Wooooow. I'm so sorry. I updated on Ao3 last week and forgot to upload it on here. I was coming to post 7 and didn't see 6. So what I'll do is put up chapter 7 on here on Friday! Look for chapter 8 Tuesday! I'm hoping to go back to my every Tuesday schedule. I'm a day late. Oops. Anyways I'm sorry here. you go!

JJ blinked his eyes open. The bedroom was dimly lit and the sound of rain pouring outside filled the air with a deafening vengeance. He closed his eyes and curled into a ball, pulling the blanket over his head. He did not want to get up. He was so exhausted. The bad day had turned into a bad three days and it was hitting his body hard. He hadn't gotten up for real in three days. Just enough to burn off the painful energy. His dad took over the class Saturday much to his dismay, but he just couldn't pull himself to go to the rink or even get out of his pajamas. He had only talked to Isabella via text. He was so thankful his parents hadn't tried to force him out of it.

His phone buzzed. He sighed and picked it up. He should text Isabella a cute good morning text at the very least. His heart skipped a beat when he saw the time. It was almost noon. It was Monday. He had practice and lessons. He cursed himself and started to get dressed. He felt better today, just exhausted. He didn't want to worry his parents, and he sure as he hell didn't want to get behind in his lessons. He pulled on a pair of jeans and a hoodie before making his way downstairs, his phone forgotten on the night stand.

His parents were sitting at the dining room table talking and eating lunch. JJ slipped into the room, tugging on his sleeves, not sure if he wanted to disturb them. He knew he didn't want to listen in on them. He had lost track of how many times he'd overheard them talking about him and their worries. He glued a soft smile to his face and called a good morning to them. He hugged his mother first, letting her kiss his cheek before hugged his father. He sat down, pulling at his sleeves nervously.

"I'm sorry I missed practice, Papa…" JJ pleaded.

"It's alright, JJ. I want you to be healthy, so take the time you need, okay? Don't push yourself." Alain offered him a smile. "Do you want something to eat?"

"Yeah," JJ rested his head on his arm, closing his eyes.

"How are you feeling?" Alain asked rubbing his back.

"Exhausted, but better. I don't feel all anxious and overwhelmed today." He smiled.

"Good. Get your rest."

JJ nodded. Alain brought him a plate of food which he picked at. It didn't taste like anything. It was like a hangover effect. He'd have a bad day or few days and he'd feel the exhaustion for the first day out of it. He was quieter and wasn't as restless. His mind didn't race. It was all kind of slow like he was underwater. He knew it'd be better soon. He looked forward to it. But for now he had to suffer through. At least he had his parents to help him through.

It was so nice when they were together. JJ loved spending time with his parents. His father's laugh always put a smile on his face. It was quiet and soft. His mother's was more loud and unapologetic. He watched them talk and laugh together as he sat quietly picking at his food. He wanted to love someone the way they loved each other. He was sure him and Isabella would get there. The look his parents gave each other melted his heart. He could see all the muscles in their face soften. The corners of their lips twitched up. Their eyes sparkled while their lids drooped in a sleepy but soft expression. They still hugged and kissed and curled up on the couch together. JJ wanted that so desperately.

"Oh I forgot to tell you guys! Isabella's my girlfriend now!" JJ beamed. He could have kicked himself for not telling them sooner. That was another down side to his bad days. He couldn't even talk to them about things other than his self-pity.

JJ glanced between the two of them, waiting for their reaction. He hadn't expected the looks he received. Nathalie's eyebrows were raised, her eyes bulging slightly. Her lips parted. Alain on the other hand pursed his lips and nodded. They exchanged a look for a moment. JJ could feel they thought he had done something wrong. Were they upset he hadn't told them? Maybe if he could just tell them everything.

"Well I was gonna ask her on Friday, but I wasn't doing well and well she helped me and we're dating now and I love her. Oh my god, did you know that the sun in her eyes is like the most beautiful thing in the world? I want to see it more! You have to hear her laugh! It's like the sound of an angel!" JJ sighed and leaned back. "I love her."

"You. Don't. Know. Her." Nathalie started.

"Maman, I do! I have known her a month. That's such a long time!" JJ defended.

"A month? A month isn't enough time to even be comfortable enough to be yourself! JJ, I really wish you would have talked to us about this beforehand. You know you're impulsive and have a habit of jumping into things. I don't want to see you get into a situation where you get hurt." Nathalie frowned. "Alain, say something!"

"Honestly, Nathalie, when has the boy ever waited a month for anything?" Alain rebutted. "Yeah, it's fast for most people, but for JJ to have waited a month when he's been saying he loves her since the day he met her…that's really good. I'm proud of you for not jumping in, JJ." Alain smiled.

"Thank you, Papa. See?" JJ turned to his mom gesturing toward this father. "I waited for a long time."

Nathalie sighed and pushed her hair back. She didn't look at either of them. JJ's heart sank as she stabbed at the lettuce of the salad on her plate aggressively. He'd messed up. She was upset. He could feel his stomach rejecting the food, twisting and turning. He had wanted them to be happy for him. He had wanted smiles and congratulations. But his mother was upset and his father was in an awkward position. JJ pulled himself up more in his chair, folding himself over as he shook his leg nervously.

"Nathalie, I…" Alain started.

"You know what, I would just like you to back me up on this okay, Alain?" Nathalie cut him off. "We've talked about this. I don't want him near her. I don't like it. I hate it. You of all people know how dangerous that is." Her eyes stared daggers into him. "How they can be. What they are capable of. The stalking. The showing up at your hotel room at all hours. The phone calls."

"Nathalie, I don't like that it's a fan either, but…"

"But what?"

"But I don't think it's the same thing. From that day I met her at the rink she didn't seem like that is all. She did seem just like a nice kid." Alain shrugged. "Let's just see?"

"Really?" Nathalie let out a sarcastic laugh.

JJ's heart started pounding. His parents didn't fight often. They were both so patient. This was bad. This was so bad. Bad. Bad. Bad. He felt the tears threatening in his eyes. He wanted them to stop. He wanted his mom to understand. If they she could just understand that Isabella wasn't like that…

"Maman…" He started.

"Stop, JJ. Just…" She rubbed her face.

"But…"

"I said stop!" She snapped.

"I'm sorry…" He managed before jumping up. Alain caught his arm.

"Nathalie, don't. JJ, please finish your lunch." JJ sat down, his body trembling. He didn't like this. He wanted to go outside. To go for a run. Something, anything to get rid of this feeling.

"I don't like this." He blurted out. "You don't even know her! How can you say you don't like her when you don't even know her? She's so nice and she's funny and she's smart and I do love her. You can't tell me how I feel because I know how I feel. If you just met her, you'd love her too. She's not like those crazy people who are obsessed. I promise. She's never made me feel uncomfortable."

"JJ, baby, listen to me." Nathalie took his face in her hands. "I love you so much. I love you more than anything in this world, okay? If something were to happen…" She blinked back tears. "I've felt what it's like to almost lose you, to think I lost you. I don't ever want to feel that again, okay?"

"You won't." JJ smiled, pulling her into a hug. "Isabella isn't like that. I promise. She makes me happy."

Nathalie studied him for a minute, tears shining her eyes. JJ hated seeing her look so hurt, so helpless. But he wasn't going to let this go, let Isabella go. Not now. She made him so happy. He loved talking to her and seeing her. It meant the world to him that someone liked him after they knew him. Isabella liked him. Nobody really kept coming back like this. It wasn't because she was a JJ Girl. No. Because he'd met her friends. That was what his parents were talking about. Girls like that. People like that.

"Be careful, JJ." Nathalie whispered, kissing his cheek.

It was raining...

Isabella's heart sank. She'd solved the issue of saving the embarrassment of sitting alone by eating outside under one of the trees. Even with the air getting cold, it was still infinitely better than being stared at eating by herself, publicly shunned. She thought about going to the nurse's office and saying she didn't feel well and eating in there. But what if she called her parents? She didn't want to explain this to them. She knew what they'd say. That no boy was worth the trouble.

But it wasn't JJ that was the problem. It was Cloe and Sophia. They were the ones who, in their jealousy, had shunned her, humiliated her, attacked her. She'd seen their true selves through this experience. Honestly she didn't want their friendship back. She'd loved them as sisters until a month ago. Now seeing what they were capable of, what they were willing to do because they were jealous...it was too much for Isabella to forgive.

She spotted an open table near the back of the cafeteria she could sit. She braced herself and walked through the crowded lunch room, holding her head high. She refused to let them get to her. She was going to be unapologetic. She hadn't done anything wrong. She'd given them the same opportunity she had to know JJ, to be his friend, even the potential for more, but they had chosen to push him into a panic attack. What exactly they had done was unclear, but that image of him was still very haunting.

She ignored the eyes glued to her, the whispers. Or she tried. But she still couldn't shake it. Their judgement was so evident. She was the scandalous harlot of the school. Nobody would talk to her. Nobody would sit with her. She sat down, fighting hard to keep back the tears. Don't let them see you cry.

Isabella pulled out her phone. It was almost one and no texts from JJ. He had said he was okay and not to worry, but she was worried. She had never met someone who had issues like that. She'd never had encounters that she knew of with people who had anxiety or who had what seemed to be the closest thing to depression. He said it was a bad day. Explained what that meant. Or at least...tried. He wasn't really the most open. Three days into their relationship and barely any communication.

She sent a quick text to see how he was before slipping it into her pocket and opening her lunch box to start eating the meal her grandmother had packed her. She made a mental note to ask JJ about his experiences. She wanted to understand, needed to understand if they were going to have even a chance at a happy relationship. How many times had someone gotten mad at another person simply because of misunderstandings? Relationships turned sour that way. Her mother used that all the time for their family issues. Always pushing her father and Isabella to talk about what they were feeling or thinking or explain why the did something. It had always seemed so stupid until now. Would that be a good talk? Or would he shut down? He didn't like to talk about it. She knew that. But would he?

Her phone buzzed alive in her pocket. JJ had written an essay. It just kept going. She stared wide eyed unable to read the messages at the rate they were coming. She pocketed the phone once more, deciding it would be best to wait until everything had come through that he wanted to say before she looked. Her heart sank as it picked up speed in anticipation. What if he was telling her it was all a mistake? What if that's not the question he was planning on asking and he had just gone along with it? But those kisses...

Her lips tingled at the thought. Her mind wondered to three nights before on that Friday evening he took her to Mont Royal and they watched the sun set together. That soft smile he'd given her just before he kissed her for the first time. It was like nothing she'd expected or experienced. It was just a small kiss, barely a few seconds, but it kept running through her mind on repeat. And that good night kiss...

A loud slap on the table pulled her quickly from the thoughts. She jumped, looking up to find Sophia and Cloe with a few girls behind them. Their eyes were shooting daggers at her. She swallowed, trying to take a breath in, but unable to do so.

"What the fuck?" Cloe spat.

"What?" Isabella glanced between the two. What were they talking about?

"Like you don't know. You said you weren't after him! You said that you were just friends! Well explain this shit, Isabella? You slut..." Sophia thrust her phone in Isabella's face.

"I'm so happy I have to share it with the world. I've met the perfect girl! Her name's Isabella. I can't wait to share my girlfriend with everyone! xoxo JJ"

He'd tweeted about. About her. About their relationship. She was shaking. If things were bad at school, she couldn't imagine what it could be. But she hadn't done anything wrong. She couldn't act like she had. Even showing her nerves could be taken as an admission of guilt.

"Oh, yeah, well...not since Friday night. He asked me. Completely unexpected." Isabella smiled sweetly. "Great, isn't it?"

"Don't. You'll regret this, Isabella." Cloe glared.

"Cool." Isabella managed to keep the smile on her face.

She hadn't seen it coming. Never in a million years did she think it would happen. But there she was in the middle of the cafeteria, milk dripping all over her head. Food thrown in her lap. The entire lunch room laughing. A few polite souls trying to cover their laughs.

Isabella wanted to cry. She wanted to scream. She wanted to get even. Instead, she ran her arm over her face. Looked Cloe dead in the eye.

"He kissed me." She forced a smile and walked out of the cafeteria trying to maintain calm.

The moment she made it outside on the covered courtyard, she fell against the wall, sliding down as the tears fell. She couldn't go to class like this. She couldn't call her parents. She couldn't go to the nurse. Maybe she could walk home. Maybe she could just freeze to death on the way home and everything could be over. She let herself sob into her arms, her knees pulled to her chest.

The bell sounded alerting the end of lunch. Isabella didn't move. She didn't care. She didn't want to back into that school like this. Her parents couldn't get involved. She didn't know what they'd do. She wouldn't want to tell them the reason. But part of her wanted her mom. She wanted her mother to hold her and let her cry like when she was a little girl.

She stared at the sheets of rain pouring down onto the earth. It wouldn't be long until the first snow of the year. Isabella remembered when she was little how much she loved it. How she, Cloe and Sophia would run around in the snow all day until Cloe or Sophia's mom called them in for hot chocolate. Their hands and face would be numb from the cold making the warmth of the house that much more cozy and inviting.

It was grade six that Cloe, who had been taking ice skating lessons since they were in kindergarten, introduced Isabella and Sophia into the world of competitive figure skating. She had always loved it, but the other two girls had never been involved in that part of her life. They talked about other things. Sophia had known how to skate, but nothing fancy. Isabella was always too scared to try it.

Grade seven, the year Jean Jacques Leroy made his debut in the junior division, Cloe had made them watch it. She had been obsessed with his parents. Her favorite ice dancers apparently. She heard their son was going to make his debut and she made her two best friends witness it. Isabella had fallen in love with that world that day. Captivated by their beauty and grace. She was left wondering how.

Grade eight, the three of them had all developed a crush on him. They'd watch the interviews. Never missed a competition. They would wake up to watch the live stream if they had to. Isabella remembered watching him and wondering what it was like to do the things he did. JJ had never been one to hold back. He was always pushing at possibilities. He was always so positive in interviews. Constantly blowing air kisses to his fans. She'd lost track of how many times she'd seen him interact with fans. Even on social media, he was the kindest, most positive person.

Grade nine, the three girls had decided to start a JJ Girls chapter at their school. To share his talent with the students and start up more local support. They'd talked about how cool it would be to run into him. It wasn't likely as Montreal was quite large, but it wasn't impossible. They'd talked about what they'd ask him. Cloe wanted to tell him how much he inspired her to try to compete, though she never got very far. Skating wasn't something her parents looked at as practical, so she didn't get to focus it as much as she had hoped. Sophia wanted to tell him how much she loved him and his skating. Isabella wouldn't tell her friends what she wanted. She'd been so embarrassed, but he gave her motivation to do what it takes to succeed. If he could do it. She could.

There had been so much between the three girls. It was all gone. The secrets. The sleepovers. The parties. The birthday pranks. The laughs. The music and movies. Everything.

Isabella let a new batch of tears fall down her cheeks as she mourned for their broken friendship. They'd been friends since day one in kindergarten. They'd grown so much together. They had been her sisters. Now looking back and thinking about those moments leading up to this, it was heartbreaking. She wanted to find them and apologize, beg them to forgive her, break up with JJ. Tell him she was sorry, it had all been a mistake. But a bigger part of her refused.

What she had with JJ wasn't that silly crush she'd had before she met him. If she could even call him that. She looked up to him. He had been the reason she'd been so adamant on following her dreams for journalism, because Jean Jacques Leroy always said to follow your dreams. Never give up, even when things seem impossible. He'd been that person for her. But since she met him she was embarrassed. What she felt was indescribable. She felt warm and safe and at ease. But nervous and excited. Like butterflies. She admired him as a person. She saw that he was so much more than she'd once thought. Everything she'd thought multiplied by one million.

She leaned her head back against the cold brick. She could leave. Maybe she could convince one of the upperclassman to take her home. She didn't even bother to get her things from her locker. Homework was the farthest thing from her mind. She let the cold water soak into her clothes and shoes. She scanned the parking lot for any stragglers and found nothing. She groaned and walked back to the covered courtyard. Maybe she'd just try JJ?

The text notifications were still screaming at her. She'd forgotten about them. She opened JJ's texts, reading over the messages. He was profusely apologizing over not talking to her very much over the weekend. Apparently whatever it was he had been going through on Friday lasted over the weekend and while he was feeling better today, he'd slept until noon and felt like he was already coming across as a bad boyfriend. He promised her it wouldn't a usual thing, but it did happen occasionally. Then he went into a long text about how smart and pretty and sweet she was and how he was so happy she was his girlfriend.

She smiled despite everything she was feeling. He was really so sweet. She decided calling would be better than a text. She needed to leave sooner rather than later. She didn't want to get caught skipping classes and put in detention. Her parents would almost certainly ground her and force her to help out at the restaurant. On second thought, her birthday was in a week and being grounded would be convenient. At least then she wouldn't have to explain to her parents why Sophia and Cloe weren't there.

She hit the call button, closing her eyes as she leaned against the cold brick. She was shivering. Wet and cold were never a good mix. Maybe she'd get sick. Even that was preferable to having a birthday celebration with no friends. If she explained to her parents she wanted to just have it be family and her new boyfriend, would they be suspicious? Probably. But it would make the day great. Her family, despite how much she wished that they gave her more freedom, were always fun on birthdays. She loved them. This was the perfect opportunity to rekindle her relationship with her cousins. They'd been so close growing up.

"Isabella!" JJ's voice answering the call in her ear broke her thoughts.

"Hi, JJ," She forced her voice to sound bright. "How are you feeling?"

"Really good! I feel a lot better than before. This morning was a little tense for a minute, but things are better now. My mom is worried about stuff is all. Oh and I just wanted to tell you how happy I am that you're my girlfriend. You know it's still so weird that you like me this much? I didn't think it was possible. Anyway I'm sorry for being such a jerk this weekend. I didn't mean anything by it. I just didn't feel well and I was tired. I mean I'm still tired. It's like…" JJ paused for a moment. "I'm sorry, I'm talking too much. How are you?"

"It's more than alright." Isabella picked at a thread on her jeans. "I'm okay. Hey so funny story…I had gone outside because the rain had lightened up and I got soaked because the rain ended up pouring before I got to the covered area. I was wondering if you could come pick me up? My parents are working."

"Oh, I'm sorry. Are you okay?" JJ asked, his voice suddenly full of concern.

"Yes, I'm fine. I know I'm probably interrupting something, aren't I? It's like not like you're just sitting around. I'm sorry. I don't even know why I'm asking," Isabella felt the panic rising in her. She didn't want him to ask questions. She couldn't let him know what was going on. Why had she called him? What was she thinking?

"No, actually my parents having me take today off to recharge and stuff. I'd love to see you. Um…did you already eat?"

"Oh," Isabella shifted. "Um…I could eat. But I'd like to change first."

"Right. Okay. I'll be there soon! I'll text you when I get there? I'm leaving now." The line disconnected.

JJ pulled up in front of the school, throwing the car in park. Cars filled the parking lots in perfect rows. The rain beat down in a steady stream. He was so excited for it to get just a bit colder so that there'd be snow. Winter was his favorite time of year. There was always a fire blazing in the hearth. His mom would make her amazing hot chocolate. His dad made his stews and soups. Best of all, the season started.

He hummed to himself as he sent a quick text to Isabella letting her know he was there. He pulled the blanket from the back seat and hugged it to himself. The fabric was soft and fluffy. It was so comforting against his skin. The heater of the car had warmed it up perfectly. Isabella was going to get warmed up so well. He stared out the window, looking for her. He wanted to surprise her and meet her with the blanket. Raindrops slid down the windows, racing each other as they slipped down hoping to make it to the ground. He loved to watch the rain. It was so soothing, so steady.

He jumped when he saw Isabella suddenly appear next to the door, trying the door. He hit the unlock button and leaned over to open it for her. This hadn't been the plan, but he didn't dare let her stay in the cold rain a second longer. She pulled herself in to the car, offering him a greeting as she buckled the seat belt. He handed her the blanket, leaning over to kiss her. She kissed him back.

"Thank you so much for the…" She glanced up at him, stopping in the middle of her sentence. She looked stunned, her eyes wide. "…wow…" She breathed.

"What?" JJ checked himself in the mirror. What was wrong? Maybe he should have put more into getting ready? He'd literally just walked out of the house after she'd called. Slipped on his shoes and left.

"You're wearing glasses." She said, pulling the blanket around her. "I didn't know you wore glasses."

"Oh…" JJ shifted. He'd completely forgotten about that. His eyes had been sore all weekend from crying so much. "Um…yeah, since I was like five. I prefer my contact though. My eyes have just been…" He trailed off, suddenly feeling uncomfortable. He looked weird in them. She didn't like it. But he couldn't see anything but blobs without them.

"You look so good in them. And I like your hair like that." She smiled, reaching over and brushing it back a little. "It's all kind of messy, but hanging down. You look so good like this." She let out a soft giggle and kissed him once more.

"Oh, thank you," JJ stuttered out. "Yeah…um, I woke up late and had actually just woken up a little before you'd called. I'd just slipped on some pants and a hoodie and my glasses this morning. Nothing special. Because I was planning on it being like a more laid back day. I'm sorry. I should have done more. I just…You know how I told you I was a premie? Well like apparently like oxygen is like toxic to your eyes and so like I literally cannot see more than blobs without my glasses or contacts."

He tugged at his sleeves feeling the need to keep explaining. He could feel her eyes on him. She was staring at him. He wished he'd thought to put in his contacts. What was wrong with him? Maybe the argument his parents had this morning and been what made him forget? Or perhaps is was as simple as he needed to see Isabella. That was more the story wasn't it? He had gotten that phone and call and just wanted nothing but to be there for her and get her out of her cold wet clothes. He hadn't even thought of himself. Now the edges of where the lens ended and the blur began was starting to be super obvious. He didn't like it.

"Can you please stop looking at me?" He requested. "It makes me uncomfortable."

"Oh…I'm so sorry. I just…You are so…It's hard to keep my eyes off you. You are so hot." She breathed.

"What?" He glanced at her. She was now keeping her eyes glued to the floorboard.

"I'm sorry." She shook her head.

"No…the other thing. You said I'm…hot?" He blinked. "You don't think it looks weird or dorky or something? Or that I need to pay more attention to myself before I go out?"

"Definitely not." She smiled. "You're gorgeous, JJ."

"Wow…" JJ grinned. "I've been worried because you're so pretty. I just thought…"

Isabella giggled and shook her head. "No. I'm not."

"You are." He smiled.

"I'm a mess right now, is what I am."

"Then I guess we're both just hot messes, huh?" JJ grinned nudging her. Isabella laughed.

"You're such a dork. I love it."

"Let's document how cute we are when we're a mess, huh?" He asked pulling out his phone. "I want to introduce you to everyone."

"JJ, wait…I…" Isabella stopped.

"What?" He frowned. "If you're not ready, that's okay."

"No, it's nothing. Of course. Let's do it. Our first picture together. In which my hair is a tangled wet mess and my make ups is ruined and I'm soaked." She grinned.

"In which my eyes are still puffy and swollen and red and my hair is also a mess."

JJ laughed, kissing her cheek. He pulled off his glasses for a second before leaning in with Isabella and snapping the shot. He pulled the glasses back on and studied the picture. They both really did look cute together. He couldn't help but smile. He drafted a quick comment and posted. Introducing Isabella! My beautiful girlfriend. Here's us looking like hot messes! Xoxoxo JJ

They drove quietly to Isabella's house. Isabella on her phone the whole time with the blanket wrapped around her. He wished he could watch her and the road at the same time, but it was impossible. He promised his parents he'd be safe and careful. He tried to force himself to concentrate, but everything was flooding him, distracting him. He kept refocusing himself. It was raining. He needed to be more careful. He was so hungry. Maybe he hadn't taken his medicine? No worries. He could get a coffee or something with caffeine. It'd be fine.

He breathed a sigh of relief as the pulled up in front of her house. He stared at the building for a moment, admiring the place that Isabella Yang lived in. This house knew her secrets. If those walls could talk, he'd listen to them forever. It was a medium sized two story house with red bricks and a set of French doors with frosted windows. There were three trees in the front yard. It was such an inviting home compared the grey sky that loomed above them. He hadn't thought about the house before today. All the times he'd picked her up and dropped her off over the month and this was the first time he'd thought about.

"Do you want to come in?" Isabella asked as she gathered her things.

"Uh, yeah, okay." He smiled.

He pulled out and umbrella from the back seat, handing it to her with a warm smile. The rain had let up, but he wasn't about to let the rain trick them and Isabella get wet and cold again. They got out and walked toward the home. Isabella was strangely tense as they walked. He frowned. She didn't look happy.

"Are you okay?" JJ asked, rubbing her arm.

"Yeah. Just cold and wet. It's very uncomfortable," she said as she unlocked the front door.

She wasn't okay, but JJ couldn't know. She didn't want to tell him what had really happened. She didn't want to tell him that Cloe literally retweeted that picture with her Twitter and Instagram under a ruse to pretend to tell people to go talk to her when she knew that wasn't what it was. How could she tell him she was already getting tweeted about how bad she looked? How could she tell him how much she didn't want her picture taken when she looked like this? When she still had remnants of food and milk on her? No, he couldn't know. The last thing that was needed was for JJ to know what his fans were capable of. He loved them. They supported him. They motivated him. These things she knew to be true and she was not going to be the person who took that away from him.

So she put on a smile and told him she was okay. She felt awful for lying to him when he had been so open with her. He was letting himself be vulnerable and she couldn't even tell him what was going on. It felt like a double standard, but it was okay if she was protecting him, right? She tried hard to push the thoughts out of her head.

"Would you like something to drink? Are you thirsty?" She asked as she walked toward the kitchen.

"Um…do you think I could get some coffee?" He said.

"Of course! Is instant okay? Or we have a Keurig?" She blinked at him, waiting. His eyes were scanning over everything and he walked around the room. "JJ?"

"Huh? Oh yeah, whatever's fine." He walked into the kitchen with her. "I can do it myself if you want to get changed."

Isabella breathed a sigh of relief. She just wanted to get changed and shower. She showed him where everything was telling him to make himself at home and let him know she was going to shower quickly if he wanted to watch TV. She ran up the stairs to her room, stripping out of her clothes and putting them on hangers to dry in her closet. She slipped into the adjoining bathroom and started up the shower. The warm water felt so good on her skin. She had been feeling almost numb from the cold. She closed her eyes as the feeling slowly restored in her body.

Her mind started flooding with thoughts. What was going to happen now? Cloe had put her name out there. JJ was probably going to thank her and start sharing her even more. Maybe she could talk to him about it? He might be used to living with a public life, but she wasn't. He would understand, wouldn't he? She felt so guilty. Why should she take away his right to share with the world his happiness? He'd been in the public eye for much of his life in some way or another. His parents were famous, thought these days Isabella figured not many people knew who they were. But for the longest time, they had been Canada's favorite pair. Cloe had wanted nothing more than to get into their coaching sessions, but after they started coaching JJ themselves, they only took a few more skaters if any at all. He'd at least known what it was like to be a child of well-known parents.

She should talk to JJ. Tell him how she felt. Just tell him it was uncomfortable for her, but she didn't want him to suspect. She didn't want him to feel badly for posting about her. She groaned. She'd think about it and figure out the best way to talk to them. Besides, just because her friends from school and a few girls on twitter had been awful, didn't mean that it would be all bad. Maybe she'd make some friends? There had to be other girls who thought girls needed to be nicer to each other.

She finished her shower quickly, getting out and rushing to get dry and dressed. She didn't wanted to keep JJ waiting too long and she just wanted to be warm. She decided on slipping into some warm pajamas. She blew dry her hair for added protection again the cold before going downstairs.

JJ had the television tuned to skating. His eyes were glued to the screen as he rocked slightly back and forth. He looked so engrossed in it all. She could see the anxiety written across his face. He looked so determined though. She smiled at the sight. She really was so blessed to know him. She walked into the room, plopping on the couch next to him. He didn't seem to notice her. She pulled her legs up to her chest and turned her attention to the skating too. It really was such a breath taking sport, and so underrated.

"My friend Cloe wants to do professional skating," Isabella offered as the program went to commercial. "But she never gets far. She's not that good because her parents don't want to spend the money on coaching."

"Oh, that's too bad." JJ's voice was far away.

"Yeah." She breathed.

"Maybe my parents could? They do things for free sometimes. Or a smaller fee. I could ask them. It's worth a shot, huh?" He said turning to her.

"Um, if you want." She smiled. "I know it'd be a dream come true for her. She loves your parents."

"Okay." He smiled. "Do you want to watch this with me? Just for a little bit because I promised I wouldn't be out too late and I really need to practice. Skate Canada is a month away."

"Yeah, that'd be great. I'd like that." She smiled.

JJ leaned back against the couch and smiled up at her. God, he was beautiful. Even more so with his hair like this and his glasses. He made her heart skip a beat when he looked at her like this.

"I like that we can do this together," he said softly, pulling her into a hug. She felt herself melt into him.

"Yeah." She breathed. They sat like that on the couch, watching the competition. She had never been warmer than she was right now with his arms around her.

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