Chapter 22: Normal.

Sunday.

Day 8.

Issa.

I finish telling Lectra and Wes about everything that's been going on, and wouldn't you know, they found it just as cool as the first time I told them. 

At first they thought I was crazy of course, but after I brought up her brother Brooks, who Lectra had never once mentioned before, I was in the clear with the both of them.

I knew Lectra hated telling people she has a brother because, well, he's Brooks. I didn't blame her for hating him, but being here at the school, it was obvious that she was slowly beginning to miss him, since he was really the only family she had left.

And finally, just to seal the deal, I told her I knew about her parents deaths. After that whole mess was done being dealt with, we went about the rest of our day, which was hard to settle back into normally again.

I woke up the next morning feeling emotionally drained after just one day of being back at the school. I was just expected to go back to normal after being back home for so long? It felt impossible. And of course the only people who knew now were Wes and Lectra, so what else was I supposed to do about it? I knew I couldn't tell anyone else without coming off as totally insane.

I had to explain to Lectra that I was getting nowhere with college in my real life and ultimately decided to drop out, which she was totally supportive of. Except now, that was an issue here at the school, since I was being forced to work doing exactly that, which only added another problem to my life.

Like I didn't already have enough.

Then of course to put the cherry on top of an already stress filled day, I opened my big mouth and told them about Cam and Georges streams here, which were meant to be kept secret. Lectra and Wes promised to also keep quiet like I was, but that didn't mean they hated the two any less.

It didn't matter because I could finally tell them how I'd wanted to stream too, and how it could never happen here with all of the strict rules. So ultimately, I ditched that idea and knew I would have to try to continue with my animations, which I hated.

Now it's the next day, and I've somehow already gotten used to being here again. I knew part of me was probably going crazy with all of this whole back and forth between worlds thing, but at least I was feeling okay. Sorta.

"Okay Issabelle-Can I call you Issabelle?" I was forced to partner up with another person who also had an 'affinity' for animating things that Lectra just happened to be friends with, to help me out.

Only issue was, Blake, or as the name Cam came up with for him, 'Code', since he was amazing on computers, was almost too energetic for me to stand already, only after a few hours together. And that was saying something since I'm already friends with Lectra, and she's as energetic as they come.

I hated how harsh I was being on him. Yeah, he was sweet now, but when Lectra first introduced us, he barely looked at me once, like he was afraid of me or something, which was already a bad start. But now he was just plain annoying.

"Just Issa is fine." He nods a little too hard then cracks his knuckles, each one popping loudly in my face as he does. I stifle the urge to yell at him right then and there, unable to stand him any longer, but hold back. It's just the stress. I have to keep reminding myself that.

"Alrighty. So do you have any questions about anything, Issa?" Actually, I still have little to no clue what the hell I was doing. But I wasn't going to tell him that so we'd have to spend more time together, so instead I just simply nodded and smiled back at him. He returned the smile, then continued locking his eye contact.

It was becoming increasingly obvious that Blake was maybe a little bit into me. It would explain why he was being so vibrant yet twitchy, like he was trying to impress me but incredibly nervous. All he was doing was trying way too hard in my eyes. Along with annoying the shit out of me, don't forget that.

Blake wasn't unattractive, don't get me wrong, he was actually super decent looking. He was the type of stranger I would look at on the street and remember his face for a few more days than I normally would, soley based on the fact that he was that handsome. I just could absolutely not stand his personality, which was what was important to me. 

Sorry Blake.

He opens his mouth to say something when suddenly there was a loud sound coming from the other side of the library we were in. This time the room wasn't as completely vacant as it had been the last time I used it to write down my poems. This time there was about several other people inside with me and Blake, studying like we were. I was locked in my thoughts when we were interrupted by yet another loud slamming sound across the other side of the library, causing me to jump in my seat.

I glance over, slightly annoyed by how loud the sound was, since we were in fact inside a library studying. I see a large pile of books had been knocked off a shelf halfway across the room now. I'm studying it, seeing nobody near it, wondering what the hell had just happened. There was a girl next to the pile in a chair at a table, glacing at the books below her feet now, looking just as surprised. She sees us staring at her, obviously judging her hard, then she defends herself by stating;

"It wasn't me. It was him-" She quickly points at the bookshelf this time, and only now do I also see someone hiding behind it. I have to squint to see them, and it was only then that they finally stepped out behind it, letting us see who the culprit was. And of flipping course, it was George. 

He takes a big lanky step out, showing his now bright apple red face. He then throws forward his hands nervously and announces to everyone glaring in his direction saying;

"Um. Sorry guys. Keep studying. My bad." I couldn't help but smirk at his very obvious voice cracks, then quickly pulled it away and was glaring at him again. Was he spying on me from behind the bookshelf? What other reason would he be in here for? Ugh, creepy.

He finally glances back at me then gives me a shy little wave, then he begins his march over to me. Oh no. 

I already had Blake drooling over me, I didn't need George here to add to the mess. Why did he even think he had the right to approach me after everthing he did? I knew he was just going to try and win me back, and all that did was piss me off even more as he sat down next to me at me and Blake's table.

"Hi. Do I know you?" He immediately turned to Blake and was interrogating him straight away. For whatever reason, this only angered me even more. I was sitting inches away and he was acting like I wasn't there. I stiffened up and couldn't hold back anymore. It was then that I devised a plan that would definitely get me into trouble at some point. Oh well.

"This is Blake, George." As I introduced Blake, I intertwined my arm inside his, to which he eagerly took with a smile. George's attention immediately went back to me, now looking incredibly amused by the moves I was making. His smugness only fueled me more.

I snuggled my head into his arm as I continue staring up into George's daring eyes. I was glad that Blake didn't seem very opposed to me being all over him, so I only milked it more. I looked up into Blake's eyes, who looked pretty pleased with himself, not seeming to notice I was clearly using him to make George jealous.

"Alright. Hi Blake. Nice to meet you." As George said this, he didn't glance at Blake once, he simply watched me with a very entertained expression.

"So is this the new guy you're with then?" As he says those words, I feel Blake tense up in my arms, then I literally hear his heart begin to speed up. Starting to feel bad now, I don't say anything at first. When I finally get the balls to bring the bad news to him, Blake speaks up;

"George, was it? We were kinda studying. If you don't mind?" George looks from me to him, now with a twisted look. This was when I decided to let myself free of Blake's arms. I studied George, who looked like he was ready to pounce at Blake now. I quickly looked back at Blake, who looked fearless.

I knew George wouldn't be able to harm Blake whatsoever. I mean, Blake was huge. He obviously worked out daily, judging by the amount of abs visible even with his shirt on, and I couldn't help but wonder how anyone had managed to kidnap Blake, because he was ripped.

As if it were my first time looking at him since we've been studying together, I found myself observing him. He was tanned like a Greek God would be, and to add to that, he had pitch black hair, with the most beautiful set of green eyes. That is, besides Cam's of course. Great, now I was thinking about Cam.

It was then that I snapped and was no longer amused by George's pettiness. Him being here had already caused so many bad things to happen. I used some poor guy I just met for my own entertainment, which I now regret incredibly, and now I'm thinking about Cam, who of which I wanted out of my mind completely. I couldn't have him for myself here at the school, but George could, and I was sure he was rebelling in the thought, which pissed me off more just thinking about.

"George. Just leave." Not much ended up coming out, and it came out a whole lot calmer than I'd meant it to, and honestly I'm glad it had, otherwise this probably would have ended in me getting physical. I glanced down and noticed my hands were now curled up into fists, so hard they were turning white. George also notices them, which makes his mean expression fade.

He abruptly stood up from his seat and simply stared down at me, looking a million times more relaxed now. Then his eyes faltered and sadness overfilled them instantly, then he was saying almost breathlessly;

"Just hoped we could talk a little while, that's all. Sorry for bothering you two." He didn't wait for so much as a reaction from either one of us. George was turning around and walking out of the room with record timing, leaving me and Blake alone now. I blow out a breath and get ready for the awkward conversation about to happen when he speaks first;

"Well, that was fun." I whip my head around a little too hard and stare at him, confused. 

"Um-it was?" I felt like he was screwing with me, so I simply wait for him to answer me. He sees me struggling then giggles. Acting largely different from his annoying self earlier, he explains;

"Yes. Very. I clearly got to him real good too. Plus, I got a pretty girl to cuddle with while we messed with him." I wasn't sure if it was him calling me a 'pretty girl' or if it was the fact that he knew I was just using him to make George jealous, but I knew immediately I was blushing uncontrollably. Utterly frozen, all I can do is place my face inside my palms and cover it, waiting for the redness to fade. Then he was speaking again;

"I won't hold it against you though. As long as I get something in return, of course?" The instant those words left his mouth my head was up and I was gawking at him. Of course he was one of those guys, needing something in return. Before I even got a chance to deny anything he was going to ask from me, he was talking yet again;.

"That is, you and I make him jealous more often? I need some more fun around here. And he's easy to screw with." He was looking at me with big bubbly eyes, knowing he had just scared the hell out of me. Feeling stupid, I was now smiling and shaking my head at him in disbelief, barely getting a hint of the annoying guy I was studying with earlier. I barely even gave him a chance.

He once again doesn't let me reply as he adds;

"I mean, you seemed to enjoy it just as much as I was. So, uh-how does that-" Getting a small dose of his annoying talkative side again, I bring my finger up in front of his lips and shush him from talking any further. I find myself laughing up at him then, before I realize it, I was saying;

"Yes. Let's do it." He looked just as surprised as I was feeling. I had felt bad using this guy beforehand, but now he was up for it, so I was all in. I was going to use every chance to make George jealous, and Blake could definitely get the job done. I'm sure George even thought he was attractive too, because, well he really, really was. Blake was just slightly annoying, but I wasn't going to tell either of them that.

"Sweet. And I get to tutor you along the way too. Win win." He was smiling like he had just won the lottery. I shook my head up and down at him, feeling a bit awkward now. I knew he maybe had a crush on me before George showed up, only now I was almost one hundred percent sure of it.

"Well, um, should we continue studying then?" His eyes were wondering around me harmlessly, but it made me tense up anyway. I already had guy issues, I didn't need Blake to be another one. I knew I'd have to tell him sooner or later I just wasn't interested in him like that. 

I keep that in mind and begin typing on my laptop, to which he followed my lead and began doing along with me.

•••

About a couple hours later, we decided to call it quits on the studying and relax to just get to know eachother more, when from across the room I notice a familiar face I had totally forgotten about. Lizzy was sitting alone at a table, also typing on her laptop. The girl who's boyfriend I had evidently slept with, but I of course have zero recollection of ever happening.

Thankfully she hadn't seemed to notice us yet. I eat my words when suddenly she lifts her head up from typing and makes direct eye contact with me, making me freeze like I was caught in a spell she was casting.

As soon as she sees me, her eyes narrowed and her deep blue eyes were penetrating me hard. Yep, she clearly still hated me. I then see her glance over my shoulder at Blake, then her mouth was gaping wide open, like she had just seen a ghost. It was then that I felt a tap on my back, making me jump hard.

"Please don't tell me you know Lizzy too?" I turned to Blake, who now looked like he also saw a ghost, just like Lizzy had. So he also knew Lizzy, which would explain the shocked look still happening across the room. Great, another reason for her to hate me.

"No, not really. She sure thinks she knows me though." I then realize what he said fully and look directly at him, suddenly incredibly nervous, then ask;

"Wait. How do you know Lizzy?" He draws a hand up and massages the back of his neck, also looking anxious, and maybe a little disappointed in himself as he answers;

"Well, we kind of dated for a short while here at the school. Not anymore obviously. She cheated on me." Cheated? What a damn hypocrite! She has the nerve to yell at me for doing the exact same thing she did, something I don't even have any memory doing, by the way. I could feel myself getting hot from frustration. I whip my head back around and look at her again.

She's was no longer looking at us, now she looked to he packing up her things to move elsewhere. And good riddance too. I kept my eyes on her as I spoke to Blake this time;

"I hate her so much. Ya know, she accused me of sleeping with her boyfriend." I hadn't known I could feel this type of hatred for someone, I really never had before. Normally I would choose to steer clear of this kind of drama, but Lizzy absolutely irked me to the core and I couldn't seem to control it.

"Which one? She's slept with like, every guy here already, and she got here when you did, it's impressive really." Ignoring his obviously heartbroken tone, I then began to wonder which guy she truly thought I'd slept with.

Maybe it was someone here? For all I knew it could have been Blake. Knowing that couldn't be true since he clearly hasn't said anything about it, I ignore it. Lizzy finally gathers all of her gear and gets up to leave, but before she does, she makes eye contact with me again. She quickly sneers her teeth at me like an animal would, then she twitches herself out of the library.

Me, Lectra and Wes all gave her the nickname 'Lizard' earlier, simply by the fact that her name was eerily similar to it, but now as I watched her movements, she really seemed reptilian. It creeped me out, honestly. I then realized Blake had been waiting on an answer from me so I snap out of it and answer him; 

"I have no idea which one. Clearly it isn't you, so that's one down for me to figure out, I guess." Blake looks at me now, amused and curious. He flashes a smile then adds;

"Maybe we can also try to figure that out too, while we make your ex jealous along the way, of course." I smile back at him, thankful by how helpful he was being and we'd only just met today. Blake was growing on me already. He was definitely still kind of annoying though.

"And study too. Don't forget it." I punch his arm lightly, making him exaggerate the pain by grabbing it and making a small 'ooh ow' gasping sound. I roll my eyes at him then realize what time it was already.

"I should probably get headed back to my room. It's almost 10. Cerfew, remember?" Looking upset we had to say goodbye, he nods in agreement anyway, then he starts packing up his stuff on the table. I smiled at him, knowing we would probably see each other tomorrow and that he was being awfully dramatic. I then copy him and begin cleaning up my gear with him. 

After we finally had all of our things together, we both headed out the door, ready to go to our rooms. I'm about to turn to leave when he surprises me by saying;

"I'll walk you to your room." I was about to tell him I could manage, when I realized there was a chance I'd see George, or even Cam, so I decided to let him tag along just in case.

We're finally walking down the hallway to get to my room when Blake butts in;

"Oh no, your rooms down here?" I pause and look at him, suddenly looking pretty concerned for me.

"Yeah, room 111, why?" His eyes go wide then he begins nervously smirking at me.

"What is with your luck? Lizzys room is 110. Right next door." I hated how totally non shocked I was by the news. I knew my other neighbor was some rude person since the first couple of nights I stayed here, so it wasn't all too surprising. When I stood there looking way too calm, Blake simply stood there unsure of what he should say, until finally I spoke;

"I'm not that surprised honestly. I've just gotta deal with her, I guess." Blake was right, my luck sucked here at the school. All he did was slightly nod at me as he stood there in front of me, still not knowing what to say, when suddenly he took my hand in his and looked me deep in my eyes as he pulled me close, then he whispered;

"George is watching us right now. Should we do something about it?" Instead of immediately pulling away like I was planning on doing, I stayed put. I didn't bother turning around to look and see where he was, I knew he was most likely by Cam's office with him.

Feeling my heart speed up at the thought of George watching me in someone else's arms, I found myself smirking as I put my arms around his shoulders and held him just like he was with me. I had to admit, it didn't feel as awkward as I thought it would. Now that I was here, I wasn't sure what to do, so I leaned in and whispered in his ear like he had just done to me;

"Like what? I don't know what to-" He interrupts me abruptly by simply saying two words;

"Kiss me?" It wasn't a demand, it was definitely a question, like he was unsure if it was crossing my boundaries. Surprisingly, it didn't. I was willing to do alot to be able to make him jealous, and I knew George had it in mind I was simply using Blake, so I was going to make it as believable as possible. Before I could snap myself out of it, I did as Blake had asked.

I pulled his chin down to face me, as he was much taller, like most people were. Then I stepped on my tiptoes to reach, and we kissed.

Blake led his arms up around my waste and held them there, holding me closer. Our kiss then quickly started to feel a whole lot more steamy than I'd meant it to, so I pulled away slowly as I asked, still out of breath;

"Is he still watching?" Blake glanced over my shoulder and shook his head no. Phew.

"He closed the door." Knowing the coast was clear now, I removed my hands from Blake and backed away. Like he forgot we weren't really together, he cleared his throat and rubbed his head softly as he said;

"Good job." Then he stops like he had just said something horrible and adds;

"I mean, with the acting, not the kiss-" Realizing again what he just said, he quickly explains, digging himself deeper in the hole;

"Not that the kiss wasn't good. It really was. Um-" I can't hold in the laugh building deep inside anymore. It bursts out and I was laughing uncontrollably at his word vomit. I get ahold of myself and see him simply watching me, ashamed of himself, so I smile and state;

"You're fine Blake. You did good too. Both ways." I wink at him, making him exhale finally, knowing now he was in the clear. I giggle once more then turn and see the door to Cam's office was indeed closed. I smiled at the thought of me getting on George's nerves. But there was also a part of me that felt kind of bad, even though I knew he deserved it.

"Well, I can take it from here then. Thanks Blake." I was feeling myself getting antisocial very fast and all I wanted to do was sit alone in my room. Blake doesn't say anything to me at first, all he does is nod then turn to leave. I turn then he finally says;

"I'll see you tomorrow then?" I turn back around and see he's looking at me again with hope filled eyes. I knew we kind of had to be seen together now, since we were supposed to be together and all, so I didn't hesitate to answer;

"Of course. See you tomorrow." The instant I confirm what he had been worrying about, I see a smile curve into his lips and take over. He once again doesn't say anything, all he did was turn and begin walking to his room. It was only then that I noticed he looked vaguely familiar from somewhere outside the school, although I couldn't place where from. Maybe from college?

I finally make it to my door, then I glance down to catch one last glimpse of Blake. It was killing me not knowing who he reminded me of, but ultimately I gave up and left it alone and went into my room. As soon as I closed the door, I was jumping into bed, literally.

It didn't take me long to drift into sleep. I had actually had a more decent day for once and could actually bring myself to sleep, so that's just what I did. I deserved a good night's sleep. 

The only thing that kept me awake a little longer was the thought of Blake. I knew him from somewhere and it was eating away at me not knowing. It didn't really matter as much though, because, for once, George wasn't on my mind all night, not even Cam, just me and how the hell I was going to get through tomorrow with Blake.