Enemy Affairs - Judd Birch

f i v e

it was quite a rare occurrence to see isabella sat at her dining room table with both of her parents. it wasn't that she had awful parents, no they were lovely people. but they weren't really parents to their daughter. both thomas and gabriella maye were career driven psychiatrists, owning the company 'mind-maye' situated in the heart of new york city. because of this, both of them rarely were home. they often got nannies for isabella but once she hit 13, they began trusting her to fend for herself more. it started off with just a few hours a day by herself but now it had gotten to the point where they had bought an apartment in the city and left bella to live in the house most of the time.

so bella couldn't help but smile as she twisted her chopsticks around the ramen noodles they had gotten from their local take out and watch her parents make small talk between themselves. something tom said made gabby's head fall back with laughter, her chestnut hair shaking with her movements.

"you keep me young tommy. speaking of, how are you and bradley, my little bluebell?" the awful nickname her parents gave her as a baby made her want to roll her eyes but she suppressed the urge.

"we're doing okay. he's being a bit funny at the minute but i honestly think he's a bit concussed from judd." she shrugged, not noticing the concerned glance her parents shared. from what they had seen of bradley thomas, both of them believed that he wasn't the purest boy she could love. though, they had also met judd birch a handful of times and thought pretty similarly about him.

"concussed?" tom chuckled slightly with confusion, smile lines prominent around his icy blue eyes. isabella was the carbon copy of her mother, except her eyes. her eyes were her fathers. gabby had gentle honey brown hues which enveloped you in warmth, even in her colder moments. tom and bella, however, had eyes that locked you in and froze you in place. once you were trapped, you could feel the lapping of arctic waves slowly encase you until you were completely and utterly absorbed by them. though, there was comfort in the cold. afterall, every swimming pool feels cold until you completely submerge yourself in the water. the same could be said for them.

"oh yeah, bradley and judd had a small fight yesterday. judd was being a classic douche and bradley had enough of it." just the mere mention of judd was enough to annoy the girl, and her mood slightly soured. she poked her chopstick into the noodles with a scowl as she pictured the eldest birch child. the image of his stupid smirk he always had on his full lips had a habit of producing a vile feeling which loomed in her abdomen as well as making her heart race with annoyance and hate.

"well i hope that explains brad's strange behaviour then. maybe you shouldn't have him round when we're in the city for a while if he's behaving weird." gabby suggested as she sipped her white wine. isabella's parents allowed her to have a glass of wine with her dinner and are aware of her marijuana habits. they both believed in the benefits of weed and partook in the herb themselves. they also thought that if bella was old enough to stay home alone for multiple consecutive days, she was old enough to have a cheeky glass of wine with her meals. as previously stated, neither tom or gabby particularly knew how to parent. the way they went about it was by treating bella as an adult and with their full trust, hoping she didn't abuse that. she yet was to though, fully understanding how lucky she was to have the freedom she was given.

"well ahead of you. i'm a bit sick of his face at the minute, but i'm having a sleepover with lee tonight to take my mind off of all of that." isabella couldn't help but let her shoulders drop just at the thought to the last few days. everything just felt...off? she wasn't sure exactly on her feelings but she knew that she only had two constants in her life at the minute. the first being that leah would be there for her through anything which will happen. the second was that she'd always be able to count on her hate fuelled arguments with judd. apart from that, nothing in her life felt secured.