Dalma left the house a little less stressed. She no longer had to struggle to conquer Iz. She wasn't competing time, it was enough to make him fall in love, fall in love with her.
When she entered the school, she didn't recognize the scene. In front of her, a fight scene like in the movies was taking place. Everyone made room for Iz and two of his friends who were sharing punches with other boys. A few girls cried for the Professors to come. Danny was standing aside with clenched fists ready to enter the battle. Three Professors came between the fighters. Iz was so furious that he went like a storm into one of the Professors and the Principal shouted for him to get into his office now. A suspension was definitely waiting for him. Dalma's heart was beating strongly at the thought of an expulsion. The hallway cleaned fast and Dalma went to her class. Joely was sitting in her desk and the Professor already came.
"What happened?" She mimed towards Joely before seating.
Joely shrugged. She couldn't clarify it now. Dalma barely found clarity to listen the lesson. She looked to Iz's desk but only saw Danny. As soon as the bell rang, Dalma pulled Joely out of class. She no longer was in the mood to talk quietly.
"What happened?" She repeated.
"Mark had to laugh in Iz's face." Joely started.
"What did he say?" Dalma felt as a lioness in defense.
"Something about Danny and he..."
She no longer had to continue, Dalma understood. They too had talked about that. They had spoken in private.
"Why now?" She asked. "Why this ol of the sudden? Mark felt the need to just share punches today?" She interrogated her best friend.
"I don't know." Said Joely but her face translated something different.
"Joely?" Dalma pushed the truth out with her drilling stare.
The green eyes watched her with guilt.
"If you did this, I swear I'll never talk to you again if you don't mend things. We break down the castle forever."
Joely showed remorse.
"I didn't mean to, I swear." She cried. "I didn't think Isabel's so gossipy."
"Isabel?" Dalma showed surprised. "Since when do you talk to her?"
"Since Arnie goes out with her."
Arnie was Mike's best friend, both a year younger than they were.
"We went out one evening and she was talking about Iz after Arnie said something about his missed throw... you know, when he hit you. It seems Iz used his fists that time too. I don't know why." She was quick to add before being asked. "I don't know why, but people afford to laugh at him now. But Mark was a fool to do it in his face."
"And what did you say to Isabel? That you thought Danny is with Iz?"
"No, no." She defended herself. "I just said that they're always together, inseparable. And Arnie said he never saw one without the other. Mike said that they're like brothers and that they know themselves, as we know ourselves, since childhood. I think Isabel took this out of context, from our conversation."
"Isabel will pay for this." Dalma spoke with bitterness. "And you'll make everything better."
"Fine." Her friend said with atonement. "Although it's not really my fault. "I should go and share with Isabel something from Iz's effect."
"There'll be no more fighting, Joely. "Not because of me."
"It wasn't your fault."
"It began from us. I no longer want to talk about it." Dalma ended disappointed by everything that had happened.
She didn't wanf to turn Iz's world upside down like that.
The classess finished and Iz hadn't return to class. Dalma left Joely with Mike hoping to make the gossips disappear. She was walking towards her car, the parking lot was empty, and she didn't hurry to leave. She took her car key out and turned off the alarm, then stretched her hand to open the door. She didn't hear the steps. Only the hoarse voice that scared her.
"You did this, huh? Are you so stupid to do such a vile thing? You've retaliated. Are you done now?"
Iz gave her no pause to talk. He wasn't interested in anything than to pull out his left irritation.
"You're a spoiled brat without any class who doesn't know that no means exactly what it must mean. I look at you and think only to vomit, that's all you make me feel. You mess with me, tell me lies, I don't care, but you make fun of Danny..." He clenched his fists. "You don't understand what you're doing." Iz seemed ready to hit something. "I don't even want to know you exist anymore." He continued. "I on't want to feel ill every day."
She would've wanted to ask him how he would do that or if he had been expelled but Iz finished what he had to say, kneeling her with words. The fact he knew for sure that she was behind the gossip, hurt her badly. She barely was able to hold back her tears as he departed. He was walking with loud steps, still angry as if he didn't fulfill his revenge, like he felt guilty for not finishing her up.
Dalma locked herself in her room. She wanted to have nothing to do with anything or anyone. She had really been an idiot and Iz's words will hurt her forever. The next day, nothing in her had changed. She was still feeling burried, unable to get out into the world. She didn't bother to conceil anything. It wasn't worth it.
Joely was waiting for her outside. This one's face said it all about how she saw her.
"What happened to you?" Joely asked.
"Not in the mood." She announced fast.
"Did Iz do something?" Her friend was concerned.
"And if he did, was he wrong?"
"What did he do?" Joely was scared to ask.
"Nothing. Let's drop it. Completely."
Joely hurried to catch up.
"Isabel has already began to withdraw the gossips. I told her that if she doesn't, Iz will know from me that she was the gossiper. She'll say Iz refused her once and she tried to get revenge on him."
Dalma said nothing while getting to school. She took her books, got in the classroom, stood in her old desk and placed her chin on hands sustained by the small desk. Her colleagues past by without her noticing them. Nobody attracted her attention anymore. While the Physics Professor bored them all, Dalma looked towards the door, the exit from all that stuffy atmosphere. Two eyes were watching her carefully. Initially, she had the impression it was one of the nerds who stood there, but it was Danny.
Danny away from Iz, towards whom Dalma hardly had courage to look but when she saw him in his place, in the back, she quickly turned her head. It was like looking at a picture hanging askew. Dalma looked again to her right and Danny was still there, still watching her with puppy eyes, trying to entertain her. He smiled at her and she again looked elsewhere. What was happening?
