So I wanted to address a couple things. This is (obviously) not a one shot. And I do have an Ao3 and Tumblr with the same screenname, so that's me on all three posting this. Anyways, I enjoyed writing this chapter! I hope y'all like it. There's a bit of teenage angst. I hope you enjoy it!

Isabella tapped her pen on her notebook, trying hard to ignore the glares she felt stabbing her from multiple directions. She'd been enduring this for a week now. She knew they'd get over it eventually. She was trying to work on her career in journalism and if they wanted to hold her back for something stupid, then so be it. It was a tough road. She knew she'd face criticism in her future if she was going to succeed. With success comes negativity. People just didn't want to see others happy and reaching their dreams, especially as a woman. She had done nothing wrong, so she had to focus on keeping her head held high.

She almost breathed a sigh of relief when the bell rang. Next she had lunch. Fourth period was biology. She wouldn't have to do deal with any of the JJ Girls members in that class. She was packing her bag when the teacher called for her to stay after. A smile glued to her face. She knew he was going to talk to her about her interview with JJ. There was going to be praise. Nobody had ever been so bold. She hung back, eyes on her phone as she pretended to be texting to avoid her friends. Finally she was the only one left in the classroom.

"Isabella, I wanted to talk to you about the interview assignment." Mr. Madeux folded his hand in front of him.

"Yes?" She tried to hold back the smile.

"You interviewed Jean Jacques Leroy?"

"Yes."

"The figure skater on the national team?"

"Yes. He's so talented. Honestly my favorite professional athlete and he's only sixteen so I really admire that. Can you believe he's accomplished so much at such a young age? It makes me feel like I should be doing more, so I took the liberty of contacting his management and JJ emailed me back personally." She beamed.

"Isabella, most students interview their relatives, a family friend, a community member, teacher, etcetera. I'm having a hard time believing a grade ten student would be given the honor of interviewing someone of such a high profile for an assignment..." He raised his eyes to her.

"But I did! I was just as surprised. I know, but I really did interview JJ." Isabella tried to keep her emotions at bay. She shouldn't be so upset, but she hated being told she was making it up.

"It's okay if you made it up, Isabella. But in the future-"

"I didn't make it up. I can prove it. Look." She held out her phone, offering the email.

"JJstyle ?" He raised his eyebrows. "I'm sorry, but that's not proof."

"I recorded it! Look."

She pulled the recorder out of her bag and started it up. Her heart pounded in her chest. They listened for a moment. Isabella shifting her weight. She still couldn't believe it was real. She had met JJ Leroy. She had met him and he had taken her skating and asked for her phone number to stay in touch. He wanted to talk to her! So what if he said it was because he didn't really have many people his own age to talk to? He must be friends with other skaters, but she knew that wasn't what he meant.

"Do you have a video of him speaking?" The teacher asked rubbing his temples.

Isabella nodded and pulled up an interview only a month old she had bookmarked in her folder. Mr. Madeux went back and forth between the two recordings before leaning back. He studied her for a moment. She gripped the strap of her bag, staring back at him, waiting. He sighed and shook his head.

"I'm still not convinced, but I'll accept the assignment. You did a good job, Isabella." He offered her a half smile.

She thanked him, collecting her recorder and phone before rushing out of the room to go to lunch. Isabella sighed as her friends suddenly appeared behind her. She didn't want to deal with this.

"So...sounded like you got pretty chummy with JJ." Sophia muttered.

"Yeah. You went on a date with him. I knew it!" Cloe huffed. "You know I like him more! I can't believe you did that! Fucking bitch..."

Isabella rolled her eyes before turning around, stopping the two of them in their tracks. She'd known these two girls for years. They'd been the founding members of JJ's Girls. They were her best friends. She didn't want to fight with them, but they were starting this. She intended to finish it.

"I went to interview him. It's not my fault he's lonely. He doesn't know anyone his own age. He's been home schooled since he was little. He wanted to have fun. I took him up on his offer. Don't act like either of you wouldn't have done the same thing given the chance." She sent a pleading look toward them both. "I don't want to fight."

The two girl crossed their arms, glancing at each other before turning their gaze back to Isabella. They looked like she had stolen their boyfriend and were out for blood. Their expressions brightened into a smiles and they both pounced on her.

"You're right! We're best friends! We shouldn't fight. JJ's Girls are supposed to stick together, right?" Cloe smiled.

"So what's he like? Tell me everything," Sophia hugged Isabella's arm as they walked toward the cafeteria.

JJ hugged his knees to chest as he stared at the competition on the television. Everyone was doing so well. This was going to be a tough season. He could already tell. To be honest, it made him feel so sick. As if training wasn't already hard enough. Watching this he could already feel the soreness coming on. He wanted to change the channel to something else, but something in him wouldn't give up that easily. He did want to win, but he knew he would never beat Viktor. Nobody could, but maybe…maybe if he trained hard enough he could come close. That would really be something. He would love to see the look on his parents' faces if he got that far. He wanted nothing more than to make them proud. Nothing felt better than finishing a strong performance and looking over at the coaching section to see their faces, smiling and full of pride. It made his heart swell. The television was suddenly black.

"Nervous?" His mom broke his train of thought, sitting next to him, forcing a warm cup of hot chocolate in his hand.

"A little bit," he admitted, staring into the dark liquid.

"You'll do great. I know it." She smiled, putting an arm around him as she planted a kiss to his cheek.

"Thanks…" He forced a smile.

He really didn't feel like talking at the moment. He wanted to see what the others were up to, what their programs were like so he could make tweaks to his. He held his hand out for the remote, his mother giving in. They sat quietly, watching the competitions together. The hot chocolate definitely helped to ease his nerves. He wondered how his mom always knew when he was feeling a bit off. He was convinced she had a sixth mom sense or something. She even knew how to make him feel better. Since he was little and first started competing, she'd always give him a hot chocolate before to calm him. A few times she hadn't been able to make it because his siblings were sick. He really missed it.

He felt his phone buzz in his pocket. His heart skipped a beat. He hoped to god it was Isabella. JJ sat up, leaning forward to put his mug on the coffee table. He pulled out his phone, chewing his lip as he eagerly unlocked it. He frowned to see it was just his dad asking if they wanted him to bring anything home for dinner. Apparently his mother's phone was off. He asked his mom and sent a quick response.

He leaned back, sighing slightly. Maybe he should just text Isabella? She hadn't sent him anything since that first night and it was honestly killing him. He felt like they were in a stalemate to see who could hold out the longest. Was that what you were supposed to do? It was times like these he wished he wasn't homeschooled. Then he'd know what to do. He didn't want to be a loser. He was tired of rejection and Isabella was so nice, so beautiful. He'd had such a good time with her. He couldn't get the sound of her giggle out of his head. He wanted to see her again. She made him feel happy, normal for once in his life. He was sure he loved her.

"JJ?" He felt his mother's hand on his shoulder. He forced his mind to switch direction. He could feel it still straying. He switched positions and jiggled his foot as he tried to focus. "You seem to be much more attached to your phone the past week," Nathalie observed. JJ chewed his lip, nodding. "Does this have to do with the girl you were with at the skating rink?"

"...Yeah..." He admitted with a sheepish smile. He could feel the excitement rising in him. The sort of rush he was used to getting when he got down a new jump or perfected a part of his routine. He didn't know why he hadn't talked to his mother sooner. She would know what to do! What to tell him.

"Tell me about her," she smiled, reaching over to brush his hair out of his eyes.

"Her name is Isabella. She's super nice! She's so sweet too! Like we were talking and it was so great to actually have someone my own age to be able to talk to about stuff. She wants to be a journalist and she wants to go to Concordia because they have the best journalism program in Quebec. She's in grade ten right now. Her favorite color is lilac. Her laugh makes me smile. It's like…like…" What was it like? He didn't know. He wished he could be poetic. His mom was trying to teach him that in his language arts subject. "It's like…her laugh sounds like happiness. And her smile makes my heart flutter. You know when I was with her, my stomach felt like when I'm at a competition. I think I love her." He beamed.

"JJ…sweetheart…you don't know her. You've met her one time. You can't love her." Nathalie offered a soft smile.

"But, no, Maman, you don't understand. I do! It's like on movies." He turned to sit facing her. "Didn't you like Papa the first time you met him?"

"I did, but I didn't love him. I just wanted to know him more." Nathalie took his hand. "You're too young to know what love is."

JJ frowned. Was that not the same thing? All he knew was he couldn't stop thinking about her. She was this constant thing in his mind. Even in practice he couldn't shake her. He loved his parents. He loved his siblings. He loved his fans and Canada and music and skating and his favorite movies. They were all different kinds of love, but he knew he loved them all. How was he able to know that love, but too young to know he loved Isabella?

"I don't think I'm too young…" He mumbled. "I want to talk to her all the time."

"Are you not?" Nathalie studied him.

"No. She hasn't texted me since that night and I really want to text her, but I don't know if that's allowed? I've never wanted to date anyone before. But I like her." He turned his attention to his phone. He could text her. He wanted to. "Do you think it's okay to text her?"

He watched his mom. Her eyes were studying him. JJ noticed the way she'd tensed at the question. Was there something wrong? Maybe it was like in movies when parents were sad their kids were grown up and able to go out with people and find love and do things on their own. He didn't ever want his parents to feel like he'd leave them. They were his best friends, his biggest supporters, his loudest cheerleaders. He always wanted them around like this. But he knew too that his parents didn't talk to his grandparents all that much.

"JJ, your father and I both don't think it's a good idea for you to get involved with your fans," Nathalie's voice was soft, yet firm.

"Why does it matter?" He shifted.

"Because…" Nathalie glanced up at the ceiling as she tried to get her words. "It could end up dangerous. There needs to be boundaries."

"Isabella wouldn't do that. She's so nice."

"JJ, why don't you meet another skater? Or someone in the same standing as yourself? If you really want to date." Nathalie sat down again, her eyes on him. "Your father and I couldn't live if something happened to you or your siblings."

"Other skaters don't like me," JJ hugged his knees. "And besides…I like Isabella."

"Be careful, JJ."

He sighed as his mother kissed his head and walked out of the room with their mugs. He stared at the blank television. What did that mean? She didn't help him. She didn't want him to date her. It sounded like his dad didn't either. Why? Isabella was so nice. They'd love her if they met her, if they gave her a chance. He was sure of that. Why didn't they want him to be happy? His whole life they were nothing but supportive and now that they were deciding not to be? He wasn't asking a lot. He just wanted help navigating this. Was it okay to text her? Was it okay to talk to her? Be careful? What was that supposed to mean?

His body was buzzing with thoughts. He couldn't sit still. He couldn't sit. He started pacing, thinking, contemplating. He didn't want them to see him so agitated. They would want to talk to him more about this. They weren't going to be helpful, were they? No. Probably not. His mother had basically told him as much. He rushed to his room, dressed quickly and called to his mom he was going to go running and maybe to the skate rink.

The day had gone better. Chloe and Sophia were better, finally over everything. They'd talked for so long about JJ at lunch. It felt almost like normal. The whispers in the hall had stopped. No more angry texts. She wished JJ would text her. She couldn't text him. She would die. What if he thought she was being creepy and obsessive? He had given her his number in confidence. He trusted her no to abuse the privilege, but still she wanted to talk to him.

She walked through the front door of her house, stepping out of her shoes and into the house slippers. She put her shoes on the appropriate place on the rack before racing upstairs to her room. She threw her bag on the floor and wandered back down to get a snack and water. Her parents would likely not be home until late as usual. Sometimes she wished they had normal jobs were they'd be home early. She was too old to hang out with them, but she wouldn't mind talking to them occasionally when she got home. Entering an empty house was all too often disheartening.

One Sophia and Chloe's parents was always home to greet them when they got home from school. Most of the time they actually picked them up. They rarely had to ride the bus like Isabella. She was envious of that. Occasionally she'd tag along and they'd get home and their mother would have a snack already laid out for them. They'd talk about their days for a bit before the girls would go hang out in their friend's room. Usually they'd watch videos of skaters, mostly JJ, until dinner. Isabella wanted that.

She went back to her room, dragging her bag behind her to the desk that sat near the window. She pulled out her planner, deciding which assignments she should do first. She started up her playlist on her phone for studying. All the songs she'd heard her favorite skaters skate to. There was something inspiring about them. It always put her in the right mental focus to do her work. She wondered how JJ studied. Did he? What was homeschooling like? She pushed the thoughts away and got to work.

Isabella was practicing her flute when she heard the front door open downstairs signaling her parents were home. Her stomach growled. She hadn't even realized how hungry she was. It was already dark out, so she was sure they had stopped by her grandparents' restaurant for dinner. She cleaned her flute quickly before placing it back in the case, and ran downstairs ready for some of her grandmother's cooking.

"Mama! Baba!" She smiled as she reached the bottom of the steps.

"Isabella, your teacher called today," her mother gave her a stern look.

"Oh?" Isabella's breath caught. Had Mr. Maduex called them before they talked?

"You lied to your teacher saying you interviewed that boy you have posters of?"

"It…It wasn't a lie, Mama." Isabella's eyes glued to the floor. "I really did interview JJ."

"You what?" Her father's eyes wide. "You met with a strange boy and you didn't think to tell us?"

"I knew you wouldn't let me! You never let me do anything!" Isabella insisted. "I'm almost sixteen. I can make my own decisions about who I meet and don't meet. Besides…it's Jean Jacques Leroy! Everyone knows him. He's super nice. It wasn't dangerous at all. I made sure we met in a public space and it was for a my journalism assignment! You know that I want to be a journalist. This was me making a step in that direction. I'm going to meet tons of new people as a journalist!" She defended.

"You are fifteen years old. You are a child. You are not a journalist. You are a fifteen year old child who deliberately put yourself in danger!" Her mother scolded.

"I'm not a child!" Isabella's blood boiled. "In three years I'm going to be away at college. He's so nice, Mama!"

"You're grounded." Her father said firmly.

"But!"

"Don't talk back. We have dinner."

Isabella wanted to cry. Why were they so angry? She hadn't done anything wrong. She'd met JJ for dinner and an interview. They had fun skating together. Why was everyone acting like it was such a big deal? Besides, her parents were never home anyway. It wasn't like they cared what she did. How was meeting JJ any different than any other boy at school? They hadn't done anything. She just wanted to get extra points on her paper. She wanted to build a resume. Colleges would be impressed! She had to go into Concordia or she would just die.

They finished dinner silently. She didn't feel like talking to them and they didn't talk much in the first place. She wanted a normal family who would support her ideas and her outgoing nature. But instead she was put in a box. She showered quickly before saying good night to her parents. She pulled her phone in to charge when the screen lit up and JJ's name shined on the screen.

"Hello?" She managed.

"Hi. It's me…JJ. Um…I hope it's not a bad time? I'm sorry it's kind of late, I just really…I didn't know if it was okay to text. I'm sorry I'm really new to this." His voice trailed off. There was a moment of silence. "Oh…"

"Hey, sorry, no, um…yeah, it's totally a good time. Seriously. I was actually kind of afraid to text you too. I didn't want you to think I was being weird." Isabella hugged the blanket around her.

"Oh good…" Another pause. "Do you want to be friends? Like actual friends? My parents think it's weird to be friends with fans, but I don't think so. And I would really like to have a friend. And you're so nice." His words were fast, almost slurring together. It was so different from when they'd first met. He'd seemed so cool, so confident.

"Yeah, yeah, I'd love that," Isabella wanted to scream in her pillow.

"Oh, yay! That's great." She could hear the smile in his voice.

"Hey…may I ask you a favor?" She ventured. She wanted Mr. Maduex to know how wrong he was to ever doubt her.

"Sure!"

"My teacher doesn't believe me that I actually interviewed you. Would you be able to tell him that I did? I know it's asking a lot, but I don't want people thinking I'm lying and I want to have a good grade on this paper." She hated how whiney her voice sounded. She silently cursed herself.

"Yeah! Of course. That's so stupid that they doubted you. When would you like me to come talk to them?" He was starting to sound a little more relaxed.

"How's Friday? And if you don't mind…my friends are begging me to introduce you. You said you wanted more friends, so…" Isabella hated herself for asking.

"Yeah, okay. I do want friends." He let out a soft laugh.

"JJ…?"

"Yes?"

"Good night. You can text me any time, okay?"

"Okay. Good night, Isabella Yang."

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