How we began (now published, so sample only)

Chapter 6 - What's in a name?

© Sandra Corton 2014

Chapter 6 – What’s in a name?

Monday couldn’t come quickly enough for Isaac. He wanted to see Kayla’s reaction when he said her name. All weekend he was itching for it to end. To Jay’s relief, they won the football match, though it had been a close one. Thanks to the gruelling practices they had endured, Steve had remained sullen but played well.

All of Sunday he waited anxiously, grinning to himself. When even Hayley mentioned that he was coming across creepy and disturbed, he knew he would have to chill a bit. It was difficult to try and not grin like a fool but he couldn’t help himself.

With Monday came intense disappointment. Kayla had moved to sit next to another girl in her shared classes with him, so he couldn’t talk to her. She ignored anytime he even tried to approach her. By lunchtime he had enough, she was nowhere to be found leaving him a cursing and frustrated mess.

The rest of the week went along the exact same lines. She went out of her to avoid any contact with him whatsoever. He was dying to use her name simply to make her look at him but he stupidly wanted the moment to be more private than that. He wanted to be the only one to see her reaction when he first said her name.

She had to be torturing him, it was the only thing he could think and he didn’t like it one bit. Even when he went to dance class to pick them up, she never travelled with Hayley and her other friends anymore. She always brought her own car and left without a single word.

If last week’s football practice had been bad then this weeks was nothing but aggression and determination. Isaac used every practice to take out the anger he was feeling at having Kayla pay him no attention. He knew he was being too rough when one of his friends were sent off with a bloody nose.

He found his focus by mid-week and was able to calm down a little. If he could figure out where she went for lunch, he knew he would feel a lot better about things. His searching got him nowhere and only increased his frustrations.

“Now that’s a pretty face.” Marnie’s voice dragged him from the other places he was thinking to look for Kayla. “C’mon lets sneak into the library, I’m sure we could find a private spot there.” She twittered at him.

Once again, he was thankful for Marnie’s words. The library, why hadn’t he thought to go there first? He was so stupid that he didn’t think about what Kayla would want to do in her lunchbreak. He had only been thinking of where he would go, no wonder he hadn’t found her.

“Thanks Marnie but no.” Isaac told her as politely as he could manage.

The bell rang heralding the end of lunch and he knew he could leave it until tomorrow. Now that he knew where to find her as well as her name, he was feeling on top of the world. Tomorrow Kayla was going to know all about Isaac, whether she liked it or not.

Kayla let out a sad sigh as she parked at school. At least another Friday was rolling around and she would be free of all these idiots from school for at least two days. She blamed Isaac for all the unwarranted attention she had been receiving this week.

Though she had avoided him as best she could, he was always there. Every day he smiled at her as if she was everything he had been waiting for. There was something secretive in his smile that made her want to talk to him. She had to force down the urge every time.

"Good morning." That voice of his that haunted her dreams managed to startle her in that moment.

Why was he always bombarding her with his presence? She just never knew where he would pop up next. Secretly she felt thrilled by his attention but at the same time, he terrified her. Every morning he had started waiting by her car and it seems that today was no different.

She quickly grabbed her stuff and marched determinedly into the school. She saw the looks they garnered at being together but it never seemed to worry him at all.

Today his mood seemed ecstatic and she could only wonder if she missed something. He gently extricated the armload of textbooks she had carried making her heart flutter at how nice he was being. Yesterday he had just walked her through the gate before going to his friends so this was different.

She clamped down on the smile that wanted to bloom on her face. She was only going to get hurt if she encouraged his behaviour, she reminded herself. It was incredibly difficult when he kept surprising her with his kindness.

"So I heard we are going to be paired up in English soon, do you want to be my partner?" He asked as they approached her locker.

She simply shook her head at him before trying to get her books back. He refused to relinquish them and Kayla felt her heart clench. She didn't want him to see her locker. Every morning this week, she had found a nasty little surprise when she went to stow her books. Today was no different.

Marine and Melissa stood there glowering at her, at least until they saw Isaac. They both winced before backing swiftly away but not before Isaac caught sight of them. He frowned at the other girls seeming quite angry which surprised Kayla.

"Why are you here?" Isaac demanded staring between the two girls who refused to answer for a long moment.

"My uh locker is here." Melissa twittered while Marnie nodded quickly in agreement.

"Don't lie! You always claimed your locker was near mine." Isaac accused. "So I guess you didn't listen to me the other night Marnie. I told you to back off and leave her alone."

"Seriously Isaac what are you even doing with her?"

Marnie shook her head and sent an infuriated glare towards Kayla who simply stood there amazed by Isaac's defence of her. She wasn't sure if she felt more mortified or intimidated by what was playing out in front of her.

"I'll have my books now Isaac." Kayla managed to say around the constriction in her throat.

"Uh yeah sorry." Isaac absently handed her the books while refusing to take his furious gaze from the other girls.

As quickly as she could, she threw her stuff in her locker. She backed out of the area as the argument escalated. She was immensely pleased Isaac had stood up for her but now she was afraid of what the girls might do in retaliation. Today would be one of those days where she hid from everyone's sight and tried to become invisible again.

She had made it through to lunch unscathed. She had still been sent some form of nasty glare in every one of her classes. Nothing had been said or done to hurt her but she knew it was coming.

It put her on edge now that she seemed to have attracted the worst people towards her. Once again, she blamed Isaac. She spent most of her time cursing kissing booths to hell. She was happier when Isaac was simply a dream figure in her mind.

She walked into the library and let the soothing smell of the books relax her. Peace and serenity filled her; this was the place where she always felt like she belonged. Today she was determined to lose herself in one of her big assignments that still wasn't due for another month.

Finding the books she needed was the tricky part, so with a happy smile she launched into her search. She heard more muttering and giggling than usual which almost distracted her. She kept her focus though as she headed to the quieter, less used portion of the library. Silence and books surrounded her once again and she smiled to herself.

She heard footsteps approaching but she decided to ignore whoever it was. That was until the smell of his spicy cologne hit her and she could barely breathe. Her heart began thundering hard in her chest even though she kept her focus on the book in her hands with her back to him.

"So it looks like I finally found your hiding place." Isaac teased while Kayla couldn't help but let out a snort. "Are you denying that I found you?"

"It took you a week." Kayla said softly.

She found she had to rest the book back on the shelf due to her hands trembling so badly at his presence. Still she kept her eyes pointedly on the book instead of him, even though it all made no sense now.

"Ah she speaks." Isaac grinned as though he had won some prize. She glanced quickly at him and regretted it instantly. With great difficulty, she went back to staring blankly at the page in front of her.

"So?" She shrugged as she made the executive decision to ignore him until he went away.

"So I think you owe me." His voice dropped lower and thrummed across her senses.

"I don't owe you anything. Now if you don't mind I'm trying to get some study done, perhaps you should do the same." She hoped he would finally listen but when he didn't move, she only felt more exasperated.

"You know what, you're right." He inched closer to her as he grasped her arm and gently turned her to face him. "We should study together." He clicked his fingers with a cheeky grin as though it was the most brilliant idea. Kayla just closed her eyes and prayed she wouldn't faint with him being this close to her.

"I might consider it when you actually know my name." She replied as she grabbed another book and tried to slip past him, further down the row.

"Maybe I do know your name." He sidled up behind her and clasped his arms gently around her shoulders. She tried to prevent the gasp from escaping as he made her face him again but she couldn't.

"Really?" She asked breathlessly.

"Would you believe I found out from the last person you would ever think of?" He let out a chuckle as he leaned in close and whispered a kiss across her cheek.

"Who?" She stuttered out the word.

"Marnie." Kayla flinched at hearing her name.

"Why would she tell you?" She asked as she clutched desperately at the book in her arms.

"She thought I knew it already. I'm not going to mention her again though. I won't let them hurt you anymore." He assured her and she wanted to believe him so badly.

"Then stop doing this and they'll leave me alone." She said softly as she shivered against the caress he left upon her cheek.

"That's not going to happen Kayla." He assured her.

He watched as her eyes flicked to his filled with hope and amazement. She hadn't believe that he truly knew her name. Her moth popped open, showing her shock before a small encouraging smile filled her face.

"You really did know. I thought you were trying to trick me into telling you." She said with a shake of her head.

"That did cross my mind but I thought you might see that as underhanded." He admitted ruefully.

"I would have." She agreed as she unconsciously leaned towards him.

"I'll remember that for future reference." He whispered the words into her ear.

"This is crazy." She said as she met those riveting blue eyes of his.

"Is it?" He asked with a challenge in his tone.

"Well yes I'm not your type." She told him the first words she could think of in her befuddled brain.

"I have the strangest feeling that my type has changed recently." He assured her as he skimmed his lips along her cheek.

"To what? Someone like me?" Her voice went into a squeak and he smiled.

"Not someone like you, just you." He replied softly. "Go out with me tomorrow after the game."

Her heart began palpitating at that point. Did he just ask her out? He did didn't he? Her mind simply couldn't grasp that one little fact. It didn't help that his lips touched hers, scalding her already addled mind with sensation. Excitement mixed with the trembling butterflies in her stomach as she considered his words.

The ecstatic joy filling her died when she found herself struck with reminders of who Isaac was. The numbers of girls who he had dated, only to never date again. She knew she was setting herself up for disaster if she agreed to go on a date with him. She determinedly tried to put some distance between them, which made Isaac frown.

"I can't." She whispered without daring to look at him.

"What? Why not?" He asked with surprise evident in his voice.

"I won't be one of those girls." Her words were full of scorn as she hugged her textbook closer to her chest.

"What girls?" He asked in confusion as he spread his arms wide.

"Your girls. The ones you date for five minutes but they end up pining after you forever. That's why I have to say no." She told him firmly with a swift nod of her head.

"This isn't like that! I promise you that it won't be like that. Please Kayla give me a chance."

He set her such a pleading look that she almost gave in. She forced the memory of the day he had kissed Marnie into her mind. He couldn't have been so into her if he was kissing another girl. It didn't help the way Marnie tried to clutch him close whenever Kayla was nearby, it only encouraged her determination. Isaac was better off as nothing but a dream in her mind.

"Really? What about kissing Marnie?" She asked calmly and he let out a harsh breath.

"Marnie means nothing to me." He said seriously, as he tried to regain control of the situation.

"The girl before her then, what's her name...Melissa?" Kayla pointed out making Isaac groan.

"She's not important either."

"See this is my problem! You don't care what happens after you've had your fun with them. I will not be the next in your huge line of broken hearted girls!" She told him furiously before going to walk away.

"But this is different, you're different." He tried to argue his point but she let out an inelegant snort.

"Prove it Isaac."

She went to march away now that she had said her piece but he refused to let her. He grabbed her arm and spun her to face him. Her eyes widened as the book dropped from her fingers. He pushed her back against the bookcase and she felt her breath leave in a tremulous flutter.

Then his lips were on hers and the rest of the world was lost. His soft persuasive lips caressed lightly against hers, resting briefly before skittering away. He swooped down again except this time he bit her bottom lip. She moaned as her body filled with shivers and she found herself pressing back against him. Almost of their own accord, her arms wrapped around his neck to openly encourage him.

His kisses turned increasingly heated as he swept his tongue against the seam of her lips and licked against her mouth. Her whole body flared with warmth and tingles as he placed open-mouthed kisses down her throat.

The raw noise that escaped her as he suckled on her skin should have been enough to bring her to her senses. Instead, he kissed her harder, more demanding and wanting a whole lot more from her.

"This is the difference. Can't you see it? Feel it? What we have is unfreaking believable." The garbled words shook her from the depth of the passionate spell she was under.

She pushed at his shoulders until he let her move away the tiniest amount. Frowning she realised that she was no better than any of the other girls he had dated. Isaac knew how to convince any girl to do or trust anything he wanted, especially with kisses like that.

"I can't believe you! You treated me just like you did Marnie and you expect me to see that differently." Kayla accused him a tad more breathlessly than she liked.

"No that wasn't.... I didn't mean it like that. I was trying to prove a point." He said frantically once her words sank in. He knew he was losing the tenuous grip he had on her by his rash actions.

"So what were you doing with Marnie then?" She crossed her arms over her chest feeling a deep hurt settle over the pleasure her body had been throbbing with.

"Marnie was...god I don't know...a brief lapse in concentration?" He threw out the only thing he could think of which only made her hurt and anger deepen.

"You just don't see girls as people do you? It's like we are all here for your personal use. Well guess what Isaac; I'm not one of those girls." She picked up her discarded books and stormed out of the secluded part of the library.

"I know that's the point I was making." He whispered to himself feeling defeated. He closed his eyes, gritted his teeth and tried to think of his next move.

All through his afternoon classes, he could only wonder why he was even still chasing such a stubborn and frustrating girl. It wasn't as if he didn't have a ton of other offers he could take up. This girl was driving him so crazy that the thought of doing anything with another girl just made him feel sick. He wasn't sure how much more he could take.

Last class was quite possible his only chance to salvage the day. He rushed between classes so he could get there before she did. He sat down opposite the seat she normally sat in and prepared himself.

She walked in, pushing her glasses up on her nose looking as adorable as ever. She saw him and stopped in the doorway. She took a moment to compose herself before slowly continuing into the room. She seemed quite flustered as she debated what to do.

"Stop blocking the doorway nerdy Hat Girl." A vicious voice from behind her made her take her usual seat that was next to Isaac.

"Leave her alone Marnie." Isaac growled at the other girl who instantly backed down as she sent a simpering look to him.

"Uh thanks but I can fight my own battles from now on." Kayla said quietly to him before turning to look out the windows.

"Listen I'm not sorry about what happened...." He trailed off as a substitute teacher entered the room. He huffed about, waving his hands to get their attention while looking bored and unhappy.

"Use this period to work on whatever projects you have already been set." The teacher said with a firm look to all of them. "But do it quietly." He finished on an order and Isaac grinned.

What a great opportunity for him to try to make things right! He faced her only to see she already had her nose buried in a textbook. He frowned before snatching at the offending book. She glared at him as she reached to retrieve her book.

"You can have it back if you just hear me out." He promised as she avoided looking at him.

"Get on with it then." She told him sharply.

"Look I know I shouldn't have kissed you. The problem is you're so darn frustrating that I can't get you out of my head." He admitted the truth quietly; glad it seemed hidden by the others being noisier than he was.

"I'm the frustrating one?" She asked with an astonished huff of a laugh.

“To me you are…but in a good way.” He finished quickly as those green eyes flickered at his briefly.

“Well that’s so good to know.” She replied sarcastically.

“Look I didn’t mean it badly.” He replied but she looked back out the window and ignored him. “Would you at least come to my game tomorrow?” He found himself pleading with her again and not liking the sensation one bit.

“You’ll have enough people cheering for you Isaac. I’m sure you won’t need me. Now hand me my book.” She ordered and he reluctantly returned the textbook.

“That’s what you don’t understand, I’m getting to the point where needing you is the only thing on my mind.” He told her starkly and she finally met his eyes.

“You’re not telling me a line are you?” She asked suspiciously.

“A line? Do you really think I would say this to another girl? They would laugh in my face.” He answered in exasperation.

“No they wouldn’t. They would think it was really sweet.” She said before opening her book and returning to ignoring him.

He digested her words before looking at her fully. A blush had crept onto her cheeks even though she refused to accept his existence. Quick as a heartbeat, she glanced at him before returning her gaze to her book. He grinned then noticing how much her focus had slipped.

“Sweet huh?” He asked as he nudged his elbow gently against her arm. She said nothing but he could swear he saw the smallest smile appear on her face. “So does that mean you’ll come to my game?” He asked hopefully.

“I guess you’ll just have to wait and see.” Was the only reply he received from her.

Even though she refused to be dragged into conversation again, he decided to take her words as a positive yes. He wanted her to be there at his game as much as he wanted their date together, if she ever agreed. He sat back with a grin, pleased at her response, now he could only hope that she would show up.