field of love || cc walker

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"Missed you at the party this past weekend." Maya settled beside Izzy, taking out her history textbook. "Liv said I kept drunkenly calling out for you," She added with a giggle.

"Wish I would have heard that," Izzy chuckled. "But according to Walker, I was pretty out of it," She muttered, feeling a bit embarrassed at the thought of CC having taken care of her.

"CC?" Maya's eyes widened. "She's the one that took you home?"

"More like her house," Izzy grumbled.

"What??" Maya exclaimed, quickly muttering a soft apology to the teacher. She glanced back at Izzy, her eyes skeptical. "Wait...she didn't try anything did she?" She asked in a hushed tone, a hint of concern in her voice.

Izzy shook her head, a scowl forming on her face. "No, she didn't try anything. But it was still weird. I woke up in her bed the next morning, and..." She shrugged.

"Did anything else happen?" Maya he remarked, her voice filled with curiosity.

Izzy shrugged, trying to brush off the awkward encounter. "Not really. She gave me some aspirin for my headache and then made some snarky remarks before I left." She explained, her tone still tinged with irritation. "It was just... strange."

Maya nodded in understanding. "Well, at least she took care of you," She pointed out, trying to find a silver lining.

"Yeah, I guess," Izzy muttered, though her dislike for CC still lingered. Despite the unexpected kindness, she couldn't shake the feeling that there was more to their complicated relationship than she realized.

"Don't let her distract you for our next game against them in a few weeks." Maya added, nudging her friend on the shoulder.

Izzy chuckled. "Never. Especially not a week before Thanksgiving break."

-

CC sat at her desk, tapping her pen against the surface as she tried to focus on her homework. But no matter how hard she tried, her mind kept drifting back to Izzy and their conversation from the previous night. The image of Izzy, vulnerable and upset, lingered in her thoughts, and CC couldn't shake the feeling of unease that had settled in her chest.

It was a side of Izzy that CC hadn't seen before, and it left her feeling conflicted. It was a strange mix of emotions that CC wasn't quite sure how to process. Part of her wanted to maintain her dislike for Izzy, to hold onto the familiarity that had defined their relationship for so long. But she couldn't deny that there was a part of her that wanted to get to know Izzy better, to understand the person behind the tough exterior.

In the end, CC was left feeling more confused than ever, unsure of what to make of her complicated feelings towards Izzy. But one thing was for certain, she couldn't stop thinking about her, no matter how hard she tried.

Even now as she was running down the park, Pickles on a leash now, her mind drifted back to Izzy once again. She stopped near a bench, taking a break to drink some water. Despite her best efforts to focus on her run and enjoy the peaceful surroundings of the park, thoughts of Izzy kept creeping into her mind.

"You following me now?" Izzy spoke from the bench, as Pickles enjoyed her pets.

CC jolted, some water spilling from her bottle as Izzy's voice startled her. She turned to find Izzy sitting on the bench nearby, her dog Pickles at her side, enjoying some pets.

"And you finally have Pickles on a leash, congratulations," Izzy added dryly.

"Hey, Iz–Bronson." CC responded awkwardly, her mind racing with thoughts. Why did it suddenly feel so difficult to come up with a witty comeback?

Izzy's confusion deepened as she watched CC's awkward response. She couldn't help but wonder why CC was being unusually civil, especially considering their dislike for each other. "Hey yourself." She replied cautiously, her tone guarded. She shifted uncomfortably on the bench, unsure of how to go about this unexpected interaction.

CC hesitated, her usual confidence faltering for a moment. She struggled to come up with a snarky retort, feeling strangely off balance in Izzy's presence.

"You didn't answer my question." Izzy muttered, paying little attention to CC.

"Huh?" CC replied after swallowing more of her water down.

Izzy sighed, typing away at her phone, as if CC was the least of her interest. CC tried her hardest at not to feel a bit hurt by that. It wasn't like they were friends. "I said, are you following me now? Stalking on social media wasn't enough?"

CC's eyes widened in surprise at Izzy's direct question, her discomfort evident. "I-I'm not following you," She stammered, her response more defensive than she intended. "I just... happened to be running in the same park." It sounded weak even to her own ears.

Izzy raised an eyebrow skeptically, unconvinced by CC's flimsy excuse. "Sure, Walker," she remarked dryly, her tone dripping with sarcasm. "Next thing I know, you'll be showing up at my doorstep with a bouquet of flowers."

CC's cheeks flushed with embarrassment at the thought, but she quickly masked her discomfort with a forced laugh. "As if," she retorted, though her attempt at nonchalance fell flat.

As the awkward silence stretched between them, Izzy couldn't shake the feeling of unease that settled in the pit of her stomach. Something about this encounter felt different, and she couldn't help but wonder if there was more to CC than met the eye.

"Isabel!" Emilia shouted from across the park, her hand signaling for her sister to hurry up.

Izzy tensed slightly, CC noticing. It must be because of the usage of her full name.

CC's eyebrows twitched in response, her curiosity piqued. She remembered Izzy's drunken ramblings about her family, how she wasn't close to them, including her sister. Mentioning that they were close, up until Emilia reached high school. She wanted to ask what was up, but knew she couldn't.

Before CC could gather her thoughts, Izzy had already made her way over to her sister, disappearing into the crowd. She watched her go, a sense of intrigue lingering in her mind.

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