All I Give

Chapter 23 - Oliver x Izzy

"Hey, Izzy!"

She turned around to see Oliver waving his hand trying to get her attention. He wore his gray beanie again with another flannel except in blue.

"Did you wait long?" He asked excitedly. He always wore a smile, it sure was contagious.

"I didn't let's head inside and eat." She directed him to the door. She was going to open the door but he went in front of her quickly and did it instead. "Oh, wow I didn't expect you to be such a gentleman."

He chuckled gently as they both sat down in a booth, "my mom taught me well." His cheeks became rosy.

"Ah, you're a mama's boy." She started to chuckle.

"Is that a bad thing?" He questioned furrowing his eyebrows in the process.

"No, not at all!" She waved her hands in front of her signaling it wasn't a bad thing.

"What was that sketchy reaction then?"

She paused for a moment thinking about her past memories then continued the conversation. "Nothing—nothing at all."

"Well, obviously it was something." His witty response surprised her.

The waiter came and intercepted the conversation. Izzy ordered the same as always a Buttery Pretzel and a Vanilla Milkshake. Oliver ordered a slice of pizza and a cup full of Pretzel Bites.

"This might sound weird, but is this a date?" He wondered. He waited anxiously for an answering trying not to be as awkward as possible.

"I thought this was just us friends hanging out." She pursed her lips and shrugged.

"Darn I got my hopes up!" He gazed into her eyes. She has this alluring aura that he found extremely attractive.

"Haha, sorry." She said in a soft voice.

"Are you dating, Cole? That guy you were with from the skate park? By the way, you should come more often, the more I see you the better."

Izzy chuckled, becoming flustered. "Cole and I are just friends, and yes I'd love to come by the skate park some more. Maybe you can teach me some more tricks and moves."

"I'd love to be your tutor." He winked. "Do you have feelings for him then, or wait is it the other way around?"

"Why does everyone think that?"

"Well, you guys certainly seemed close," he implied, secretly feeling troubled.

"We hang out a lot, but I actually just now realized I don't know him that well." She looked down at her hands where she played with her fingers. She couldn't comprehend why it was a big deal when hanging out with the opposite sex. We're all just humans aren't we? What's the big deal?

"Didn't expect that."

"I didn't either."

"So, I haven't seen you around Palm High. What school do you go to?" He tried to change the subject into something more informative.

"Wilton."

"Whoa, big shot school." His whole face started to light up. 

"Really? I thought you were going to think I was some rich misfit who thinks all Palm High kids are inferior to Wilton kids." There was some sort of pain in her voice as she said those words.

"Do kids actually believe that when you tell them you're a Wilton kid?"

"Definitely. The first thing they think of."

"That's sad."

"I can understand how they can think that way though."

"Me too."

"Wilton kids often get a bad rep because we're all considered rich and all the prior Wilton kids started to use their status to bully the Palm High students."

"The history is so long I can't remember any of it. How did it even start? Two high schools rivaling against each other."

"I have no idea either."

"Isn't that crazy? All the upperclassmen say who we should be friends with, who we should stay away from, who we should hate. Yet we follow but don't bother to ask why."

"I don't follow the rules."

"Oh really now? So, you're a rebel?" His smirk started to grow wider. He was intrigued, anyone could have seen that.

"Of course I am. You know Stephanie right?"

"Queen of Wilton High, right?"

"Yeah. I'm number one on her list of targets." She spoke confidently.

"Aren't you scared that she could ruin your life?"

"She's the last person I'd be scared of." Her fearless character made a large impression on Oliver. He wanted to know more about her. Her words and her voice lingered within his mind.

"You've got guts. I don't think I've ever seen someone go against a Queen."

"To tell you the truth, she's the one who's scared of me."

"How did you make her fear you? Also, this isn't meant to offend you since you seem like such a nice person, but what is there to be scared of?"

"I've known her for a while so I know what makes her tick." Her eyes wandered to his wristwatch. It looked expensive. "Tell me about yourself. I've just been talking about me and that isn't so fun."

"I don't really care about my grades. I have a steady job in posting videos about me skating, so I don't really worry about college. I also skip school a lot so I don't bother."

"What's the main reason you hate school then?"

He was taken aback by her response, "wow, your insightful. Personally, I think the educational system is garbage especially when it comes to the kids that have a lot on their plate."

"I'm guessing you're dealing with a lot?"

There was a long silence. The room seemed to close and come closer to one another. His voice was heavy but his smile seemed too polished. "You could say that."

"Sorry to invade. I just couldn't help but think of it and then I ended up saying it."

"No, no it's alright. It's just the first time someone's noticed."

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