"What do you mean?" Isaac's expression turned fierce, and Marnie looked worried.
"It was Melissa's idea, she wanted you back. She also wanted you away from Kayla, and I can understand why." Marnie glanced around, as she whispered the words.
"Huh, why?" Kayla asked, looking perplexed.
"He stares at you a lot. He has this dreamy expression that I've never seen on his face before." Marnie looked pointedly at Isaac, who was utterly lost for words.
"Sure, he does." Kayla said with a disbelieving laugh.
"It's true, that's why Melissa wanted you out of the picture. She asked me to throw myself at Isaac in the hope that he would turn to her." Marnie explained, which Kayla frowned at, she was not sure what to believe.
"You were pretty full on." Isaac said unsubtle, and Marnie winced.
"Melissa was pretty demanding about it, and I really wanted this other guy to notice me," she shrugged, but her casual attitude quickly changed to one of panic. "I, uh, gotta go, I'll see you later. Good luck you two." She sent them both a winning smile, before disappearing amidst the other students.
"That was a bit hard to believe." Isaac choked out as he squeezed her shoulder gently. Kayla had followed the other girl with her eyes, and pondered her words seriously.
"You think so? I'm starting to believe her." Kayla replied, as she reached a hand out for her bag.
"You do? Why?" He asked in disbelief.
"Look." Kayla pointed in the direction where she had been watching Marnie's departure.
Melissa stood confronting Marnie rather aggressively. Marnie shook her head fiercely at whatever the other girl said. A guy clasped Marnie's hand, and drew her away from the fight, while Melissa stood seething alone. She sent an intense glare towards Kayla that contained a shocking, frosty hated.
"Yeah, I guess I can see your point," Isaac murmured, as he clasped Kayla tighter to him. "It's just hard to believe that Marnie would have such a turn around."
"Obviously she wasn't really after you, like she said." Kayla mused, as she shook her head.
"You are still coming on the date, aren't you?"
"Yes, so stop asking," she told him, amazed by the vulnerability of his expression. "Do you do that?" She asked swiftly, and his expression turned puzzled by her abrupt change of subject.
"Do what?" He asked completely confused by her.
"Look at me, the way Marnie said." She asked, and she detected the pink tinge rising in his cheeks again.
"I have no idea what you're taking about." He denied smartly. She smiled at his response, a small, rather cheeky smile, but she let it go.
"On that note, I'm going to class." She told him, as she turned to her locker.
She was still smiling later in the morning. Knowing that he watched her should have been creepy, but instead she found it rather endearing. It was a relief to know that Marnie was no longer going to be mean to her, but Melissa was a whole other part that she didn't want to consider now.
She was going to enjoy having Isaac to herself, while he was still interested. She knew it wouldn't last for long, so she was determined to make the most of it, or at least for as long as her nerves would hold out.
"H-hey, Kayla." She looked up at the stammered words, from where she had been working on a tricky math’s problem.
She had decided to have her lunch break outside today. The library had only made her think of Isaac, and the fiery kisses that he had given her in there. She knew she would get nothing done if she continued to think about him, so sitting under a tree seemed the next best idea.
The sudden disruption made her frown and feeling confused. Steve, one of the players on the football team with Isaac, stood there looking at her with a broad smile. She had tutored him last year when he was having trouble understanding one of the plays they had been studying.
She looked at him from the chestnut hair to the handsome face, and wondered why he was there. She wouldn't be offering him any help since he had made rude comments about her to the class not so long ago. He was no longer on her list of people she wished to know.
"Yes, Steve?" She asked coolly, and he seemed taken aback.
"Well, I was wondering if you, um..." He trailed off, and stared at her with a keen, but hopeful look.
"What is it?" Kayla looked back down at her work, wishing that he would go very far away.
"Why are you acting angry with me? I haven't done anything to you," Steve seemed perplexed, and Kayla shook her head.
"Are you sure about that?" Kayla scorned him, but Steve only looked deeply baffled. "You really have a bad memory,"
"When did I say something wrong?"
"Look, just tell me what you came here to tell me." Kayla cut him off abruptly.
"I was just going to ask if you wanted to go out with me on the weekend." He enquired earnestly, and Kayla let out a laugh of derision.
"Wouldn't that be scraping the bottom of the barrel?" She saw him flinch at her remark, but she wasn't sure why. "Tell me why I would go out with someone that was rude to me, and called me Hat Girl in front of the whole class?" She glared at him, and watched as comprehension dawned on his face.
"I was saying that to Isaac, not to you." He quickly tried to make amends.
"You were rude to me, so no, I won't go anywhere with you. Please leave, I'm trying to work here."
Kayla automatically went back to work, but her fingers were clenching tightly to her pen, and her hands were shaking. She was furious that a guy she had once considered nice had become such a colossal jerk.
"Look, I'm sorry..."
"Hey, there you are! I checked the library, but you weren't there. Steve, what are you doing here?" Isaac stared between a very angry looking Kayla to Steve who appeared uncomfortable and despondent. "Is he bothering you, Kayla?"
Isaac's voice filled her with relief, warmth, and happiness. It removed the anger and brought her heart back to fluttering. She glanced up, only to see Isaac's jaw tighten in Steve's direction.
"He is just leaving." Kayla said firmly.
"What did he say to upset you?" Isaac demanded, but Kayla simply waved a hand for him not to concern himself.
"You're not the only guy that she might happen to like." Steve snarled, before backing away.
"I used to think you were nice, until you acted so mean to me in class." Kayla reminded him, and Steve slunk away, appearing dejected.
"What was that about?" Isaac asked, as he sat down next to her, and handed her a sandwich.
"Believe it or not, but he was asking me on a date." She blurted out the words without realising.
"Oh, that explains a few things," Isaac looked surprised, but enlightened. "So, what did you tell him?" He asked with the tiniest of winces.
"Obviously to leave me alone," she grouched, and he couldn't help but grin. "Thanks for the sandwich."
"Why weren't you in the library?" He asked curiously, and she shrugged, as she took a bite of the sandwich.
"It's too nice a day to be inside." She told him, but it came out more like a question.
"Or you're trying to avoid me." He stated blandly.
"Not everything is about you, Isaac." She said dryly.
"So you say." His eyes teased and she went quiet.
It was uncanny the way Isaac was always able to figure out the reasons why she did things. She never admitted to avoiding him, but the hope to get some work done wasn't the only reason she had stayed away. She had needed some space to think about what happened this morning.
"You know I like this hat the best so far." He told her, looking her square in the eye.
"Huh?"
She felt rather lost in those dark blue eyes of his. When he reached over to touch the brim of her beret, she instinctively pulled back. He let out a soft laugh, before gesturing to her sandwich.
"Eat up, Missy; I do believe its dance class this afternoon."
"So?" She asked around a mouthful of food.
"So, I thought I might come early and watch you." H
e said, as he slung an arm around her shoulder, which seemed to becoming a habit of his. His eyes twinkled at her, as she choked on her sandwich.
"Uh, that's not necessary, Isaac." She told him, as calmly as she could manage.
"But I want to." He told her with a wicked little grin.
She was thankful that the bell rang. She could barely find her composure with everything that had happened today and now this! Knowing Isaac wanted to watch her dance was one thing, but Isaac actually being there was very different.
She scurried to her feet, stuffed her work into her bag, and anxiously wondered what to do next. Isaac picked up her bag, and hoisted both their bags onto his shoulder. He grasped her hand, and walked her to class.
He refused to talk about the dance class situation for the rest of the day. She begged him not to come, but he just smiled, and reassured her that everything was fine. Her nerves ratcheted higher by the end of the day, and she could barely breathe.
When he didn't turn up to the dance studio early, the disappointment that she felt surprised her, but she welcomed the relief. She felt freer and able to throw herself into her dancing. She let the music guide her, and her movements flowed, carrying her away.
She never saw Isaac standing just outside the door where he could watch her effortless dancing. He didn't once take his eyes from her, feeling entranced by her elegant motions. He was as amazed by her beauty and fluidity, as her graceful, smooth steps astonished him.
Class finally ended and Isaac made himself move, as the girls began stretching and chatting to each other. He heard his name mentioned, but he ignored then all. He walked straight to the dark haired, green-eyed girl who had him captivated.
"Isaac, I thought I saw you skulking out there," Hayley's voice became the last interruption he needed.
"What! Were you watching?" Kayla voice sounded aghast, as she looked his way.
"I told you I would," Isaac said to Kayla, while glancing to his sister with a glare. "And I wasn’t skulking," he told Hayley to which she snorted.
"Yeah, right! I'm not sure how you didn't get arrested for perving on us." Hayley told him sharply.
"I wasn’t perving!" Isaac said in exasperation.
"Tell that to the judge! Why didn't you walk through the door like a normal person?" Hayley demanded.
"I didn't want to freak Kayla out, obviously." Isaac told his sister, as he shoved a hand through his hair.
"Oh, I didn't think of that."
"You two and the way you argue." Kayla told them with a frown.
She let out a sigh, as she stretched to reach her toes. That pose grabbed all of Isaac's attention. He stared at her, as his mouth went dry, and he was sure it popped open.
"Young man, why are you in the middle of my dance floor?" A stern voice said from behind them. "Oh, Isaac, I didn't realise it was you. I guess you are here to pick up Hayley. Carry on." The older woman's voice turned friendly, as he nodded.
"Yes, Mrs. Warren, and I came to watch my girlfriend dance."
"Isaac!" Kayla snapped out his name. "I am not your girlfriend. We haven't even been on a date." Kayla ranted for a bit, but he saw Hayley smile, and give him thumbs up.
"Not from want of trying." Isaac told her, and she grumbled beneath her breath.
"Hey, we saw you at the Creamery yesterday, surely that was a date. You two looked pretty cosy." One of the other girls piped up, and Kayla sent them a glare.
"It wasn't a date! That was a study break." Kayla insisted.
"It sure looked like a date from where I was standing." The girl persisted.
Kayla closed her eyes. This was so not happening! She gritted her teeth and decided to skip her last few stretches. She stood up and headed for the change room.
"Kayla wait," Isaac called out, but she didn't break her stride. "My God, you can be so pig headed and stubborn." He said, as his fingers latched onto her elbow.
"And you can be an arrogant..." She trailed off, not sure what else she wanted to say.
"Does this mean our dates off?" He asked the words softly with an edge of expectation and she sighed.
"I don't go back on my promises."
"Hey, did I miss something here? Since when has a date been decided upon?" Hayley's excited voice echoed around the room, and Kayla groaned. All eyes were upon them, and Kayla felt the urge to run.
"This weekend." Isaac answered confidently, all his uncertainty vanishing from just moments before.
"Friday or Saturday night?" Hayley questioned abruptly.
"Saturday, I guess." Isaac replied with a shrug, before glancing to a shocked Kayla. "Unless you want it to be Friday?" Kayla found that she had no response for either sibling. She stared between them, wide eyed and appearing lost.
"No make it Saturday." Hayley said, before tugging on Kayla's arm, and dragging her into the change room.
"Why Saturday?" Kayla finally asked, and her friend grinned.
"You are in desperate need for a makeover, and I'm finally going to see to it." Hayley's determined words had Kayla putting her face in her hands.
This whole Isaac dating thing was now getting completely beyond her control! She didn't want a makeover, she was happy just the way she was. Hayley's excited grin told her that she wouldn't take no for an answer.
She guessed it couldn't hurt to listen to her friend; she was just scared of the results. She was a girl that always liked things to be in her control. Change had never been Kayla's best friend.
She spotted Isaac waiting patiently, leaning against the wall when she exited the change room. Due to him, her life was changing, whether she wanted it to or not. She let out a sigh, still not sure if the reality of Isaac, and all the dramas that came with him lived up to the Isaac of her dreams.
He smiled at her, making her heart flutter uncontrollably yet again, and she admitted defeat. Of course, the reality of Isaac was better than her years of dreaming. The only problem was how easily he could break her heart.
She pushed the negative thoughts aside, and chose to live in the moment. She had to take what she could from this, and worry about everything else later.
They had an up and coming date, which she decided to make her main focus. She was going to enjoy every single moment that she could with him, and throw her inhibitions, maybe even her homework to the wind.
Chapter 12 - Makeovers and stolen kisses
"Okay so before we go and do this, I need to know about the hat situation." Hayley's words had Kayla backing up a step, and grumbling under her breath.
This was why she had never wanted a makeover! She didn't want anyone prying into her life. Even though Hayley was her friend, Kayla had never told anyone about her problems with her giant forehead. She had hoped to avoid the situation for even longer, but by Hayley's determined expression, that wasn't going to happen.
She glanced around her room, and pondered the week that she had just had, to help calm herself down. Isaac was pretty much everything that she could recall. Just thinking about him had a dreamy smile appearing on her face.
Every day he had spent all the time that he could with her. He was always there when she arrived at school, he insisted on walking her to her classes, and he often appeared early at the dance studio. They had talked a lot, over little things and big things. She had become more comfortable around him, and not as much a bumbling fool.
Sure, he still set her heart to pounding and her nerves alight, but his presence was now just as soothing as well. She had relished every single second that he smiled at her and laughed with her.
Now, here she was on Saturday morning with Hayley, and they were preparing to attempt the dastardly makeover. She had been dreading this moment all week, especially as Hayley seemed to remind her every day about it. By Hayley's tapping foot, she wasn't impressed with her friend’s evasion technique.
"Come on, Kayla. Mum gave me enough money for both of us to have some pampering, and I know your Mum gave you money too. I'm not just going to shove you in a chair and disapp
ear." Hayley said in encouragement.
"She shouldn't have done that." Kayla protested, even though her friend was right.
She had told her Mum everything about agreeing to have a date with Isaac. Her Mum had grinned in the most mischievous way, before pressing a pile of money on her. She had tried to give the birds and bees speech too, until Kayla pointed out that she had learnt all that stuff at school.
She was also allowing Kayla to stay at Hayley's place tonight, even though her date lived there too. Kayla had been happy knowing that she wouldn't have to be home alone when her Mum went to work.
"Well she did! It's time for you to fess up, before we plop into a hairdresser's chair, and they force the truth out of you," Hayley told her firmly, and Kayla felt alarmed at the mere thought of it. "Unless you’re hiding some freaky alien head under there, then I need to know."
"Why are we friends again?" Kayla asked, with a shake of her head.
"Just tell me!" Hayley yelled.
"Shush, Hayley! My Mum's still sleeping."
"Then you had better tell me, before I start screaming the roof down!" Hayley threatened with her voice rising on every word. Kayla smartly pulled her hat off her head, knowing that Hayley normally followed her threats through.
"See." Kayla's voice was a bare whisper, as embarrassment filled her for exposing her faults.
"I can't see anything. It's not as if I haven't seen you without a hat before, Kayla. What I want to know is why you use them as a security blanket." Hayley enquired in a soft voice.
"I... how can you not see it?" Kayla's voice went high, as her friend frowned.
"Tell me what I'm supposed to see." Hayley reached out a hand to touch Kayla's shoulder, but she flinched away.
"I look like some half bald freak! Look at my hairline, that's not normal." Kayla shrieked out the words, as she stabbed a finger to her forehead.
A blush of utter mortification spread across her face, as she turned away from Hayley. She had admitted what constituted the worst of the worst in her mind. The last thing she wanted to endure was her friend’s comments.
"That's seriously why you wear hats?" Hayley's voice turned deadly serious.
How We Began Page 12