The Art of Falling in Love

Episode 7: Crush | Friend

A bit of a short chapter, but the next chapter will be very Isaac heavy (i.e. only in Isaac's POV), and it'll be a little lengthy. Hope you enjoy!

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Raelyn:

I sat on the bleachers, silently watching and cheering on the junior girls as they faced off the seniors in the powderpuff finals. My sister sat next to me with Isaac, who was eating a funnel cake drizzled with hot fudge. The sweet aroma filled my nostrils, and I felt my mouth water for that sugary, chocolaty goodness.

"Would you like some?" Isaac asked Rachel, but she shook her head.

"I'm on a strict diet right now" was her response. "I need to make sure I fit my costume for my performance of The Marriage of Figaro."

"Oh yeah, that's in two weeks from today," I chimed in. My sister nodded, and I made an argument, "So it's in two weeks. Sharing a funnel cake right now won't give you too much trouble, so go for it!"

She turned to me with a sullen look on her face as she slammed her hands onto my shoulders. "Allegra, my dear, you don't understand how horrible I've been today," she muttered as though disappointed in herself.

"You should've seen her," Isaac remarked with the strong urge to laugh. "The entire day, she's been eating corndogs, slices of pizza, pretzels, and ice cream. What's funnier is that she kept crying while eating them."

Rachel hung her head low and sniffled, and I couldn't help but blurt out, "Then you shouldn't say you're on a strict diet if all you've been doing is engorging yourself in junk food. Might as well go all the way and share the funnel cake."

She waved it off and released her hands from me, leaning back in the bleachers. Isaac and I exchanged a look of amusement and looked away to hide our laughter.

Isaac looked back at me and offered, "Would you like to share the funnel cake with me, Gallagher?"

Rachel shot me a sharp, suspicious look that I couldn't quite comprehend, but I was so overwhelmed by my craving that I exclaimed excitedly, "That goes without saying!"

Isaac chuckled quietly, and I felt my heart race again. I swallowed hard and reached to clutch my chest to keep my emotions under control, but Rachel never veered her eyes away from me.

He cut up a piece of funnel cake, picked it up with his fork and held it in front of my face, his actions startling my fragile heart. "Here," he said. Without even thinking, I snatched the piece of funnel cake with my mouth. "I could see how much you were eyeballing it," he commented with a smile as he watched me chew the food, my cheeks as round as a chipmunk's.

Isaac cut up another piece of funnel cake and held it before my face, but before I could eat it, Rachel shoved her face in the picture and ate the piece off his fork. While chewing, she told me snappily, "You should probably get your own fork."

Realization hit me, and with a nervous laugh, I scratched the back of my head. "You're right! I'll be back."

Rachel smiled and Isaac nodded. I stood from my seat and left the bleachers, my chest constricting and my legs feeling all wobbly.

I'm so stupid. I shouldn't have to be reminded. What was I thinking? It's so obvious to Rachel that I—

"Rae!" I heard Ruby call out to me. I turned to see her dripping with sweat, her face as red as her hair. "One of our girls got injured. Would you mind filling her spot?"

She reached her arm out to tug me along, but I backed a few feet away. "Ru, you know I can't!"

She pouted. "It's different when you've got the adrenaline rushing through you. You become a different person!"