Brain v. Brawn

@ diamond sword
Hearing him apologize she shook her head. "It is quite fine Ev. Thank you for slowing down though." She said softly, smiling a little. Looking at his guilty expression she reached over and gently took his hand, squeezing it lightly. This brought a bit of a blush to her face but he didn't mind.

As they reached her street she sighed softly and nodded. "You do not have to wait. I will walk. I do it daily it will be fine." She said nodding as she hopped out of the car and went inside. She did this quietly, hoping her mother wouldn't be awake. Luckily she was not so she was quickly back outside.

Seeing he was still there she rolled her eyes, a smile threatening her lips. "I told you that you did not have to wait." She spoke.

He smiled a little when she called him Ev, but paid no attention to her when she told him he didn't have to stick around. Honestly, he would probably drive her every day if she wanted. Maybe he would offer. He turned on the radio and drummed the wheel of the car to pass the time. She was back outside surprisingly quick, and they were driving back down the street.

"I'm not self-obsessed enough to just ditch you," Everett said with a smirk tugging at his lips. He wondered if she remembered that insult.

He pulled into his driveway and ran in to get his backpack. His dad was sitting at the table with a newspaper and a coffee. "Hey Everett, you'd better have fucking used a condom." Everett took a deep breath and ran up the stairs to his room. He just grabbed his backpack and stormed back outside. Everett didn't understand what he was possibly doing wrong to deserve constant verbal abuse from his dad.

He opened the car door and got inside and sat silently for a second. He reached over to Izzy and squeezed her hand kind of similar to how one squeezes a stress ball. Then he drove to the school and found parking in the student lot. They still had two minutes to get inside before the bell rang and the first passing period started.

@ diamond sword
"I suppose I said that comment before I realized you are almost as weird as me. You are just better at hiding it." She grinned with a small laugh a they stopped at his place.

When he returned from inside she could tell his dad must have said something to him. His facial expression had changed and when he squeezed her hand she could almost feel his stress. Instead of saying anything she just rubbed the back of his hand with her thumb an leaned over and kissed his cheek.

When they finally got to school she slid out of the car and headed inside with Everett. Knowing they had different first periods she glanced t him. "See you sometime later." She spoke with a nod, giving him a bit of a grin.

Everett smiled a little when she kissed him, grateful that she understood. That little bit of relief might have made it possible for him to concentrate in first period without thinking about his dad. As they walked up to the school, Everett took his glasses off and put them in his pocket.

Upon entering, Izzy had to go a different way for her first class. "Yeah, I'll see you, Iz," he said with a lopsided smile.

Everything was a blur, but he was familiar enough with the school to manage. He was a bit startled when Dennis clapped him on the shoulder. "Hey Everett," Dennis said in what he called his 'radio announcer voice'. Everett's first period was with Dennis, so they walked to the room casually. "I saw your car on my street last night," Dennis said. "Whose house is that?"

"Isabelle's," Everett said casually.

"You player," Dennis teased, as they walked into the classroom and sat in their usual seats. "But seriously that house is like, well my mom's called the cops on them before,"

Suddenly, Everett was paying attention to Dennis. "For what?" He asked quickly.

"I dunno man," Dennis said shrugging. Everett wondered what it could have been.

He looked up at the board but he couldn't see it at all. Plagued by curiosity and by lack of vision, Everett sighed. But he held his ground, and didn't put on his glasses for the whole class. The bell rang and he walked out into the hallway, moving in the direction of his second period.

@ diamond sword
Heading towards her class, she felt oddly content. Even with the not best smell around her and her hair a disheveled mess, she was happy.

As the bell rang for second period, she stopped by her locker. She knew that they had second period together, study hall. It wasn't a actual class class so you never heard Izzy put her opinion in it much. Walking in she sat in her normal spot and spread out her science notes. Not that she needed to study really, but she enjoyed it.

When she heard another person walk in she glanced over seeing Everett. She knew that he usually sat with a bunch of his friends this period. Smiling softly she nodded as he walked in and then went back to her notes, knowing he would probably rather sit with who he usually did.

Everett caught her smile and sent a grin back. He realized he had never talked to Izzy even though they'd been in the same class. Normally he tries to be friendly to everyone. But it was probably because he had a good chunk of old comrades in this period - some of them even knew how smart he really was. Jenna and Mike were clustering the desks together in the usual spot, and Everett automatically walked over and dropped his bag.

But before he sat and joined them, he walked over to Izzy and swung a seat next to her desk. "You busy?" He asked, scanning his eyes over the notes.

He blinked, the teacher in front was yelling at Mike already for being too loud. Obviously nothing was taught in study hall, but they still had to be monitored. The teacher changed on a daily basis. Everett and his group of friends thought this guy was definitely the worst. Everett hadn't even realized it was him today, probably because he couldn't see his face at all.

Brittany strolled in, applying lipstick as she took her spot in their group. Everett looked at Izzy and rolled his eyes. "You can come over if you want," he said. "But I understand if you don't," he added.

Everett didn't think the group across the room was the type Izzy liked to be around. Mike roared with laughter as Brittany sat on the whoopee cushoin he had slipped onto her seat. Everett chuckled and looked up at Izzy.

@ Beautiful Misery

@ diamond sword
Izzy continued looking at her notes, some not even really school related, just about science in general. She had a habit of printing things she found interesting and keeping them all in different folders and looking them over when she had free time.

When she noticed someone sit with her she glanced up, her eyes meeting Everett's. "Oh I am not busy. But did you know that the smallest bone found in the human body is located in the middle ear. The staples, or stirrup, bone is only 2.8 millimetres long." She spoke with a grin.

"No no. I do not fit in with those people. You do however and I will not waste anymore of your time with my.. Weird facts." She said with a nod but then added,"but we can associate later if you are not tired of me yet."

When he laughed about the little prank one of his friends had pulled she had a confused look. That wasn't very funny to her but her sense of humor was different. Much different than those in her school.

The corners of Everett's mouth lifted into a smile as she told him about the smallest bone. "Your femur is your largest bone," he said softly. "The one right here," he added - though he was positive she already knew - simply so he could touch her thigh lightly.

"Fact number one," Everett said, leaning back in his chair, "Your facts are weird but that's awesome." Everett grinned. "Fact number two, I currently have no reason to believe that I'll ever get tired of you, Izzy."

He stood up and returned the chair he had been sitting in to the desk it belonged to. Before he went over to his friends, he looked into Izzy's eyes, wishing he could see them clearly. "Fact number three, my back aches because I didn't sleep in a bed." He grinned and drummed his fingers on her desk.

"Text me, alright?" He said, but he didn't wait for an answer. He sauntered over to his friends and slid into the circle, morphing his personality. Everett swiftly switched his mind from nerdy and sweet to jock. Both sides were natural for him - but they didn't belong together.

@ diamond sword
Izzy glanced at him and the. His hand before back to him again, a smile playing with her lips until they twisted into a smile.

"Yes. They can be awesome I suppose." She said followed by an eyeroll with his second comment. "You have only acknowledged my existence yesterday. Something will come up eventually. Many are put off by me in one way or another." She said with a shrug.

"Considering a hard ground hits certain pressure points in the back, it is no surprise your back Is aching. Mine is slightly. As is my hand." She said flashing it towards him with a small laugh. "It must be my souvenir from the night."

When he finally spoke his last word and morphed back with his friends she studied him. She couldn't help, but she did eves drop a bit. He wasn't speaking the exact same as he had last night. It was like he spoke to her yesterday at school.

After that she slowly began to see a different side of him. It was so intelligent, sweet, but now that part of him was put off to the side. Only to be replaced by humor she didn't get and other things that were normal for most just not for her.

When second period ended, he flashed Izzy a grin. He was going to walk with her but she went the opposite way from the direction he needed to go when they left the classroom. Everett simply shrugged it off and went to his locker.

"Heyy Everett,"

Everett's brain snapped to attention at the sound of his name, but he didn't dare show it. He turned around almost drowsily, smiling politely to the girl walking up to him. It was Cindy, one of the girls he met yesterday. Everett rarely forgot a name or even the face it belonged to - but he often played like he did. "Hey, um," he said slowly, waiting for her to fill in the gap.

Sure enough, she did. "I'm Cindy," she said with a soft smile. "I was wondering if you would like to um, hang out or something, yeah?" She giggled. The two different sides of his personality offered two very different answers.

Everett's brain bounced around as he struggled with the right answer. "Yeah maybe, we get a break from football today."

He walked with Cindy to her next class because his next class was right next door. After that, the rest of the day was a blur - literally. Everett continued to tap his pocket to double check that his glasses were there, although he didn't put them on. When the final bell rang, Everett walked slowly towards the front, hoping he would catch a glimpse of Izzy. He thought he would stick to his offer and drive her home.

@ diamond sword
Gathering her things, she gave a small nod to Everett and then headed to class.

She couldn't get over how easy he switched personalities. Was who he was with her yesterday really him or was he only messing with her. She knew some things in her nature could come off as naive but she was intelligent. Putting things together was easy for her and right now, the pieces she was putting together of Everett weren't the best.

Shaking her head she turned on her hell after grabbing her things from her locker and headed back down the hallway. She saw Everett on the way with Cindy. Izzy was a listener and hearing him kind of make plans with someone else, her puzzle of him was forming again.

She wasn't a mean girl and emotions weren't an easy thing for her. Clearing her head of last nights events, she walked with head held high a the last bell rang.

Her science club meeting had been cancelled due to the teacher getting sick so she was going straight for the door however she did see Everett. Sighing softly, she kept the same speed, not too fast not too slow. Secretly she hoped he couldn't see her since her refused to wear his glasses due to fear of others judgement which izzy found infuriating.

Everett wished he was heading to the locker room for practice. Days where he didn't work for a few good solid hours on the field left him restless and energetic, similar to a child whose sugar intake was not monitored. He simply didn't know what to do with all the extra energy. To relax and clear his mind he would normally go for a run on days without football.

In his head he was already planning his running route, but his poor eyes were busy scanning the crowd. Finally he saw her - or at least he thought he did. He wouldn't know until he got closer...yes. It was Izzy. "Hey, Iz," he called, catching up to her. His phone buzzed annoyingly against his leg and he reached into his pocket and turned it to silent.

Something seemed to be bothering Izzy. Her face looked confused, something he had never expected to see. Everett wondered she could possibly be thinking about that was bugging her. He raised his eyebrow curiously, but said nothing about it.

Everett pulled his keys out and spun them around his finger. "Do you want a ride?" He offered, as they exited the building. "I mean if you prefer walking, be my guest."

@ diamond sword
Feeling Everett's presence close to her and hearing him she glanced his way. Looking him over carefully, she could almost physically see his personality switch as he began talking to her. There was a reason he did this she knew but izzy also had her reasons as to why she never got close to anyone. No one was a a they seemed and disappointed easily.

"No thank you. I will be fine with my walk." She replied shortly. "I'm sure you have other tasks to do anyways. Goodbye."

And with a nod of the head and the slight quickening of her pace, she was headed down the sidewalk towards her house.

She wasn't being rude, only how she always was. She tried to convince herself it was Everett's fault though really it wasn't. Deep down it was only hers.

She kept people out and with how last night with Everett had gone, she knew if she ever spent anymore time with him he would get too close and one of them would end up hurt. She didn't wAnt that.

Everett was honestly surprised when she said no. He thought that they were, well, at least friends. He had simply offered to drive her home, nothing more. For a minute he felt bitter, perhaps because Izzy had depth. He couldn't expect her to say yes in a heartbeat like some other girl. She was different.

He sighed softly as she walked away, inadvertently slipping back into the person he didn't like to be. He looked over at the underclassmen climbing onto buses for just a second when he caught Cindy waving. He smiled automatically and raised his hand in response without even thinking.

He turned away from the school and walked to his car just trying not to think anything at all. Everett hated his tendency to over-analyze situations. Everett got into the car, clarity rushing in all around him when he put his glasses on, relaxation rushing through him when his foot sank down on the gas pedal.

When he got home, he was met with another unpleasant surprise. His dad's car sat in the driveway. That's when Everett remembered he hadn't come home last night, and he probably faced the wrath of two unhappy parents. He parked and went inside, but when he wasn't instantly confronted, he slipped up to his room.

Everett soared through his homework and put on a tank and shorts, heading outside. He hadn't gotten the chance to plan a route, but he figured he would be able to find his way home if he stuck to familiar roads. Sometimes Everett wished he didn't have an ounce of intelligence in his brain. He felt life would be so much simpler. He hated the intricacy that he forced upon himself.

He ran until he couldn't think anymore, and then he ran home.

Sweaty and smelly, when he walked inside he stripped his shirt and went upstairs to shower, grateful that apparently his parents weren't out to bite his head off. Or at least not yet. He went to his room and opened his phone, checking his texts.

@ diamond sword
As she finally made it home, being that she did take the long way, a few things came to her. The biggest one being the guilt she felt. She had declined his ride. It wasn't a big deal really, but for some odd reason Izzy had felt bad about it. Maybe she was just analyzing him too hard. He ha reasons as to why he did what he did and she shouldn't judge, only try to understand.

Going towards her room with thoughts clouding her brain she hadn't heard her mom walking behind her. She did know though when she was jerked back by her arm and met with an all too familiar slap to the face, harder than usual unfortunately.

"With everything that this family is going through, you can't even bother to tell me where you go and then never come home!" Her mother yelled.

Usually izzy could ignore it but at this moment, she was finding it difficult to hold everything in.

"I am sorry mother. You usually do not care anyways so why bother?" Her tone sounding bratty but she was only stating it the best way she knew how.

"Ungrateful bitch. Michael and Alexandria should be alive. Not you." She snapped and that was all it took.

Izzy didn't snap or hit or anything. She simply walked away, out of the house. She began down the street, not sure where she was headed but she couldn't be in that house right now. Her cheek was stinging and red but she ignored it. She wasn't crying yet though. She hadn't shed a tear in a long time. Even after her siblings death she only cried once. After that she banned emotion and this was all she was now.

Without thinking she pulled out her phone and dialed Everett's number.

Everett cleverly dodged Cindy's proposals for a while, but finally he agreed to get ice cream with her. He would bring Dennis because he didn't want Cindy thinking it was a date.

He went to the bathroom and hopped in the shower. When he got out, he put contacts in, blinking and staring at his reflection in the mirror. He threw on shorts and one of his many school spirit shirts. He was looking for one of his shoes when his phone rang on his desk.

He walked over and looked at it nonchalantly, thinking it was nothing important. When he read Izzy's name on the screen he bit his lip and picked it up off the desk. He couldn't think of any reason for her to call. He debated answering, but finally decided he was not going to be rude.

"Hey Izzy," he said, blinking as his personality switched. Everett headed downstairs, locating his shoe and putting it on. "What's up?"

@ diamond sword
"Hey Everett. I wanted to apologize for not accepting your ride earlier. I have been feeling quite rude because of it." She spoke with a nod.

She tried to keep her voice even and normal but if you listened carefully you could tell she was on the verge of tears.

"I know you said to text, but calling seemed quite easier at this point of time. C-can we meet up somewhere?" She asked, her voice breaking a little on the can but she hoped he didn't notice.

Izzy really needed someone to be around, and she didn't have a Wide choice when it came to friends.

"No no, don't worry about it," Everett said casually. He thought he could hear a difference in her voice. Something was not quite right.

He listened more closely when she spoke again, which confirmed his suspicions. Something was definitely wrong. His best guess was something had happened when she had gone home - but he didn't know her well enough to even think of possibilities of what could have gone down. Everett bit his lip when she stumbled over her words.

At first, Everett felt guilty for canceling on Cindy, but after some thought he didn't really feel bad about that at all. He could tell Izzy needed him.

"Yes, of course we can, where are you? I'll come get you." When Izzy told him what street she was on, he went out to his car and started it. "I'll be there in a few, Iz," he assured her.

On his way there, he called Cindy and told her that they could get ice cream tomorrow instead. When she asked why, Everett lied smoothly, saying that he had forgotten he had a test to study for.

Everett spotted Izzy walking and pulled over next to her.

"Holy shit," he said as she got in the car, reaching out to touch the red hand print on her cheek.

@ diamond sword
When the phone line went dead, Izzy stuck it back in her pocket, walking a bit farther but still staying on the same street.

She could usually ignore her mother, but not this time. Izzy always knew she loved Michael and Alexandria more. She had just never been told that she should have died instead.

Michael was the oldest and the perfect kid. The right amount of intelligence and athletics and a great personality.

Alexandria was the youngest. She was always babied, but never was a brat about it.

Then izzy was just.. There. She had never been a favorite of her mothers. Only her dads. But now that her mom had gone completely insane, he couldn't deal with it anymore and now Izzy had to deal with it all alone.

When he arrived and she got in, she shook her head at his reaction.

"It looks much worse than it feels. It will only be a slight bruise. Nothing I haven't had before." She spoke with a shrug, looking down. She was absent mindly playing with her fingers, not sure what else to say.