It's Pucking Complicated

The Start Of It All

ISADORA

I don't like it when he goes all quiet and starts looking at me like I'm a puzzle he's trying to solve, and that's the only reason why I left the room.

Because in reality?

Being down here is the last place in the world I want to be. I'm already sick and tired of this party and I hate that people turn their attention to me the second I reach the bottom step.

Kissing Knox in front of everyone was an impulsive decision. Heck, I don’t want to go as far as saying that it was a purely bad decision because then maybe Justin will understand that we mean business, but it was a decision that might cost me later on.

What if Knox decides to kiss me, too, if the need arises, without any warning?

And yes, I know how fake I sound. I can kiss him when I feel the need arises but he can’t do the same. Sure. I’m being really cynical, but the truth is that I didn’t expect the kiss to affect me the way it did. I found it scary. Sure, the likely answer is that it was my very first kiss and so, naturally it had an effect on me.

But this is all wrong.

Cleo walks toward me just then. He has a girl I’ve never seen before under his arm. He winks, then says, “That was hot, Isadora. Don’t tell him I said that, though.”

Jesus, he probably means the kiss. My face grows hot and I can’t figure out what to say to him. Knox reaches me just as Cleo and the girl walk away, and immediately asks, “What did he say?”

“Nothing.”

He grips my upper arm and forces me to turn around. I can tell he’s annoyed by the sharp look in his eyes, even when he’s trying to play it cool. “I already know what that means, so why don’t you tell me the truth?”

“It was nothing, okay? Look, I’m hungry. Can we grab something to eat or just leave if we have nothing else to do there?”

My tone’s a little charged but Knox doesn’t seem to mind it. I’m not sure why. Yesterday, he definitely wouldn’t have let it slide. “What do you wanna do? Leave?”

I hesitate. Leaving the party would definitely be a better idea in my book. I think we left an impression and that’s what we wanted to do, anyway, right? At the same time, the thought of being alone with him scares me a little, and I know that makes no sense.

“Isadora.”

I stick with the truth. “Leave.”

He nods and looks around briefly. When he spots the person he was searching for, he takes my hand in his and we go to them.

It’s his teammate, Josh.

He looks our way as we approach, and forces a smile. “What is it? Don’t tell me you’re leaving already.”

“Yeah, she’s tired and we gotta go,” he claims, giving him a quick fist bump. “Just tell Eric the party was great for me, alright? I won’t waste time looking for him.”

“No prob.”

Josh glances at me and awkwardly nods his head. I do the same, and then we head out the door, still holding hands.

Once we’re nearly at the door, I tell him, “Your teammate’s weird.”

I can’t see his face, but I’m pretty sure he just laughed. “He knows about us.”

“He does? Can he be trusted?”

He looks back at me with a furrow between his brows. “Do you really think I’d trust him with this if I weren’t sure? Come on, Halvick.”

“You know, I don’t like it when you call me that.”

He pauses and looks genuinely concerned. We’re alone in the dark parlor and the front door is closed, so there’s no chance that someone’s listening to us. “Why not?”

“That’s what you call him.”

“What do you want me to call you, then?”

“You call me Isadora sometimes. Why not just stick to that?”

“Why didn’t you mention it before?”

“I’m mentioning it now.”

He pulls a face, and then we get going. As soon as we step out the front door, he lets go of my hand, and honestly? It’s a bit of a relief.

Maybe I just need some time on my own to really process all this. I’m still angry at Justin’s harsh words and I won’t even mention how I feel about the alleged engagement with that guy.

I’ll have to get to the bottom of this at some point.

Dad needs to understand that I’m not like his other kids—I won’t do things just because he tells me to, especially when I don’t agree to any of it.

Marriage is a big deal.

We reach Knox’s car and he surprises me by opening the door for me. Because his car is tucked between two others, I have to squeeze between that tiny space to get in the car, and I end up brushing up against him completely to climb into the seat.

Great.

He closes the door and makes his way around. The whole car smells like him and it’s mildly distracting, but I push it out of my mind. It’s the only way.

Knox gets in and immediately asks, “So, where do you wanna go?”

“What do you mean?”

“You mentioned you were hungry.”

I can just feel my cheeks heating up. “Oh, you don’t have to…You could just drop me off at the dorm. It’s pretty late.”

“Don’t be ridiculous. It’s probably just two now.”

I open my mouth to protest, then decide against it.

He adds, “Have you had something to eat? I haven’t. Let’s just stop somewhere to grab something. It’s not that big of a deal.”

I say nothing else as he pulls out of the parking space and carefully drives toward the exit. It’s a little hard to do because of how many cars are in the way, but he manages.

Once we’re away from that place, I breathe a lot easier. I won’t even bother hiding that.

I don’t ask him where he’s taking us. I just sit back and stare out the window while trying not to think about what happened.

One thing I know for sure is that it’s going to be a long three months.