Jackie, Leven, and Amandla are all sprawled out across my bed. I dig in my closet, pulling out several different outfits. They all either agree or disagree on whatever I pull out. Finally, I think I run out of outfits and shrug my shoulders at them. The three of them then examine the outfits that they narrowed it down to. Unanimously, they pick strapless orange dress that stops just above my knee.
I take it and hold it up, not sure of it myself. "You sure it's not too casual?" I ask them.
"Isabelle, he's 16. He's not taking you to some fancy elegant restaurant. You'll be lucky if he takes you to Taco Bell." Leven tells me.
I nod my head and know she's right. I go into the bathroom to change and then put on the shoes that they also picked out. Jackie gets the brilliant idea that I should curl my hair even though Ian will be here in like 10 minutes. I'm not fast when it comes to doing my hair.
I plug in the curler and then somehow manage to do it in just the right amount of time. Sure, the curls are messy and not necessarily the best, but they work. And Ian was a little late so it bought me time.
When he knocks on the door, I take a deep sigh. I don't even want to go on this date. I only did this to prove I wasn't dating Alexander. I feel like such a second-grader right now.
I open my door and see Ian standing with flowers in his hands. His smile gleams at me, his brown eyes lighting up. He hands me the flowers, which are multicolored and extremely pretty. I set them on the dresser beside me and rush out the door.
"I can't believe it." Ian says as we walk down the hall. I press the button on the elevator and look at him. His smile is so wide and bright that I just can't help but smile back. "You really are going on a date with me."
I look down at the ground. Did he just think I was going to blow the whole date off? I wasn't just going to stand him up like that. Maybe I'm actually going to enjoy the date tonight.
The two of us get into the elevator. Ian leans back against the wall, shoving his hands into the pockets of his khakis. We reach the lobby and the two of us step out.
Once outside, the humidity of the North Carolina air hits me. It's almost breathtaking at first. Ian leads me over to a cab, opening the door for me.
"So where are we going?" I ask him once we're both inside the car.
"Café di Belezze." Ian says in his best Italian accent, making it loud enough for the driver to hear.
"Fancy." I tell him with a smirk. He laughs a little before stretching back in the seat.
He stares at me for a little while with a smile on his face. "It's nice to have time with you again." He says after a while.
I force myself to smile back. "You too."
"You know, Isabelle, I don't know much about you. But the part I do know, I really like." He tells me. "I'm glad I get the chance to know you more."
"Me too." I half-lie. I feel bad; Ian really does like me. Why am I doing this again?
The cab stops in front of a very nice looking restaurant. Ian steps out first and then reaches his hand down to help me out. He even opens the door for me once we reach the restaurant. It's as if he wants every gesture he does to be as sweet as possible.
The host asks us for a reservation and Ian gives him his last name. The host leads us to a table and seats us. A waiter comes by and fills our glasses with water and hands us a menu. This place looks awfully expensive.
"So, what's behind this mask that you keep over yourself all the time?" Ian asks me from across the table.
His question catches me off guard and I just stare at him for a while. I knit my eyebrows together as if I'm trying to think of an answer myself. "What mask? I'm an open book, Mr. Nelson." I joke at him.
He grins before shaking his head. "No, no you aren't either. There's something about you that I can't quite pin down. I don't know what it is."
"Apparently neither do I." I tell him while studying the menu.
"Come on, just trying to find out more about this mysterious Isabelle Fuhrman chick." He says.
I set the menu down and look at him. "What do you want to know about me, Ian Nelson?" I ask with a playful smile.
"Everything and anything. To me, you're just another unsolved mystery in this world. Just another unexplained wonder that nobody can figure out. I want to know more. To put it easily, I barely know you." He says.
"I'm 15. Sometimes I think I barely know myself." I say with a laugh. The waiter comes back by and asks for our food. We both order and hand him the menus.
"Let's start with the basics. Family?" he asks.
I roll my eyes. "No, I just appeared here out of nowhere."
"That's not what I meant." He says with a frown.
I laugh at my own joke. "I know. Um, I 'live' with my mom and dad but they're never there. So really, I live with my sister."
"Why aren't they ever there?" he asks while bringing the water glass up to his lips.
"Work. So it's just me and Madeline." I tell him.
"I'm sorry. Tell me more." He says with a boyish expression.
"What else is there?" I ask him.
"Lots." He says. "I want to know the little things. What's your favorite color? Favorite song? Favorite music? Favorite book? Author? Sport? Anything."
I think for a minute. "I do like books."
He sighs. "I hoped you wouldn't choose that. I know nothing about books."
Our food comes out. Which is probably for the best; Ian was about to be enlightened about books. The pasta dish that I ordered is literally amazing. I don't think I've ever had food this good.
"Oh, I have one. Favorite food?" Ian asks.
"Anything and everything." I say while taking a bite of the pasta. Ian laughs at me.
"So bacon?"
"I do love bacon." I reply. "Although I can't eat it often. Mom's a vegan so she has a heart attack when meat is in our house."
"Really?" Ian asks. "Wow. My favorite food is steak, hands down. There is nothing better than a grilled steak."
"What about a bacon-wrapped steak?" I ask jokingly.
"Even better." He grins.
I become so full that I don't get to finish. The waiter brings the check by and Ian pays for it all, no matter my protests.
We both go out to the cab and head back to the hotel. When we get there, Ian walks me back to my room.
"I'm glad you came tonight. I loved it. Really." He says in a hushed tone.
"I had fun. Thank you." I tell him.
"Maybe we can go another time." He says with a smile.
"Yeah." I agree, digging in my bag for my room key.
"Well I should go. Can I get a goodbye hug?" he asks with a grin.
I smile and wrap my arms around him. I even lean up and kiss his cheek. He seems surprised by my gesture and his face turns a slight pink. "Bye, Isabelle." He tells me before heading back down the hall.
I stand still in the hallway and just smile before sliding the room key on my door. It clicks and I push the door open. When it shuts behind me, I bring my head up and stand frozen at the sight before me.
"Who should tell him that you don't care about him? Me or you?"
YOU ARE READING
These Scars
Fanfiction"Scars are those rare things that never go away. They may fade over time or become dull, but they never fully go away. They become one of those things that every time you look at them, the memories and pain that caused it all come back. People only...
