Ivy Read & Her Whispers

INTRO CRWIR: Fiction Short Story- Shoutout to the historical fiction God TJR

(I don’t write fiction so making this world up was so fun.)

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Everyone has heard and read about Ivy Read, a nepotism baby who of course is drop-dead gorgeous. She is thirty-two and unmarried which means she is only seven years older than me and my mom should stop pressuring me about building a family. She has never really crossed my mind except for when an article about her comes my way, they are always the nastiest and juiciest. I sit and think about what it would be like to have her privilege, to try acting and fail miserably yet have everyone praise you. Having the ability to screw up many times and be famous for it. Yet, us commoners sit in our cubicles watching these elitists go through life like nothing has ever mattered to them. I for one, have had to work my ass off, drowning in student loans for my journalism degree and trying to prove to my parents that this career is worth something.  

Her father is the one and only Bill Read, head of Patron Pictures, and her mother is the famous Hollywood real estate agent/ reality TV star, Lily Adler. However, to many of the people living in the real world, Ivy Read might just be the most hated person in America after that orange president with the terrible wig. Why? You might ask, well from her teenage years up until two years ago she was involved in all the biggest scandals. The biggest one I can think of right now is her two-year affair with Tom Walker who at the time was married to American sweetheart Julia Jones. Not to mention Julia was pregnant with their second child. I mean, no judgment but I am not a fan of home wreckers. My friend Julia has set up my profile on many dating apps, she like my mother, is convinced I’m going to die alone. I have encountered my fair share of married men with full families, but I know when to leave– I know it's wrong. 

Ivy Read is the woman your mom and her church friends tell you to stay away from and the woman all men picture in the lonely confines of their rooms. To me though, when I think of Ivy Read not only do I think about her statement fiery red hair, sex, the drug scandals, and affairs. I sense that there is a story yet to be told, you don’t do all of that for nothing–right? So when my boss Ana called me in last Wednesday to pitch me an article and the name Ivy Read came out of her mouth, though my instinct is to always stay away from celebrities and report on relevant news instead, I anxiously said yes. I mean it was an opportunity to get to know this woman who I am yet to make up my mind about and well, distance myself from all the tragedy going on in the world. Which brings me to this week, where I am speaking to four major people in Ivy Read’s life and Ivy Read herself.

Cara Davis was Ivy’s best friend until they weren’t, for many years there have been rumors about them being romantically involved. No one is sure what went down, all we know is that for years they were only seen together making headlines and now we don’t see them at all. Cara did not want to speak with me when I reached out, but during my third try, I told her this was the way she could tell her side of the story without any rumors making news. Then I told the next four people the same thing, Tom Walker, of course, Chase Felix (former drummer of LUV aka her former husband), Cassie Jones her childhood nanny, and Ivy Read herself whom may I add said will file a lawsuit against me if I twist her story, so there is a lot at stake. 

— 

What is it about Ivy Read? 

Cara Davis: Ivy always had that thing you know? The thing that you know you shouldn’t gravitate towards but it draws you in and wraps itself around you disguised as a safety blanket. I can’t say she’s all bad though, I loved her. She did so much for me as I did for her. I owe her a lot and even though she ruined our friendship, I can confidently say some of the best moments of my life have been with her and I thank her for it.

Tom Walker: Oh, she was the most beautiful poisonous human I have ever met. She is just asphyxiating, she blurs your vision and intoxicates you with her thoughts, she never agrees with you and always talks back. I tried to deny my feelings for quite some time, I mean I had everything going for me and I feel like I knew the second I fell that she was going to find a way to ruin it. She fucked me up but I love her, I don’t think I’ll ever stop, you know? Loving her. 

Chase Felix: I mean, for starters she is stupid smart! I was living it up like a rockstar, but the spotlight was always on her. I would be lying if I said I didn’t grow to hate that. I think the attention being on her didn’t bug me, it was more how she fed on it. She loved it. Ivy is wild, the image of true freedom. The way she chooses to use that freedom though is what kills. He chuckled and thought about his next words with humor But then again, I will always look back at our marriage with an equal amount of love and hate. It was surely bittersweet. Wait that is a good song title… Surely Bittersweet.

Cassie Jones: Well, I practically raised Ivy. I mean,  that's what happens when your parents are busy running empires. You get the privilege but lack the love, I tried my best to give her that love but I don’t think it was enough for her. I don't blame Mr. and Mrs. Read, you think you are doing a good thing by giving your children everything. Ivy’s mind works in ways normal people can’t understand, including myself. Ivy was never the nicest, I learned to live with it and while I have never been a fan of her behavior I don't think she's all bad.

Ivy Read: What about me? I’m sure people have their own ideas about what it is like to be me or what they think I am like, but I am Ivy Read. For people to understand what that entails it would take more than your little article, it would take a goddamn novel.

— 

I was truly intrigued by Tom’s answer and to be honest, maybe I was just being nosy and wanted to hear more about their affair. How did it happen? Why was he willing to give up everything he had worked for, for someone like Ivy? Most importantly, how did he still love her after all these years? I think my intrigue must've come from my lack of experience with such passion, something I hated myself over. Not being able to love like that, not seeing why it would be worth losing my reputation and hard work over. So I dedicated a good amount of my interview time to Tom, I set up a reservation at The Beverly Hills Hotel and of course charged it to my work card. In what world could I afford a fancy lunch date with Tom Walker? 

TOM: We met at the Cannes Film Festival afterparty, she stood tall and gorgeous in what I remember was a black silk dress–He smiled and somewhat blushed–I was introduced by a mutual friend, I was alone my wife at the time was getting rest because of her pregnancy. I was really only there for work, showcasing my film Dead of Night. My management made me go to this afterparty, something about a director casting for the remake of A Star is Born. It was supposed to give me my first Oscar for Best Actor as a lead. Of course, after everything that went down in the following months that didn't happen. Ivy and I danced all night, it had been a while since I had partied like that. I think it was while they played Arrow Through Me by Wings and she got up on a table and sang to me, that I realized I was in deep trouble.

I knew Ivy’s reputation since day one, I knew she was a rebel of sorts and that’s not what I stood for. My life had been so peaceful, I had achieved so much and I was married to a respected, smart, and beautiful woman who had given me the biggest gift a man can receive– my children. However, it wasn’t until I met Ivy that I realized how miserable I was, I had been playing a character my whole life. I loved how free she was, I loved who I was around her, I loved the way she made me feel, and I became addicted to that. Ivy has made many poor choices in her life but not once has she not been Ivy Read. I apologize for the way it happened, but I don’t apologize for having met her that night. 

Shocked I kept going, hoping that I wasn’t crossing a line because of my own personal interest in their story.

“How do you live with your decision? I mean, forgive me but you have been blacklisted from Hollywood. Your work has been criticized and ruined forever because of your personal life. How do you look back on this affair with–”

“Relationship. Ivy and I were in a relationship. Calling it an affair infers that it was only sexual, Ivy and I loved each other. We were no different than you and your boyfriend I assume.”

“Oh, I am sorry. I mean how do you look back at your relationship with love when it was that love that destroyed you. Also, I do not have a boyfriend so I wouldn’t know.”

“Well, I’ll explain it to you. This relationship mended more than it could break. Ivy gave me so much more than my career ever did, I look back at it with love because it wasn’t just about sex and scandal. Up until then, I was a marionette doing whatever my management wanted whatever would make the most money. There was no integrity to my career whatsoever, being “blacklisted” from Hollywood like you say opened many doors to projects I am truly passionate about. In that way, I don’t regret a single thing I learned and happened because of Ivy.”

It made sense, I mean I was trying to convince myself that it made sense. That love made sense. I gained a new sympathy for Tom. I still didn’t know about Ivy but Tom seemed like a good guy, he spoke with so much respect and assertiveness that it was hard not to agree with him. I was trying to understand this Ivy he praised, so I next decided to spend some time with Cara Davis. She was nice enough to invite me to her home where she could feel comfortable, her house was something out of the movies. She lived with her current boyfriend Hector Neil, I hear he is just a regular guy compared to Cara and Ivy’s statuses. I was still starstruck when entering this world I never saw myself being a part of, something you never imagine exists outside your boring life. Cara took us to her garden, where she told me to ask away. It was a beautiful garden, filled with vegetables on one side and a beautiful array of flowers on the other. I wanted to know more about her friendship with Ivy, the nature of it, and why it turned bitter.

CARA: We grew up together, our families were really good friends and we met very young. We did school together, we dominated that school by the way. People feared Ivy, I was her only friend for a very long time. She was never good at playing nice, she would tell you how she felt regardless of how nice it was. I didn’t want any other friends, Ivy was everything to me. It took me a really long time to realize my love wasn’t reciprocated and she wasn’t ready to accept it. 

She looked at me as she toyed with some flowers, picking at a long orange one with shades of red and yellow.

“Tulips. They were her favorites, you don’t expect someone like her to be a fan of Tulip's. You’d take her for a rose kind of girl, pretty and dangerous. Thorns and all you know?”

“Hmm, I see. Why do you think Ivy acts that way? I mean, reckless and impetuous.”

“Ivy has always been self-destructive, she used to say it was her best trait. One time she told me “People are going to destroy you, hurt you, they will ruin your life. Don’t you think there is freedom in being the one to do it to yourself instead?” I can honestly say I have never been surprised by anything she’s done, to me that is just Ivy. People benefit from her and her behavior, she’s giving everyone what they want. I don’t think the media understands that when they talk about her. I don’t think she understands how much pain she is putting herself in by submitting to their desires. Wrestling the good and bad that Ivy brings is the hardest part of knowing her, she will give you a million reasons to love her but a million more to hate her.”

“Do you?”

“Do I what?”

“Hate her.”

She looked distraught, for a moment I thought she was going to either cry or say the interview was over. And then she laughed.

“I hate the Ivy she pretends to be, I hate what she did to me. I won’t go into detail because that is between us, but I do hate that she’d rather lose us than give up this stupid character. The worst part of it is that I could never hate her. I wish I could, it would be easier to make sense of things.”

“Would you say you can still make amends?”

“No. Even if we could, it's over. Me devoting myself to her, forgiving her, putting up with her shit, I could never do that again. I love who I am now, without her. I am doing better than I ever have in every possible way and I think that speaks for itself.”

I sensed pain when speaking to Cara, it felt like she had repressed a lot of hate but was too nice to speak on it. She was always taking back her statements and her voice would crack every once in a while, I felt terrible for making her relive what seems like some of her most painful memories. I could see myself in her. I could see Julia comforting me after yet another failed relationship and I couldn’t imagine losing Julia above everything else. I could see through Cara, she genuinely cared for Ivy and it stung to know that over everything that had gone on between them she still did. Being betrayed by a friend is the worst kind of betrayal, you never heal from it. 

I was not excited to talk to Chase Felix, some of my colleagues had interviewed him before and they did not have very nice things to say about him. He reminds me of those guys in high school that bullied me for being studious, for staying in instead of putting up with their intoxicated stupid red cups and sexual remarks. So I decided to talk to him in his studio where I could make up an excuse easily for leaving if I got uncomfortable or fed up. I can’t say I wasn’t intrigued though, why would someone like Ivy choose him as her first husband over other men dying over her? Was this her trying to prove a point or make people mad? Was it real at all?

CHASE: Ivy came to one of our shows at the Troubadour, alone. How does Ivy Read manage to be alone at my show? I mean have you seen her??? Her body is insane and her personality did not disappoint either. I knew I had to approach her, I had to spark her interest. I brought her backstage, we got high, and ended up having one of the best conversations of my life. I can’t remember what it was about to be honest, something about Fleetwood Mac’s best album? It might’ve been the weed or something else but I knew that very night I wanted, no, I had to marry her. 

I was, well,  still am a rockstar, but even I was surprised with Ivy many times. She did have a problem, she depended on sleeping pills to rest and coke to stay awake. Who was I to judge though? I have been high for most of my life and I think we both were for most of our relationship. I mean we got married in Vegas! She wasn’t out of it all the time though, we lived together like a normal couple, we went out and had fun but we were also in love at least I’d like to think so. It is no surprise that Ivy is viewed as a sex symbol, especially after our tape was leaked. It didn’t affect me when it happened if anything people looked up to me, but I felt so guilty because all of it would weigh on Ivy. She didn’t care though, I think that’s when I realized she was more complex than I thought. 

As much as I was intrigued I couldn’t help but agree with my colleagues. He was blowing smoke in my face every time he talked, I didn’t even want to ask more questions because I had started feeling lightheaded. Either I was getting high from him hotboxing this shitty studio and was hallucinating or he was spilling anything and everything he knew about Ivy. The way he spoke unfiltered was great for my article, yet I would never want someone to be so open when talking about me. Especially someone I was married to and confided in– romance is truly dead. I didn’t get much from him, I got the nasty gossip every other magazine would die for but I would never use. 

I did not know what to expect from Cassie Jones, I thought she was really sweet when I talked to her on the phone. She wanted to defend her, she made me promise I would also try and see Ivy for Ivy and not the way she was made out to be. I wish my mother defended me like that, I think she’d be the first to give out every flaw and mistake of mine. I am not the daughter she wanted, but I've learned to live with it. For someone like Cassie (a nanny) to be so maternal over Ivy, meant there was something I didn’t know yet. Something the world needed to hear. 

CASSIE: I met Ivy when she was only ten, yet she was already so troubled. I was her sixth nanny, nobody had ever managed to either stand her or control her. I think that was the problem though, you can’t control Ivy, she knows what she wants. You have to allow her to be herself and hopefully knock some sense into her once in a while. It’s funny because occasionally she would bring young boys into the house knowing it wasn’t allowed, expecting me to flip and tell her parents. I found that not saying anything about it was the way to do it, she would end up kicking them out when they had other expectations and then apologizing to me for it. She eventually stopped bringing guys around, from then on it was just her and Cara the rest of the time I worked there. 

Those girls loved each other, I was convinced they would make it. I regret not giving Ivy more advice when it came to the threats of substances. They were so easy to find in her social setting, when I decided to intervene she was already caught up in the high. It was then that her parents didn’t believe I was worth keeping around. I knew Ivy had problems, many kids that are born in the spotlight do. I think everything she has done is only a reflection of bigger issues. Ivy is a sweet kid though, she doesn’t show it or like it but she is. The world is doing her a favor by keeping this image of her, it has kept her from working through her problems. 

“I hope that helps, that’s all I know. No matter how many stories I could bring up, I don’t wish to feed gossip. I wish for people to see the truth.”

When it came down to interviewing Ivy Read, I was feeling less intimidated by her and her entire persona. I was confident that if these people believed she is not what people make her out to be she couldn’t be that bad. So I met Ivy for coffee at her beach house in Malibu, I had to drive for two hours, but I didn’t even mind because an equal amount of anxiety and excitement had taken over my body. An excitement that died down the second I was met with her. Cara was right, she was not nice. She was bitter and indifferent and judgemental and god did I want to leave once she spoke. 

IVY: Everyone can tell you what they want about this “portrayal” of me, but all I know is that I’ve done what I have done and the only reason it’s important is because my last name is Read. I don't apologize for that. I have never and will never care what all these people have to say about me. 

“What about Cara?”

“Excuse me?” she stared me down, a wave of anger consuming her. I would be lying if I said I wasn’t terrified.

“I mean, do you care about what Cara thinks of you?” The way her stare subsided with those words made me forget who I was speaking to. “Or Tom, Chase, Cassie? Because they care, they care about you..”

“I might’ve cared what they thought in the past, but I can’t afford to care now. What good could it do? I am guilty on all counts, for ruining Cara and I’s relationship, having an affair with Tom and having no respect for Julia and their family, getting married to Chase while being high, and mistreating Cassie for many years. I’ve paid my dues and I have learned to live with it. I won’t change, I am still the one behind all of it. After all, this is what Ivy Read does right?” The uncertainty and somewhat hurt she said that with made it hard to ask anything else, so I didn’t.

“Write about that, tell the world there is no hidden story. I am an open book. You want to believe there is one so badly, you forget some people are just wired this way.”

I see why people could hate her guts, she was dismissive and arrogant, even narcissistic in some ways. She did not answer one of my questions with more than three sentences. She stood there unfazed by the uncomfortable, but after hearing from everyone I can see her façade. She has done so many things wrong, yet not one person involved with her hasn’t loved her at some point. Doesn’t that count more than a shitty headline? Ivy Read is human. The way she deals with the same demons you face might not be the best, but you distract yourself with her. You go through your life feeling better because she is allowing you to. You deal with your problems by judging her. If that makes her a monster, well what can I say? 

She is just Ivy Read.