"Young love tends to be based on nothing but feelings. The couple has not yet faced and overcome a challenge or difficulty together. They are passionate about each other. They think about each other constantly and want to spend all their time"
Isaac...
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It was the day of the dance, and Lydia and Allison were coming over to my place since, well — none of us had dates.
Allison said Scott couldn't go to the formal because of his grades, though I was pretty sure if he could, they'd be going together. Lydia and Jackson were still in whatever cold war they'd been in for weeks now — honestly, I was hoping it was over for good. He didn't deserve her.
And me? Well, we all knew why I didn't have a date. But deep down, I was sure if Isaac could, he'd go with me.
I was sitting on the bed while Lydia sat at my vanity, dusting blush across her cheeks when she suddenly paused, looking at me through the mirror.
"So he basically said no to you?" she asked, raising a brow.
"Basically, but—"
"But?!" Lydia spun around, eyes wide, cutting me off while Allison sat patiently as I curled her hair.
"No buts!" Lydia insisted. "He turned you down after you asked him to the dance. You know that's a once in a lifetime opportunity for a guy like him!"
"It wasn't like he didn't want to go with me. He just... can't," I explained, focusing on the strand of hair I was curling, like if I concentrated hard enough, it wouldn't sting as much.
"Then why can't he just sneak out like any other normal, hormonal teenager?" Lydia huffed, throwing her brush down dramatically.
"It's not like that for everyone, Lydia. Isaac's not like Jackson," Allison spoke up for the first time, her voice calm but firm. "If he turned Angie down, there's a reason. And it's one I understand."
"I just... wish it was different," I admitted, letting the curling iron rest as I watched the curl fall into place. I really did. Isaac should be allowed to do normal stuff — go to dances, hang out with friends, be a kid. But his dad didn't even let him have that. It wasn't right.
And it made me angry.
Angry enough that sometimes, in my darkest moments, I didn't just want Mr. Lahey locked away or gone. I wanted him erased. Like he'd never existed. Like he'd never had the chance to hurt Isaac or anyone else.
It was wrong to think that. I knew it. But my anger always got the better of me if I wasn't careful. That was one of my mom's biggest rules: stay calm. Control the magic, anchor the fury. When I was little, I didn't get why it mattered so much. Now, I understood. Because the things I wished for when I was angry — they were dangerous.
I shook it off.
"There you go, all done," I said softly, letting go of the last curl in Allison's hair.
