Strange Effect || Robin Buckley ✓

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Isabella was stressed, she had to work today but every time she looked at Robin she thought about yesterday and her day at the pool with Becca and Micah. They got into her head, she liked Robin but she was afraid to try to make a move so Isabella guessed she was destined to live in misery because she wants to protect herself.

"Have a nice day," Isabella said with a smile to the two people who had gotten a bowl of ice cream. "How do you do that?" Robin asks propping her hip against the counter. "Do what?" Isabella furrows her brows as she's trying to figure out what Robin means. "Be all smiley, you've been here what? 3 weeks and I've never seen you once get mad. Not even when Steve accidentally put ice cream into your shirt." Isabella chuckled as she grabbed a cone for the customers who had just come in.

"It's just my personality, I have bad days of course. We all do but I try to put the rage into something productive so I like to paint, uh I like to garden although the soil isn't very good here, to be honest." That got a smile out of Robin, when Robin smiled Isabella felt the fluttery butterflies in her stomach again. She let out a strained smile mixed with a sigh before handing the ice cream cones to Robin who gives them to the customer with a strained have a nice day. "It's just boring, I don't like doing mundane things. This is very mundane." Whatever Isabella was going to say she was sidetracked by a kid coming into the shop and walking to the register. "Hi!" The kid with curly hair said smiling at Robin and Isabella. "Hi." Isabella smiled and out of the corner of her eye she saw Robin rolling her eyes. The kid pointed to himself before speaking again. "I'm Dustin." 

Robin looked at Isabella with a confused look on her face. "I'm Isabella and this is Robin." Isabella introduces both of them to Dustin since Robin didn't seem so keen on talking to this Dustin. "Pleasure to meet you both, uh is he here?" Dustin asks, pointing towards the back.

Isabella's brows raise as she looks at Robin confused, she had a sneaking suspicion Dustin was talking about Steve but she wasn't sure because she hasn't met all of Steve's "kids" yet. "Is who here?" Robin clarifies leaning onto the counter.

Before Dustin could say anything else the door from the back swung open quickly and out came Steve, he paused at the doorway and raised his arms up in glee. "Henderson." Dustin smiles wide and chuckles. Steve cheers before walking around to where Dustin is standing. "He's back! He's back." Steve chants motioning towards Dustin, Isabella slowly nods looking at Robin for guidance who shrugs. "I'm back! You got the job?!" Dustin points towards the back where Steve was working. "I got the job!" Steve confirms laughing.

Steve makes a trumpet motion with his hands before walking towards Dustin and doing some weird handshake with him. "How many children are you friends with?" Robin asks Steve with a raised eyebrow. Steve looks sheepish at Robin when it's clear Steve isn't going to answer, Isabella does for him. "A lot." Robin chuckles and shakes her head in a mix of what Isabella can't decide if it's fond or shame.

Steve shakes his head and starts behind the counter. "Uh, what are you doing?" Isabella questions when he starts to grab a bowl and scoops some ice cream into the bowl. "I'm making Dustin here some ice cream." Dustin chuckles and points to the waffle chips when Steve asks if he wants anything. "Just, don't take too much okay?"

Before Steve can reply Isabella backs up and walks towards the backroom, she tries to call home once while she's at work to make sure everything is okay. She doesn't care if she's called a worry wart by her parents, it's just how Isabella is. She picks up the phone and dials the number, as it rings she puts her back against the wall and lets her head settle against the cold tile.

Isabella smiles when it goes through. "H-" Isabella closes her mouth quickly when she hears two voices talking, it's her parents. "I'm sorry honey, I'm going to be late again." Isabella's eyebrows raise in shock when she hears what her Dad says. "Again? You know exactly why they overwork you, you took a pay cut when you came down here and now they're working you to the bone. If you aren't careful you're going to lose something other than your eye this time." Isabella held in a gasp at Lidia's reply, she wasn't around when Marino lost his eye but Isabella knows that that's how they met because Lidia was his nurse when he went into the ER. "You know damn well why we moved, you agreed. Isabella's was being bullied Li, they sent us death threats all because our daughter liked boys and girls."

Isabella's put her hand over her mouth, she didn't know this. Her Dad lied, her mother lied. She was told that they moved because Marino got a better job, he got a pay raise but he turned out to have a pay cut. "I know, I know. It's just hard, I don't want you to fall again. Just be safe, alright?" Lidia sounded so defeated it made Isabella's lip tremble. "I will, I love you, Lidia." Isabella slammed the phone onto the base, she slid down the wall, and put her head in her hands.

She didn't care if anyone walked in on her, right now Isabella's world was crashing down on her because she was lied to. She understands they were only trying to protect her but they could've been honest because they had to move because of Isabella, so she deserved to know the truth.