I Am Unbreakable: (Josh and Izzy, #2)

by Angela Mack

  “Josh!” I whipped my head around. Ryan was standing in the doorway, trembling. He shook his head, again and again. Shit. For a moment, I’d forgotten all about Ryan and now I felt like the biggest dickhead. A total hypocrite.

  “Ryan, I wasn’t―” he turned and ran before I could finish. Shit, shit, shit. I was about to follow when I noticed Ollie in the room. He and Izzy were laughing about something. It sounded like she had invited him out with her tonight. I couldn’t help the jealousy that came roaring to the surface, especially when they swapped numbers. I instantly felt guilty; Ollie was my mate and I knew I could trust him completely around Izzy. But I was so damn jealous, I felt like I was eating it. I wanted to be going out with her tonight. I wanted to be the one to make her laugh.

  Izzy kissed me again before bouncing out the room. I stared after her, my fingers to my lips, wishing I was awake. Wishing I was alive.

  “Don’t worry, mate. I’ll keep an eye on her tonight. I’ll look after her.” I glanced back at Ollie as he smiled at my body.

  Make sure you do, dickhead. Make sure you do.

  Chapter 15

  Isabel

  “Oh my God, this place is rammed!” Jess grabbed my hand, threading my fingers through hers. I waved my free hand behind my back, reaching for Sophie. The three of us meandered our way through the crowd, shouting to be heard above the noise in the bar. ‘Don’t Let Me Down’ by The Chainsmokers was playing in the background but it wasn't the music that was so loud, it was the conversations around us. Every inch of the bar was filled with bodies. People were having to lean close to each other, their lips right next to another’s ear to be heard.

  “Over there!” Jess pointed to a group of people that had hopped down from a high, round table. She threw herself at it, desperate to get to it before someone else did. I giggled, shaking my head.

  “Phew! That was lucky. I never thought we’d get a seat! And we didn’t even have to use our fake IDs to get in here.” She smiled, triumphant, as she wiggled onto a high-backed stool. Sophie and I clambered up onto ours.

  “Girls never have to show ID, Jess.” Sophie rolled her eyes, smirking. We might not be the legal drinking age yet, but we had started sneaking into bars since the summer. Jess had gotten hold of some fake IDs for us, but I hadn’t had to use mine once yet―it was amazing what a short skirt and big smile could get you. And if there was one plus side to being tall, it was the fact it made you look older than you were.

  “When are Ed and Jack getting here?” Jess asked Sophie.

  “Not sure. They have footie training tonight, so probably not until after nine.”

  “How are things going with you and Jack?" Sophie shifted in her seat, looking uncomfortable at Jess' question. She slid a sideways glance at me.

  "Don't feel bad talking about your boyfriend just ‘cos mine’s in a coma.” I rolled my eyes but nudged her with my elbow, letting her know that I was only teasing. She smiled.

  “Good. Really good. We’ve not talked about what’s going to happen after sixth form, but I’m enjoying it whilst it lasts.” Hmmm. She didn’t sound as keen as I thought she would. I was about to probe some more when I spotted a familiar face in the crowd.

  “Ollie! Hey, Ollie!” I waved like a looney, trying to catch his attention. There was no way he could have heard me but by pure chance, he looked over in our direction, smiling when he saw us.

  “Hello ladies,” he grinned. “Fancy seeing you here.” He turned and looked directly at Jess, winking. She rolled her eyes.

  “I’m surprised the bouncer let the riff-raff in here.” She turned away from Ollie, but I could see the smirk she was trying to hide.

  “It’s not what you know, it’s who you know. You get me?” Ollie grinned as Jess huffed in fake irritation. I hid my own smile; those two were so going to get it on sometime soon.

  “What, no drinks yet? Thought you’d be necking ‘em by now!” Ollie shrugged a thin leather jacket off, which looked like it had seen better days, and draped it over the back of Jess’ chair.

  “Good idea. I’ll take a gin and tonic. What about you, Soph?” She cocked an eyebrow at Ollie. Sophie looked from Ollie to Jess, and back again.

  “Um, I’ll have the same please.”

  “Come on, I’ll come with you.” I jumped off my stool and grabbed Ollie’s arm, leading him to the bar. We squeezed into a gap.

  “I’m so glad you came!” I shouted to him and gave him a brief hug. It felt so great to have Josh’s best friend out with me. It was like there was a little piece of Josh with me too. Ollie beamed.

  “Oi, mate! Can we get some drinks or what?” Ollie shouted at a nearby bartender. I mouthed ‘sorry’ to him.

  “My friend here has no manners.” I nodded my head at Ollie and both he and the bartender laughed. I relayed Jess and Sophie’s drinks orders, adding a Malibu and coke for myself.

  “What ‘bout you, Ollie?”

  “I’ll take a pint of larger, please mate. Oh, and four Jägerbombs.” I spluttered in protest. Ollie winked at the bartender and he nodded knowingly, going off to make our drinks. I whacked Ollie on the chest.

  “You said you weren’t going to get Jess drunk!”

  “Oh, come on, it’s one shot! Lighten up, Princess.” I stuck my tongue out at him. The bartender arranged our drinks on a tray and slid it towards us.

  “That’ll be thirty-five quid exactly. And I’ll need to see some ID before I hand these over,” the bartender yelled, leaning over the bar so we could hear him. Ollie pulled a wallet out of his back pocket and slipped a driver’s license out, handing it over. I glanced at it. James Butterworth. I breathed in through my nose, my nostrils flaring as I tried not to laugh. Ollie didn’t look anything like the guy in the photo. Ollie was slim with chiselled cheekbones and hair so short it was almost a buzz-cut. The guy in the photo was chubby with dark hair curling under his ears.

  The bartender threw a cursory glance at his ID, barely looking. He handed it back over to Ollie and I held mine up, but he waved his hand, dismissing me. I grinned at him as Ollie began looking through his wallet again. I spied only a twenty-pound note and he hesitated.

  “Here you go.” I waved my card in the air and the bartender stretched over with a card machine. I tapped the card to it.

  “You’re carrying that lot though. Good luck with that!” I smirked. I made my way back towards our table, hoping Ollie wouldn’t make a big deal out of me paying.

  “Drinks!” I cheered to Jess and Sophie, gesturing at Ollie behind me. Jess giggled as Ollie concentrated on balancing the tray of drinks, fixing anyone that came even slightly close to him with a fierce glare.

  “Made it!” he shouted. He passed the drinks around and hunched over to speak in my ear as he handed me mine.

  “I would have gotten those, you know.” I shrugged.

  “You can get the next round.” Josh had mentioned that Ollie’s financial situation was similar to his own, so there was no way I was going to make him shell out that kind of cash on drinks.

  “I cannot believe that guy didn’t call you out on your ID! Who the hell is James Butterworth anyway?” I began passing the drinks out.

  “They just have to look like they’re checking your ID for the cameras by the bar. They don’t actually care―they just want your money.” He shrugged, a smug smile playing on his lips as he raised a shot in the air.

  “Here’s to Josh. You better wake the fuck up soon, mate. I’m going to grow a vagina if I’m forced to hang out with this lot much more!” Sophie spat out a mouthful of gin and tonic as Jess threw her head back, howling in laughter. I raised my own shot.

  “To Josh!” Everyone clinked their glasses and I downed the shot in one, careful not to let the little shot glass of Jäger inside the larger shot glass of red bull hit my teeth. I had made that mistake before.

  ✽✽✽

  “OK, OK, let’s play a game!” Jess slammed another tray of shots onto our table, some of the liquid spilling out over the edge of
the glasses. There must have been at least ten shots on the tray. She stumbled as she tried to climb up her stool and I giggled. The bar had emptied out with only a few other tables occupied still. Jack, Ed and Sophie were playing pool. Well, Ed was trying to play pool. Jack was pretending to teach Sophie how to play, using every excuse to touch her. His hands were on her shoulders, her hips, her cheek. She gazed up into his eyes as he picked up the cue, handing it to her. He slapped her arse as she bent over the table and she swatted at his hand, laughing. Ed rolled his eyes, looking miserable.

  “Never have I ever―” I groaned as Jess began. I hated this game.

  “Turned up to school drunk.” Jess and Ollie downed a shot and I shook my head at them.

  “Well, that’s a surprise,” I said, and they smirked. Jess looked expectantly at Ollie.

  “Hmmm...never have I ever...had a threesome.”

  “Ollie!” I scolded.

  “What?” He grinned at Jess, looking pointedly at her glass. She didn’t drink. She folded her arms instead, daring him to challenge her, but he raised his hands in surrender.

  “Your turn, Iz,” he said.

  “Wait. You’re not going to drink?” Jess asked, eyebrows raised.

  “Nope. I’ve not had one either.”

  “Yeah, right,” she muttered, but didn’t say anymore.

  “Never have I ever sat next to two people who have so much sexual tension but pretend to dislike each other.” I threw my shot back and smacked it down on the table, beaming at the two of them. Ollie burst into hysterics as Jess slapped my arm. I started to feel a little woozy. I had lost count of how many drinks I’d had.

  “Hey, I’m not pretending to dislike her! She knows I’m into her.” Ollie winked at Jess and she blushed.

  “Oh my God, Jess, you are not blushing!” Jess hardly ever got embarrassed around boys; she was thick-skinned and could hold her own with the best of them.

  “Shut up, Iz.” She pushed my shoulder and I fell off my stool, landing in a heap on the floor. I cackled like a maniac, so much so that my ribs began to hurt. Ed, Jack and Sophie looked over, all of them laughing at me.

  “OK, I think someone’s had enough now,” Ollie chuckled as he hauled me back up to a standing position.

  “Sorry, Dad!” I shoved him and climbed back on my stool. It felt good to be having fun. To forget for just one night all the worries that had been weighing me down. My stomach twisted with guilt. I so wished Josh were here right now. Tonight would be perfect if he was here.

  “OK, my turn again. Never have I ever, had sex in the back of a car.” Jess grinned as both she and Ollie knocked more shots back.

  “Oh, for fuck sake, can we stop talking about sex. I want to have sex. But my boyfriend is unconscious. And we’ve not had ‘the conversation’ yet.” I made air quotes with my fingers and Jess sniggered. “Has Josh had sex before?” I turned to Ollie. He choked on a sip of beer, spurting it out across the table. I had clearly had far too much to drink to be rambling so much, but I didn’t care. It felt...freeing.

  “Hey, hey, don’t look at me. I’m not fucking answering that. He’ll kill me!”

  “That’s a yes then!” Jess sang and I sighed.

  “Of course he has,” I muttered. I picked up another shot and downed it.

  “If it makes you feel any better, I don’t think he’d mind if you tried it with him now. He won’t care if he’s conscious or not.”

  “Ollie! That’s disgusting!” Jess smacked his arm and the rest of his beer sloshed onto the floor. I should have been horrified, but I couldn’t stop laughing. Ollie winked at me. He was such a wind up.

  “Her first time should be special, not like that―” Jess slurred her words.

  “Jess!” I yelled, as Ollie looked at me in surprise.

  “You mean you’ve never―”

  “Nope.”

  “Wow.”

  “Yeah.”

  “Wow,” he repeated.

  “OK, I want to make another toast!” Jess slid off her stool, swaying on her feet. I stood up with her and Ollie caught me as I tripped. My head hurt. She raised a shot in the air.

  “To one of my best friends in the entire world…” Sophie, Jack and Ed came over. They each reached for a shot too and lifted it. It was quiet in the bar now, but Jess was still shouting. A few nearby strangers glanced over to laugh at her.

  “I really hope Josh wakes up soon. Josh, if you’re listening, you need to wake up!” Jess was shouting at the ceiling and I tried to hide my laughter behind my hands. I burped and there was a tangy taste in my mouth. “You need to wake up so you can have sex with Izzy. You need to satisfy your woman, Josh!” I couldn’t help but crack up along with everyone else.

  “To Josh and Izzy having sex!” Ollie roared and now everyone in the bar was laughing at me. My friends leaned in and clanked their glasses. I downed my shot, the liquid burning down my throat and making my stomach gurgle. I tried to push away the nausea and smiled at my friends.

  Chapter 16

  Joshua

  After begging Ryan for forgiveness for what felt like hours, Ryan finally forgave me for trying to wake up without telling him. I had just been lost in the moment. I’d never leave him. I tried to broach the subject of us both going go back together, but he shut me down again. He still didn’t want to.

  I stared up at the stars, my hands behind my head. I was lying in the middle of The Quad with all the things Izzy said rolling around in my head. Could I really go to university? Nah, probably not. I wasn't intelligent enough for that, even if I did want to go. Plus, I wasn't sure I wanted to be cooped up in a lecture hall for hours on end. Fuck that. I much preferred the idea of travelling. Would she really take a gap year with me? My mouth started to water as I thought about all the food we could get in America. Their portions were supposed to be huge, right? I could eat and eat until I threw up. I smiled, picturing Izzy tucking into a huge burger, ketchup dripping onto her chin.

  “Josh! JOSH! Come quick. It’s Izzy!” I lifted my head. Ryan was shouting at me from the entrance of The Quad.

  “Come on, come on!” He beckoned me with his hand, and I jumped up, running over.

  “What’s wrong? Is she OK?” My heart pounded. What if Big Mike had gotten to her too? No, no. He was still hand-cuffed to his bed. I checked almost every day.

  “I don’t know. She came in an ambulance with Ollie.”

  “An ambulance? With Ollie?” Ryan nodded as he ran down a corridor towards A&E. We skidded into A&E and spotted Charlie and Sammy hurrying up to a desk. Charlie was carrying a sleepy Georgie, still in his Batman pyjamas. I looked at the clock above the desk; 3 a.m.

  “Our daughter, Isabel Johnson, was brought in. Is she OK? What happened?” Sammy had her coat thrown on over jeans and what looked like a pyjama top as well. Charlie looked as if he had dressed in yesterday’s work gear.

  “She’s in room two,” a nurse pointed over to the right. We all charged into the room before she could say anything else.

  “Izzy!” Sammy gasped. Izzy was lying on a bed, eyes closed. She was wearing a plain, dark purple dress and there were a pair of heels discarded on the floor beside her. The short dress exposed her long legs and on any other night, I would marvel at how she could make even the simplest of outfits look sexy. But not tonight. She was pale and her skin had a blue-ish tinge. It was terrifying how ill she looked.

  A doctor turned to face us as she flicked through papers on a clipboard.

  “Her vital signs are improving. We’ve fitted an intravenous drip to keep her hydrated. I’m going to check on her again shortly and I may fit her with an oxygen mask too, as her breathing is still a little irregular.” The colour drained from Sammy’s face.

  “What happened?”

  “Her and her friend here had a little too much to drink, it seems.” The doctor moved aside, and I saw Ollie sitting next to Izzy, holding her hand. He was hooked up to an IV too. Let the fuck go of her hand, shithead. I thought you said you were g
oing to look after her!

  “He’s in a much better condition but I didn’t think it would hurt to give him some fluids either.” The doctor raised her eyebrows, annoyance creeping into her voice. After she left, Ollie jumped out of his chair, his IV trailing behind him.

  “I’m so sorry, Mr and Mrs Johnson! We were just all having drinks. And I didn’t realise how drunk she was. She kept vomiting and I...I panicked and called for an ambulance. I’m so sorry!” Ollie turned back to Izzy. “I was supposed to be looking out for her. Josh is going to fucking kill me!” He ran his hand through his hair and round the back of his head.

  “I’m so sorry,” he repeated. Sammy didn’t say anything but nodded at him, squeezing past him to sit by Izzy’s side.

  “Have you spoken to your mum? Or Bill?” Charlie asked. Ollie shook his head. “Come on, I’m sure they’re worried.” Ollie sighed.

  “Charlie? What about Georgie?” Sammy called. Georgie looked as if he’d dropped off back to sleep on Charlie’s shoulder.

  “I’m going to take him up to Josh and Ryan’s room. They’ve got that fold-out visitor bed we’ve used before and I’m sure the nurses won’t mind keeping an eye on him for me if I have to come back down here.”

  “I can stay with him. It’s the least I can do,” Ollie offered. Charlie nodded, walking over to Izzy to squeeze her hand. He pressed a kiss to her forehead as he balanced Georgie over his shoulder.

  “Text or call me if she wakes up or you need anything,” Charlie said, kissing Sammy on the cheek. He left the room and Ollie followed, dragging his IV behind him. I stuck my leg out as Ollie walked past. He stumbled, probably over his own feet, but still, it made me feel better.

  “Oh Izzy, what were you thinking?” Sammy brushed Izzy's hair back, clutching her hand in both of her own. Tears trickled down her face.

  “I’m sorry I haven’t made you a priority lately, honey. You’re so mature for your age that I forget you’re still only seventeen. You’re still just a kid. You’re still my baby. I love you so much. I’m sorry if you’ve been feeling a bit neglected.” Neglected? Neglected! She must be kidding. No one could ever say that Izzy had been neglected. Sammy was an awesome mum.