Learning To Love Him

Four

Nora's POV
We're into our second movie and I've almost forgotten about the crappy day, when my mum calls out to us from downstairs. I tap Victoria and pause the movie, the two of us go down together. There's no part of me that could have been prepared for Victoria's parents and Isaac to be in my living room.

"Victoria." Her mother says calmly, I know she's being careful because of how upset she's knows her daughter is. "What happened to dinner?"

"He didn't tell you. Why don't you ask him." She says the both of us not moving down the last four steps.

"Isaac?" Mrs Martinez looks at him and he just shrugs.

"He called Nora ugly."  Victoria blurts and I look down at my feet to avoid eye contact.

"You what?" I hear my mother say a little shocked.

"I didn't mean it like that honestly." Isaac says and for a moment I'm sucked into believing he's actually sorry. Yeah right. Dream on.

"Sure you didn't." Victoria says sarcastically jumping to defend me.

"Isaac you didn't?" Mrs Martinez says sounding appalled.

"I'm sorry Nora." He's says but I know he doesn't mean it.

"Go fuck a cactus." I say before thinking and then I walk upstairs, into my room and slam the door.

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Isaac's POV
Nora told me to "go fuck a cactus." I have to admit that's a great comeback. I look at my sister her dark eyes narrowed at me, she has every right to hate me. I honestly had planned to come here and be new a person, not the dick I was in East L.A. Nora's Mother looks pissed and so does my Mum.

"Can't say I didn't deserve that." I mutter.

"Oh you so did. Nora never swears, so she really hates you." Victoria lifts her disgusted eyes to look at me.

"Enough both of you!" Mum demands of Victoria and I. "I'm so sorry Lacey. I'll take my family drama elsewhere." Mum looks at Nora's mother.

"I'm not going anywhere." Victoria says.

"Don't be stubborn." I say but that just makes her angrier.

"I think Victoria should stay here with Nora to cool off and Nora could use the company too." Nora's mother suggests.

Mum seems to take it and we leave without Victoria. The whole way home I listen to mum's lectures about if I wanted to stay here I had to be nice to my sister and her friends. Today was not a good start for me. I managed to piss off my sister and everyone of her friends. A+ for effort dumbass.

I lived my whole life as dickhead because that's what dad was. I'm clone of him. I've done shitty things to people, thrown nerds into the dumpsters in the school parking lot, screwed a couple of cheerleaders in the cleaners cupboard and even hurt other people physically for my own enjoyment. I am one screwed up person. I loved the thrill of it all, East L.A was where it all began. Dad got sick of the school calling him about my behaviour and sent me to live with mum, so he can spend ever other day getting drunk at the bar a block from the house. Meanwhile I'm stuck down here with a bunch of girls that actually value themselves, not like the hoes I knew. I missed the way they'd swoon over me, heck they'd do anything to even touch me. Here they all act like I'm nothing special, I thought I'd have Nora today after English but it's like I've lost my style. She totally wanted nothing of it. That Jayden kid obviously likes her more than a friend, which means he won't let his guard down when she's involved.

I feel a pang of something unfamiliar, I think it's called guilt. It only lasts a second before I banish it into the dark corners of my brain, where it will stay for years to come along with that thing people call remorse.

I am my fathers son, incapable of loving or caring for another person. He never cared for me so I had decided from a young age that I wouldn't  either. I didn't even know if I would care should Victoria die tomorrow. Is that messed up? What's wrong with me?

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Nora's POV
What an absolute jerk! I write in my diary, I pushing so hard with the pen that it almost tears through the paper. There are a couple of soft knocks on my door.

"Yeah?" I call.

My mother enters with Victoria. I'm surprised she's still here, I thought Mrs Martinez would have made her go home.

"Honey are you alright?" Mum asks.

"Fine." I say not looking at them.

"Liar." Victoria says.

Damn it they know me too well. I feel like I shouldn't be the one that's so upset, if anyone it should be Victoria she has to live with him.

"Ok so maybe what Isaac thinks of me is somewhat upsetting." I mumble.

"Don't be upset his opinion isn't valid anyway." Victoria somehow manages to laugh in spite of her horrible situation.

"That's very true." Mum sits on my bed.

"Ok I'm not upset anymore. Can we please go back to sappy love stories and junk food?"

"Hell yes!" Victoria says and I forget all about today.

•••••••
It's day two at school and Victoria and I are hitting it like day one was amazing even though it was everything but. I notice my spot is free next to the twins car.
I see Isaac chatting up some cheerleaders and acting like he owns them already. Stupid sluts they are. I mentally slap myself for the bad language in my mind right now. Victoria's car slides into the spot next to mine.

"Good morning ladies." Nathan smiles.

"You ok after yesterday?" Jayden asks and I shrug like nothing happened.

"Fine." Victoria says, "I took refuge at Nora's last night but I can't hide forever."

"Glad someone is fine." Nathan says.

"Jayden I swore." It comes out like a word vomit I couldn't control.

"You never swear though. Wait what did you say?" I punch his arm lightly because he's more keen on knowing what I said than the fact that I did something totally out of character.

"She told Isaac to go fuck a cactus." Victoria bursts out laughing and the twins do too.

"Guys it's not funny." I try to stop them.

"Are you kidding? That's hilarious!" Nathan is almost crying.

"Just imagine-" Jayden starts.

"No don't imagine anything!" I say but I find myself laughing at the thought.

"Man why wasn't I there to see it?!" Jayden cries laughing some more.

The laughing spluttering mess that we all are puts a smile on my face. The twins and Victoria are my best friends and this year will be killer if only we could dump Isaac.