Dahven got up at eleven the next morning. "Enough time to go for a quick swim." She said sliding out of bed and going into the bathroom to change into her blue plaid swim suit.
She wrinkled her nose at her reflection. "So I might be pretty. I'm not a better person for it. Nor am I smarter." She shook her head, "So what's the big deal?" She asked as she angrily flipped the lightswitch off. She grabbed her room key, her royal blue towel, and then she left.
She told the woman at the front desk that if anyone called for her, that she was to be paged. "Yes, thank you." She said politely before she left there for the pool.
Swimming for almost half-an-hour, "Miss Dahven Christian, you have a phone call." echoed off the tiles.
Dahven laughed and climbed out of the pool. Half dried off, she quickly ran to her room. "Yeah?" She said breathlessly into the phone.
"Well, are ya comin' over or not?" Isaac asked impatiently on the other side.
She grinned, "Yeah, I'm comin' over. Just calm down, geez. I gotta shower and change and then I'll be over as soon as possible."
Dahven laughed to herself. She could almost see Isaac pacing the floor as she talked to him.
"Whatever. Just hurry up, okay?" He said more impatiently.
This time she laughed out loud, "Well, I would go faster, but someone can't seem to stop talking to me." She was quiet for a second. "I was talking about you, Isaac! So hang up already!"
Isaac laughed too. "Okay, okay. Bye."
Dahven nodded, "Yeah huh. Bye."
She hung up without waiting for a response.
"Hey Ike, what time is it?" Zac asked laughing.
Taylor tried hard not to laugh himself, but couldn't help it. Isaac had just looked at his watch for the fifth time in less than thirty seconds.
Isaac glared at them both.
Chuckling, Taylor tried to calm them down. "C’mon, Zac, don't tease Ike. He's waiting patiently enough as it is."
Zac started pouting. "No fair! You take away all my fun." He complained dramatically.
Ignoring him Taylor raised his book again. "So, Ike, what time is it?" He asked trying to hold back his laughter.
Throwing a wadded up tee shirt, Isaac stalked out of the room. Leaving behind Zac and Taylor in a laughing fit.
Looking out the window Isaac saw a black car pull up. "She's here!" He shouted before running out of the house.
But not before hearing his mother mutter, "Thank you, God."
Putting her brother's car in park, Dahven turned the ignition off, and was about to open her door when someone did it for her. Then Isaac helped her out. "I missed you too, sweetie!" She squealed, throwing her arms around his neck.
Isaac hugged her. "If this date is horrible, I will kill you. You know that, don't ya?" He whispered.
Dahven laughed, "Oh, Isaac, didn't anyone tell you? Murder is still illegal." She smiled sweetly. "So am I allowed to come in? Or do I get to stand outside my whole visit?"
Isaac tapped his finger on his chin in deep thought.
Dahven rolled her eyes. "Stop when it begins to hurt." She muttered dryly.
"Charm, you get in this house right this instant young lady, and give me a hug!!" Mrs. Hanson shouted from the opened front door.
Grinning at Isaac, she gently shut the door to her brother's precious car. "Coming, Miz Hanson."
She followed Isaac into the house and was greeted with a huge hug from Mrs. Hanson. "Isaac, told me to come early. So if this is wrong, blame him." She said pointing a finger at Isaac.
"Thank God, you are here." Jessica and Avery said hugging Dahven as they came out of the kitchen. Each coated with a thin layer of flour on their faces.
"Why?" Dahven asked curiously, biting back the laugh she wanted to expell.
"Come on, D doesn't want to hear any tall tales." Isaac intoned nervously, his hand tugging on Dahven's.
Refusing to be pulled away, Dahven smiled and waited for the explaination.
"Ike nearly drove us all crazy waiting for you. He checked his watch like ten times every minute. If it was that long." Jessica tattled.
"Oh." Dahven said nodding that she understood. She raised an eyebrow at Isaac, he raised one too.
"And it didn't help much that Zac and Taylor kept buggin' him about it either." Mrs. Hanson added, the corner of her mouth lifting in a smile.
"It was so much fun." Zac said walking down the stairs with Taylor following.
"We wish you could've seen him. It was so hilarious." Taylor said giving her a quick hug.
"Well, I'm glad some of us had fun." Dahven said as she received a quick hug from Zac too. "But you should've video taped it so that I could too."
"Okay, everyone." Isaac said impatiently. "D and I need to talk. So, bye, bye." He waved to his family.
They all smiled and with a little more ribbing, finally left them alone.
Isaac sat on the couch wearily, his shoulders hunched like he was trying to forget a bad memory that made him sad.
Frowning slightly, Dahven went up and pushed his shoulder lightly. "Geez, Isaac. I didn't plan your funeral, or anything. You're not gonna die on this date. It's not even my revenge date. Geez, the way you're acting it's like I set you up with some horrible male or something!"
Isaac laughed weakly as she sat down next to him. "I don't know what's up with me, D. I'm feeling something completely weird, and I can't put my finger on it. And it's driving me crazy!" He said putting his head in his hands.
Putting her arm around him, she gently rubbed his back. "You're probably just nervous about your date, is all. And I swear to you that it's not my revenge date!" She said smiling.
He sighed loudly. "Yeah, you're right."
"Now that we have established that I am right, I have to use your phone to call your date." Dahven said getting back up.
Going over to the phone, she turned her back on Isaac, dialed a number, and spoke quietly, and as quickly as possible.
He watched her, and couldn't help but kind of miss her being next to him, with her arm around him.
He shook his head roughly, trying to dislodge the thought and feeling.
When she hung up Isaac was leaning back on the couch and she leaned up against him and tucked her feet beneath her. "It seems your date is a little nervous to meet you too."
"Did she back out?" He asked looking down at her. Kind of hopeful that she did, and that she didn't.
Dahven looked up at him and then looked quickly away. "Nah. Remember Julia?" She asked softly.
Isaac was quiet for a moment. "Yeah." He answered distantly.
"And how I set you two up?" She asked swallowing hard.
He just nodded this time.
Dahven knew she was on shaky ground with this topic. Julia and him had something really special at one time before she moved away. "I'm really glad that you liked her so much."
"Why?" Isaac asked.
Dahven shrugged, "Because you two had like each other so much and all. You were happy together and I was part of making your happiness."
The doorbell rang and Dahven got up. "That's your date." She said softly. "Please don't be angry at me. I did it for you." She said opening the door.
A tall red head walked in the door and embraced her. "It's good to see you again, Julia." Dahven said almost in a whisper.
Julia smiled at Dahven. "Wow, Charm, you look so beautiful now."
Dahven bit her tongue. Hard. "Thank you, Julia." She managed to force out sweetly.
She turned and looked at Isaac. "He's happy to see you too. It's just that his brain is slowly taking in the fact that you are here and that you are his date."
Isaac snapped out of his trance and he hugged Dahven tightly. "Thanks, D" He whispered in her ear. "Thanks." Then he kissed her cheek and went over to Julia. He hugged her too, but he didn't let go quite as quickly as he did with her.
"Thank you, Charm." Julia said after Isaac released her. She was still at Isaac side holding onto him.
Dahven shrugged. "What are friends for? You both have been pining away for each other. So I decided to help. Again." She said before she left the two alone to catch up on lost time.
She went into the kitchen and sighed heavily as she sat down in a chair. She closed her eyes and put her hot forehead on the cool table. She sighed heavily again.
"Are you okay, Charm?" Taylor asked.
Dahven raised her head instantly and smiled. "Yeah, I'm okay. Julia's here." She informed.
"Isaac's Julia?" Taylor asked in shock.
Dahven stopped herself from cringing and nodded. "Yeah. She moved back last week. I wanted to tell you guys, so did she, but I had convinced her to help me make it a good surprise for Isaac." She said halfheartedly.
Taylor sat down in front of her. "That was sweet of you." He said smiling.
Dahven nodded. "I'm trying to live up to the name Charm."
Taylor checked his watch. "What time is it, anyway?" She asked rubbing her eyes.
"A quarter 'til two." He answered.
Dahven stood up quickly. "Geez, I gotta get home. Arie has probably been going crazy wondering where his car is, and if I did something to it."
Taylor laughed. "I'll see you later, Charm."
Dahven nodded. "Yeah, I'll see you later too." She said walking to the door.
"Hey, Charm?" Taylor called out.
Dahven turned around. "Yeah, Tay?"
"You're a great friend, you know? We are all lucky to have you." He complimented.
Dahven smiled brightly. "Thanks, Tay. I'm lucky to have all of you guys too. I don't know where I'd live if it wasn't for you guys." She said smiling.
Taylor laughed as she walked out of the kitchen.
She walked into the living room and saw Isaac and Julia siting closely on the couch. Isaac was holding her hand and looking deeply into her eyes. Julia was doing the same. They both had a stupid smile on their faces.
"Ewww." She said smiling. "Well, as much as I would love to stay and watch you two make googly eyes at each other, but as luck would have it, I have to go." Dahven said walking to the door.
Isaac got up and gave her a hug. Dahven ran her fingers through his hair as she always did when they were saying good bye. Julia shot her a warning glance, and Dahven just looked at her weirdly.
"Thanks, D." He said and kissed her on the cheek.
"You're welcome. Bye Isaac. Bye Julia." She said walking out the door.
Once Dahven was outside, she ran for her brother’s car. When she got inside she out her forehead on the steering wheel after she put the key in the ignition. She tried to calm herself down.
Then someone knocked on her window, causing her to jump.
She laughed at herself and saw Isaac standing there. Dahven turned the ignition on and rolled her window down. "Yeah?" She asked smiling sheepishly.
"You okay?" Isaac asked worriedly.
"Yeah, I just have to go home. Why?" She asked.
"No reason. Thanks again. I mean about Julia. You don't know how much this means to me." He said smiling like some stupid idiot.
Dahven nodded slowly. "Yeah, I do, Isaac." She whispered. She cleared her throat. "I gotta get home, Isaac." She said rolling up her window.
"Okay." He said before the window was completely up.
Dahven looked at Isaac out her window, and he pressed his hand up against it. She smiled remembering all the times they had done that when they were little. So she placed hers up against his. Isaac smiled at his best friend knowingly.
Then he removed his hand and went inside. Dahven put her forehead against the window near her hand and kissed the window. "He's with Julia now." She whispered to herself.
Dahven sat up straight, put her seat belt on, and started to back out of the Hanson's driveway. "Everybody wants what they can't have." She reminded herself.
Then she started laughing. "Geez, Dahven!! You would think from the way you are acting that you're in love the him!!" She started laughing again. Then she quickly stopped.
When she stopped at a red light she started to bang her head on the steering wheel. "Stupid, stupid, stupid." She kept repeating until someone honked their horn from behind her.
She looked up and the light was green. She put her foot on the gas pedal and slightly sped all the way home.