Isaac

I don’t know what to wear! No matter what clothes I dug up, they were either faded, or full of holes. Sometimes both. Most weren’t even clean.

I tried talking to myself as a way to calm down. “Okay, don’t freak out. I’m sure there’s something in here you can wear.” Spoiler alert, there really wasn’t.

That’s when I spotted a new shirt hidden in the corner. “Huh…. When the hell did I get this?”

I held up a red shirt with the sentence “My name is Isaac, fuck off.” Written across the front in big bold black letters.

I feel like dad might have had something to do with this one. He’s dead yet he still manages to mess with me from beyond the grave.

Even if it didn't have that sentence on it, the dam thing was a short sleeve. It wouldn't cover up my scars. Well that sucks. Thanks dad.

Its official, I have no good clothes. Not unless I want to dress up in the monkey suit I wore for dad’s funeral. I needed something more casual, but not to casual.

What is wrong with me! It’s not like this is an actual date! This is all fake. She’s only doing this so mom doesn’t get suspicious.

Ever since we started fake dating, mom has been pretty chill. She can’t really do anything in fear of Alice going to the cops.

Can’t believe it actually worked, but now I have to pretend to date Alice. I’m not sure how I feel about it.

This was just pretend. I couldn’t even imagine what I’d be like if we were actually dating. The thought nearly made my head explode.

Don’t think about it! Nope definitely not thinking about it. I shook my head back and fourth in an attempt to shake off my anxiety.

I’m not complaining… I just don’t like the part where we pretend….. no… that’s not it…. Don’t get me wrong! It’s not like I want to date Alice.

It’s more like she’s stuck with me. There’s no way she actually wants to be with me. She can’t do it forever. Eventually she’ll get board.

She might want to actually date someone. I doubt they’ll be cool with our arrangement. This is stupid. I just want to be left alone.

My thoughts were interrupted by the sound of knocking on my door. It startled me, causing me to jerk my head towards it. “Mo-Mom!” it had to be her right?

“Isaac sweetie! Are you getting ready for your date?” She didn’t open the door which was weird for her. Since when did she respect privacy.

I cleared my throat trying my best not to crumple under her pressure. “Y-Yeah! Do you need something?” My heart was beating pretty fast. I could feel it thumping in my chest like a drum.

That’s when she opened the door nearly giving me a heart attack. “What is this? Your hair is a mess. Have you taken a shower yet?”

I couldn’t respond so she continued. “Oh honey. That’s alright this is what mom’s are for.”

I ended up washing up and when I came out mom had an outfit laid out on my bed. I don’t remember ever having these clothes.

At this point I was basically just wearing a towel around my waist. Lucky for me I didn’t have to worry about my scars, since we were the only ones home.

Mom came around the corner. “Do you like them? I borrowed them from your brothers closet. You two are almost the same size. You’ll just need a belt.”

Cain’s clothes? That explained it. There was a white long sleeve buttoned up white collared shirt.

The pants were brand name jeans. Tommy Hilfiger jeans to be exact. She even got me some of my brothers shoes.

They were a sight to behold, air Jordan’s XIV. I heard the design was inspired by Michael’s love for cars. Specifically his Ferrari 550 M. There’s no way Cain was okay with this!

“Won’t Cain be mad?” My brother worked hard to pay for this stuff. He cut people’s lawns on the weekends and shoveled driveways during winter.

Mom shook her head. “No, actually your brother was planning to give them to you. Apparently it was to tight around his shoulders. You know how he recently started his growth spurt.”

Of course it was. Cain’s always been a better version of me. We were fraternal twins after all. One of us had to get the shitty genes in the family.

He was a little taller than Alice. Still short but I mean compared to me he was a giant. It really wasn’t fair.

He was younger by two minutes. I should be the taller one. Sometimes he acts like I’m the little brother.

I don't blame him. A big brother is supposed to be strong and confident not whatever the hell I was.

That’s okay though. He can act how ever he wanted. I’m the real big brother. I’ve been protecting him from the truth for so long. I just have to hold out till were 18.

Hang on!...... she said the shirt didn’t fit him. She didn’t say anything about the shoes! Hmmmm….

You know what, who am I to question the wisdom of my mother. She is the adult after all.

I’m just a dumb kid who doesn’t know any better. If Cain gets mad he should go talk to mom about it.

Mom headed into the living room while I got dressed. I didn’t see the point, its not like she hasn’t seen me naked.

She saw me naked the other day. Pretty sure that’s not supposed to be normal. Oh well.

Once I got dressed I headed out to the living room. The clothes felt way to foreign. It bothered the crap out of me.

Mom made a strange sound like she was excited. For some reason my arm lifted up like I was trying to block an incoming blow.

She seemed to narrow her eyes like she was mad. I swear I hadn’t done it on purpose. She made me this way.

It was like my body knew what to expect. I was a little shaky. Especially when she walked over. I trembled in fear, as her hand ran through my hair.

Was she going to drag me to the basement? Throw me down the stairs and turn the AC on? Possibly leave me in the dark for an unknown amount of time? I couldn’t take it!

“Ah! I’m sorry, I’m sorry!” before I could throw myself on the floor, I felt her arms wrap around me.

I never knew what to expect with this lady. I could feel my tears dripping down my face. What was she up to? I don’t want to hurt.

“Isaac what are you crying for? Are you that nervous? It’ll be okay sweetheart. The first few dates can be pretty scary.” Her hand patted my back and she led me over to the couch.

Per her guidance, I sat down on the sofa. She took the empty seat next to me. What do I do? Should I run?

This is wrong. She’s going to do something. She’s going to hurt me again. I was good. I didn't do anything wrong today.

Mom pulled me over forcing me to lay my head on her lap. She then started rubbing my back. This is a lie. It’s a trick. She wants to hurt me. I know it.

“You know Isaac, my first date with your father was really something. He took me to the park and played his guitar for me.” She giggled as if lost in her memories.

“He was so romantic. He even wrote a song for me. It wasn’t good, but it sure was funny. I miss him so much.”

Was she for real? What was this? She was trying to get me to let my guard down. To be vulnerable so she could hurt me even worse. I wasn’t falling for it.

Mom continued. “We might have fought a lot, but we did love each other. I just wish he hadn’t died so soon.” I could feel her fingering my hair. It disgusted me.

“Your father was a grate man. He put food on the table. He kept the bills paid and he kept us all safe.” Her hands were like intrusive tentacles molesting my shoulders.

Even though I’d just taken a shower, I felt so incredibly dirty. I remember a time when her touch was gentle and loving.

Why was she doing this now. Mom seemed to go on and on about dad for almost an hour. Eventually she brushed my hair for me and got it all neat.

She hadn’t done that in forever and afterwards she gushed over how long and nice it was.

She started giving me tips about how to maintain it. Like I needed more tips. Between her and Alice I had tips for days.

It was all so strange.

Eventually it was time for the date and I headed out. I couldn’t wait to get away from her.

I approached Alice’s door clearing my throat. Her house was way nicer than mine. It was bigger to.

I gave the door a knock and waited. Strange she didn’t have a door bell. The door cracked open, and there in front of me stood Alice.

She was wearing a beautiful blue dress. Her hair was down. She was so pretty. The dress seemed to hug her in just the right way.

She almost reminded me of when we were kids. Back then she wore a similar dress, though far more innocent.

Man she really was like Alice from that book. I think I read it once, though I never picked up the sequel.

Her smile was so bright and she was even wearing a little makeup to. I hope I looked okay. Crap! I’ve been staring way to long.

“Wow Izzy. You clean up well…… aren’t you gonna compliment me on my appearance. You know like a real boyfriend.” She almost sounded mad.

I was so nervous I couldn’t even look her in the eyes. Still I managed to clear my throat and say “You look really good. I didn’t even recognize you.” I tried to smile, but I just ended up looking somewhat constipated.

Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author.

She giggled. I wasn’t sure what to do, so I just stood there like an idiot. My eyes locked on my feet. It was as if my feet were the most interesting thing in the world right now.

Alice walked forward and wrapped her arm around mine clasping our hands together.

“Don’t worry Izzy. You don’t have to be perfect. Though, I do appreciate the effort you put into looking the part.” She gave me a sniff as if checking if I’d actually showered.

The high school girl nodded in satisfaction. “Don’t think of it like a date. Let’s just go see a movie and hang out. I really just want to be with you. So you don’t have to impress me.”

Her words seemed to deflate the massive bubble of anxiety, that had been building ever since I agreed to this little outing.

Not a date? Of course it wasn’t. I was freaking out over nothing. Well there’s still the fact that I have to be out in public with other people, but I have Alice here, so it should be fine. Still, there was that…… other… thing.

I had to mention it. “You know. I’m still 14 and can’t drive a car, or own a car for that matter.”

Alice laughed again leaning her head against my shoulder. “That’s okay. I don’t know how to drive yet either. Let’s take the bus. The next one leaves in ten minutes. It’ll be more fun that way.”

You know I never expected a girl to say that. Was she actually okay with bus travel?

It was my turn to laugh. Her optimism was the best thing about her. It made me want to reevaluate the things in my life in a more positive light.

Not only is she cool with public transportation, but she also makes me sandwiches, and doesn't mind when I talk her ass off about video games.

I might need to wife this girl. There's no way she's a real person. I must of hit my head or something. These girls just don't exist in real life. She was like a unicorn.

I was so happy that a thought managed to slip out my mouth. “I think I love you Alice.”

She jumped to attention. “What! To soon Izzy!” I felt her fist collide with an old wound, causing it to flare up in pain.

“Ow! Not like that! You know like how a friend can love a friend!” holy crap! That really hurt!

She rubbed my wound for me. “Sorry about that. Don't say stuff like that!….. I guess…” She swayed back and forth nervously. it almost looked like she was blushing.

“I love you to….. I love you a lot actually.” Her arms wrapped around me and I felt kind of strange.

!

A lot? What did that mean?! Was this the love like when you see a puppy, or like when you like, like, like someone? I’m so confused!

Alice

Izzy and I got a bite to eat first. There was this cozy little diner I used to go to. The food was good, and it wasn't to expensive.

We walked in side by side. As we took our seats at one of the booths, we were met with whispers that seemed to be growing in frequency.

Some laughed, others were spreading rumors. I could feel all their eyes staring at me.

This was one of those restaurants where you could see the cooks making the food. The kitchen was the same as the dining room. In other words it was a slightly fancier waffle house.

Izzy looked really nervous, so I gave him a playful poke stealing his attention. His eyes met my smile and I said “Don't worry about them. Were here to have fun. It’s you and me, not you me and the town.”

He seemed to cheer up somewhat. That’s when the waitress approached us. “Hello, welcome to pa’s diner. My name is Whitney. I’ll be your waitress today. What would you like to drink.” She handed us a pair of menus and placed down two sets of cutlery.

The waitress was around my age. I think I remember her from school, but I wasn’t sure. There was a certain feeling of caution growing inside me.

She couldn’t do anything here right? She’s at her job, so she has to be nice. I spoke up first. “I’ll have some ice tea.”

She nodded her head and looked to Izzy. “What about you short dark and gloomy?”

Izzy froze up. He couldn’t even look at the girl. His eyes were fixed on his fingers which were twiddling nervously.

I called to him “Izzy don’t spaz out now. This isn’t a class room you can’t just space out. Whitney has important work to do, you know.”

My words seemed to snap him out of it and he responded with “Just… water.”

Whitney found it funny then said “I’ll have that out for you right away.” She walked off to get our drinks.

This wasn’t going well. I think I need to shield him somehow, so I got up and sat next to him.

I reached for his hand. He jumped when I touched him. Right, Izzy doesn’t like human contact.

I pulled away a bit then gently placed my hand on his. He usually got this way when he was nervous, but if you were gentle enough, he would let you in.

Our hands clasped together. “I got you. Don't worry.”

We stayed that way and I think Izzy felt better, now that I was basically sitting between him and the waitress.

Izzy was a lot like a wounded animal. He closed himself off to everyone and didn't let them near him.

Over time I've been able to gain his trust and have become somewhat of a support pillar.

You could say he’s done the same for me. Just two broken people who when placed together become somewhat whole.

I wasn’t complaining. If anything I was happy I got to snuggle up to him. He was always so distant. Trapping him in a booth was clearly the way to go.

I couldn't imagine living like that, constantly freaking out over having to interact with others.

Izzy says he’s always been this way, but that ever since his mom started…. punishing him, it's gotten worse.

I still wondered where that guy went. The one that jumped out that window and took a beating for me.

You'd think they were two separate people. Maybe Izzy isn't as reliable as I thought.

We got our drinks and ordered. I loved the steak here, and it looked like Izzy was thinking the same.

Though he had trouble asking for his sides, so he went with an exact copy of what I got. It’s like he’s never eaten at a restaurant before.

I managed to get Izzy to talk a little. He must have been feeling better because he went on and on about something called a Dreamcast, that was supposed to come out sometime next year.

Apparently it’ll be released in Japan around December this year. Izzy wanted to see if he could get it imported. Otherwise he’ll have to wait till it’s US release, and that might be a while.

I wasn’t all that interested, but hearing him talk with so much passion brought a smile to my face. He actually looked happy.

“…See the Sega Saturn, pissed a lot of fans off, because of the crappy release it got, even though it was better than the PSX. The PSX has to draw pixels through its polygon engine. And the Saturn could do it directly from its programing. This made it more flexible than the PSX.”

He was so excited and confident, there was absolutely no way I could end his rant by telling him I was board.

Eventually the waitress came by with our order, but there was something wrong with it.

Izzy got his steak. It was cooked medium-well and came with two sides. The first side was mash potatoes smothered in brown gravy.

The second was Mac and cheese. To top it off a fluffy honey coated biscuit was sitting on his steak like a little fluffy hat.

None of that was wrong. In fact all of that was perfect. What was wrong is that Izzy’s order was meant to be a copy of mine and my order was nothing like what I wanted.

So…. Either they got my order wrong, or Izzy’s order was wrong, or both. All I know is I sure as hell didn’t order a plate full of sausages!

I could hear them laughing. Both the customers and the girl serving us. Everyone was in on it, or at least they all understood the joke.

They did this on my first date with Izzy. The date that I hoped to treasure for a long time.

It wasn’t enough to do this shit to me at school, but here! It was no longer just the students but the whole town! This was so unfair. I was so upset I couldn’t even fight back.

For the longest it felt like I was stranded in the middle of the ocean constantly kicking to stay afloat, but I was exhausted. I just wanted to give up and sink to the bottom.

Frustration grew and the tears started to leak down my face. I couldn’t look the waitress in the eyes.

The cook that was making all the food was especially losing it. He laughed the hardest.

That’s when I knew this had been his idea. Cooked up by him and elaborated by everyone else.

“What’s the matter Alice in slutland? Is it not enough dick? I’d get you more but then we’d run out of stock.” She laughed again.

“Do you even remember me? I’m the girl you locked in the supply closet over the weekend, or did you forget!” her words were so volatile.

This was my fault. I ruined our date. I just had to be a shitty person…… This was fine…… I deserve it for being an asshole all those years. This was punishment. Karma at its finest.

I just wish it would of waited for tomorrow. I just wanted one good memory with Izzy.

Something I could hold onto when things like this happened. Maybe I really don’t deserve a single day of peace.

Just one peaceful night I could share with Izzy. Was that to much to ask for?

Izzy got to his feet. Without thinking I held onto his shirt. “Izzy it’s o-okay.” I cried. He shook his head.

His eyes met mine. I heard him say “I don’t like seeing you cry.” He handed me a napkin. I took it and wiped my tears.

I wasn’t sure what he was up to, but he got up on the table with his soda in hand. He gave the entire room a glance. My eyes must have been playing a trick on me.

For the brief moment it took for Izzy to glance around the room, I could swear his eyes turned a dull red.

The room froze over. Everyone went quiet. For a moment there was this pressure in the air. A feeling of dread coated the room like a dark miasma.

Gone was the timid boy that could barely order water. What stood in his place was not the guy that jumped out the window but something else entirely.

Izzy took a deep breath. Then splashed the waitress with his ice cold drink. She screamed and backed away. “What the hell you psycho!”

Izzy hopped off the table. Then picked up the plate of sausage and stomped his way towards the kitchen.

He wasn’t actually stomping. It was like his movements commanded the room. He approached the counter and hurled the plate of sausage at the high school student wanna be cook.

In disbelief I watched as the plate flew through the air, shattering against his head, causing the guy to stumble back.

In an attempt to steady himself he reached out with his hand to prop himself up, but instead ended up dipping his whole hand into the fryer.

The sound of sizzling flesh rang out through the diner. A look of horror had been painted on everyone’s faces, as the realization of what just happened hit them all at the same time. Even I felt bad for the guy.

“Aaaaaah! Shit! Fuck!” everyone panicked and started trying to help the guy.

I ran up to Izzy laughing and grabbed hold of his arm pulling him out of the diner. We ran far.

There was no way we would ever be able to go back there. That diner would have to close for the day.

Eventually and ironically we got our hands on a hot dog food cart. It was run by an old man named John. He was nice to us.

In the end we ended up taking a walk in the park. It wasn’t a movie theater, but this was certainly more intimate.

Isaac

Well, that was fun, now I’ll never be able to eat there. They’ll probably spit in my food next time.

That’s okay though, it’s not like I go out all that much. I just hope the cops don’t catch up.

They know me though. Everyone knows the son of the old sheriff. Not to mention everyone knows Alice to.

Her parents are somewhat famous lawyers after all. Not really. There locally famous. She’ll probably get chewed out by them.

Fuck it. I’ll probably be spending the night in jail. Probably. Right now we were walking peacefully in the park. This wasn’t the one by my house. It was a little fancier.

“Izzy what were you thinking?” Alice hung from my arm.

I shrugged my shoulders. She punched me. “Ow! Alright geez. I was thinking……. Well I remembered something my dad told me. If your paying for something you should respect the workers that do the service or sell the goods, but they should also respect you.” It wasn’t that complicated. Respect one another and everything will be fine.

Alice nodded along. “Okay… I get that…” She giggled. “but did you really have to throw that plate at that guy’s head!”

I scratched my own head. “Um… I was defending your honor?... Don’t girls usually like that kind of stuff?” I honestly had no idea what girls liked.

Do sisters count as girls? My sister liked having guys fight over her, so they must like drama at the very least.

“Suuuuure, fighting for my honor is nice. It can also be cool, but you did it in the most unromantic way possible! Normally a guy challenges the offender. Not only did you skip that part, but you also assaulted a girl.”

I was appalled! “assaulted?! All I did was splash her with soda! No way.” I shook my head back and forth.

She laughed again “Izzy your crazy!”

Everything was going well. I’m happy she’s happy. I really hated seeing her cry, and when I saw that I got so angry. There was no stopping me.

Just when I thought our day couldn’t get any worse I saw officer Davidson approaching from afar. Other wise known as my dad’s old partner before he became sheriff.

Alice looked like a deer in headlights. I could tell she wanted to run, but I held her arm keeping her steady.

Dad always said “You never want to resist arrest. That usually gives the officer a reason to taze or shoot. Let yourself be arrested and keep your mouth shut. Remember always ask for a lawyer.”

I tried to sound chipper. “Uncle Todd! Hey! I haven’t seen you in a while.” It was a lot easier to talk to someone I actually knew.

The guy had short dark brown hair and wore a khaki police uniform. I could see his gun on him. His body language told me he was not happy.

Uncle sighed in frustration. “Kid…. I got a report about a young couple that assaulted the part time cook at Pa's diner. You wouldn’t happen to know anything about that would ya.” He had a no nonsense type of presence, or as I liked to call it police mode.

I shook my head “Nope, I have no clue what you’re talking about. Right Alice?”

Alice stumbled over her words like a drunk. “Y-yeah… no I have no idea what your talking about sir officer sir……” She then asked in a whisper. “Are we in trouble?”

I felt like slapping her, but only for a moment. Officer Davidson responded with “Riiiiight… anyway! Keep an eye out for any suspicious people…. Also stop doing stupid shit. I promised your dad I’d look after you, but this is ridiculous. It hasn’t even been a month and you’ve already assaulted two people! Three if you count that girl but let’s be real a little soda isn’t gonna hurt anyone.” He looked away scratching at his head.

I Had to at least try to defend myself. “You don't understand they brought a plate of sausages-” I was interrupted.

“Sausages! Jesus Christ Isaac! What the hell is wrong with sausages!” Before I could answer he continued “You know what I don’t wanna know. The less I know the better.” He then proceeded to walk away almost pulling his hair out.

I couldn't help but notice his hair had really started to thin out recently. Huh, wonder what that was about.

Well, as far as interactions with cops go, that went pretty well. Alice looked like she was about to fall over. For once I felt like the confident one in our….. “relationship”