... not in love with Kale Eddison

by Joanne McClean

  Much too soon, Izzie heard her mother call softly up the stairs that it was time to go. Izzie sucked in a deep breath and made her way downstairs; this was it. She had just made it out the front door when a car abruptly pulled up, a figure got out and the next thing Izzie knew was she was being enveloped into a hug which was when she broke down in tears; the first tears since her grandmother had passed.

  Izzie surprised herself with being able to cope throughout the funeral; she had cried when they played her grandmother’s favourite song – Dixie Chicks’ ‘Ain’t No Mountain High Enough’ – but she also laughed when the minister joked about her grandmother’s fondness of Dean Jameson. She was proud of herself and knew her grandmother would be proud of her too; especially since Kale had sat holding her hand the whole time. It had been a bit of a shock when Izzie realised who the figure had been but she had been very pleased that Kale had taken the time to fly back and see her.

  Now, they were sitting in the corner of the hall where tea and sandwiches were being served. Everybody was chatting and sharing stories about ‘good old’ Charlotte Frank; it made Izzie smile to see how much everyone loved her grandmother as much as she did. She looked at Kale and he smiled at her.

  “I still can’t believe you came the whole way back here Kale, you didn’t have to … especially the way we left things.”

  Kale’s expression softened, “Hey, I wouldn’t be anywhere else. Besides, your grandmother was the feistiest person I’ve met – apart from you of course – and I liked her … I wanted to pay my respects.”

  Izzie smiled, “I appreciate that. When do you have leave again?” She tried not to look too hopeful but a part of her also thought it would be best if it was sooner rather than later; she’d have to get used to life without him again.

  Kale glanced at her and then stood up, “Come take a walk with me; I have a few things to tell you.”

  Izzie followed him out of the entrance door and they walked hand-in-hand until they found a little wooden bench just outside the grounds of the church hall. They sat down and Kale turned to face her.

  “Izzie, I have something to tell you; your grandmother showed up at my house the day before I left.”

  “Oh.” Izzie was surprised but she let him continue on.

  Kale nodded, “She yelled at me and then she told me about the conversation you both had after I had left.”

  Izzie flushed with embarrassment, “Oh, she never said … but look, Kale, it doesn’t change anything; I still want you to do the film.”

  Kale nodded again, “I understand that but … I probably don’t have a film to go back to; when I got your message, I told the director I had to leave and then I walked out. They are probably lining up somebody else to take my place as we speak.”

  Izzie looked horrified, “How could you do that Kale? That role was everything to you!”

  Kale shrugged, “You needed me more than some director did. Besides, I’ll admit it; I wanted to see you again.”

  Izzie smiled, “That’s sweet Kale but a big sacrifice; I’m not worth it.”

  Kale chuckled and Izzie looked at him curiously, “I’m not laughing at you Izzie,” he explained to her, “I’m laughing because I just remembered what your grandmother told me before she left my house. She told me if I had to think twice about you then I didn’t deserve you and never will.”

  Izzie bit back a laugh, “Oh Gran … that is so like something you would say.”

  Kale smiled; it was good to see Izzie smile again, “It was good advice and it just proves that you definitely are worth it … I really don’t deserve you at all.”

  Izzie shook her head, “Kale, you still shouldn’t have walked off the set; I don’t want to be the reason why you missed a fantastic opportunity.”

  Kale held his hand up to stop her, “Don’t, Izzie … just don’t. I love you; that pretty much comes above some film role. I had to be there for you, even if you do still love me just as a friend; friends be there for each other.”

  Izzie shook her head, “Kale … you know I love you … and not just as a friend. I think I’ve been in love with you for a while now … probably since the day you sat beside me in Drama class just to annoy me … it just took me long enough to figure it out. Then that day you asked me to meet you at the coffee shop … that was the day I finally realised that I love you. I was going to tell you and then you text me and I was like ‘this is a perfect opportunity’ but then you dropped the bombshell and I realised I had to let you go or you’d regret it and hate me for it. I thought it was best to convince you that I was anything but in love with you.”

  Kale shook his head in disbelief, “Izzie … how can you think that I’d hate you? To be honest, I was still mad at you when your grandmother told me all that and I was too proud to go after you again … that’s why I left but I’ve regretted it ever since.”

  Izzie sighed, “So where does this leave us then?”

  Kale shrugged, “Dunno, maybe I’ll stay here or …” he trailed off as his phone starting ringing. Annoyed, he took it out of his pocket and was about to switch it off when he noticed the caller display and was very surprised.

  “Jeez,” he said aloud, “Izzie, it’s Sam!”

  Izzie thumped him on the arm when he didn’t answer it right away, “Kale, answer it. I’ll never speak to you again if you don’t!” She eyed him sternly.

  “Ok, ok,” Kale agreed and hit ‘answer’.

  “Hey Sam, what’s up? This is a surprise! Oh, ok … yeah I understand. Oh really … you sure? I really don’t know … can I get back to you? Huh? Yeah it was important … I really am sorry about the way I acted though. Uh-huh, yeah … great … ok, thanks … ok, you too … bye.”

  “Well?” Izzie was on the edge of the bench eagerly waiting for Kale to spill it all.

  Kale still looked to be in shock, “He said the job’s still mine if I want it.” He looked at Izzie now and she grinned at him.

  “Oh my God … are you serious? Well you have to take it.” Izzie flapped at him, “Please tell me you agreed to it?”

  Kale looked to be more alert now, “I told him I’d have to get back to him; he’s given me 48 hours and then he’s finding a replacement.”

  Izzie gaped at him, “What are you waiting for? Call him back! Tell him you still want it … go on!”

  Kale shook his head, “I don’t know Iz, we’ve just made some progress here … I don’t want to mess this up before it’s even had a chance to become something.”

  Izzie glared at him, “Kale Eddison, you are too good an actor to turn this down. I know I always criticised your acting ability but I confess … I realised during the play that you’re great. You were born to play this part and I have every faith in you that you can do it justice. It will be the start of something great for you … I can feel it.”

  Kale tried to protest but Izzie stopped him, “Don’t argue … tell Sam you’ll be there.”

  Kale nodded, “Ok, I feel bad leaving again but ok; I’ll phone him back.”

  After Kale had hung up, Izzie nodded at him in approval, “There … that wasn’t so hard … was it?”

  Kale sighed, “Not as hard it will be to leave you … again.”

  Izzie rolled her eyes, “It probably wouldn’t have worked out anyway …”

  Kale smirked, “Yeah, you’d have killed me after a week.” Izzie laughed at this and then Kale turned serious, “Seriously though, I think we could’ve made it work … still could.” He looked hopeful and Izzie smiled.

  “Kale…” she laughed but continued on, “it’s not exactly the ideal situation, is it? I think we should remain friends … it worked well before.”

  Kale agreed, “Ok … I’ll still hold on for something more though … you know I will.”

  Izzie half-smiled and changed the subject, “You should get going … your flight leaves in a few hours.”

  Kale knew this was true but he still wanted to stay, “I know, I know.”

  Izzie smiled sadly, “
Hey, just know I’ll only be a phone call away … just incase you need me.”

  Kale nodded, “I wish I wasn’t in love with you so much; it would make this a whole lot easier.”

  Izzie laughed, “Come on Kale, perk up … no more mushy talk. Get going … I’ll talk to you soon, yeah?”

  Kale gave in, “Yeah, ok … I’m going … I just …” he trailed off and looked into Izzie’s eyes and she felt herself melting; damn him for making this so difficult.

  She sighed and tried to break the eye contact between them but she didn’t get the chance; Kale pulled her towards him and they shared a long, farewell kiss.

  Izzie tutted at him when they broke apart and scolded him; “That’s not making it any easier Kale.”

  He smirked, “I just wanted to say goodbye properly this time.”

  Izzie grinned; how could she be mad at that? She laughed as she shooed him off and she watched him disappear in a waiting car a few minutes later … then she felt her heart break all over again.

  March

  April

  Chapter Eighteen

  It was half-way through May now and Izzie was still miserable. The past two months without her grandmother had been hard enough but coupled with the fact that she hadn’t heard from Kale at all … well she was down in the depths of a deep depression. It was like she was on auto-pilot everyday: go to school, go to work, do homework, eat and then go to bed. Izzie failed to remember the last time she laughed or even felt happy; sure she put on a brave face when surrounded by her parents or anybody at school but the truth was that she felt incomplete. She had this huge black, gaping hole in her heart … but nobody could see it; only she knew it was there.

  Izzie sighed to herself as she finished off yet another essay and then turned her attention to the clock on her desk: 12 midnight; yet another day without Kale and it still wasn’t getting any easier. She yawned and decided to go to bed; she hoped tomorrow would be the day that she finally started to get over Kale; it was rather silly of her to get so upset over something she never really had but it still hurt. Izzie sighed again and miserably crawled into bed; she wondered what Kale was up to at this very minute … she strongly suspected that – wherever he was – one thing was for sure; she was, most likely, the last thing on his mind.

  The next day, Izzie came to the conclusion that she had been right; an article about Kale had appeared in the paper – after nearly three months of nothing, there it was; black and white proof that Kale had apparently forgotten about her already.

  Tess Drudger, the local reporter, had been most disappointed with the lack of gossip surrounding Kale those last few months but she had appeared to get over this fact very quickly now; there was an entire two page spread on Kale and all the gossip from the set of the ‘Sam Oliver movie’.

  Izzie; mad at Kale but also curious, quickly flicked through to find the article.

  ‘‘Kale Eddison fans rejoice!’

  Ok hardcore fans … calm yourselves. Yes, you have indeed read this correctly; our Hollywood Golden Boy is back on the radar! As you know, these past few months have been extremely quiet on the Kale-front; one minute he was attending his High School classes and the next he had disappeared back to America without so much as a ‘goodbye’. We all know he left Ms Izzie Frank behind to pick up the pieces but what she didn’t know was that – instead of being heartbroken or pining for his love – he has been living it up when he is not on the set of his new film, ‘Bad Times’.

  It has been rumoured that our Kale has been seen out partying with numerous women, boozing all night and even getting caught up in drunken brawls. What – I hear you cry – has gotten into our favourite Golden Boy? Don’t despair young fans! Our reporter has the pleasure – or should that be horror – of being able to inform you all of what exactly is going on.

  It has come from a reliable source that our Mr Kale Eddison has gone off the rails! These past few months, he has been acting out of character and has been accused of being downright rude. It has also been suggested that he has been fired from his latest movie project for his despicable and unacceptable behaviour. So, all you fans out there, there you have it. Kale has not – as we presumed – turned into a recluse; he has been exhibiting some unsuitable behaviour and generally acting like an idiot.

  Frankly, I think that after this article, Kale Eddison will find himself losing many of his precious fans and – most certainly – the affection of Ms Izzie Frank in the process. Kale – if you’re reading this (i.e. you’re not on a bender somewhere) – not a smart move buddy; you’re only going to end up hurt and all alone. That said, the question everyone is bound to be asking is, “What on earth is going through Kale Eddison’s head?”’

  Two more weeks had passed since the article and Izzie found herself forgetting all about it; she was too preoccupied by the fact that school was beginning to draw to a close. She had other things to worry about and it seemed to be that Kale had moved on. Her final year was but a mere three weeks away and she wondered how it had sneaked up on her so quickly. She sighed as she made her way into school and was not best pleased when Stacey Johnson stopped her in her tracks; not improving her already foul mood.

  “Isobel! About time you showed up; there’s a committee meeting in half an hour … bring all the details with you.” She stalked off and left Izzie standing, open mouthed.

  Izzie felt quite sick; how could she have forgotten about all the preparations that needed to be done for the Formal? She started to panic; she hadn’t completed one task! She had been too wrapped up in her heartache that she had forgotten all about it. Izzie felt panic wash over her and sweat break out on her forehead; she had just realised – out of all the tasks Stacey had left her to do – she had forgotten to sort out a band and the Formal was due to take place – she glanced at the poster stuck to the wall to her left – this Friday night … two days away! Izzie could only think of two words for a situation like this … ‘Oh shit’.

  Naturally, Stacey had been pissed at Izzie; she had yelled, screamed and even threw a foot-stamping tantrum. Izzie had been quite scared and everyone on the Committee had backed away quickly to avoid her line of fire. In the end, Stacey had told Izzie that it was her sole responsibility to fix it … or else. Izzie had been pulling her hair out ever since; she had managed to sort everything else out – with the help of her mother – but the one thing she couldn’t sort out was the most important … the band. She had tried and failed every band listed but none of them were available at such short notice; in other words … she was screwed.

  Izzie sighed; it was now Thursday night and she was in full panic mode. She desperately flicked through the phone book and decided to try some DJs that were listed; she crossed her fingers, grabbed the telephone and typed in the number to the first name on the list; DJ Jeff.

  After numerous phone calls, Izzie was at her wits end; there was only one name left and if he wasn’t available … well then her life wouldn’t be worth living when Stacey got hold of her. Izzie wearily typed in DJ Chill’s number and waited for someone to pick up. After a few rings, Izzie was relieved when a male voice answered the phone.

  “Yeah, what up?”

  Izzie cringed but ploughed on with her plead regardless, “Hi, DJ Chill? I was wondering if you were able to play for the Hartside High School Formal tomorrow night? I know it’s short notice but … you are literally my last hope. Can you do it?”

  She heard the voice chuckle throatily, “Ok, ok, since you sound desperate; I’ll do it. It’s gonna cost you extra though.”

  Izzie sighed in relief, “Oh my God, thank you so much. That’s fine, whatever it is … consider it a deal.”

  After a few negotiations about the price and details about where the Formal was being held, Izzie hung up ten minutes later feeling optimistic; yeah, it wasn’t the band that everyone had agreed on but at least it was some form of musical entertainment. She yawned; exhausted by her frantic phone calls and decided to take an early night; after all, she requ
ired some beauty sleep for tomorrow night … even if she was flying solo.

  Izzie was thankful that, when Stacey had interrogated her earlier today, she could tell her with complete confidence that she had the entertainment booked; she neglected to mention who it was but Stacey had seemed pleased so Izzie decided not to venture the details. It was hard to believe that tonight was the Formal and Izzie had been double-checking everything all day; if she managed to pull it off without a hitch, there was a small chance that Stacey might not kill her.

  When the final school bell rang, Izzie made a break for it; she would have to get ready quite early as she had been told by Stacey to go to the venue as soon as possible before the Formal started to make sure everything was perfect. Izzie sped down the road and rushed into the house like a whirlwind. She flung her dress – the one her grandmother had given her at Christmas – onto the bed as well as all the accessories before jumping into the shower.

  Half an hour later and Izzie was transformed; her hair was styled into soft curled tendrils complete with hair band, her face had the barest hint of make-up and her dress looked even better on than it had on the hanger. She was ready and actually felt a little excited about the Formal; she let her mother take the necessary pictures before she was out the door again in a flash.

  Izzie arrived at the venue – a local hotel – just after four-thirty and inspected the hall; it was quite spectacular. There were lots of silver and light blue balloons floating above each table where the meal would be served; in one corner, a stage had been set up to accommodate the DJ when he arrived and beside it; a rather large wooden dance floor. Everything looked to be in order; there were chair covers decorated with silver ribbons and scattered across the room were fancy arrangements of white roses decorated with ribbon and ornate butterflies. All in all, Izzie was very pleased; Stacey wouldn’t be able to find fault with anything.