She's My Proof

The Rush of Falling

"Aren't you supposed to be having a hangover?" I asked Isabella as we drove back to Ms. Zelia's.

"Maybe. I think I still am," she replies. I don't know if she's lying, or just really, really strong. If she was strong, then that personality of hers is quite different from the mushy and innocent Isabella I saw last night. An Isabella that has succumbed to the wonders of alcohol. I wonder if she realizes that she is a contradiction of herself.

I parked in front of Ms. Zelia's driveway. I accompanied Isabella to the front door and once we were there, Isabella stopped before she could even grab the knob.

"Harley," she mumbles, softly, while she focused on the door.

"Yup?"

"Thanks for last night," she says as she wrapped her arms around my neck and gave me a hug. A tight one. "I needed that."

"Needed what?" Ms. Zelia says before I could even respond to Isabella. By now I have noticed that the front door was already open and Ms. Zelia was standing there in a tight tank top, a gray pair of sweatpants, her hair in a messy bun much like Isabella's, holding a cup of coffee.

She doesn't look happy.

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"Didn't I tell you to let Isabella sleep with Laurie?" Ms. Zelia scolds me. Only now do I realize that Isabella resembles her older cousin. If I didn't know the two of them, I'd think that they were sisters. They loved the same hairstyle, had the same skin complexion, and had the same beautiful pair of eyes. They also had the same sweet voice that is like a lullaby, like it has the ability to put you to a deep and peaceful slumber. Ms. Zelia mumbles something I didn't catch.

"What?" I asked, snapping back to reality. I had been too caught up with Isabella and Ms. Zelia's similarities.

"I said, did you do something to her, Harley?" Ms. Zelia asks, leaning forward. I sat on her couch, while she stood there in front of me, giving me a lecture on self control, but with her leaning forward in her tight tank top, it's really a work to control myself, because she is so hot-

"Hey!" Isabella intervenes, raising her tone. "We didn't do what you are thinking, Zelia."

"Yeah," I agreed immediately. "She fell asleep on my bed as soon as we arrived, and I slept on the couch-"

"You better make sure you did," Ms. Zelia says, turning her attention back to me, leaning forward again.

Control yourself, Harley, I thought. Her boobs are showing, act cool and don't look at it you dimwit! But I can't help it. She's so hot-

"Earth to Harley," Ms. Zelia says, snapping her fingers in my face.

"Uh, yeah," I say, immediately returning back to reality again. From the corner of my eye I could see Isabella smirk, then she lets out a soft giggle.

"You guys are all the same," she says. "You're too hot for him, Zelia."

Ms. Zelia stands up straight, and I could see her blushing. It's pretty obvious when she has a very fair complexion. "Go take a shower, Isabella."

Isabella stands up and heads upstairs with no word.

"She uses your clothes?" I asked out of curiosity.

"Her mother brought her things here last Sunday. I guess Isabella's staying until her parents fix their mess," she says, sitting beside me and occupying the seat Isabella kept warm a while ago.

"What's the deal with her parents, anyway?" I asked further, facing her. Upstairs I could hear the rush of water flowing from the shower.

"It's a really sensitive topic, I don't know if I should speak about it," she says, getting up. "Well, I'm hungry. How about we order something?"