Chapter Seven

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I guess the severity of what happened yesterday hasn't hit me until now. Maybe my previous assumption of Alexander being a madman is true. He was out of hand and went way overboard whenever Ian shot me with that paintball. And even if it was just a paintball gun, it was a little too much.

We won the game, anyways. Ian didn't really talk to anyone after it finished. Afterwards, we all went back to Jack's house and just talked for a while. They're all so nice. Well, maybe not Alexander. I'm a little skeptical about him still. Neither he nor Ian spoke that whole time we got back. I felt bad about yesterday so I called Ian this morning. We all got each other's numbers yesterday. When he answered, he had sounded as if he just woke up. I realized that I actually wanted to spend some time with just him since all of our attempts were interrupted by you-know-who. We agreed that we would meet at a small café for lunch today, so that's where I'm on my way to now.

The café isn't far from where I live so I just decided to walk. It's progressively getting warmer as we get closer to summer so I didn't even have to wear a jacket. I get nearer to the café and see Ian standing outside.

I walk up to the parking lot of the café and get Ian's attention. He walks down the steps and greets me immediately with a hug. I'm guessing he must be sore from the paintball war yesterday because he winces whenever I hug him.

"I'm glad you called me." He tells me whenever he breaks away. "I've been wanting to talk to you. It's just every time I try...well."

I nod my head. "I know. I'm really sorry about what happened yesterday. It got out of hand."

"No, don't worry about me. Sorry for shooting you in the neck. I wouldn't have shot if I knew it was you. I guess I wasn't really paying attention." He says, his face turning red.

I laugh a little. "It's alright. Um, can we go inside? I'm kind of hungry."

He smiles at me and leads me into the restaurant. We are led to a small table and I pick up the menu, deciding to order a salad that sounded good. There's not much we can eat with this dumb diet.

Ian orders soup whenever the waitress comes by. She hands me a glass of water whenever I order my salad.

"So," Ian begins whenever she walks away. "I don't really know much about you. Tell me stuff."

"That's a tough one." I joke, causing him to crack a grin.

"Not really. I know nothing about you except that your name is Isabelle and you're apparently good at acting." He tells me with a wink.

"I auditioned for Katniss originally." I tell him. I couldn't think of anything else. Maybe that will strike up conversation.

"Really?" he asks with an impressed smile. "Why didn't you get the part?"

"I was only 14 when I auditioned. Too young." I say.

"Bummer. But you're a great Clove. I know it already." He says. "I'm just glad I got any part, really. I've never been in a big acting thing, even if I'm just an extra."

"You aren't just an extra." I tell him.

"Everyone else thinks I am." He mumbles.

"If by everyone you mean Alexander, just don't worry about it. He's just..I don't know." I reply.

Ian shrugs his shoulders and our waitress comes back with our food. I eat a few bites before Ian starts talking again. "What's wrong with him anyways?"

"What do you mean?" I ask him.

"Alexander. What's wrong with him?" He asks again.

I start to feel a little...angry? No, that's not really the feeling. I'm not sure how to describe it. I suddenly feel like I need to defend Alexander. As if the boy who went on a rampage and shot Ian 20 times with a paintball gun needs to be defended. What am I thinking?

"I don't know." I murmur, shrugging my shoulders.

"I think he's bipolar or has anger issues or something." Ian says with a laugh.

If you don't stop talking about it I'm going to have anger issues.

What the hell is wrong with me?! Why am I in defense for Alexander? He doesn't deserve to be defended! He shot Ian excessively with paint for God's sake! I know I need to be agreeing with Ian. I know he's right but I don't want him to be and it's making me mad. This isn't normal at all. Any person in their right mind would think Alexander is freaking crazy. I do, but it's different I guess. I don't like it whenever Ian said it.

"Maybe." I say after a while. Ian stares at me with concern before he goes back to eating. My appetite is suddenly gone. Why was I even thinking about defending Alexander? Something is seriously wrong with me.

The whole event with Alexander yesterday was completely insane. To think that I'm even having thoughts to defend him and getting angry at Ian is insane. I feel sick to my stomach. This is really bad.

"Are you alright?" Ian asks me.

I bring my eyes up to meet his and see they are full of worry and concern. I nod my head, explaining that I'm just not hungry anymore. Ian shrugs and continues to eat.

Whenever he finishes, the waitress brings by the check. I try to pay for mine but Ian won't let me. When he pays, we both go outside. It feels good to have fresh air.

"It was nice to see you. I had a good time." Ian tells me.

"Me too." I partially lie. I don't really know how I feel about today...

Something is absolutely wrong with me. Maybe I'm going crazy too. I shake my head at the thought.

"Are you sure you're okay? I can walk you home." Ian offers.

"I'm fine. I promise." I tell him.

He opens his arms for one last hug before we part ways. I accept it, but it feels wrong. It felt unfamiliar and foreign unlike the time before. I want to pull away and just run from him because the feeling is just so uncomfortable. Okay, this is too much.

He pulls away and smiles before walking off. I turn in the direction of my house, take a deep breath, and start walking.

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