A massive weight plunged on top of her body. She felt her breathing because shallow and slow. She rubbed her eyes quickly to see who was on her back and heard a loud laugh erupt from Cole.
"Cole, you're killing me! Why are you so heavy?" Izzy laughed trying to kick and roll away but his weight was too much.
"It's all muscle." He nodded to himself slapping his large arms and tried to flex obnoxiously.
Izzy struggled to get up as Cole's body was basically crushing her. She muffled, "Stop!"
He got up with a large smirk on his lips. His shirt was off and his abs were shaped to perfection, his hair was messily tossed around especially the back and he wore gray sweatpants that were hanging dangerously low. "Like what you see?"
"Maybe." She said aloud quickly getting out of bed and heading to the kitchen to hide her face. She couldn't believe herself that she said the truth. She smiled gently to herself while feeling her face burning up.
Cole laughed hard at her reaction but was still surprised at the same time. "I had to wake you up because then we would be late."
"Late for what?" Izzy blinked with confusion. She pursed her lips lightly while squinting her precious eyes.
"The amusement park date thing?" Cole rubbed the back of his neck. His eyes hit the wooden floor then bounced back to Izzy. He went onto the couch and put on his shirt. His eye brows furrowed knowing full well that the small teen probably forgot.
"I thought that was just couples only. You know—Carson and Spencer then Trevor and Payton." She said even more confused. Her puzzled expression made the male teen chuckle a bit. She continued to look for a pan that was the right size than eventually grew impatient, giving up quickly.
"Nope, we're going, and Bailey." He shook his head.
"I just wanted to stay home or at least train today." She slouched back with a small frown. She groaned harshly as she rolled her eyes out of frustration. The tiny teen got out a small bowl and grabbed her favorite cereal along with almond milk.
"You'd rather stay home than go out?" His big ocean eyes bulged out of his skull waiting for an answer. He came over to the counter shifting his weight from leg to leg. His fingertips began to tap a beat on the counter.
"Yes. One hundred percent. Also because of the fact that I don't like amusement parks, they're a waste of my time." She smiled lightly as her eyebrow rose seeing Cole practically drool on himself. She grabbed another bowl, "pour yourself some."
Cole's face instantly lit up, there was excitement in his eyes and it seemed he was about to jump up and down. He did as he was told and smiled intently at Izzy. He always felt lighter and full of energy whenever he was standing next to her.
"I'm quite dull, I'm boring, I'm mundane... if I went then I would just ruin the fun." She casually took another bite of her cereal. Her face was blank, expressionless, nothingness clung onto her features. Her lifeless fingers barely moved it seemed like she was just a monochromatic painting.
"I say you're fascinating. You're full of excitement, you just don't see it." He gave a wide smile then adjudged his thick locks.
Izzy went silent, her throat felt like closing up but she breathed in slowly clutching her fingers into fists beside her waist and thigh. Her mind kept racing and her stomach felt like eating itself. Her body felt lighter after a couple more deep breaths then walked away to change after putting away her dishes.
The tall muscular teen took notice to her odd behavior and came to a conclusion. His eyes were full of worry and his heart sank. "Did I say something wrong?" He whispered underneath under his breath.
Izzy went to change, putting on a beige hoodie layering with a jean jacket then her classic black ripped jeans. She enjoyed the feeling of warmth but not just for the sake of feeling. She came out of her room to see Cole wearing the same exact clothes he wore from yesterday.
"Cole, I'll grab you some of my over sized clothes." She quickly waddled herself to her dresser and rushed to find him an outfit. Her eyes darted from each piece of clothing she encountered, swiftly searching with her demanding eyes. "You can just wear the hoodie you gave me from awhile ago and then these sweatpants." She quickly handed the clothes to him.
"Are you saying I have to keep the hoodie?" He hesitantly asked. Izzy is this jigsaw puzzle in his mind. She was a puzzle he knew was worth solving. Her alluring gaze made his heart beat faster and found himself thinking of her at random parts of the day.
"I'm saying you can wear it for the day. Now get dressed or I'll leave you here." She went behind the tall seemingly perfect boy and pushed him into her room and shut the door for him to change. Cole smiled brightly to himself as he remembered Izzy getting flustered when she woke up.
-
Cole and Izzy had finally arrived at the amusement park seeing all sorts of vibrant colors, children giggling as they eat their fluffy cotton candy, and families and friends screaming their lungs out on high peaked roller coasters. There was fun and bright energy was always surrounding this place.
Cole noticed a group of familiar teenagers surrounding in a huddle. Few of them with brown hair, a few with blonde hair, and one red head. He took a quick glance at Izzy only to see her eyes go blank again. His warm smile turned cold and grabbed her tiny hand and began to walk closer to the familiar teens to get a better look at them.
Izzy felt her body become lighter as the teen next to her became in contact with her. Her hand as well as her heart became engulfed with warmth. He let go as soon as he saw their group of friends and her smile faded but the warmth lingered.
"There you guys were! Why were you two late? We called you guys plenty of times." Redhead Bailey gave a stern eye to both Izzy and Cole. Cole rubbed the back of his neck nervously and Izzy just stood there with a smile that lacked shine.
"Sorry, we took a break from driving to get some breakfast sandwiches." Cole's lips moved effortlessly, too flawless. Izzy knew the truth in his lie but despite feeling a bit angered with his words she played along. Her arms swayed like a loose, aged doll, she hunched her back and kept blinking her eyes to stay conscious. She was in the end too exhausted to say anything else.
"But it's the afternoon?" Trevor looked at both Izzy and Cole oddly.
"We were hungry for anything alright?" Cole chuckled worrying about whether the group was going to believe his untruthful fable. His gut filled with guilt but swept the feeling aside to focus on what was happening in the present. He was already lying to the people he was most happy with.
"Well which ride should we go on first?!" Carson shouted with cheeriness in his voice. He gazed intently at Spencer as she was doing the same movement.
"Can we all establish something really quick?" Payton tucked her baby hairs behind her ears meaning she was nervous.
"Sure." The group all said in unison.
"Can all of us go on the Ferris wheel together before we leave? The lights there are beautiful." A smile curved from her lips and her puckered them when her eyes laid back onto her beloved.
"You're beautiful." Trevor gave a smirk winking at Payton. Her cheeks became red in an instant and everyone laughed brightly.
"I agree!" Bailey cheered.
"Yes!" Trevor then kissed Payton on her forehead gently. A small smile tugged onto her lips and she held his hand tightly.
"You are such a romanticist." Izzy teasingly said laughing. Though her smile disappeared instantly.
Cole's watchful eyes closely looked around the area seeing festivities. He hadn't had much fun since school started, he finally felt at peace. There eyes didn't scorn his actions and their words didn't have hidden intentions.
The group of teens "ooh's" and "awe's" as they passed screaming rollercoasters and screeching haunted houses.
"Which one should we go on first?!" Bailey announce with a wide smile pulling her small lips. Her ginger hair flowed in the wind.
"We should go on this big one right here!" Spencer laughed with each word as Carson kept trying to tickle her and give her little kisses on her face. Izzy looked away suddenly, Cole took notice observing closely. Spencer pointed to a circular loopy loop high in the sky.
"Your PDA is on a different level, Carson." Cole nudged teasingly. His tone lacked his usual voice.
"Yeah, Spencer." Bailey mockingly spoke, "I'm third-wheeling everyone here, so I get to pick first choice!"
"What do you mean? Izzy and I are also single." Cole's words all have the impression that he was very much indeed dense to shipping of him and another fellow friend.
All of them laughed except for the certain pair. There laughs had this beautiful shine and their smiles weren't crafted meticulously, it was pure as innocence.
"You guys definitely like each other." Bailey stared at the pair gesturing with her hands to pull them together. Carson and Trevor then tried pushing them. Cole made an effort to resist but then gave up after a failed attempt. Izzy couldn't have cared less since she knew the truth of the matter, plus the fact that she was very much in her mind instead of reality.
"We don't like each other. We're just friends." Cole attempted to defend their friendship.
"It's very possible to have a platonic relationship with someone." Izzy rolled her eyes and took a step back, glancing at the ground.
"Still... You guys seem to compliment each other nicely." Spencer put her hands on Izzy's shoulders and shook her side to side. She put cupped her hand to Izzy's ear and whispered gently with a beaming smile, "you know, you deserve love too."
Izzy's eyes widened and her mind was then flooded with memories from years ago. They were cruel and distasteful.
"I'm going to head to the food court!" Her lips stubbornly put on a smile. Her eyes were blank but her words were overly cheery. "You guys can go on the rides. I'm still hungry." Her cheeks turned a light rosy shade.
"I'm going to head with her. I just ate and I'd probably throw up if I went on one." Cole's soothing voice gave Izzy's heart a flutter. He reached behind his neck rubbing slightly embarrassed.
"You guys better use protection!" Bailey yelled waving away as she slithered her arm around her significant other.
"Cole, we're friends but if you hurt her I'll beat you!" Trevor spoke jokingly with a smile.
Izzy rolled her eyes while Cole was trying desperately to avoid contact. He rubbed his neck nervously.
The small teen felt her thoughts were drowning out her surroundings. The child in the red coat, the tall man who wore men's boots, a woman pushing a stroller and held a stuffed animal, every person and every detail flew by her. The bustling crowd full of people didn't phase her.
Her vision became blurry and her heart started to beat even faster. She put her right hand onto her heart and felt herself calm down little by little. Every breath was suffocating, but with each slow one it felt refreshing as can be.
She felt a presence behind her and wondered how long she was in this ugly, odd trance," what's the real reason you came with me?" The group had already left to go have fun.
"I didn't want to see you alone." His words were full of concern.
"I like Alone. I'm friends with it." She shrugged her shoulders and her sluggish body drooped like a rag doll. Her energy levels were always low, and those cold relentless eyes.
"People don't address their friends as 'it'." Cole kept trying to reach eye contact with her but her orbs kept facing straight ahead of her. Her body was there in the flesh but her eyes didn't know where to look.
"Whatever," Izzy felt defeated.
"Does anyone know about this?" He gave a sorrowful expression. His lips didn't curl, his face stood still as if he was drawn into the same energy as Izzy's.
"It's none of your concern and if it was I wouldn't be so transparent." She said bluntly. She put her hands into the large pocket of her hoodie and twiddled her fingers gently.
His ocean eyes looked saddened, they weren't as gleaming. "But I am concerned." His words were the truth, but it didn't seem to matter to Izzy.
"You barely know me. Sure you know some of the problems I'm facing, but it doesn't mean you know me." She gave a valid point and she finally looked into his eyes. Those piercing deep eyes looked dejected.
"Have you ever decided to seek out help?"
"Oh my god. This speech again, I really thought you'd be different. You can't solve my problems! It is my battle, not yours." She rolled her eyes and yelled with intensity. Her heart dropped at his words and felt her veins burn and itch rapidly.
"What do you mean by 'this speech again'?" She gave a perplexed expression.
"You reacted exactly how Bailey and Spencer did. I mean do you not have any common sense? Of course, I've thought about it." She felt like no one could understand her. The feeling of nothingness returned. Izzy had a bit of hope still hanging on to Cole, maybe he could find the key to her heart.
Everyone seems to be the same.
"You're aggressive." He chirped.
She smirked, "you're annoying."
"You really hate talking about this." His realization hit and Izzy was far more complex than he thought. He started to question his intentions. He knew he was meddling in her life, trying to find her true self and how her past has effected her, but did he truly want to help her instead of just desiring to know?
"Who would have thought, wow." She responded sarcastically waving her arms around, raising a brow at his idiotic insolence.
"Izzy, did I upset you this morning? I said that you weren't boring and you almost started hyperventilating." Izzy's heart dropped again and the rush of fear and anxiety cloud her mind. Thoughts rush and bustle through every vein and crevice. The sweat on her palms started pool as her hands become clam-like.
"N-no." She gulped nervously, eyeing his reaction. She blinked a lot trying to regain her sense of reality and hid her fast-beating heart.
He wrapped his paws around her neck and pulled her body close to his chest. Each touch made each other feel lighter, fire and passion burning with each look. He knew something wasn't quite right, but interrogating her would go nowhere she would only try to hide away and build her outer shell with harder, stronger material.
Still continuing to hug, "you are not alone."
She smiled for the first time in a while. She hadn't felt secure and comfortable in a while. It was as if he was tearing her armor right off. Izzy has worked countlessly to preserve it so it wouldn't dent, crack, or break. So no one could see what was inside. She almost forgot what it was like to feel warmth and comfort come from a person. Her cheeks curled up, her eyes sequined and her lips pulled. "I know dumbass."
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ANNOUNCEMENT:
i took a whole month-long break because i had been uploading for 14 weeks straight and it took a toll on my brain. i wasn't exactly stressed when writing the chapters but towards writing the last few of them i felt it was a bit of a burden and couldn't find a lot of inspiration to continue. don't worry because I will continue hard to finish this book and will not leave you guys hanging. i took a long break so i could refocus on the plot and writing in general. also for some reason i was busy during that month (i'm usually not busy lmao).
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