From Foes To Flames

Chapter 40

Isaac

I have officially reached my limits.

Even though Zoe and Toby are back, they avoid me like the plague. We don't meet in front of my locker anymore, or spend the lunch break together. I even have to sit with the football team, so I don't sit alone somewhere, like a loser. What the fuck? I mean I am the captain and everything, but I would rather spend my free time with my two best friends, even though I learned to love the guys over the last couple of years. Like one big family - a very loud family.

But there is one big downside to this group table, apart from the fact that everyone always wants to start a conversation with me, like talk to yourself for a second, and that is Oscar and Ed Sheeran opposite me. And I swear to god, since the moment I placed my tray on the surface of the table, ginger's eyes are fixated on me and I will go mad if he doesn't break the stare right now. That is just creepy.

"Like what you see?" I say to the red-haired boy, probably a little too loud, because all eyes are on us now. Shit. The boy looks shocked first, but collects himself a second later, he now looks angry. "Very. Remind me, why are you here again?" He asks confidently. Oh boy, don't play with me. The air around us is sparked with both anticipation and tension by now.

I laugh a little, before responding. "Do I make you nervous?" I ask calmly, which seems to piss him off even more, according to the deep crease on his forehead and his clenched fists. I expected him to punch me straight in the face, but to my surprise, nothing like that happens. He remains seated with the difference that his cheeks are burning red now. What the fuck?

I can't really decipher if he reddened because of embarrassment or anger, but I vote for the latter one, given the fact that he is friends with Oscar, who is currently smiling like an idiot next to him by the way.

After our little interaction, the boy remains silent for the rest of lunch. He even stopped looking at me like a psycho, which is a win in my book. Isaac: 2, Freckle Face: 0. As the last few minutes of our break begin, I grab my things and stand up. "Bye guys. See you, darling." I wink at the red-haired boy, who is immediately pissed off by my action, which earned me a round of laughter, and throws me the finger shortly after. What can I say, don't mess with me.

~~~~~~~

Oscar

"What is the deal with you two?" I ask my best friend, who is currently walking next to me towards my locker. We have History next, which is our last class of the day, but I can't get the previous interaction between Isaac and Ant out of my head. I knew that Ant is not the biggest fan of Isaac, but it is so unlike my best friend to actually turn into a tomato - normally I am the one, who is struggling with anger management, not him.

The boy shrugs before answering. "That fucker." He spits viciously, his expression darkens in an instant. What the hell?

Another thing that really gets on my nerves is the fact that he called Ant darling, like, that is our game. Silly nicknames between me and Isaac, so why does he use them for others now? Since the party I distanced myself from Isaac, because I am scared that I could really start hating him again. Therefore, I never gave him any chance to explain, because I simply don't want to hear it - him confessing that he actually slept with that stupid boy. Now, don't get me wrong, Isaac is free to do whatever he likes, but seeing him with Thomas still hurt, considering that me and Isaac were closer than ever before at that time. It kind of felt like cheating in a way I can't explain.

"Has he done anything to you though?" I try to get the tinniest information out of him. Ant abruptly stops dead in his tracks and turns around quickly, now facing me. "Are you kidding me right now?" He asks exaggerated to which I just shrug expectantly. Did I miss anything? What did Isaac do to Anthony?

"Did you hit your head or something?" Now the boy really tests my limits, just spill the fucking beans. "Tell me, what did he do?" I demand to which the boy just shakes his head incredulously.

"He fucking terrorizes you for most of your life Oscar, he made your past shit, he ruins you!" He screams. "He is fucking Isaac Anderson, wake up." Anthony continues. Lucky us, no one seems to be in ear shot right now, who could have heard my best friend's sudden outbreak. First, I didn't expect that, Ant is normally the quiet one of the two of us. Second, what the fuck?

Ant's words really piss me off. I understand that he is not approving of the situation between me and Isaac, but still, he has no right to even talk about Isaac in that way. That is an issue between ME and ISSAC, for fuck's sake. He has never been involved in our rivalry and therefore, him judging is so out of place. I am seriously considering punching my best friend right now. Him putting himself between me and Isaac is something I won't accept. "That has nothing to do with you!" I scream at Ant, who now looks shocked. "You have no right to hate Isaac, he hasn't done anything to you, for fuck's sake!" I continue, my blood is boiling at this point.

The boy looks both angry and sad at the same time, before he suddenly turns around and stomps away from me, towards the other direction. Maybe that is the best he can do right now, he needs some serious time to overthink his past actions. What a lunatic, I shake my head.

And in that moment, the reality dawns on me. I fucking know that Isaac is the bane of my existence. I don't need fucking Ant to tell me that Isaac ruins me, I am not delusional. I hit the metal door of the locker besides me with full force, causing the lock to rattle. For fuck's sake, I know that the boy is no good for me, but I don't want to let go of him. Maybe our history is gruesome, destructive, frustrating and a even a little bittersweet with everything that is going on right now, but Isaac occupies my life more than anyone else at this point. He is a fundamental part of my being and I am pretty sure, he feels the same way.

Therefore, I need to fucking make things right with him once and for all, even if he doesn't want to hear it. Because, over the last couple of days, our orbits drifted away a little too much for my liking, making his cosmic rays almost impalpable for me.