I stare at the screen for what feels like hours, not being able to take my eyes off of Isabella's body crouched carefully in a tree. I wasn't expecting this in the slightest, for obvious reasons. I was expecting some huge scary dude, not the bitchy head cheerleader. I haven't really had any encounters with Isabella since Roman and she broke up, although I've always known that she hates me. I just didn't think she hated me enough to stalk and threaten me for months. Roman and I both thought that Rick was for sure behind this, but how could that be true is Isabella was the one we were seeing on my laptop screen right now? Isabella didn't even know Rick. Maybe she's just crazier than we thought and is trying to get Roman all to herself once again.
"Do you see her too or is my mind just playing tricks on me?" I finally mumble quietly towards Roman. The tricky thing is, is that Isabella is currently watching us through my window she just doesn't know that we're watching her too.
"Nope, I definitely see her too," Roman says breathily, in an obvious state of shock just like I am.
"Well, what the hell are we supposed to do?" I ask slightly panicked. We need to get her to leave somehow, but how are we supposed to do that without making it obvious that we know she's there in the first place?
As if my mental questions were being answered, just then the door to my bedroom is pushed open. I let an involuntary scream erupt from my throat as I jump five feet in the air, landing halfway in Roman's lap. Roman grabs hold of me as I land on him, letting out a small grunt before he reaches out and slams the top of my laptop shut. We whip our heads to the source of whoever just entered the room, both of us letting out relieved sighs as we see my mom raise her eyebrows at us curiously.
"Well hello to you guys too," she chuckles at our frightened states. She puts her hand on her hip as her gaze turns directly to me, the look of "what the hell is going on" etched onto her face. For all she knew Roman and I were not on speaking terms, now she walks in to see us both under the blankets of my bed intently watching something on my laptop. I don't blame her for looking suspicious.
"Mom you scared the crap out of us!" I put my hand up to my chest, feeling the intense beating of my heart slow as I calm down.
"Hey, Mrs. Walker," Roman utters politely. I look over to see a light blush creeping up his neck and it almost makes me giggle at how adorable he is.
"Hello, Roman. It's nice to see you again. Where have you been lately?" My mom disregards me and now has all of her attention on Roman, eager to get answers out of him.
"Mom he doesn't have to-"
"I've been dealing with some family stuff. Tessa's been helping me through it. You really have an amazing daughter," Roman cuts me off in the middle of my sentence, surprising me with the answer that tumbles from his mouth.
"Awe, that's sweet. I hope everything works out with your family. If you ever need anything you are always welcome here," my mom offers kindly, her bright smile gracing her face. I take note that she's still in her work clothes but I never even heard her come in.
"Thank you, Mrs. Walker, that means a lot,"
"Oh how many times do I have to tell you to call me Anne?" she laughs lightly. "Now Tessa," my mother once again turns her attention towards me, her blue eyes narrowed.
"This door needs to stay opened," she points her finger at me accusingly, making me scoff.
"Okay, okay, I'm sorry I didn't even think about it,"
My mom hums in disbelief, but she lets it go anyway. "I'm starting on dinner, Roman you are welcome to stay," is all she says before she turns and walks out, leaving the door open behind her.
Roman and I sit in complete and utter silence as we listen to my mother's heals clanking down the stairs then enter the kitchen. Once we're both sure she's out of earshot I'm quick to open my laptop once again to continue looking at the live footage.
Isabella is gone.
I guess my mom's entrance scared her away, which is perfect timing. Now Roman and I can talk about our next steps freely.
Roman stands up and begins pacing my room with his hands running through his hair like he does when he's worried or upset about something.
"Roman," I attempt to get his attention.
No response.
"Roman," I try again
Still no response.
"Roman!" I say a little more forcefully.
Roman's back is still to me, all of his muscles tense underneath his t-shirt.
"For goodness sake," I mutter under my breath as I throw the blankets off my legs and make my way towards him. I grab him by the shoulder to whip him around to face me.
"Roman," I say again, taking his chin in between my thumb and forefinger so I can force him to look at me.
He sighs, letting me hold him still so he doesn't continue that stressful pacing. I notice how his chest is rising and falling quickly, his breath struggling to come out.
"Ro, breathe," I say soothingly. I'm surprised that he's the one panicking, as it's usually me. Nonetheless, I'll be strong for him right now so I can reassure both of us that everything is going to be okay.
His eyes soften as he looks at me, his body relaxing a little under my touch. I move my free hand to rub soothing circles on his back, trying to ease some of the tension he's holding.
"Talk to me," I instruct him once I'm sure his breathing has evened out.
"Tess, that was Isabella. That just adds so many more complications and I'm not sure if I can-"
"Roman, everything is going to be fine. Yes, I know that seeing Isabella was a surprise. I'm surprised too but this doesn't change anything. We can still figure out how she fits into all of this if she even does at all. For all we know this could just be another one of her crazy attempts to win you over to her side by getting me out of the picture," I cut Roman off as I notice his body tense up and his eyes filled with worry once again. At hearing my words though, he nods his head in agreement, allowing himself to think rationally.
"You're right. It's just that as much as I hate Isabella, I don't want anyone else getting hurt. Yeah, she may be bitchy but that doesn't mean that I wish for Rick to pull her into this mess because no one deserves that."
My heart swells at hearing Roman's words. The amount of caring and compassion that he has within him sometimes surprises me. Roman always puts up the front that he's a badass who can handle anything, but I'm the only one who sees the true him. The side of him that lets himself feel and be vulnerable.
"I know and I love you so much for that. But, we have to think clearly about this and we can't let our fears control us. I agree with you, even though Isabella has done many things to hurt me, I don't want her getting pulled into this or getting hurt either. We just need to find a way to hear her side of the story..." I trail off as I think of a solution to this. Somehow we need to get answers out of her. We need to know the full truth as to why she felt the need to go through all of this effort to spy on me and try to scare me away.
Roman and I are both silent for a few moments, the wheels in our brains spinning rapidly as we try to come up with a soundproof plan. After about a minute Roman's eyes widen to the size of saucers.
"What? did you think of something?" I peer up at him as he snaps his fingers in the realization of something.
"She's a cheerleader!" Roman says excitedly.
I stare at him blankly.
"Yes, we've been over this. She's a cheerleader, everyone knows that," I roll my eyes at the fact that I got my hopes up for nothing.
"Exactly," Roman says pointedly. "She's a cheerleader so that means she has practice after school..." he trails off, hoping that I'll catch on to what he's insinuating.
"It's not even football season anymore, why would she have practice?"
"No, but it's basketball season which means she still is cheering," Roman explains to me, adequately making me feel stupid for not realizing that basketball is in season currently. That shows how much I pay attention to sports besides track.
"Okay, but I still don't know why that helps us."
"It helps because that means she'll be staying after school. It helps because that means we'll know exactly where to find her," Roman says with a sneaky smile, a mischievous glint in his eyes
"So if we get her alone after her practice, we can question her!" I grab Roman by the shoulders and shake him as I put the pieces together of what he was insinuating. He laughs as I shake his shoulders, beaming at me.
"Yes, finally you get it!" he teases me at which I stick my tongue out at him.
"We just have to be careful about what we say though," I point out before wrapping my arms around Roman's neck which brings him to place his hands on my waist, squeezing gently.
"Oh baby, I'm way ahead of you," he winks at me.
---
"Are you sure that this is a good idea?"
"It's not like we have any other choices."
"I know but still. What if she does something?"
"I highly doubt that she'll try something in the middle of a public high school gym, Tess."
I've been stressing out over seeing Isabella all day. Last night Roman and I came to the conclusion that we have to confront her when she least expects it. She won't be expecting it regardless because she doesn't know that we know she's been the one behind all of this anyway, but doing this in a public place is obviously safer.
"Yeah, I guess," I say shakily, fumbling with my fingers in front of me as Roman and I wait outside the gym at our school.
I was scared that the minute Isabella finds out that we discovered her little secret she would do everything in her power to destroy me once and for all. She already did her part in straining Roman and I's relationship once, and know she's trying to do it again but in a much more extreme way.
Roman sighs before grabbing both of my hands in his, forcing me to stop fidgeting with them. I raise my eyes to hesitantly look at him. His green orbs boring into mine, showing concern for me.
"Tessa, what are you actually nervous about?" Roman catches on to my strange behavior, being able to read me well enough to know that there's something I'm not telling him.
"It's stupid," I mumble, suddenly finding the converse on my feet very interesting to look at.
"Hey," Roman tries to coax my attention, but I hold my ground. If I look at him I'll tell him what's really on my mind, which is something completely and utterly stupid. Something that I shouldn't even be worried about because we have bigger things to deal with.
"Baby, look at me," Roman's voice is soft and tender, and the use of my favorite pet name finally forces me to look him in the eyes once again.
"Remember what we promised each other?" he reminds me, making me feel guilty that I'm already failing.
"To be honest with each other no matter what," I say barely above a whisper.
"So tell me what's on your mind, I'm right here with you," Roman strokes the side of my face gently, sending shivers down my body from even the slightest contact.
I sigh, preparing myself to just get it off my chest.
"Isabella got you under her spell before, maybe she can do it again," I once again let my head fall in shame. I can't believe I'm actually telling him this, but sometimes my insecurities get the best of me. No one can deny that Isabella is gorgeous, and Roman saw something in her before. Every time I look at her I see images flash through my brain of her kissing him, and it makes my blood boil every time.
"Are you kidding me?" Roman gives me a small smile, finding my confession a little humorous.
"No," I whine, squinting my eyes shut just from how annoying I sound.
"You have nothing to worry about. That psycho has been stalking you for over a month and you think I would like her? I never really liked her in the first place," Roman chuckles lowly, cupping my face with his strong hands.
"I know that!" I huff. "I just can't help but think about it. You could do so much better than me."
Roman's eyes soften, losing all signs of humor. "Tessa, I love you. I love you so much it hurts me. You mean the world to me and she means nothing. Everything about you is perfect. If anything, you're the one who's out of my league. You're the most gorgeous girl I've ever laid eyes on..." Roman trails off, letting his eyes look me up and down playfully. I emit a giggle against my own will, already feeling better.
"But more importantly," Roman pauses, looking at me intensely. "Your heart is the kindest I've ever some across. You're so selfless and care so much about others. You've always been there for me and that means more to me than anything else ever could."
Roman's words fill my heart, bringing along such a strong sense of joy that for a minute I forget how to breathe. I can't think of any words besides three that I could use to show him exactly how I feel.
"I love you," I lean into him, closing the short gap between our lips. I instantly let the feeling of electricity that comes from kissing Roman consume me. The passion I feel when kissing him is one of the best feelings I've ever experienced and I never want to go without it. His lips mold perfectly with mine, fitting like a puzzle piece that I was missing.
He pulls away slowly, smiling at me and I can't help but return the expression. "Now, are you ready to do this?"
"Yes, I'm ready," I respond, suddenly confident about this because I know he'll be by my side the entire time.
Roman takes my hand in his, squeezing lightly in reassurance before pushing the gym doors open. Luckily for us, the basketball and cheer practice was just ending. All of the players were grabbing their water bottles then heading into the locker rooms to shower as the cheerleaders laughed obnoxiously by the bleachers.
I immediately saw her. It was impossible not to.
The whole cheer team was surrounding her as if she was some sort of magical being, all of them staring at her with wide doe eyes. I feel a glare take over my features without even thinking about it as I remember all the hateful things she's said to me over the years, even before I ever met Roman. She always has had something against me, so it's no surprise that when the guy she was always chasing after chose me over her, her hatred for me only intensified.
Roman and I slowly walk up to the group of girls hand in hand, catching the attention of some of them. When they see Roman they audibly gasp, whispering to each other in confusion. Some of them even start blushing and fixing their hair as if they need to look good for him. I roll my eyes in annoyance.
Finally, Isabella notices that all of her "fans" are no longer paying attention to her, but to something behind her instead. She spins around, her high ponytail whipping from the sudden movement.
When her eyes land on Roman a knowing smirk takes over her features which just makes me want to rip her head off all the more. However, when she notices me by his side, my hand firmly encased in his own, her arms fold over her chest. She glares at me, but I ignore her, knowing we're about to have her cornered.
"We need to talk to you," Roman commands, his voice sounding so authoritative that it surprises even me.
"Did you finally realize that that loser can't please you like I can?" she pouts at him, reaching a hand out to graze across his chest. I move towards her automatically, but Roman's hold on my hand keeps me rooted in my place.
"Uh-oh, someone did not like that," she laughs coldly, popping her hip out as she lets her gaze fall back to me.
"Just shut the fuck up already, will you?" Roman groans, making me suppress a chuckle.
"Fine," Isabella snaps. "What do you want?"
"Well we would love to tell you but it seems that you have some lost puppies clinging to you," Roman says as he refers to her little minions. They stand there dumbly for a couple of moments as they continue to practically drool over Roman, not even catching on that he was talking about them. I mean, it's not like I blame them though. Roman is amazingly handsome, his chiseled jaw, perfectly messy brown hair, and bright green eyes entrancing to gaze at.
When they don't move Roman lets out an annoyed groan before trying again. "Well, can we have some god damn privacy please?" he directs towards the girls who are staring starstruck at him. When they realize that he wants them gone though, they're quick to scatter off to the locker rooms.
"Alright now, hurry up with whatever you need because I have places to be," Isabella says disinterested, picking at her perfectly manicured nails.
Roman gets straight to the point, taking a menacing step towards her. "We know what you've been doing."
Isabella freezes at his words, her gaze lifting to meet Roman's. A little bit of fear pass through her eyes, but she's quick to hide it.
"What are you talking about?" she rolls her eyes, trying to play it all off.
"Don't play dumb. We know," I snap at her, letting some of my anger out. She narrows her eyes at me, clearly not impressed.
"You're gonna have to be a little more specific, babe. There's a lot of things that I do," she winks at Roman, once again making me want to kill her right here right now.
"We saw you last night. We know that it's been you all along so don't even try to get out of this. You're going to answer every single thing we ask, or I'm going to the police," Roman says darkly, his voice holding so much animosity that if I were her then I would be scared.
"Nice try, but what proof do you even have?" Isabella tries to get out of it, but we're a million steps ahead of her. Roman is quick to whip out his phone, pulling up the footage that he had sent from my laptop to his phone. He turns it around to show Isabella, the video of her in my tree revealed for her to see. Her face drains of any and all color as she realizes just how screwed she is.
"What do you want?" she gulps, failingly trying to seem calm and collected.
"Why did you feel the need to do this?" I ask her, praying that she gives me nothing but the truth. However, knowing her it'll take a while to get her to admit the real reason.
"Because Roman must be crazy if he sees anything in you," she spits at me, her tone sounding completely disgusted.
"That's not an answer," Roman growls. "You're the crazy one for taking it as far as stalking someone. There has to be another reason."
Isabella is quiet for a moment, mulling over different excuses she could make most likely.
"Alright well, I guess I'll just take this video and show it to the cops so they can-"
"Wait!" Isabella cuts Roman off, her voice filling with panic. "I'll tell you."
"Okay then start talking," Roman instructs her, narrowing his eyes as he awaits her response.
"It wasn't my idea. Someone told me to," Isabella says, her breathing heavy. She's becoming more nervous by the minute and her answer only confuses me more.
"What do you mean someone told you to? Why would you even listen to someone who tells you to fucking stalk someone?!" I all but yell out of frustration. Roman squeezes my hand in his as a silent reminder to stay calm. I take a couple of deep breaths, trying not to freak out any more than I already have.
"He told me not to say," Isabella says desperately, obviously scared even thinking about whoever told her to try and split Roman and I up. She could be lying right now, but judging how scared she looks right now, I don't think she is. I've never seen this girl look scared in all the years of knowing her.
"Who's he? How do we know you're not full of shit right now?" Roman continues the interrogation, quick to point out that she could be lying. Isabella groans, obviously not wanting to continue this.
"Look, It's obvious that I'm not a fan of you two together," Isabella sneers at our connected hands before looking back up to our faces. "But, I'm not crazy. I would never willingly stalk someone and watch them inside their own homes. But, I had no choice. He said he wouldn't hesitate in hurting me," she whispers the last part, her voice breaking just the slightest bit.
Roman glances over to me, giving me a knowing look. We both saw this coming but didn't want to believe it.
"Is his name Rick?" Roman asks her, making her head snap up to look at him. Her eyes are wide, obviously not expecting him to catch on so quickly.
"How did you-"
"He's my adoptive father," Roman informs her, cutting her off.
"What? First of all, what kind of father would want to someone to spy on their own son's girlfriend? And second of all, why does he even care about Tessa?" Isabella looks from Roman to me, her face scrunching up when her eyes are on me.
"The kind of father that hates their son. All that I'll tell you is that it's not convenient for him when I'm happy. Either way, that doesn't concern you. What does concern you though, is that I'm telling you to stop doing what he says," Roman tells her, being careful with his words so that he doesn't give too much away.
"I would love nothing more than to be free of having to watch you two while you suck face, but as I said before, he threatened me. There's nothing that I can do," Isabella throws her hands up in the air in exasperation before pulling out her ponytail to let her hair cascade down her back.
"No there's nothing you can do, but there is something that Tessa and I can do," Roman points out.
"Why would you want to help me?" Isabella scoffs, not believing him in the slightest.
"We're not helping you," I object to her thoughts. "We just don't want you spying on us anymore, so we'll handle Rick. Don't worry about him hurting you."
"I don't believe that even a little bit," she says snarkily. "He'll come after me if I don't report to him every day."
Roman raises his eyebrows at this new information. "Report to him?"
"Yeah, he makes me meet him at this warehouse which is like so inconvenient," Isabella tells us without realizing the weight of her own words.
Roman doesn't know where Rick's drug warehouse is, which has been the only thing stopping him from being able to get Rick arrested. All the proof he needs is in that warehouse, and up until now, we had no way of knowing where it is.
"Isabella," Roman says slowly, making her raise her eyebrows at him. "You need to tell us where that warehouse is."
"What's in it for me?" she retorts sassily, not wanting to give up the valuable information so easily. I roll my eyes for what feels like the one millionth time today, done with her crap.
"What do you mean 'what's in it for you' you absolute idiot?!" I ask incredulously at the stupidity of her words. "If you tell us where it is we'll make sure Rick doesn't hurt you! Just make sure he doesn't find out that you're not spying on me anymore. If he comes asking just make something up and I'll give you some fake pictures to use."
"How do I know you're telling the truth?" Isabella asks skeptically, eyes narrowing into slits.
"You can trust us, okay? We've been trying to get rid of Rick longer than you know. If you tell us where that warehouse is we can get rid of him and you'll never see him again," Roman tries to reason with her, his voice much calmer than mine at the moment.
Isabella sighs, clearly thinking over the pros and cons in her measly little brain. She's silent for a few moments, looking between Roman and me, doubt clear across her sharp features. My heart beats erratically in my chest at the thought that if she just tells us where Rick's warehouse is located then this can all end sooner than both Roman and I originally thought.
Finally, after what seems like years of waiting, Isabella opens her mouth to give us her answer.
"Fine. I'll tell you."
---
A/N: They confronted Isabella!!!
I hope you all liked the chapter, hopefully, the next one will be up tomorrow! Don't forget to vote and comment :)
XxChrissyxX