Thanks for the support, guys, it really helped me feel better. Wow, I got a little violent in the language dept. in this chapter. Hope you like. Remember, reviewing makes you sexy!
Disclaimer: I don't own Four Brothers, I own clowns like you on the b-ball court.
Later that day, Isabel had curled under several blankets on the Mercer's couch, sleeping, gaining some resentment from Jack, who, until she had woken him, had been having quite the nice nap on it.
"Why are you dating her, Bobby? She's what? Twelve?" Jack asked Bobby, looking at the sleeping girl.
"We aren't dating, Jackie."
Jack looked back to Bobby, who was putting on his brown leather coat.
"You going somewhere?"
"No, fairy, I just like the way the jacket looks."
"I'm not a fairy, Bobby." Jack stiffened.
Bobby opened the front door, "Watch her, Jack. Thanks." He called to Jack over his shoulder.
"Bobby! I have shit to do, I can't…" Bobby had already left. Jack looked down at the tiny girl. Part of her face was covered by the gray hood of the hooded sweatshirt Bobby had lent her. Scratch that, part of her face was covered by the gray hood of Jack's hooded sweatshirt Bobby had lent her.
"You know, I was having a great nap until you rolled in," Jack started in a raspy voice, "then you had to wake me up to talk to Bobby, thinking that you were knocked up. Maybe if you weren't a god damn whore…"
"I am awake, you know," Isabel said without opening her eyes. Jack's face started to redden.
"Oh man." Isabel said, jumping off the couch and running to the bathroom. Jack heard the sounds of Isabel vomiting behind the closed door of the bathroom. Several minutes later, Isabel walked out, her naturally porcelain skin looking ghost white.
"What toothbrush is yours?" She asked Jack. He looked at her, slightly suspicious.
"The red one…why?" Isabel smiled.
"Good, you might want to buy a new one." Jack looked at her, disgusted.
"Thanks." He said sarcastically.
"Don't act so offended, you called me a whore, you fucking jerk." Jack flinched slightly. He was used to getting picked on by Bobby and his other brothers, but never by a girl. Girls usually loved Jack.
"I don't really think you're…" he started.
"Oh shut up, you so do think I'm a whore. Don't try to cover yourself now." Jack looked at the girl that stood in front of him. Her words were clear and precise, and despite how frail and weak she seemed, she was incredibly intimidating.
"Tell me, what's the difference between what Bobby and I did and what you do with all your little fans?"
"Did Bobby tell you about my band?" Jack asked, trying to change the subject.
"No. Now please, answer my question." Jack tried to think of an answer. Isabel looked at him, waiting.
"Jack, you are a man-whore." Iz said matter-of-factly, "and you don't have to watch me, I can take care of myself."
"Well, that's apparent." Jack said sarcastically.
"Shut up. I'm going home. Tell Bobby I'll call him when I'm not sick." Iz said over her should, picking up her purse.
"Why? So you guys can fuck some more?" Iz whirled around and marched over to Jack.
"No," Smack. Iz hit Jack across the right cheek. Hard. A red handprint began to form. "So I can tell him what an ass of a little brother he has. What the fuck is your problem, Jack? I didn't do anything to you!"
"You woke me up, sleep in my sweatshirt, use my toothbrush after you threw up and then smacked me!" Jack yelled, ignoring the stinging in his cheek.
Angel awoke to screaming downstairs. He got out of bed, careful not to disturb Sofie, threw on his jeans and shirt from the night before and walked down the stairs.
"Well sorry for waking you the fuck up, Jack, maybe if you hadn't called me a god damn whore I wouldn't be so pissed!"
"Maybe if you weren't such a whore, none of this would have happened!"
"Hey, what the hell is going on down here?" Angel said, walking into the room, grabbing Isabel right before she could swing at Jack again.
"Let me go! I swear to god, I'm going to pull a Sin City and rip it off, Jack." She said, struggling against Angel's grip.
"Ok, I think it's time for someone to go home." Angel said, guiding Isabel towards the door.
Iz walked out the door and started walking home. It was snowing lightly and rather chilly. It didn't phase Isabel though, she was too angry to notice.
"Bobby's gonna kill you, man, you know that right." Angel said to Jack, who had taken a seat in one of the numerous chairs in the living room.
"Whatever. I don't care." Jack picked up his guitar, which he had rested against the chair's side the night before, and began to play quietly.
"What did you do to make her so mad?"
"Nothing, seriously." Jack added when Angel looked at him skeptically.
Bobby walked back in the door, holding a twelve pack of beer. He looked around the room.
"Where's Iz?" He asked. Jack concentrated on his guitar and ignored Bobby's question. The room was silent other than the gentle plinking of the guitar. After several uncomfortable moments, Angel finally piped up.
"She and Jack started fighting. I had to hold her back to keep her from hitting Jack, so se left."
"What the hell, fairy? What did you do to her?" Jack set his guitar down and looked at Bobby.
"I didn't do shit. And why do you care so much? It's not like you couldn't go down the bar tonight and get another piece of ass." Bobby walked over to jack and hit him in the back of the head.
"I know you don't have any, fairy, but Iz and I are these things called friends."
"Whatever, man."
Iz walked into her house and flipped on the lights and checked her answering machine. There were two messages.
Hey Izzy, it's Karissa. Just calling to see what you were up to. Me and Charlie were gonna go out tonight, want to come? How's that Bobby guy you told me about? Call me back, ho!
Iz smiled. Karissa had been her best friend since they were eight. The answering machine beeped to signal the start of the next message.
Iz, it's Danny. Call me back, it's important.
Isabel rolled her eyes. In highschool, Iz had played bass in a garage band that ended up being pretty popular in the area, booking gigs around town, usually smaller venues. Danny's idea of 'important' was needing to know how much laundry soap to put in or how to use the defrost setting on the microwave.
Iz picked up her phone and punched in Karissa's number.
"… hello?"
"Hey Riss, what's up?"
"IZ WHERE THE FLIP HAVE YOU BEEN?!"
"Um, over at Bobby's."
"Oooh, I see." Karissa said in a mocking tone.
"Shut up."
"Want to go out tonight?"
"I can't, I've got the flu."
"Bummer… HEY! Me and Charlie can come over there."
"Uh, if you want to."
"I'll be over in ten. Want anything from Panda Express?"
"Like, a hundred fortune cookies. And maybe some soda."'
"K. Bye!"
"Bye."
Click. Iz hung up on Karissa and dialed Danny's number.
"…What?"
"Well hi to you too, Danny. What is so important?"
"Iz! Oh man… I want to get the band back together."
"Why?"
"…I'm not sure…it just came to me one night."
"Ok, stoner, I'm hanging up now."
"No wait, Iz! I'm serious."
"Ok, whatever. Call me when everyone else agrees to it. Bye."
"Bye."
Click.
Iz walked up to her room to change. She began to tug off Jack's sweatshirt when she remembered it was his. She grinned and tossed it onto her bed. She had plans for it.
After changing into some gray sweatpants and an old red wings T-shirt, Iz walked down stairs and collapsed onto her couch, exhausted.
"We are here! Izzy-boo! Now tell me, what the hell have you been doing?" Charlie shouted, walking through the door with Karissa, who was laughing.
"Gosh Charlie, you're almost to gay to function."
"Yeah ok, Janis Ian."
Iz just laughed at them. They may not have been the most brilliant people, but they always lifted Isabel's mood. Karissa chucked a brown paper bag and Iz, who caught it and looked inside.
"I got you a bunch of fortune cookies."
"I can see that."
Despite the mix of the day's events and the flu, Iz started to feel a bit better, as she told her friends all about Bobby, ("Was he any good?") Jack, ("That bastard! Was he hot?") and everything else that had happened.
The night ended with Iz falling asleep on Charlie's shoulder, who happened to fall asleep on Karissa's shoulder, who was leaning against the side of the couch.
Iz was the first to wake in the morning. The flu had set in. She felt like her muscles were going to detach from bone. She nudged Charlie, who, when he finally woke up, twitched so badly that Karissa woke up, too.
"You guys might want to get out of here, I think I'm dying of bird flu."
"Ok, honey, we hope you feel better." Karissa said, stretching and yawning.
"Yeah, I'd stay but you know how I am when I get sick." Charlie said.
"What, you mean a complete pussy?"
"Shut up!"
Iz laughed. Karissa and Charlie waved their final good-byes and walked out the door. Iz forced herself to the bathroom, took some medication, and trudged into her room.
A few days later, Iz had made somewhat of a recovery, and decided she should call Bobby, like she said she would.
"…Hello?"
"Hi, Bobby?"
"Yeah."
"Hey, it's Iz. What's up?"
"Hey…I'll tell you what's up. You have one hell of a back hand." Iz smiled at the comment.
"Well… he was getting on my nerves."
"Yeah, yeah."
"Want to go out for some coffee today?"
"Coffee? You serious?"
"…Beer?"
"Now you're speaking my language. What time?"
"7:30ish?"
"I'll come and get you then."
"Bye."
"Bye."
Iz picked at the label of her beer bottle, looking up at Bobby.
"You know, you really gave cracker Jack a run."
"Yeah, sorry about that…I'm not sure what came over me."
"Don't be sorry, the fairy probably deserved it." Isabel smiled, looking down at the table.
"Bobby, I think…I mean I don't think we should…you know." Bobby started to smirk.
"I knew it…you're a lesbian, aren't you?"
"Wha…BOBBY! I'm trying to be serious and all you can do is joke?" Iz laughed as she tried to speak.
"It's ok, Iz, you're my friend, I ain't gonna judge you. Who is your girlfriend, Jack?"
"Oh yes, I just love your little sister Jack." Isabel punched Bobby in the shoulder.
"It was fun while it lasted, easy come, easy go."
"Maybe if you didn't come so easily…" Isabel laughed at Bobby, whose mouth hung open at her comment.
"Ok, good one, bitch. I'll get you though."
"Psh, whatever." Isabel rolled her eyes.
"Hey…want to do me a favor?" Bobby asked.
"No."
"Ok, my brother Jerry and his wife Camille are going out tonight and asked me to baby-sit."
"No, Bobby."
"He has to girls, Daniela and Amelia…"
"Bobby, I'm not babysitting for you."
"I'll give you $100."
"What time?"