I'm warning you now that it's a bit lengthy, but I'm actually really happy with how this turned out. So, enjoy and stay tuned for some announcements!
In the dressing room, Delilah was fixing her hair for her solo. She had just finished performing her group jazz number and she was feeling as pumped as ever, like the Energizer bunny. All of her dances so far have gone really well. It was definitely one of her best days in dance, and Delilah was pretty sure it was because she knew that her boyfriend was in the audience. She really wanted to impress Isaac, even though he was always telling her how good he thought she was.
She was definitely nervous for her solo. More nervous than she had ever been. It was her last dance of the day and she really wanted to give her all in the performance. After Delilah finished fixing her hair, she decided to warm up for a little bit before it was time for her to go on. She sat down on the floor, stretched her legs out in front of her, and pointed her toes. Pain shot up Delilah's spine when she reached over to grab her feet, but she just took slow and steady breaths as she continued to stretch.
As predicted, after Delilah said goodbye to Isaac the night before, Lawrence had given her quite the beating for talking beach to him at dinner. The black eye was easy to cover with her dance makeup, but the welts on her stomach and back was not as easy to hide. Why did her costumes have to be so damn revealing? She was just relieved that no one has commented on her bruises and scars. At least not to her face, anyway. But the constant movement was making Delilah sore and pushing herself in her dances wasn't doing her well either. It was a good thing that she just had to pull through one more routine.
It wasn't long before Marlene came up to her and told her it was time to go. Delilah got up from the floor and grabbed her blazer. She followed Marlene to the wings of the stage the competition was taking place as she slid her arms through the sleeves. From the wings, Delilah was able to watch the other soloists in her category. She had the advantage of being the last girl in her category to perform so she could see what she was up against. The competition was tough this year. All of the girls were amazing! It was definitely going to be a tight race.
"Oh, boy," Delilah sighed, watching as a girl did an aerial flip in her routine.
Marlene bumped her hip with Delilah's. "You alright there, kiddo?"
"I'm fine," Delilah said nervously, "I guess I just underestimated the competition this year." Her jaw went slightly slack as the girl dancing did about ten pirouette turns. "Okay, I really underestimated them."
"Oh, you'll be fine," Marlene assured her, "Your dance is basically flawless. We've been working hard at this for months. You got this, D."
"I hope so…"
Smirking, the pink-haired woman crossed her arms. "Didn't you say that your boyfriend was here to see you?" Delilah blushed as she nodded her head. "Well then just pretend he's the only one in the audience."
"But that makes me even more nervous!" Delilah said.
"Wow… you must really like this boy then."
Delilah nodded again. "I do."
"Use that to your advantage. You know how I always tell you guys to make sure to dedicate your performance to someone?"
"Yeah…"
"Dedicate your solo to him," Marlene said simply, "That usually helps the nerves. Trust me, when I competed in the regionals a couple of years ago, the only thing that kept me from freezing onstage was the thought that I was doing it for my husband."
"And that really worked?" Marlene hummed in response. "Huh… I'll keep that in mind."
The girl onstage struck her final pose and the audience erupted in cheers. She grinned as she bowed and then walked off the stage to the side where Delilah was. When the girl saw Delilah, she continued to smile as she gave her a hug.
"You were amazing out there!" Delilah gushed at her fellow competitor, who she had met before from previous competitions.
"Thank you!" the girl beamed, "I can't wait to see your solo. Good luck to you!"
After Delilah thanked her, the girl walked away. The brunette shook the nerves away and rolled her shoulders. Then she heard the announcer.
"Up next in the Teen Contemporary Solo category, from Beacon Hills Dance Factory, here is 'Prague' with soloist Delilah Lambert!"
Squeezing her shoulders, Marlene lightly pushed Delilah towards the stage. "You got this, D. Go kick some ass."
The audience whooped and hollered as Delilah walked on the stage. Butterflies continued to flutter around in the pit of her stomach. But the support from her friends and dance mates in the audience was sort of relieving. She tried not to laugh when she heard a few people from her dance studio yell, "Go, D!" Getting into her beginning pose, Delilah waited and anxiously for her cue to start dancing.
Before she knew it, her song started to play. Like always, her nerves seemed to wash away as soon as she started to move, Delilah just remembered what Marlene said about dedicating her dance to Isaac and pretending that he was the only one in the audience. To her surprise, it actually worked. Her overall goal was to put on a good performance for the crowd, judges, and Isaac so she used her boyfriend's presence as her motivation. Since it was an emotional piece, it was hard not to smile whenever she saw glimpses of Isaac in the audience.
As always, Delilah's dancing left Isaac in awe. He wasn't sure what blew him away more, her technique or the emotion she expressed. There was just so much passion in her facial expressions and it was so strong and powerful that Isaac could actually feel her emotional pain. Judging by the looks of the people around him, he could tell that he wasn't the only one affected by Delilah's dance. Some people had even started tearing up. Isaac couldn't help but feel proud. That was his girlfriend up on that stage that was moving people to tears.
The dance ended way sooner than Isaac would've liked. But he cheered along with everyone when the song ended. Delilah was breathing heavily but she had the biggest smile on her face from the crowd's reaction. She gave her final bow and walked off the stage. Once she was out of the audience's sight, Delilah squealed and ran to Marlene to give her a huge hug.
"Oh my god, D!" Marlene exclaimed, "That was incredible! I'm so proud of you!"
Delilah pulled away and placed her hands behind her head. She laughed breathlessly. "Wow, that was such a rush! Your advice actually worked. I can't believe it!"
"I told you so," Marlene smiled, "Now go change into your sweats. The award ceremony is in a half hour and I want you all on the stage in twenty minutes."
"Sure thing," Delilah nodded before walking away.
She went back down to the dressing room where a bunch of other dancers were. They congratulated her whenever she walked by and Delilah smiled and thanked them. After grabbing her extra set of clothes, she quickly made her way to the restroom so she could change privately. Delilah made sure that the door was locked before stripping out of her costume. She had already gotten some strange looks from some of the other dancers when she changed in front of them earlier, but it was hard to tell if it was because of her curvier figure or her wounds. The more she thought about it, the answer was most likely the latter. Then she slipped on her maroon Beacon Hills Dance Factory tank top, black Beacon Hills Dance Factory zip-up hoodie, and black skinny sweatpants. After slipping on her sandals, she checked her appearance in the mirror. She kept her hair and makeup as it was but decided to wipe off the lipstick. She also made sure that all of her scars and bruises were still hidden. The last thing Delilah wanted was for people to come up to her and ask if she was okay.
When she was sure that she looked presentable enough, Delilah grabbed her things and started to walk out. As soon as she opened the door, she jumped when she saw Annie standing there, waiting for her.
"Annie, I swear to god…" Delilah said, but she just shook her head, "Never mind. What's up?"
"Marlene just sent me to go look for you," Annie said, "We're about to go back onstage for the awards ceremony." She then cocked her head to the side. "What were you doing in there?"
"Going to the bathroom?" Delilah answered, but it came out more as a question.
Annie raised an eyebrow. "For twenty minutes?"
"Umm… yeah. Bad stomach cramps," the brunette lied. She smiled reassuringly. "But it's all good now."
"Good." Annie linked her arm with her best friend's. Then they started walking back to the stage where the rest of their dance studio was. "So after the awards, a bunch of us are going over to Cody's house to hang out. You in?"
Delilah shook her head. "I don't think so. Isaac and I were planning on going out after this."
"Bring him with you!"
"You really want me to bring Isaac with me to hang out with you guys?" Delilah asked skeptically.
The blonde shrugged. "Yeah. The more the merrier. Come on, D. We all miss you. Please?"
Rolling her eyes at her friend's poor attempt of a pouty face, Delilah sighed. "I'll talk to Isaac and see if he's on board."
"Yay!" Annie cheered, "It's gonna be so much fun!"
A part of Delilah was a little suspicious of her best friend's sudden change of mood. But all she could really do is to just shrug it off. Maybe Annie was finally warming up to the fact that Delilah and Isaac really did like each other and they weren't going to break up any time soon. It was wishful thinking, but Delilah decided not to dwell on it.
They joined their dance studio on the stage and sat down next to each other. Delilah laughed and smiled with everyone else until it was time for the awards ceremony to start. It was always an anxious time for everyone because they all wanted to do well but it was all in the judges' hands. They just held onto each other's hands as they waited to hear their scores.
For the most part, it was going very well. Beacon Hills Dance Factory was the studio to beat, as it was pretty much every year. They've only gotten a few second places, but so far, so good.
It was now time for the big awards, which were given to the best of the best out of the different divisions. These were the awards that really put everyone on the edge of their seats. Everyone anticipated hearing their name being called and their song playing through the speakers only for most to be disappointed in the end. Quite a few people from Delilah's studio had received overall awards, but she was really nervous when they reached the Teen Solo division. So far, no one from Beacon Hills Dance Factory was called up for any of those awards.
"And now, placing first overall in the Teen Solo division is act number…" The building grew silent until Delilah's song began to play. "'Prague' from Beacon Hills Dance Factory!"
No one except for Delilah was surprised that the brunette had won, but the crowd went absolutely nuts. Blushing from all of the attention and shock, Delilah went to the front of the stage where all of the other winners in her division were lined up. She gratefully accepted her trophy and white ribbon and smiled big as a photographer snapped a picture. Her friends were gushing over her when she sat back down, telling her that they were so happy for her. Delilah then made eye contact with Isaac in the audience and his wide grin and happy eyes made her heart beat with adoration. Seeing that smile from her boyfriend was the biggest rewards she could've ever received.
As soon as the awards were over, Delilah ran over to Isaac and they immediately wrapped their arms around each other. She was careful not to hit him with her trophy.
"Delilah, you were absolutely amazing up there!" Isaac praised, "I'm so happy for you, babe."
"Thank you!" she beamed. When she pulled away, Delilah placed her hand on her forehead. "Oh my gosh, I can't believe it…"
"Well, I can," Isaac said, "You were so beautiful on that stage." Bashfully, he pulled his hand from behind his back to reveal a bouquet of flowers. "These are for you."
Delilah couldn't help but blush furiously at the very sweet gesture. No one had ever bought her flowers for any reason or occasion, not even Trenton or her family. She took the flowers from Isaac and placed a gentle kiss on his lips.
"They're beautiful, Isaac," she said, "Thank you so much." She inhaled the floral fragrance and smiled softly. "So, my friends are going over to Cody's house to hang out and Annie invited us to come."
Isaac raised an eyebrow. "Annie said that I can come? I thought she didn't like me."
"I guess she came to her senses and realized how much I like you." Delilah noticed the worried look on Isaac's face. "We don't have to if you don't want to. We can do something with just the two of us."
"No… no, that's fine," Isaac said, "We can go hang out with them. You should be with your friends anyway."
Sensing Isaac's hesitance, Delilah cupped his cheek and balanced herself on her toes to kiss him. Then she looked him in his blue eyes. "It'll be okay. Once they see how much we care about each other, they'll like you, too." She held onto his hand. "I just want everyone to get along."
"I'll try," Isaac promised, "I'll try for you."
"That's all I ask." Delilah squeezed his hand. "Just let me grab my stuff then we can go."
After placing one last kiss on his cheek, Delilah went back to the dressing room. Isaac shoved his hands in his pockets and looked around the auditorium. There was a bunch of people in the room, family and friends of the performers. He frowned to himself. Before Delilah, he had never had that support at any of his lacrosse games. His dad would never be out in the crowd with all of the other proud fathers shouting, "That's my boy!" every time he made a good shot. Delilah was the only one who bothered to go out to a game just to see him. And now she has a custom-made shirt to prove it.
There was another thought that came into Isaac's mind that was discomforting. Neither Gloria nor Lawrence was here to see Delilah dance. Did they ever show up to any of her performances? Have they ever seen her dance before? Lawrence not attending any of her shows made more sense. But her own mother? Isaac wondered what Delilah thought about it and if that made her upset. He was also surprised at how it seemed that every time he was with her, he would discover something about her that he had in common with.
"You must be Isaac."
Said boy slightly jumped at the unexpected voice. He looked up and saw an athletic woman with short pink hair. Her arms were crossed and she had a small smirk on her face.
"How do you know my name?" he asked.
"I'm Marlene," the woman said, extending her hand out, "I'm Delilah's dance teacher."
"Oh!" Isaac shook her hand, "I'm Isaac. Wait, you already knew that. Crap, uh..."
Marlene just chuckled. "You're funny, kid. I can see why Delilah likes you so much."
"She talks about me?"
"All the time," she said, "Even before you two started dating. It's actually really cute. She always blushes when she says your name and when I bring you up."
Now Isaac was the one blushing. It was very flattering to have someone feel giddy about him. "Really? Well, what does she say?"
"Believe me, they're all good things, I promise." Marlene leaned in closer. "And between you and me, she even said, and I quote, 'Channing Tatum's go nothing on you'. And that girl loves Channing Tatum."
"You're kidding," Isaac chuckled, "Wow, I'm definitely gonna remember that from now on."
"Marlene!" Delilah came up to the two and hugged her boyfriend's waist. "Don't scare him off! I like this one and I wanna keep him around for a while."
Isaac slung his arm around her shoulders. "I'm fine, don't worry. Actually, she told me some stuff that I found pretty interesting." He smirked at Delilah. "So, Channing Tatum's got nothing on me, huh?"
The brunette gasped in horror as she looked at her teacher. "You did not!"
"I did," Marlene laughed at Delilah's expression, "I had to boost the kid's confidence somehow." She pointed to the tall blond. "I like him. He's a good one."
"Yeah, I like him too," Delilah said. She smiled when Isaac kissed the top of her head.
"Well, I should get going. I gotta get all of these trophies to the studio." Marlene hugged her student. "You did awesome today, girl. I'm so proud of you." When she pulled away, she pointed at Isaac once more. "Take good care of her, Isaac." Then she walked away.
Before they headed out to Delilah's car, Isaac took her garment bag and suitcase so she was only carrying her trophy, ribbon, and flowers. Then when they got to her car, Isaac carefully placed everything in her trunk so nothing would break. Delilah put her flowers in the backseat.
"Your dance teacher seems pretty cool," Isaac said as Delilah drove off, "She's very bold. Like she's ready to beat the shit out of anyone who gets in her way."
She laughed. "God, I love Marlene! She always calls me the little sister she's never had."
"So you two are pretty close?"
"Yeah. We tell each other everything." Delilah looked down at her arms solemnly, sleeves of her hoodie rolled up to reveal her scars. "Well, almost everything."
He looked at the scars on her arms, and he frowned when he saw that some of them were fresh. As much as he wanted to say something like how she shouldn't keep hurting herself like that, he didn't want to feel like a parent scolding their child. But letting his girlfriend cut herself was a billion times worse. He just decided to keep quiet about the subject.
"Do you ever wonder what it would be like if you had a sibling?" he asked, "Like, do you think your situation at home would've gone differently if you had a brother or a sister?"
Delilah drummed her fingers on the steering wheel as she thought to herself. "I've thought about it," she admitted, "I mean, I've always wanted a little sister. I used to fantasize about doing her hair, talk about boys, and even teach her how to dance. I wanted to be someone that my sibling could look up to. My mom had talked about having another baby when I was little, but Lawrence made her go back to using birth control right as she brought it up."
"I think you would've been a good big sister," Isaac said.
"Yeah, but… I couldn't even live with myself if what's happening to me happened to her. There'd be nothing I could do to help, and I would feel like a complete failure."
"That's what my brother told me when he was alive. Whenever our dad would hit us, afterwards Camden would cry and apologize to me about not being able to help me. But I understood. What could he have done? It wasn't like he could fight our dad, you know. He was just as scared of him as I was. I couldn't blame him."
"Were you and Camden close?" Delilah asked.
Isaac nodded. "For the most part, yeah. When our dad became abusive after our mom died, all we had to lean on was each other. And after Camden was killed… well, I was alone. At least you have friends. I didn't have anyone to go to. No one wanted to hang out with 'Grave Digger'." He made air quotes with his fingers. "I'm not gonna lie, it kinda sucked not having anyone there for you."
Turning her head towards her boyfriend, Delilah smiled softly. "Well, now you have me."
"Yeah…" Isaac smiled back, "I do. That's all I really need." He leaned over the center console to kiss her cheek, making both of them heat up. When he sat back down, he took one of her hands and laced their fingers together.
When Delilah pulled up in front of Cody's house a half hour later, Isaac was biting his nails. She chuckled at his anxiousness.
"You alright, babe?"
"Umm, would it be extremely pathetic if I admitted that I was really nervous?"
Delilah shook her head. "No, I get it. We both know how intimidating they can be." She lightly scratched the back of his head. "Hey, you'll be fine. And I'll right there with you. But if at some point you feel too uncomfortable, just tell me and then we can leave."
"Alright," Isaac sighed, "I trust you."
"Good," the brunette smiled, placing a small kiss on Isaac's lips.
They got out of the car and held each other's hands as they walked to the front door. Delilah knocked on the door and waited for Cody to answer. When he did, he broke out into a huge grin when he saw Delilah.
"D!" He wrapped her up into a hug. "God, it feels like it's been so long!"
"Oh, you see me every day," Delilah laughed. She stood back next to her boyfriend. "Cody, Isaac. Isaac, Cody."
Isaac held out his hand. "Nice to meet you."
But instead of shaking his hand, Cody just nodded once. "'Sup." He turned back to Delilah. "Well, everyone's already here. Come on in. We've all been waiting for you." He went back inside and the couple followed after him.
"Relax," Delilah whispered when she felt Isaac tense up, "They're like sharks. It's like they can smell your fear."
"That's very comforting," Isaac mumbled. Delilah just squeezed his hand affectionately.
Cody led them into the living room where everyone else was. They were all excited to see Delilah since she hadn't really hung out with them these past couple of weeks. But when they saw Isaac, the whole mood in the room was replaced with tension.
"Hey, guys," Delilah smiled, "I guessing some of you know Isaac."
Said boy waved shyly. "Hi."
He was greeted back with mumbles. Emmett was the only one who got up and shook Isaac's hand politely, which took the blond aback. As the couple took up an empty love-seat, Delilah noticed that everyone had beer bottles and wine coolers in their hands. Of course they would be drinking right now. Isaac pulled Delilah closer when he sensed her uncomfortableness and she curled up into her side.
"Want anything to drink, D?" Jade asked, "We've got Budweiser, Corona, vodka, wine coolers…"
"No," Delilah said, "I'm fine, thank you."
"Oh, come on," Justin said, "You're not gonna have at least one drink? It's like a sin to not try anything at least once."
She shrugged. "I just don't want to. I don't care for it."
Justin snorted. "You've always been such a straight-edge."
"Sorry that I don't like alcohol. I didn't realize that it was such a huge crime."
"Leave her alone, Justin," Jade scolded, rolling her eyes. "Isaac, do you want anything?"
He shook his head. "No, thank you." Jade shrugged and leaned back in her seat.
"So, what did we miss?" Delilah asked, hoping to change the subject.
"We were just telling the boys about how awesome you were at the competition," Annie told her, "I even caught a few pics of the performance." She tossed Delilah her phone.
Delilah opened the pictures and scrolled through them. The mid-action shots Annie took of her solo were pretty fascinating. Isaac rested his chin on Delilah's shoulder as he also looked at the pictures.
"Annie, these are amazing," the brunette said, "You got some really great shots."
"Yeah, I know," Annie boasted, flipping her blonde hair over her shoulder.
Isaac pointed to a picture of Delilah in some sort of a lunging position with her arms reaching out in front of her. Her face was filled with so much passion. She looked gorgeous.
"I really like this one."
"Yeah?" Delilah smiled, "I'll send these to my phone then I'll send them to you." After she did that, she tossed the phone back to Annie. When Isaac got the picture, he set it as his wallpaper, making Delilah blush.
"Annie sent me those earlier," Trenton said, "I wish that I would've gone. If I didn't have work earlier I probably would have. You looked so hot in that outfit, by the way."
"Umm… thanks?" Delilah said hesitantly. She glanced at Isaac, whose jaw was slightly tightened from the comment. She just cuddled closer to him and wrapped her arms around his waist.
Then Brianna opened her big mouth. "Speaking of hot-" Everyone groaned, making her pout. "Oh, shut up! Anyway, did you hear that Derek Hale got arrested last week?"
"Who's that?" Isaac asked curiously. But he shrunk back when Delilah's friends gave him dumbfounded looks.
"About six years ago, the Hale and Fierro families' house caught on fire," Emmett explained much to the couple's relief, "The Fierro children and Derek and Laura Hale are the only members that are still alive."
"Actually," Brianna said, "Derek was arrested because a dead body was buried on his property. And the real kicker- the body was identified as Laura Hale."
Jade gasped. "Derek's sister?! No way!"
"Yep. You know, I've always found bad boys so freakin' sexy so I'm not even that disappointed."
"Hate to burst your 'bad boy' bubble," Cody spoke up, "but Hale was released from jail. Turns out some wild animal killed her."
"I knew I saw him at the lacrosse game," Justin said, "He looked fucking creepy, too. Like, psycho killer creepy."
"You were there?" Delilah asked in surprise.
Emmett nodded and gestured to the other boys. "We all were. It was a hell of a game, too. I was actually surprised that Scott McCall was the one kicking ass out there. Who knew he had it in him?"
"How come you guys didn't come say hi to me?"
"You seemed a little too busy chatting with that weird epileptic girl to even notice," Justin sneered.
The look on Annie's face was one of disgust. "Ew, you were talking to Erica Reyes? Why?"
"Because she's nice," Delilah said as if the answer was obvious, "She's really cool once you know her."
"I'm sure she is," Annie mumbled before taking a drink of her wine cooler. "God, it's like losers have magnets on them that attracts you or something."
Delilah frowned when Isaac's shoulders slumped. "That was kind of uncalled for." Annie just shrugged her shoulders nonchalantly.
Seriously, how did the whole conversation turn into attacking the couple? It's like they were throwing stones at Isaac and Delilah for their innocence and there was nothing they could do to stop it. From living with abusive men, they were both used to being submissive and accepting whatever bullshit was thrown at them.
Nodding his head towards Isaac, Trenton smirked. "I bet this kid over here got a great view of the game since his ass is basically permanently glued to the benches. It's like you got your own reserved seat."
Delilah was prepared to defend her boyfriend. "Trenton-"
"It's alright, Delilah," Isaac assured her, "I know that I don't play a lot-"
"Yeah, you'd have to actually be good to play," Brianna scoffed. Everyone except for Isaac and Delilah chuckled.
"But," Isaac continued, "I'm still on the team. I tried out along with about fifty other guys. I still made the cut."
"How the hell did you even make the team anyway?" Trenton spat, "Did you bribe Finstock or something?"
"I bet his dad threatened to bury him alive if he didn't put his son on the team," Annie chuckled darkly.
This was all too much for Isaac. His muscles were sore from tensing up and it felt like his jaw was about to break. He could also feel his face grow hot from humiliation.
"Where's your restroom?"
Cody pointed to the staircase. "Upstairs and first door on the right."
Giving a curt nod, Isaac pulled away from Delilah and got up. He looked down at her. "I'll be right back."
"Isaac-"
But he walked away before she could say anything. She looked like a kicked puppy. The defeated look on her boyfriend's face made her want to cry. When she looked over at her friends, they were just drinking like nothing had happened. It was actually making her angry, which was a feeling that she didn't have often. And it was mostly directed towards her best friend.
"Annie," she said as calm as she could, standing up, "can I talk to you in the kitchen? Now?"
The blonde sighed and rolled her eyes. After taking one last drink, she got up and followed Delilah to the kitchen. Delilah made sure that no one could hear them before turning to Annie.
"What the hell are you doing?" she hissed.
"I was just making small talk," Annie shrugged, "Wasn't that what you wanted? For us to talk?"
"I said I wanted you guys to get along," Delilah said, "I did not bring Isaac all the way over here for him to be ridiculed like this!"
"Honestly, D, what did you expect? He may be a nice guy or whatever you claim him to be, but that doesn't change his reputation as a freak that digs fucking graves."
The brunette pinched the bridge of her nose and shook her head. "I don't get it, Annie. Why can't you just accept the fact that I want to be with Isaac and there's nothing anyone can say or do to change that?"
"Well, I wouldn't be too sure of that. Maybe after tonight, Isaac will finally see that you're too damn good for him and end it."
It finally dawned on Delilah what was really going on here. Chuckling humorlessly, she crossed her arms. "That's the real reason why you told me to bring him, isn't it? You wanted to give him a reason to break up with me."
"God, Delilah, when are you going to stop being so damn naïve and understand that we're doing this for your own good?" Annie spat, "Whatever bond you two claim to have is nothing but a huge mistake. This isn't the movies where the popular girl and the loser guy end up together forever. That shit does not happen in real life. You need to get it through your head that this isn't a fairy tale."
Tears were threatening to pour out of Delilah's green eyes. "Why are you doing this? Why can't you be happy for your best friend for once?" She pointed to herself. "I love him, Annie."
Said girl had the audacity to laugh. "Love? You are not in love with Grave Digger. You've only really known each other for a few weeks."
"You slept with Emmett only two hours after you met him!"
"This isn't about that!" Annie yelled, "At least Emmett is actually liked by everyone. Nobody gives a shit about Isaac. Not even his own father likes him!"
Delilah shoved a finger in Annie's face. "You don't know anything about him."
"I don't have to know him, Delilah. Anyone who has two eyes can see what's really going on. Isaac shows up to school every day with bruises and occasionally a limp leg. We all know that shit isn't from lacrosse. He's afraid to talk to anyone that isn't you. And even you can admit that his dad's aura just screams violence." Annie smirked when Delilah looked down at her feet in silence. "I bet you know what's really going on, do you?"
She didn't say anything. She didn't even know what to say. Looking at Annie felt like looking at a complete stranger. When did Annie turn into such a heartless bitch? This wasn't the girl she became best friends with in kindergarten. At least that girl stood up for her when the kids in first grade made fun of her chubby cheeks and called her 'Chipmunk'. Maybe Erica was right. It was time for a change in Delilah's life.
"You know what?" She put her hands up in surrender. "I don't even bother trying. It's obvious you're not gonna have a change of heart. I'm done with this." She started to walk away.
"When Isaac throws his first punch at you, don't bother to cry to me for help!"
Appalled and furious, Delilah slowly turned to her now ex best friend. "Fuck you, Annie. Good luck when Emmett finally finds out you've been cheating on him all this time. He doesn't deserve a slut like you anyway."
With that, Delilah finally waked away. She went upstairs and saw that the bathroom door was still closed. When Isaac opened the door after he knocked, his face had returned to its normal pale color. But he started to worry when he saw her eyes watering but not actually crying just yet.
"Are you okay?" Isaac asked.
"Can we leave?" Delilah begged, "I don't wanna be here anymore."
"Yeah, of course. Do you wanna say goodbye to your friends really quick?"
Looking down at the stairs, she shook her head. "No. I just wanna leave."
Isaac nodded his head. "Okay." He took her hand and they headed downstairs. When Delilah shut the door, she couldn't control the loud slam, which startled Isaac. As soon as they got in her bug, Delilah rested her head on the steering wheel and shut her eyes. Isaac rubbed her back. "Baby? Talk to me."
Delilah let out a shaky sigh. "I'm so sorry," she said softly, voice cracking, "I shouldn't have brought you here."
"It's not your fault," Isaac assured her, "I expected them to give me shit."
"But that doesn't make it any less fucked up!" Delilah cried, "You've done absolutely nothing to them to make them so hostile towards you."
When he heard her sniffle, Isaac leaned over the center console and wrapped his arms around her. "Hey, shh, don't cry. It's okay. Everything's okay. Please don't cry."
"They wanted you to break up with me," Delilah croaked.
"Well then they failed miserably," Isaac said. He smiled softly when he heard his girlfriend chuckle. "Some hateful comments aren't going to drive me away from you. It's gonna take a lot more than that for me to even think about leaving you."
As Delilah pulled away, she rubbed her mascara-stained cheek. She giggled when she looked down at the smudge on her hand. "I probably look like a raccoon."
The tall blond smiled as he wiped the tears off Delilah's face. "You're beautiful."
His hand lingered on her cheek as he looked into her glistening emerald eyes. He then gave her a soft but loving kiss that didn't last for too long but it was enough to make Delilah smile into it.
"What time do you have to be home by?" he asked.
"I think by eleven."
"So we still have about three hours left to go do something. Got any suggestions?"
A grin crept up on Delilah's face. "Actually, I think I do. But first, I'm in the mood for a chocolate shake and French fries."
Out of all places, Isaac didn't expect to end up by a pond in the woods. But after they went to go get milkshakes and French fries from Jane's Spot, Delilah drove them out far into the woods, making Isaac grow curious. She pulled a blanket out of the backseat and laid it out in front of my car. Now they were leaning against the vehicle and sitting next to each other as they munched on their food.
"So tell me again how you found this spot," Isaac said.
"It was towards the end of freshmen year," Delilah explained, "A bunch of seniors were throwing a party out here and Brianna's sister said that we could come. We just ventured off on our own and we found this. I always thought the moon looked gorgeous over here and I wanted to show it to you."
"This really does look cool," Isaac said in awe, "I don't think I've ever been out here before. Do you come here a lot?"
"Only when I feel like I need to get away from everything. I just find this scenery very calming."
Nodding his head, Isaac closed his eyes and took in the sounds of the woods. He mostly heard the babbling brook that made him the most relaxed he's been in a while. And having a beautiful girl sitting right beside him made it even more special. Delilah's presence made everything better for him. When he opened his eyes, Isaac noticed something on a nearby tree.
"Hey, look at this," he said, getting up to get a closer look, "A couple carved their initials on here."
"What's it say?" Delilah asked.
"DH plus AF forever… interesting."
Then Isaac grinned as he got an idea. He reached into his pocket and pulled out his pocket knife. Delilah watched as Isaac carved their own initials beneath the other couple's and surrounded it with a heart. While the gesture could've been seen as a little childish, all it did for Delilah was make her fall for him even more. It made their feelings for each other more real for some reason. Like they knew they were in it for the long run.
Isaac smirked at Delilah when he finished his artwork. "Now we've made our own mark here."
"I love it," Delilah said, "It's so middle school, but I love it."
Maybe one day in the future, another couple will look at this and do the same thing. Just keeps it going like some kind of tradition."
"Well, I think that's very thoughtful." Isaac sat back down next to Delilah and she rested her head on his shoulder. They sat in silence for a few more moments as Isaac played with her ponytail. "Can I ask you something?"
"Of course."
She looked up at her boyfriend. "When did you first start liking me?"
"Hmm…" Isaac hummed as he thought to himself, "I think we were in first grade. Or it might've been second… I don't exactly remember. But it was during recess. I was sitting on the swings and you were jumping rope with Annie. There was this one girl that was in kindergarten who was on the monkey bars and some boys older than her- and I think us- pushed her off. She had scraped her knee and started crying. When you saw her, you immediately threw your jump rope down and ran to the girl's side to make sure she was okay. Then you took her to the nurse's office to get a Band-Aid.
"You were so sweet and nurturing," he continued, "You never cared if anyone was popular or not or if they were younger or older. You treated everyone as equals and I really appreciated that. Ever since that day, I just thought you were the most beautiful girl, inside and out. From then on, my admiration for you only grew stronger. Over the years you just continued to prove to me that there was actually some good in this world."
His words made Delilah feel like a schoolgirl that was in love with her favorite pop star. He was just so sweet!
"Why didn't you tell me how you felt sooner?"
"Oh god, I was so terrified that you were going to reject me," Isaac answered honestly, "And because you were so nice, I thought that would feel a lot worse being rejected by you than someone who was more stuck-up like Lydia Martin."
Delilah adjusted herself so she was on her knees and her face was just inches away from Isaac's. She caressed his lightly scarred but smooth cheek.
"To be honest, that's why I never approached you either. I was scared that you were gonna turn me down. You were the one I really wanted to notice me. I thought you would never see me that way." She chuckled. "Who would've ever thought that things were gonna turn out like this?"
"I for sure as hell didn't," Isaac laughed along, "But I couldn't be any happier that it did."
Cradling the back of his head, Delilah brought their lips together. Isaac wasted no time in deepening their kiss. Her lips tasted sweet from the chocolate with just a hint of saltiness from the fries. It left Isaac feeling so high. Kissing Delilah was like a drug addiction that he did not want to be cured from. He wanted her. Badly.
It caught Delilah by surprise when Isaac grabbed her by the waist and pulled her onto his lap. But it was very pleasant. She straddled his waist as he leaned against the front of the car. Delilah cupped his face with both hands and the kiss grew hungrier. Her hands threaded into his curls when he mapped out the roof of her mouth with his tongue. When he nipped her plush bottom lip, Delilah tugged on Isaac's hair, which started to make him feel a bit animalistic. This was way more intense than any other make-out session they've had so far. And they actually weren't ashamed to admit that they make-out whenever they got the chance to be alone. The fact that they were out in the woods at nighttime made it much more intimate.
Before Isaac could really think about it, he slid his hands down her waist to her rear. He gave it a squeeze, eliciting a breathy moan from Delilah. The beautiful sound went straight to his groin and he decided he wanted to hear more. Isaac's lips parted from hers but then he began to kiss her jaw and down her neck. Delilah's breathing grew heavy when he reached her collarbone. One of her hands went to her jacket and she slowly unzipped it, biting her lower lip. Isaac kept massaging her clothed butt with one hand while he pulled down the neckline of her tank top. Then he started to suck on the swell of her breast and her head tilted back from the pleasure.
"Oh, god," Delilah moaned, "Isaac…"
"How does that feel?" he panted before diving back to leave his mark on her breast.
The brunette shut her eyes. "Really good…" He lightly bit down on the soft flesh. "Oh!"
Unintentionally, Isaac bucked his hips up into hers, and Delilah just about lost it. She knew that Isaac had never been with another girl before, but damn, did he know what he was doing! They both continued to roll their hips into each other and she could feel the bulge in his pants growing, which caused her to become a little wet down there. Delilah crashed their lips together once again and Isaac groaned in lust when her pelvis met with his. Her delighted whimpers encouraged Isaac to grip her waist again and start sliding his hand down the front of her sweatpants.
But then Delilah hissed in pain when Isaac pushed her back to bring her closer to him and he accidentally pressed on a fresh bruise.
"Ow, ow, ow, wait," she cringed, pushing on Isaac's chest, "Isaac, stop. You're hurting me."
That immediately broke the blond out of his lust-filled craze and he pulled his hands away from her. He felt guilty when Delilah winced and took deep breaths as the pain dulled down.
"Shit, Delilah, I am so sorry," he said, "Are you okay?"
"Yeah," she assured her boyfriend, "My back's still a little sore, that's all. It's not a problem."
Isaac looked away from her. "Maybe we should stop. We were getting a little carried away there anyway."
He wanted to shove those words back into his mouth when Delilah looked like someone had just told her that her dog had died. "Oh… okay."
Delilah got off of him and sat back down beside him. They were both silent as they were lost in their own thoughts. When Isaac looked over at Delilah, he could tell that she felt insecure. It sucked to see her like that, especially when he thought that she was absolutely perfect the way she was. In fact, he felt that if any one of them should feel insecure, it was him. But what Isaac was really afraid of was hurting her. He refused to become the men Lawrence and his father were.
"It's not that I don't want you," Isaac told her, "Don't you for one second even think that I don't want you. I just don't wanna push you into something we don't know if we're ready for."
"You mean sex," Delilah said bluntly. Isaac nodded his head. "But maybe I am ready for that."
He looked over at her. "I'm not gonna be that guy during sex who keeps asking the girl if she's okay because he doesn't wanna hurt her."
One of Delilah's eyebrows rose up. "Wait, that's why you don't wanna have sex with me?" She scoffed. "Isaac, I'm not some porcelain doll that's gonna break if you touch me."
"Well, we don't really know that," Isaac said, "Just now we had to stop because I touched a sore spot and it caused you pain. What's gonna happen when we actually do have sex? That's a very big thing for us, giving the situations we've been in for most of our lives that heavily involves pain. I'm not gonna lie, Delilah. I've thought about having sex with you a lot lately. I would love nothing more than to give my virginity to the girl I've had strong feelings for since middle school. I want nothing more than to share this huge experience in my life with you. But it would kill me if I was the one who hurt you because I couldn't control myself." Isaac rubbed the back of his neck. "I just really don't wanna fuck this up with you. I like you way too much to let that happen."
"You're not," Delilah said, "And I really like you too. So much that it actually kinda scares the crap outta me."
"Then why rush? I mean, we've already gone so long without being together and we've only been dating for about three weeks. I'm not saying that we have to wait until we're married or something like that. But maybe we should make sure that this is what we really want, you know?"
Delilah thought more about what Isaac said for a bit before deciding that he did have a point. Taking his hand in hers, Delilah looked up at him.
"I trust you. More than anyone. And if you think that we should wait to have sex, then we'll wait. And once it actually happens, it'll be worth it."
"Yeah…" Isaac smiled, "Yeah, I think it'll definitely be worth it." He pulled Delilah closer to him and pressed his lips to her forehead.
The brunette pulled her phone out of her pocket and checked the time. "We still have an hour left before we have to go home. Let's just lay out here for a bit longer… enjoy the peace and quiet."
"Sounds good to me."
Isaac lied down on his back, his girlfriend following suit. Snuggling closer to his side, Delilah rested her head on his chest and draped her arm around his stomach. The beat of Isaac's heart made her forget about her fight with Annie, the way her 'friends' interrogated her boyfriend, and even Lawrence. Both of them wished that every moment could be like this, holding each other as they lied under the stars. But sadly, it couldn't be that way for them. At the end of the day, they had to go back home and face the cruel reality of the life they had. That didn't mean they weren't going to cherish every single moment they had together, even if it was just for a little bit.
So there you have it, muchachos! PLEASE review and let me know what you think! I've only gotten four reviews from the last chapter, and I'm not gonna lie, I was pretty bummed out. I wanna know if you guys are enjoying this because I'm actually excited for the plans I have in this story and I need to know that I'm not just doing this for my own entertainment. Send me some love!
Also if you haven't yet, please check out my StilesxOC story Awake and Alive and send some feedback! I'm only a few chapters away from starting season two. Then I'll start posting my DerekxOC story No One Else, which I'm super excited for! Feedback does motivate me to update faster so if you want these chapters to keep pumping out, you know what to do.
For all my creative readers out there, if you are interested in making some sort of banners, posters, images, videos, etc. for any of my stories, please feel free to do so! All of the face claims of the characters in these stories are located on my profile if you don't know what the OCs look like. If you do decide to enter something in, I'll post it on my profile and be sure to give you the credit. And if you have any questions, please PM me and ask away. I'd really appreciate it!
I'll be sure to update soon! xoxo, Maddie :)