Forever Yours

3: Isaac

My hands wring in my lap. I'm sitting at my desk, going over the notes before I have to leave for competition in an hour. It's a home game so I don't have to go anywhere but school.

Which is good because I don't particularly like going to other schools, I'm comfortably with mine. I know going to college will be a challenge but hopefully seeing it in person and being there for five days will make the transition easier.

Plus Lina will be there with me.

Hopefully. She's dating now...will that change anything? She has a photography internship down there but will she still want to live with me. She might have a boyfriend...

My stomach rolls and I feel nauseous.

I'm happy for her, I am. She deserves to be taken out and treated well. 

I didn't pick her up from school yesterday because Chad took her out after. I asked how it went and she only replied Good with a thumbs up and that's it. It's not like her. Maybe it didn't go good, did something happen?

I take a sip from my glass of water trying to get rid of the nausea. Is she even still coming today? She hasn't missed a single one of my competitions, I know I shouldn't assume but...it's us. Nothing changes because she's dating right?

I drink more water.

Would I have preferred that I was the one taking her out and treating her well? Yes. But really I've had years to do it and I'm sure she doesn't feel that way about me. So I have to be okay with this. As long as she's happy, that's what matters and it seemed like she was happy to go on a date with Chad.

Will it change things? My glass of water is empty now.

"Honey?" my moms voice breaks through my thoughts. "Hey, what's going on?"

I feel her fingers in my hair and flinch a little. I've already done it, I don't want it to mess up. She notices and puts her hand on my shoulder instead.

"I'm fine" I blink trying to come out of my thoughts. I'm fine. Me and Alina are fine. She'll be there.

"Isaac I know something has been bothering you" my mom says softly. "You're distancing yourself from me and your dad. What's going on?"

I look up at her, her red hair is clipped up and she has on a cream sweater and jeans. She's always looked young for her age and she is three years younger than my dad. They're both in their early forties now.

I blink shaking my head. "I'm fine. I need to look over my notes before the competition"

She's skeptical but nods her head. "Okay. Well I just wanted to ask of you wanted me to make you anything before we leave. A sandwich maybe? If you don't want to eat it now you can bring it with you?"

"Thanks" I nod just as my little brother Koen bursts into my room.

"Double A!" he exclaims. "It's time for competition bets"

He calls me Double A because of the double A's in my name. My mom smiles at us and walks out of the room.

We do competition bets because my competitions aren't all that exciting for him even though he won't outwardly say it. My brother has a lot of energy and sitting still during an academic competition is the last thing he wants to do, so I try to make it interesting for him.

"What are your bets K-man?" I turn my body to face him.

He has a piece of paper in his hands. "First one. Kenji leans too far back in his chair and he falls" my brother laughs. "Second one, at least one of the answers is on the periodic table"