"You're kidding, right?" Isaac asked carefully. His eyes boring into Julia after her confession about Dahven's colorful past.
Julia shook her head sadly, as her brain sang a victory song thinking that Isaac now never wanted anything to do with Dahven again.
"It's the absolute truth, Ike. She felt so ashamed of it, so that's why she stopped coming around you." She gave a weak smile, "she thinks that she isn't good enough to be your friend."
The lie roll easily off her tongue.
Isaac dropped his head into his hands and groaned. This was their third date and it was turning out horrible.
The knowledge that Julia had turned completely shallow, turned him off quickly. Always talking about her looks and how important they were now. D never talked about her looks. She couldn't stand the fact of wasting endless hours trying to make her perfect.
Isaac thought about that, D is perfect. She never had to work on it. She just was. Quickly he stood up. "I'll take you home now, Julia." He said extending his hand to her.
Julia smiled up at him as she took his hand. When she was standing she wrapped her arm around his. "Don't be mad at me for telling you about Dahven. I had to tell you so that you wouldn't think that you did something wrong. She should have handled this much better. There was no need to hurt you so needlessly."
Isaac looked down at her arm around his, and groaned inwardly. "I'm glad that you took my interest to heart, Julia."
Again Julia smiled; "I always do." She whispered in his ear.
Isaac practically shoved her into the minivan, then he had to restrain himself from pushing her out as he drove down her street.
Forcinghimself to still be polite and courteous, he got out and opened her door, then walked her to her front door.
Smiling, Julia was waiting for her good night kiss.
Knowing that she expected it, Isaac bent down and kissed her cheek. Mumbling good night, he walked back to his car and left.
He laughed as her shocked face when he only kissed her cheek.
Then he pounded on the steering wheel. "I can't believe D couldn't tell me that!!" He shouted angrily.
"I have to find a way to get her back. And maybe get her to go out with me." He added softly. "But first thing is first." He said with determination, "I want my best friend back."
Dahven wandered around her room for the hundredth time that morning.
She sat down sighing, and quickly grabbed a book and started to read it. More like skim through it, and after a few seconds she threw the book and started to walk around her room again.
Then she snapped the rubber band around her wrist.
"AWWW! CRIKEY!" She screamed painfully.
Taking in a deep breath, she tried to calm herself. "Well, that'll teach you for thinking about him."
Dahven took another deep breath and grabbed her rollerblades. Quickly jamming her feet in them and tying the laces, she got up and bladed down the stairs and out the front door that Rosie kindly opened up for her.
"Thanks!" She screamed over her shoulder, breathing a sigh of relief as the fresh air started calming her frazzled nerves.
And then almost crashed into a big trash dumpster when she thought she saw Julia driving. "Only my imagination." She hissed to herself. "Only my imagination."
But she was wrong. Julia was driving and she did see her and made a u-turn so that she could follow her.
Dahven jumped when she heard a car honk. Slowly, turning around, she prayed that it wasn't Isaac. When she saw that it was Julia she nearly screamed and took off anyway.
"Hi." Julia greeted smiling as the window rolled down.
Dahven nodded, "Hi." She plastered a fake sweet smile on her face to match hers.
She cleared her throat, "So what brings you out today?" She asked brightly. Since I thought vampires only came out at night.
Julia's smile widened as she got out of what looked like a brand new car. "I was actually coming to see you."
Thank you, God. Dahven said looking up to the heavens. You really must've heard me praying. I guess you feel that I did something horribly wrong. Whatever it was I’m sorry, and I’ll never do it again. Honest. She thought still staring at the heavens. She looked at Julia then back to the heavens. I'm sooooo sooooo sorry. She pleaded.
"Why do you keep looking at the sky?" Julia asked with impatience. Hating to be ignored.
Dahven shrugged, "Just thinking that's all. Why were you coming to see me?" She asked suspiciously. "We have nothing more to say to each other."
Julia's smile widened; "Yes we do. See, I thought I'd wait for you to find out, but I tossed the coin and it said that I could do this."
Feeling the headache coming on, Dahven shook her head. "I don't speak 'Julia' so you have to explain."
"I told Ike about you." Julia announced positively glowing.
"What?" Dahven's voice was pure venom as her hands clenched reflexively at her sides.
"I told Ike about you." She repeated.
Her fists were so tight that her knuckles were turning white, and some blood trickled from her palms.
Suddenly, she didn't know how, but Julia was lying on the ground.
Dahven looked around, panicked, and started to blade as fast as she could down the sidewalk.
Refusing to go home. She went to her and Isaac's secret hiding place in the park.
"What?" Isaac asked incredulously.
"She did, Ike. Charm hit me. I don't even know why. I was just telling her about my new car and she hit me. Then she ran. I screamed to her that it was all right, but she kept running." Julia forced out some tears to make her story seem more believable.
She started shaking her head, "I know that she's been going through a really rough time lately, that's why I said that it was okay and all. Oh, Isaac she might hurt someone really bad. Maybe even herself."
She gloated when Isaac hugged her to him. Pulling back a little, she sniffled. "Isaac, I don't think that she should be left with Arie. A girl needs her mother." She said softly.
Isaac nodded and He stood up. "You should go home now, Julia. I'll talk this over with my parent's and Arie. D will get the help that she needs."
Julia stood as well and forced out more tears. "Ike, I don't want her to move out of Tulsa, but she does need help."
Nodding again, Isaac half pushed half-shoved her outside.
He watched her leave, then he went for a long walk himself and decided to check out some of the old places where Dahven and him used to meet at and talk.
After soliciting in the mall and a few of the arcades, Isaac was just about to sit down in the small hidden cave in the park when he saw Dahven sleeping there.
He smiled to himself, but it faded when his gaze rested on her face. Dark circles were very visible under her eyes.
And she seemed to be having a nightmare. Because her face was twisted in horror and she started squirming roughly in the confined space.
Then she sat up screaming and crying.
Quickly pulling her into a hug, Isaac started patting her back. "It's okay. It's okay." He repeated over and over again, stroking the back of her head with his other hand. "It's me. It's me." He murmured softly.
Dahven pulled back stiffly, and a little frightened. When she finally was able to focus her gaze on his face and recognized his voice she relaxed. "Oh, Isaac. It's you." She whispered hugging him tightly.
Isaac nodded and hugged her back. "Are you okay?" He asked gently.
Breathing deeply Dahven nodded. "As best as I probably could be. I hit Julia today. She said that she told you about Arie and I."
He shook his head slowly, confused. "Julia told me you hit her while she was talking about her new car. She said that you needed help dealing with everything."
Laughing bitterly, Dahven pulled away from Isaac and leaned up against one side of the cave. "Not even!" She denied heatedly, " I do need help dealing with some stuff. But if you mean like psychiatrist's and all, no, I don't need that kind of help." Getting angry that anyone could have suggested that about her.
"Something is up with Julia." Isaac said leaning up against the other side of the cave.
Dahven smiled slightly. "She thinks that I have been trying to break you two up."
He sighed as he thought of him and Julia being a couple. He didn't want that anymore. Not one tiny bit.
"Isaac, about Julia." Dahven started tentatively.
"I'm never going to go out with her again." Isaac interrupted. "She's _ _ she's a_ _ she's been_ _?" He said groping for the right word.
"BITCHY!" Dahven burst out loudly.
Isaac snapped his fingers. "That's it!"
She laughed. It was weak, but it was still a laugh. "Remember the last time we were in here?" She asked looking around.
Laughing, Isaac nodded. "Let's see, I was in the fourth grade and you were in the third. You was wondering what the big deal was about kissing."
This time Dahven's laugh was genuine. "Yep." She said nodding. "And if I remember correctly you showed me what the big deal was."
His laughter died down some, and he smiled strangely. "No, you said 'ewww.' " He reminded.
Dahven giggled at the memory, "I only said that, because if I said that I had liked it, then you would've known that I liked you." She said smiling. "And I was not gonna let that happen!"
He chuckled lightly, then they slowly both became quiet.
"I miss this, D." He said softly, motioning between them. "This. Talking. Hanging out and having fun."
"I miss it too, Isaac. But you are still with Julia. How's that look? Having a girlfriend but always hanging out with me. I don't know about you, but to me it's wrong. And I won't do it." Dahven said shaking her head.
Isaac held his hand out to her. "C'mon let's go. I have to go do something and I need you there."
Staring at him first in contemplation, Dahven slowly nodded, then took his hand as he helped her out of the tiny cave.
"What happened?" He asked pointing down to her purple and black wrist.
She gave a nervous laugh, "I'll tell you when the timing is right. Right now it's way off."
Isaac nodded. "Okay, but you better tell me." He warned sternly.
"I will. I promise. Don't worry." Dahven complied smiling.