A/N: New chapter, longer. Thank you Jen, for pointing out I stole
'educational', in the last chapter. *blushes* I didn't mean to!
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"Hey Izzy!" Isara's head shot up above the counter. The supervisor waved a hand.
"Ten minutes, and your shift is up. Have a nice evening," she called. Izzy nodded, and sighed, dropping the cloth onto the countertop. The Doublemeat Palace didn't give the best health benefits, insurance, and she was pretty sure if you sliced something off with one of the machines, you were on your own, but it meant money. And didn't include small children without a ball pond to drown them in.
"Heya stripes," Lin laughed, as he walked into the restaurant. Libby was with him, a hand slipped into her brother's. Her nose wrinkled in disgust as she came through the door.
"You work here?" she asked incredulously. Izzy glared at Lin.
"You brought her here?" she demanded. He shrugged.
"Mom is busy. Libby had to come." Izzy sighed, and pointed to a booth.
"Sit. There. Don't. Touch. Anything," she threatened. Libby blew out a breath, and tossed her hair, stalking over to the booth, and slumping down, her arms folded across her chest.
"You getting off yet?" Lin asked, scuffing his feet on the ground. Izzy nodded, removing the stupid-looking hat, and combing out her hair with her fingers.
"Yup. Just about."
"Are we going to that party tonight?" he blurted out in a rush. Her eyes narrowed.
"No," she answered bluntly. Lin looked up, surprise, and relief on his face.
"Oh. So you're not gonna go and drool over Seth, then?"
"I shall ignore that last comment," Izzy said indignantly, "And yes. I am going. We are not."
A look of confusion crossed Lin's face. "Huh?"
Izzy rolled her eyes, and unclipped her name badge from her shirt.
"Whenever you come to a party with me, you are one, uber protective," she began ticking them off on her fingers, "Two, obnoxious to anyone wanting to dance with me, and three, you tell all the guys I actually like that either that I'm actually a transvestite, or that I'm your sister, and if they come within a smidgeon of nearness with me, you'll feel compelled to smash their faces in. So we are not attending. Anything. Together. Capisce?"
"Hey, I have issues," Lin defended himself. Izzy shook her head.
"Yup. That you do. But I want to enjoy my evening, and-"
"I get it," he interrupted. "Your Mom is going off to L.A tonight, so you can stay out as late as you want."
"That is also a deciding factor," Izzy agreed. "It also means I have an hour to de-fry fat myself, and get dressed in something that will make Seth notice me."
Libby glanced up from the booth in the corner.
"You'll get caught. Plus, Spike told us he doesn't want any of us dating 'till we're thirty," she reminded them. They turned, and in unison, told her to,
"Shut up."
"He's a musician!" Lin protested, following his best friend into her room. Izzy's walls were painted a deep reddish colour, maps of constellations were scrawled on the ceiling, posters of bands taped onto the walls, and her double bed had an Indian bedspread tossed across it. Candles were dotted about, on shelves, a low trunk that was stuffed with spell paraphernalia, and on the floor.
As she unsnapped her shirt, and tossed it onto the floor, he automatically closed his eyes.
"How clichéd can you get?" he continued to complain. Izzy rolled her eyes, and gave a tiny grin. She shrugged off her pants, and threw on her bathrobe, knotting it around her waist.
"Well, one he's hot," she began, flashing him a dazzling smile. Lin opened his eyes, and gave her a pitying look. "Two, he's an amazing guitar player, and three, he's the only guy in this school who even knows who Dante is, let alone read him." Her smile changed to a happy little grin. "And he likes me."
"He could be anything! Remember how Dad fell for that evil mantis lady, and only just killed her before she killed him? And the mummy girl? He could want to suck your brains out-"
"That's zombies," she interrupted matter-of-factly, slinging a towel over her shoulder. Libby perched on the end of her bed, and leafed through one of Izzy's spell books.
He followed her down the corridor to the bathroom, and continued to complain.
"He could be a vampire-"
"I wore a cross on Monday," she called over the shower.
"He could be a fish hybrid," he suggested. The shower curtain zipped back, and she wrapped a towel around herself before opening the door, and padding back across the carpet to her room.
"I doubt it. He's not the go swim team type," she answered confidently. He shook his head, disbelievingly.
"So you're just gonna go?"
She nodded. "Yup." The front door slammed.
"Izzy! I'm home!" Willow yelled. She headed up the stairs, and into Izzy's room. Totally unperturbed at finding her daughter entertaining a boy in a towel, she kissed Izzy's cheek.
"Hi honey.. Uber fun had by all at the party, I hope," she grinned. Izzy rolled her eyes.
"I hear you're heading to L.A," she answered. "Why? I thought you were done there a while back."
Willow chewed her lower lip nervously.
"Well, it seems the stuff I cleared up wasn't cleared up. I need to finish it off, and I'll be back tomorrow, I promise. Have fun, don't do anything I wouldn't do, and Lin?" Willow finished, pointing at the boy. She grinned, disconcerting him. "Have fun."
As the car restarted in the driveway, Izzy began rummaging through her wardrobe.
"Come on," she pleaded Lin. "Help. Please. I need a stunning outfit."
"I'm a guy!" he protested. Libby raised an eyebrow in an uncanny imitation of their mother.
"That can be altered," she drawled, fingering her locket. Izzy scowled at her.
"Don't even think about it, Liberty Emmanuella Harris."
"Fine, fine!" Libby backed off, muttering something darkly.
"Thanks, call you later, bye!" Izzy yelled back, as she slid in beside her friends in the car, laughing happily. Lin waved, smiling forcedly, then waited until they'd left.
"This is not good," he mumbled.
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A/N: Next chapter, the party and the aftermath.
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"Hey Izzy!" Isara's head shot up above the counter. The supervisor waved a hand.
"Ten minutes, and your shift is up. Have a nice evening," she called. Izzy nodded, and sighed, dropping the cloth onto the countertop. The Doublemeat Palace didn't give the best health benefits, insurance, and she was pretty sure if you sliced something off with one of the machines, you were on your own, but it meant money. And didn't include small children without a ball pond to drown them in.
"Heya stripes," Lin laughed, as he walked into the restaurant. Libby was with him, a hand slipped into her brother's. Her nose wrinkled in disgust as she came through the door.
"You work here?" she asked incredulously. Izzy glared at Lin.
"You brought her here?" she demanded. He shrugged.
"Mom is busy. Libby had to come." Izzy sighed, and pointed to a booth.
"Sit. There. Don't. Touch. Anything," she threatened. Libby blew out a breath, and tossed her hair, stalking over to the booth, and slumping down, her arms folded across her chest.
"You getting off yet?" Lin asked, scuffing his feet on the ground. Izzy nodded, removing the stupid-looking hat, and combing out her hair with her fingers.
"Yup. Just about."
"Are we going to that party tonight?" he blurted out in a rush. Her eyes narrowed.
"No," she answered bluntly. Lin looked up, surprise, and relief on his face.
"Oh. So you're not gonna go and drool over Seth, then?"
"I shall ignore that last comment," Izzy said indignantly, "And yes. I am going. We are not."
A look of confusion crossed Lin's face. "Huh?"
Izzy rolled her eyes, and unclipped her name badge from her shirt.
"Whenever you come to a party with me, you are one, uber protective," she began ticking them off on her fingers, "Two, obnoxious to anyone wanting to dance with me, and three, you tell all the guys I actually like that either that I'm actually a transvestite, or that I'm your sister, and if they come within a smidgeon of nearness with me, you'll feel compelled to smash their faces in. So we are not attending. Anything. Together. Capisce?"
"Hey, I have issues," Lin defended himself. Izzy shook her head.
"Yup. That you do. But I want to enjoy my evening, and-"
"I get it," he interrupted. "Your Mom is going off to L.A tonight, so you can stay out as late as you want."
"That is also a deciding factor," Izzy agreed. "It also means I have an hour to de-fry fat myself, and get dressed in something that will make Seth notice me."
Libby glanced up from the booth in the corner.
"You'll get caught. Plus, Spike told us he doesn't want any of us dating 'till we're thirty," she reminded them. They turned, and in unison, told her to,
"Shut up."
"He's a musician!" Lin protested, following his best friend into her room. Izzy's walls were painted a deep reddish colour, maps of constellations were scrawled on the ceiling, posters of bands taped onto the walls, and her double bed had an Indian bedspread tossed across it. Candles were dotted about, on shelves, a low trunk that was stuffed with spell paraphernalia, and on the floor.
As she unsnapped her shirt, and tossed it onto the floor, he automatically closed his eyes.
"How clichéd can you get?" he continued to complain. Izzy rolled her eyes, and gave a tiny grin. She shrugged off her pants, and threw on her bathrobe, knotting it around her waist.
"Well, one he's hot," she began, flashing him a dazzling smile. Lin opened his eyes, and gave her a pitying look. "Two, he's an amazing guitar player, and three, he's the only guy in this school who even knows who Dante is, let alone read him." Her smile changed to a happy little grin. "And he likes me."
"He could be anything! Remember how Dad fell for that evil mantis lady, and only just killed her before she killed him? And the mummy girl? He could want to suck your brains out-"
"That's zombies," she interrupted matter-of-factly, slinging a towel over her shoulder. Libby perched on the end of her bed, and leafed through one of Izzy's spell books.
He followed her down the corridor to the bathroom, and continued to complain.
"He could be a vampire-"
"I wore a cross on Monday," she called over the shower.
"He could be a fish hybrid," he suggested. The shower curtain zipped back, and she wrapped a towel around herself before opening the door, and padding back across the carpet to her room.
"I doubt it. He's not the go swim team type," she answered confidently. He shook his head, disbelievingly.
"So you're just gonna go?"
She nodded. "Yup." The front door slammed.
"Izzy! I'm home!" Willow yelled. She headed up the stairs, and into Izzy's room. Totally unperturbed at finding her daughter entertaining a boy in a towel, she kissed Izzy's cheek.
"Hi honey.. Uber fun had by all at the party, I hope," she grinned. Izzy rolled her eyes.
"I hear you're heading to L.A," she answered. "Why? I thought you were done there a while back."
Willow chewed her lower lip nervously.
"Well, it seems the stuff I cleared up wasn't cleared up. I need to finish it off, and I'll be back tomorrow, I promise. Have fun, don't do anything I wouldn't do, and Lin?" Willow finished, pointing at the boy. She grinned, disconcerting him. "Have fun."
As the car restarted in the driveway, Izzy began rummaging through her wardrobe.
"Come on," she pleaded Lin. "Help. Please. I need a stunning outfit."
"I'm a guy!" he protested. Libby raised an eyebrow in an uncanny imitation of their mother.
"That can be altered," she drawled, fingering her locket. Izzy scowled at her.
"Don't even think about it, Liberty Emmanuella Harris."
"Fine, fine!" Libby backed off, muttering something darkly.
"Thanks, call you later, bye!" Izzy yelled back, as she slid in beside her friends in the car, laughing happily. Lin waved, smiling forcedly, then waited until they'd left.
"This is not good," he mumbled.
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A/N: Next chapter, the party and the aftermath.