My Life: Awkward Dinner FTW!
"Deck the halls with lots of traps, falalalalalalalala! 'Tis the season to be game-y, falalalalalalalala!" Izzy sang out while decorating the plastic Christmas tree.
John rounded the corner and stared at Izzy. "Are you okay?"
"It's Christmas, Dad, how could I not be okay?" Izzy cheered, taking a red ornament out of a box.
Amanda smirked as Zep slumped down the stairs. "You could be him." She said, pointing at the dejected family-member-friend who sat down on the couch holding a mug of tea. Izzy's face fell as she turned away from him to put the ornament on the tree.
"Hey Izzy, don't forget to put my muffin ornament that I made last year near the top!" Hoffman shouted from the office.
"You know I can't reach that high, dipshit!" She shouted back.
"Zep, why don't you help Izzy out with the decorations?" Amanda suggested, nudging him.
Zep looked up at her with eyes that said 'Go-to-hell'. "I'd really rather not."
"What about Hoffman?" John asked. "What's he doing in the office anyways?"
"Playing 625 Sandwich Stacker." Hoffman's voice floated into the living room.
Izzy squealed and jumped up and down. "I love that game!"
John shook his head and sighed. "You're really giving up a good family moment to play a game on the Disney website?" He shot Izzy a look before she could say anything.
"I would do anything to get out of this house…" Zep mumbled.
"That's why I slashed your tires!" Amanda said cheerfully.
Zep's eyes widened. "You what?" Amanda shouted something back, and it turned into a full-blown argument. Izzy snuck away and pulled her cell phone out, dialing speed dial number twelve.
"Hello?" A voice answered after two rings.
"Rocky…help." Izzy said quietly.
"What's going on in the background?"
"Zep and Amanda. Want to bring your parents over? They'll distract my family."
Rocky paused for a moment. "Alright. I'll be over in five."
John ended up preparing dinner, and as if on cue, the doorbell rang once he had just finished making everything.
"Oh my, I wonder who it is?" Izzy asked out loud, clearly fake.
"Shut up and open the door." Someone shouted from outside. Amanda jumped in front of Izzy and opened the door. The voice that had shouted arched an eyebrow. "Mrs. Kramer. Nice to see you again." Strahm said with a slight smirk.
Perez pouted. "I thought you saved the sexy smirk for me?" Rocky, who had been standing behind them the entire time, nudged her with his foot. Perez nodded and smiled again.
"Nice timing! John just finished dinner. I'm sure he won't mind some more mouths to feed." Amanda informed them. John shouted something from the kitchen, but Amanda ignored it and told him blatantly where his complaints could go.
Izzy grabbed Rocky's hand and lead him into the kitchen, where Hoffman was banging on metal pots and pans with a spoon, Zep was being an angsty bitch, and John was grumbling about having to make more food. "Ignore the two angsty bitches and the meathead on the floor. It's a pretty typical thing around this house, you know?"
"I'm surprised no one is suggesting that we go rape each other." Rocky shrugged.
"I made chicken." John said to Strahm and Perez. "If you don't like it, then your complaints can go to the same place as mine did." The two looked at each other, shrugged, and then found a place to sit down.
After dinner, as soon as Hoffman started singing, everyone split. Strahm and Perez went with Amanda, who was telling them all about the Saw movies. Zep sulked off somewhere upstairs, John went outside to get the mail which he had totally neglected for the past few days, and Izzy and Rocky went to Izzy's room.
"Make sure to leave the door open!" John shouted after the two, who ignored him but followed his instructions.
"So what's the deal with Zep?" Rocky asked, sitting down against the wall.
Izzy looked off into the distance, as if trying to recall the memory back. "Well, it all kind of started at this American football game a while back." Izzy attempted to explain the story as best she could, but just couldn't bring herself to telling him about the kiss.
"But I still don't-" All of a sudden, Izzy heard a noise, and made a sudden movement. Grabbing Rocky by the front of his shirt, she kissed him on the lips. The kiss lasted for about five seconds before Izzy pushed him away and looked into the doorway to see Zep standing there, in the same position he had been before the kiss started.
"Hi Zep." Izzy said dryly. Zep shook his head and ran out of the room, sobbing.
"I don't understand what the hell just happened." Rocky said softly, wiping his lips. "By the way, your lips tasted like…fruit?"
Izzy smirked and crossed her arms. "Lip gloss, kid. But anyways, I got kinda scared and almost sort of wanted to…"
"Make Zep jealous?" Rocky finished her sentence.
"No. Well, yes. No, wait…" Izzy looked down at the floor.
Rocky smirked and held onto Izzy's chin and pulled her face to eye level. "You need to face facts now, Izzy. You have feelings for Zep."
"Do not!" Izzy pushed herself away from Rocky.
"Rocky, we're going home. Either you're coming with us, or walking home." Strahm shouted from downstairs. Rocky nodded at Izzy, and then headed downstairs. It took Izzy a while to get out of that spot and head back downstairs to be with her family-and to take the pots and pans away from Hoffman.
But right before Izzy went to bed, she stopped in the game room, which was being renovated into another bedroom. Zep had been staying there. She knocked on the door, and when Zep looked up, he nearly jumped.
"You don't look anything like yourself." He mumbled. It was true because Izzy had changed into her pajamas-a pair of fleece plaid pajama pants and a grey camisole. Zep was simply in the clothes he had been wearing all day. A red sweatshirt, a white undershirt, and jeans.
"Clearly you've never watched me sleep before." Izzy said, laughing a bit and walking in. "That's good. It means you're not like Edward Cullen."
"Who says I haven't? Remember Boston?" Zep smirked.
Izzy made a face and crossed her arms. "I wish I didn't." She sat down on the couch next to Zep. "So, about earlier."
"Just drop it." Zep said flatly. "It's one of those things that are better off left alone."
"Are you sure?" Izzy said softly. This was a rare moment for her, because she was speaking in her gentle voice that almost showed compassion and the real Elizabeth that hid behind a mask that was her insanity. For once, things felt right.
Zep sighed. "I'm absolutely positive."
"See you in the morning, then." Izzy said. But before she left, she gave Zep a hug. A real hug.
Maybe things would turn out okay.
A/N: Everybody go 'awwww'! Maybe, if you guys review a lot, the magical Fanfiction Fairy will add a nice, adorable moment for Izzy and Zep in the next chapter ;) But if you don't, then the Fairy will break into your house and eat your cookies before Santa can get there. Take that!
