A Guide To: Isla

How to: Recover

ISLA LIKED HER bed. Isla liked her bed a lot, thank you very much.

Though her landlord did not make the room particularly aesthetically pleasing, with green and yellow checkered curtains, a red carpet and some odd looking furniture, Isla had tried to make her bed look somewhat presentable. Her blue and grey duvet-pillow set made her comfortable; it made her happy. And she needed a lot of happiness in her life right now.

Isla had a cold. She had placed the blame directly on the boys and, as a result, she was not talking to any of them. She had taken to locking her bedroom door, huddling under her covers and re-watching Doctor Who on Netflix, cutting off any contact with the outside world. It was only 12 o'clock and she had already read one book today, with another one waiting for her once she had finished the episode. It was quiet and calm, and she knew it wouldn't last long.

She heard a light banging on the other side of her door, and reached up to take her headphones out of her ears.

"Go away. I'm ill and I hate everyone." Isla muffled, though she would be surprised if the recipient actually understood what she said.

"It's me, Isla. It's Chris - look, would you get off me? Would you let me speak - ow! You pinched me! What the fuck - you can't just pinch people - Alice!" She heard a slight commotion behind the door before a thump and another "Ow! Alice, what the hell?" and then decided it would probably be better to open the door unless she wanted to deal with a dead not-boyfriend (a definitely not-boyfriend) and a murderer for a best friend. She, for some reason, willingly stripped herself of her protective blanket, and slowly opened the door.

"What," she coughed, "do you want, Chris?" She looked him in the eye, ignoring her friend's glare that was burning a hole in the back of his head. Alice had never liked Chris. She didn't hold any particular affinity for Jimmy either, though she tolerated Kem and adored Elliot (literally - she was head-over-heels in love with him. She had never said this out loud, as she wanted to maintain her position as the Ultimate Woman who needed no one and nothing to lean on, but Isla knew. She could just tell), but Chris and Alice despised each other. In hindsight, that should have been the first sign - Isla trusted Alice's judgement wholeheartedly. Just maybe not in the case of boys. She was slightly biased.

"I'm sorry. I am - look, I shouldn't have left. She meant nothing, okay? She was nothing compared to you." He looked really apologetic. He looked like he actually meant what he was saying. Isla almost believed him. Almost.

"Chris, it's fine. Yes, it was a dick move, but we never had specified boundaries. You were totally within your rights to sleep with another girl." His eyes shone, until she said, "Just like how I am totally within my rights to never see you again." It sounded so powerful in her head, and she knew Alice would be so proud to hear her say it. It came out slightly less powerful, and slightly more snotty, but he definitely got the picture. His mouth dropped and his eyebrows raised so high they nearly met his hairline.

"Isla - no, please - don't do this. We can talk about it. Please, baby." He was seriously putting on an act now - was he not actually a heartless bastard?

"Um, no. Not me. Don't know who you are baby-ing but it can't be me. We, " she gestured in the air between them, "are not a thing. You know the way out." Isla reached around Chris' chest and grabbed Alice's arm, pulling her into her room. The smile on her face was blinding. Isla shut the door on her now ex-not-boyfriend, and sat back onto her bed, letting the adrenaline from her previous interaction flow through her body.

Alice grabbed her desk chair and dragged it towards where Isla was sitting. She didn't speak for a few moments, just sat back and breathed heavily.