I am Isabel (published)✔️

Chapter four What's the problem?

I arrived in peace and walked into school with a smile. Cassie and Jarred waiting for me as usual, they lived in the same street and Jarred picked her up most days. Cassie hugged me, every day, like she hadn't seen me for ages. Jarred always slung his arm over my shoulders on the other side. I felt good. I put my head to the side and told Jarred softly. "I wanna tell her 'bout us."

He stopped dead. We turned and he stood before us with his mouth open. "Really?"
"What?" Asked Cassie.
"Yes." I told him at the same time.

He stood frozen for another second before his face split into a huge smile, he took two quick steps and grabbed me by the waist swinging me up and around like I didn't weigh a thing. I put my hands on his shoulders to keep my balance and laughed.
"I assume you like the idea?"

"Yes! Yes, God yes!" He laughed. "Finally." He mumbled in my ear as he slowly put me down.

I saw the stunned faces around us, including Cas and the Four.
"Down boy!" Cassie yelled at him.

"What was that about?" Everybody asked. I looked pointedly at Jarred as he had made a scene, not me. He winked and answered. "She was going on a date but agreed to drop it and come to my match on Saturday instead."

"A date?"
"Have you been on a date with him before?"
"Who?"
"She always goes to your damned competitions!"
"OH My God You dumped a guy over This idiot?"

Jarred was grinning like the cat that got the cream as they all asked their questions at once. He had found a solution to his scene and put me on the spot in his place, bastard.

"Yes date, no haven't been before, who is none of your business, yes I always go to his matches and that is really none of your damned business either and Cass I will inform you later!" I grabbed Jarred by the hand and Cassie by the other and dragged them off to our lockers. I could see, from the way people moved aside when we walked up, that the four weren't far behind us. People always made way for them. Handy, but I ignored them.

Vicky was in class with Cassie and Jarred but three of her offsiders were in mine. It had been almost two weeks since I had humiliated Vicky and there hadn't been much retaliation. The occasional attempt to trip me, a shove here and there in the hallway and more balls aimed at me during dodge ball. All up I had expected worse.

I sat down at Algebra when the girl that normally sat next to me, Melissa, decided to sit at the front. She was one of the quiet girls that always had a book to read . What was that about, we got along really well? Instead Howard sat next to me, I knew he was friend of Mel's, he normally sat with the guy Mel was now sitting with. He was cute in a good boy kinda way, with square glasses that he was forever pushing up his nose. He had the brightest green eyes and dark blond hair. I'd spoken to him before but he never sat next to me.

When the teacher walked in and started her lesson Howard scooted closer. I glanced at him but he was looking at the board. Five minutes later he moved his workbook to me and gently nudged me with his elbow. He'd written a note for me.
'I need to talk to you! There are problems.' I glanced at him and raised an eyebrow to let him know he had my attention. He started whispering.

"Mel got hit by the squeak squad, they threatened all the girls you don't regularly hang out with that they have to spy on you or get beat up. Mel didn't want to and they hit her. She's scared, Iz. They are planning something big. Yesterday at practise they got all the guys in as well. Zack was at the lead with that stunt but they bragged at the wrong time about planning to bring you down a peg. Jarred found out and they had a fight after school. Jarred kicked crapped outta them and the four had his back cause the whole team tried to get Jarred. So now they recruited all the girls they can threaten. We don't have any problems with you, you never bullied anyone. The girls need plausible deniability so they'll stay away from you but we had to tell you. Watch out."
"Well Shit!" I said a bit too loudly.

"Mr Franklin, Miss Tanner. Would you like to share what the problem is?" The teacher asked while all eyes turned to us. I glanced at Howard and he was red as a tomato. No help there. There were some snickers from the nasty girls that Howard had just told me about.

"Well Miss," I started. "Howard just explained that I had number twelve and the next two questions of my homework wrong. He showed me where I went wrong and it was such an easy thing, while I had so much trouble with it when I was doing my homework."
It wasn't really a full lie. I had made mistakes on those three but I'd figured it out myself and fixed it.
"Is that so, Mr Franklin?" Our teacher asked doubtfully.
"Yes Miss." Howard mumbled.
"Well Miss Tanner, you won't mind coming up here and showing me then, would you?"

I smiled sweetly and got up with my homework. Howard looked like he was going to die so I winked at him and made my way to the front. You could have heard a pin drop as the teacher examined my work. Then she looked up. "Do you understand now?"
"Yes Miss, Howard explained it all to me."
"Good job ,Mr Franklin, you may sit back down, Miss Tanner."

Being a fighter it was second nature to look at posture, the shift in stance, the move of an arm ready to strike, sometimes it was as little as the squint of the eyes before making a move. So I saw Karen move. I knew her leg would come out to trip me and I responded accordingly.

I kicked her leg, hard, and dropped to my knees with a big smirk that the teacher couldn't see. Then I put my hands on the floor and pretended to be in pain. The teacher rushed to my side while Karen got a lecture from her about keeping her legs under the table.

"Are you alright dear?" Our teacher asked, genuinely worried.
"I might need an icepack for my knee Miss. I went down pretty hard."
"That lying little bitch is faking it, she kicked me!"

"Miss Wilder! Detention, two days!"
"But she.."

"The whole week! Anything else?" Karen went quiet. I was crying from having to keep my laughter in, it worked out well as I looked up tears in my eyes. "Howard can take you to the nurse, dear. Better take your bags too." Howard packed up my bag as well as his own and awkwardly held out his hand to me, still blushing.

"Excuse me, Miss?" A familiar voice said.

The teacher groaned softly. The twins. Ever since the beginning of high school they had always answered to both names. Detentions, threats, parent meetings, nothing had worked. Call one name they both answer. Most teachers started to steer clear of asking them things.

"Yes, Mr Holden."

Only one answered and the teacher looked surprised. "Howard is already carrying her bag and his own, we could help get her to the nurse. Make sure she doesn't strain herself."

She looked at Howard, he wasn't small but his nerdy appearance and the bags made her sigh. "Fine."

Two voices answered as one. "Thank you Miss, I'm sure coach P will appreciate it too." They got up as one and winked at the teacher while a pink blush spread over her cheeks. Jake went ahead to open the door, Howard followed then Jack with his arm supporting a sad limping me. We left as the teacher started back on her lesson. We were three doors down before I shrugged off the twins and high fived Howard. "That was epic!" he grinned. "How did you know what she was going to do?"

The twins stood there looking at me, waiting for the answer as well. "She smiled at me."

They all nodded as we went to the nurse for an icepack, had to keep up the façade. The rest of that block we just hung out. It was actually quite fun.