Bad Love Lingers (Book Three)

                                                                                        Isabel             “MOM!”            “What is it now, Isabel?”            “Dad won’t let me go to the school dance next week. He is so lame and unfair! I’m sixteen. I shouldn’t have to be treated like such a child!” I groaned in frustration. My dad was irritating as hell. He never would let me do anything, and it was all because I was a girl! Once my little brother Justin grew up, he would let him do anything he wanted. It just wasn’t fair, and I was over it! The only thing that I could do without his permission was to hang out with my best friend Olivia, and that was only because she was my mother’s best friend's daughter. Everything else, I would have to practically beg my mom to talk some sense into him. It’s a wonder that I have a life at all.            My mom, Samantha, peeked around the corner of her office to make sure my dad was nowhere in sight. “You know just as well as I do that you will go to that dance. Give me some time to talk him into it, sweety.”            I jumped up and down excitedly and hugged her neck. “Thank you, mom! You are the best!”            “Right. I’m sure you wouldn’t be saying that if I told you no.”            When I turned around, I rolled my eyes and went upstairs to my room. I felt trapped in my own house! It was ridiculous, but I’m sure that my mom would talk some sense into my dad. He had such a tight rope around me for no reason at all. He was only this way because he didn’t want me going down the same path as my mom. Of course, he loved my mom and was happy to be with her, but it wasn’t exactly the best relationship for a long time. Everyone around my small town has heard the stories. Pff, most of everyone around him knew them personally. They were like the talk of the town most of my life. One little thing that my dad never cared to pay attention to was that I was not either one of them. No way would I ever be sidetracked enough to go out with a complete loser like my dad was. I mean, what girl wants to be treated like crap by a guy every time she was with him? I certainly didn’t, and I wouldn’t.            After finding my earbuds and putting them in my ear, I turned my music up and walked downstairs to make me a sandwich before studying since there wasn’t much else to do around here. I paid no attention to the massive mess that Justin made in the kitchen. I just stepped right over it, opened the refrigerator, and began gathering the ingredients for my sandwich.            My mom stepped out of the kitchen and returned a minute later, pulling the earbuds from my ears. “Oliva wants you to sleepover at their house tonight. Do you want to go?”            “Yes! I’ll go pack.” I left my sandwich sitting on the kitchen island, then took off running upstairs to my room.             My room was nothing spectacular, actually very dull. Having abrasive or colorful items spread throughout my room wasn’t really me. Of course, people couldn’t tell that by looking at me. I was anything but boring on the inside. I was a flower waiting to bloom on the inside, but I had to wait for the perfect rain and sunlight to do it in. Simple was always my forte because the simpler something is, the harder it is to mess it up. I had to be the perfect teenage girl, so simpler definitely worked better for me.             At least for tonight, I could chill out and have one last chill weekend before school started back on Monday. School was only tolerable because of Olivia. If it weren’t for her, I would have tried to drop out years ago, though my dad would have killed me before he let that happen. Usually, at home, I had to help out with my little brother Justin a lot, but since he was coming over tonight, he would have Rex to keep him busy.             Justin and I rushed down the stairs at the same time after gathering some clothes. We were more than ready to get out of the house for the night, and I was sure that my mom would use this alone time to talk with dad about the school dance next week. It was a welcome back-to-school dance. Normally, I wouldn’t bother to go, but Olivia already asked me to be her date, and I couldn’t let my best friend down.             “Be good and listen to Aunt Emily. Don’t forget that we are here if you need us,” my dad told us as we were leaving the house. We turned to give them each a kiss before heading out.             Olivia and I skipped down the road together, and we're the first ones back to Aunt Emily’s house. We ran up the stairs to her room, shut the door, and turned the music up loud enough to drown out the noise from downstairs.             “So, what did they say?” Olivia asked while plopping down onto her bed.             I rolled my eyes. “You know my dad, Olivia. He said no, and my mom said yes. I’m sure that my mom will convince him somehow.”             “Good! Because tomorrow we are going dress shopping.”             Olivia was far different from me. She was more prevalent in school and had boys hanging onto her every word. She was a beautiful blonde with light green eyes, used to trap the poor helpless guys that clung to her. I was more of a tomboy while she was way more on the preppy side, which didn’t bother me. Olivia was more like a sister to me than anything else, and I adored her. Our differences are what made us so close. With Olivia, you never knew what to expect. Her parents were also a lot more lenient on her than my parents were with me.             “Do I have to wear a dress? I mean, I could simply go in some faded jeans and a nice top. There isn’t really a reason for me to get all dressed up. We both know that I’m not trying to impress anyone there.” We both shared a laugh together.             I laid down on the bed next to her, looking up at her ceiling full of boy band posters. “You are my date. So, yes, you have to dress up! I turned down give guys just to go with you. That means that you have to show some enthusiasm and give me a little something that I don’t normally see from you.”             “There is no point, Olivia. It will be a complete waste of money that I would much rather spend on something else. Besides, I didn’t tell you to turn down half the male population that goes to our school for me,” I said with a little bit of harshness.             Olivia sat up on her side, using her hand to rest her hand on. “Don’t be a Debbie downer.” She stopped and sighed, rolling her eyes. “Fine, you don’t have to dress up, but you do have to act like you are excited to go with me.”             The truth was that I was excited to go, but I wouldn’t tell her that. There wasn’t a whole lot of opportunity for me to leave my house, ever. If it came down to having to go to some stupid school dance to get me out of the house and around normal people for once, I would easily take it. “Okay. I will help you dress shop tomorrow. The mall is bound to have something you like in it somewhere,” I teased.             “Haha, very funny, Isabel.”             She hated when I teased her, but it was so true. Olivia couldn’t make up her mind for anything. She was so indecisive all the time, which drove me crazy. I loved her to death but standing in the mall for five hours listening to her complain about every dress she tried on was not my idea of a good time. However, the mall had an incredible music store that I have wanted to visit, so I would hold my tongue for now.             We got onto her computer and searched up some ideas that she liked for dresses. That way, we had at least an idea going into tomorrow. After three hours of non-stop searching, we took a break to eat dinner. I loved staying over here because Aunt Emily was a fantastic cook. My mom could cook too, but not nearly as good as Aunt Emily.             “How have you been, Isabel? Are you excited for school to start back?” Aunt Emily asked the minute we sat down to eat dinner.             Taking a fork full of spaghetti, I shook my head yes. I drank my water to let the noodles slide down my throat to answer her back. “Yes, and no. You know how hard mom and dad are on me when it comes to my grades. It’s just an added stress to my life going back.”             She reached across the table to hold my hand. “Your parents love you, Isabel. I know your dad isn’t always the easiest person to get along with, but he cares about you and only wants what is in your best interest.” She paused, taking a sip of her wine. “Are you going to the dance with Olivia?”             “Yeah, I think mom will talk dad into it. Olivia and I would like to go to the mall tomorrow if you wouldn’t mind taking us.”             “No, not at all!” Emily loved shopping as much as her daughter did. It was easy to see where Olivia got it from.             The rest of the dinner was uneventful. We cleaned up our plates and headed back up to Olivia’s room, and prepared to go to sleep. Tomorrow was Sunday, which would be a long day, but at least I would be able to get out of the house for a few hours before school started back. School was my only other source of freedom, which wasn’t much freedom considering I was the girl that other girls like to pick on all the time. They only seemed to do that when Olivia wasn’t around, though. I shut off the light and hopped into bed with Olivia. She talked while I halfway listened and eventually fell into a deep sleep, anticipating what tomorrow would bring.