The Great War | Billy Hargrove

8 | Mixed Messages

"I ... I know. I just hate that I have no idea what I did wrong or why he started avoiding me," Isadora said quietly.

"Isa, I'm sorry he hurt you. I know you wanted to believe he wouldn't just sleep with you but -"

"But he did and I wish more than anything that I wasn't one of those girls, and more than anything I wish I had never slept with him but I can't change what's been done. Come on, let's get to class," Isadora said, as she started walking past Hazel, who hurried to close her locker before following Isadora, practically sprinting to keep up with the blonde.

"Hi," Kendra said, as she approached the two girls. Isadora looked at Kendra before walking past her and over to sit down at her normal desk before she pulled her notebook out and started drawing on one of the pages, not paying attention to what Hazel and Kendra were talking about. Her mind was elsewhere and so when an exam was placed down in front of her, Isadora cursed under her breath. Around her, everyone had begun scribbling answers down on their papers and Isadora looked down at her paper, the words a total blur on the page. She tapped her pencil against the desk and attempted to answer each question as best as she could, but she just knew she had messed up entirely. After the exam was over, Isadora followed her friends out of the classroom and as they walked, Kendra looked towards her friends, "How do you think you went with the exam?"

"Terribly," Isadora said.

"Terribly? Isa, you say that every time we have an exam and then somehow you manage to get an A every single time," Hazel said.

"I doubt I will even pass the exam this time. I only managed to answer a few questions," Isadora shrugged. Hazel looked over at her skeptically. As much as she wanted to believe her, they all knew Isadora was a straight A student who passed every single exam and never left a question unanswered, so Hazel wasn't sure she believed that Isadora would have left a question unanswered.

"That's not like you," Kendra said. Isadora looked towards her and shrugged before walking past her friends and Kendra watched her go, "She's still mad at me."

"Can you really blame her, Ken?" Hazel asked.

"No," Kendra shook her head as the friends made their way through the school hallway and over to their locker, where Isadora was putting her books away and she looked towards her friends and sighed softly as they walked over to join her.

"Don't get me wrong, I'm still mad at you but can you please give me a lift home, Steve?" Isadora asked.

"Oh ... uh, sure, Is," Steve nodded. Hazel and Kendra looked at each other before Hazel looked towards Isadora.

"Wait, does this mean you two are finally talking to each other again?" Hazel asked them.

"I'm still mad at you but yeah, I guess it does," Isadora nodded as Steve looked towards her.

"I am sorry, Is. I was just trying to protect you," Steve said.

"I know you were Steve," Isadora shrugged as the group walked out to the car together, and Steve looked towards her before nodding.

"Does this mean you're still mad at me?" Kendra asked.

"Not so much mad, maybe a little annoyed you defended Steve though," Isadora shrugged. Kendra nodded as the group called good-bye to Hazel, who went to find Eddie to get a lift home with him.

"I'm sorry for defending Steve. I guess I can understand why you were upset," Kendra said.

"I'm sorry too, Is. I should've dropped it when you told me to," Steve said.

"You were right," Isadora mumbled.

"I'm sorry, what was that? I didn't quite hear you," Steve told her.