By Your Side

"So this is what you've been doing all day, Isaac?" Mr. Lahey asked his son, who looked close to tears. Zoey squeezed Isaac's hand, attempting to comfort the shaking boy. She could feel his hands start to sweat and his breathing quicken.

"Dad, I-"

"Mr. Lahey, if I may," Zoey cut Isaac off and took a step in front of him. "This was all my idea. Isaac didn't want to but I talked him into it. Blame me, not him."

Isaac's father smiled sarcastically, his eyes angry and cold. "Is that so, Zoey?"

Zoey swallowed and gave Mr. Lahey a tight-lipped smile. "Yes, sir." Honestly, she was just as scared as Isaac. Mr. Lahey was a dangerous man, and Zoey was sure that whatever he did to Isaac, he wouldn't have any problem doing to her.

Mr. Lahey gave Zoey a once over, his blue eyes roaming her small frame. She gulped and stepped back beside Isaac, who looked like he could pass out at any second. Zoey squeezed his hand again, causing Isaac to look down at her. 'It's okay.' She mouthed to him. Isaac just shook his head and looked away.

"So," Mr. Lahey spoke up. "You wanna tell me why you decided to come here instead of school?" Zoey opened her mouth to speak but Mr. Lahey was quick to cut her off. "Not from you, sweetheart." He turned to Isaac. "Son? Care to explain?"

"I-...Dad, we just..." Isaac's was was quiet and choked. Tears brimmed his eyes and his bottom lip quivered nervously. "I was having a bad day," He whispered. "Zoey felt bad and thought we should skip...I just didn't want to go to school..."

Mr. Lahey laughed. His voice sounded like nails on a chalkboard to Zoey, and sent a chill down Isaac's spine. He stopped laughing and glared at the two teens. "I'm disappointed in you, Isaac. Come on, we're going home."

Zoey and Isaac each tensed up. "Mr. Lahey," Zoey tried to come up with an excuse, hoping to save Isaac from dealing with his abusive father. "Maybe Isaac could stay with me for the night. Uh, because my parents aren't home and-"

"You're living by yourself?" Mr. Lahey asked, an evil smile spreading across his thin lips. "You do know that's illegal, right? That I could call the police and have your parents arrested for abandonment of a child?"

Zoey scoffed. "Oh, yeah? How about I call the police and tell them about the bruises that you leave on Isaac. Or what about the broken bones and knocked out teeth?" She fired back, her turquoise eyes narrowing at the older man.

Mr. Lahey glared at her with a scowl, before a smile slithered its way to his face. "With what proof? Isaac plays lacrosse now. How do you know he doesn't get all his injuries from there? It is a rough sport, you know."

Zoey sighed and realized he was right. Isaac started playing lacrosse a couple weeks ago, and those boys were brutal. It was the perfect alibi. Mr. Lahey grinned upon seeing Zoey's defeated look. "Exactly. Now, Isaac, I suggest you say goodbye to your little friend because you won't be seeing each other. For a very, very long time."

Zoey turned to Isaac, her small hand gripping his forearm. Tears had formed in her eyes and she tried to blink them away, but it was no use. Zoey knew she had screwed up, and Isaac would be the one being punished. "Isaac, I..."

"Just stop, Zoey." He whispered, glancing down at the much smaller girl. "It's done."

Zoey's grip tightened as a tear fell down her cheek. "No, Isaac." She whimpered. "Please. I'm sorry. Please don't be mad at me."

Isaac just shook his head and gently pulled away from her. Their eyes locked and Isaac sighed. "Bye, Zoey." He whispered, before turning and trailing behind his dad, who wore a victorious smile.

Zoey stood and watched them leave, a small tear escaping her bloodshot eyes. "Bye, Isaac."

*****
One Week Later

Isaac sat at the kitchen table across from his father. He was jittery, nervous, and even a little excited. Why, you ask? He could still feel the bite mark on his side healing. The open wound was quickly sewing itself shut, and Isaac felt the blood soaking back into his skin.

Derek Hale, the town recluse and local werewolf, had found him trapped in a grave by the forklift. He had been working his shift at the cemetery and was cornered by a "beta", as Derek called it.

Afterwards, Derek spoke up about the bruise on his cheek, asking him where he got it. Isaac explained that it was a school-related injury, but Derek saw right through his lie. "Is that really what happened, Isaac?" Derek had asked with a gruff voice. Isaac shook his head, his head bowed. The werewolf gave him a knowing look and decided to give him an offer.

A better life.

All he had to do was except the bite. Isaac wasn't sure what to think, at first. Werewolves? Come on. That's impossible. There's no way those mythical mutts are real.

But Derek was patient. He explained everything to Isaac, answering every question the young teen had. And after they had finished and Isaac accepted the deal, he couldn't help but smile. Maybe things were turning up for him.

But what about Zoey? Isaac had wondered. Should I tell her? And if I did, would she even believe me? He decided to wait and cross that bridge when he came to it. He had much bigger things to worry about.

Besides, he was still pissed at Zoey for making him skip school last week, which resulted in him getting his ass kicked. She had called him a few times since then, and each time he would send it straight to voicemail. Yesterday at school she tried talking to him, but he would just ignore her long enough for her to leave with tears in her eyes. He felt guilty, yes, but he couldn't forgive her just yet.

"So, Isaac," His dad spoke up, pulling the teen from his thoughts. "Why don't you tell me about your grades?" His cold eyes gleamed at Isaac from behind the wire-framed glasses.

Isaac gulped and nervously shifted in his seat. "Um- so far it's an "A" in French and a "B" minus in Econ."

Mr. Lahey nodded and prodded at his food. "Oh. What about Chemistry?"

"I'm not sure. Uh," Isaac bit his bottom lip. "Midterms are in a few days so it could go up."

"Well, what's it at now?"

"The grade?"

Mr. Lahey chuckled sarcastically. "Uh, yeah."

"Uh," Isaac shrugged. "I'm not sure."

"But you just said it could go up." His dad pressed.

"I just," Taking a deep breath, Isaac bit into his lukewarm dinner and swallowed. "I meant generally."

Mr. Lahey dropped his fork onto the plate with a loud clatter. He leaned back into his seat, folding his arms across his chest. "You wouldn't be lying to me, would you, Isaac?"

Isaac shook his head quickly. "No."

"Then tell me your grade."

"I just told you, Dad, I don't know."

Isaac watched as his dad leaned forward, his voice a menacing whisper. "You wanna take this little conversation downstairs? No? Then tell me the grade, son."

Isaac's hands started trembling. "Dad, the semesters only half over."

"Isaac?" His dad continued, waiting for an answer.

"There's plenty of time--"

"Isaac."

The frightened teen sucked in a breath and gripped onto his fork. Nerves swam in his gut and he coughed out his response. "It's...it's a "D"."

Mr. Lahey pursed his lips and let out a heavy sigh. "All right. It's a "D". I'm not angry." Isaac's eyes widened in shock.

"You're not?" He asked quietly.

"No, of course not. You know I'm gonna have to find a way to punish you, though." Mr. Lahey said calmly. "You know, I have my responsibility as a parent. So we'll start with something simple, like, uh - Tell you what, you do the dishes and you clean up the kitchen, okay?"

Isaac blinked a few times, astonished with his dad's odd behavior. "Yeah." He replied softly, still giving his dad a worried look.

Mr. Lahey smiled, taking a sip from his cup. "Good. Because I...I'd really like to see this place spotless," He narrowed his eyes at Isaac before letting the cup fall from his fingers. The glass shattered, pieces covering the floor. "Know what I'm saying? You know? I mean this entire kitchen."

Isaac jumped from his seat and cowered against the wall as his dad ripped the plates from the table, sending them to the ground. "Yeah, absolutely spotless." Mr. Lahey grabbed a glass vase and chucked in at Isaac, sending a piece of glass into his face. "Well," The angry man sighed. "That was your fault."

"You could have blinded me!" Isaac shouted, carefully plucking the shard of glass out from below his eye. He could feel the warm blood trickling down his face.

Mr. Lahey laughed. "Shut up! It's a scratch! It's hardly even..." His voice trailed off as he gazed at his son in confusion. Isaac reached up to the cut and was surprised to feel the smooth skin of an unharmed cheek. He glanced at his dad, whose eyes were wide in surprise. Isaac quickly leaped from his position and ran out of the house, his dad calling his name from behind him.

He didn't even think to turn around, instead he jumped on his bike and peddled as hard as he could. He knew where he needed to go.

He needed to see Zoey.