. Emma, who still seemed to kind of be in shock, began a conversation with Jack, and I couldn’t help but hope that would somehow lead to something more, somehow.

Eli now wrapped his arm around my neck, bringing me closer to him. I still couldn’t believe that I was actually with him right then, and he seemed like he couldn’t believe it either. I was so happy that I could have burst.

“I love you,” he told me quietly before pecking my lips.

I smiled at him as I said, “I love you, too.”

We were finally together, and there wasn’t anything that anyone could do to tear us apart anymore. Everything really was different now, with anyone, but it was definitely for the better. I had learned that I really just needed my friends to get me through everything that had happened.

I had learned a lot at my time at Neverland Academy. I learned that sometimes your first love isn’t going to be your last. You don’t always end up with the person you think you want to be with. You don’t always get what you want. But you just have to realize that everything is going to work out, sooner or later. You just have to get through the bumps in the road to head off to Neverland.

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The End.

I'm so sad right now I could cry. After over a year, this story is over. All there is next is the epilogue, but then that's it. It's over. :(

Please COMMENT, VOTE, and FAN! :'(