Not in Love With Kale Eddison - Joanne McClean

... not in love with Kale Eddison

Joanne McClean

This novel is entirely a work of fiction. The names, characters and incidents portrayed in it are the work of the author’s imagination. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events or localities is entirely coincidental.

Published by Joanne McClean at Smashwords Copyright © Joanne McClean 2010

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Smashwords Edition, License Notes This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. If you are reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please return to Smashwords.com and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.

Ok, before I get to all the thanks for those important people, I just want to say that this book is dedicated to my Granny Dunn … she inspired one of the characters in this book and even though she is gone, she is not forgotten and is still missed … everyday of my life.

Ok, where to start? Thank you Mum and Dad … I got my creativity from somewhere in the genes, so thanks for being the reason that my head is constantly buzzing with new ideas. Thanks Paula, without you to correct the grammar and punctuation etc. etc. I’d be totally lost! Also, for a being a pain in the ass and always asking me how my next idea is coming along … it makes me even more determined to see it through! Caroline, thanks for all the encouragement and support you have given me when I have been ready to give up … and also for continuing to want to read my drivel! Allison, thanks for being you … I find a lot of my characters’ traits being based on you! Also, thanks for having an influence on my sense of humour … I do try my best when writing! A few other mentions … Rylee my adorable wee nephew, Richard – my great brother-in-law and Barry – my future brother-in-law … you probably don’t realise it but you have the power to give me a little ego-boost when I need it most! Ok, and last but not least … all those family and friends that have supported me from my first novel … you all inspire me to keep going.

And finally, again, thanks to you for choosing this book … I hope you like it!

Foreword

Meet Izzie Frank; seventeen years old, typical high school pupil who juggles schoolwork with a part-time job and detests people who get it too easy in life, daughter to housewife Maggie and shop-owner Isaac Frank and granddaughter to Charlotte Frank – Granny Frank; who to quote is ‘Frank by name, Frank by nature’.

Now meet Kale Eddison; eighteen years old, actor who has never been to high school in his life, son to singer Olivia Benson and director Victor Eddison and has been earning millions since he was three years old; he has everything he ever wanted … and at the same time, he doesn’t.

What do you think happens when these two meet and their worlds collide?

Chapter One

“Dad, how can you expect me to get good A-Level grades when you want me to work practically every hour in the day?” Izzie Frank was pissed off; her shoulder-length red hair was sticking up all over the place – no doubt from all the frustrated tugging – and her normally pale face was very red; her green eyes narrowed in a bad temper. “Honey, I just need an extra hand ‘cause Seth called in sick – that too much to ask?” Isaac shook his head at his daughter; he really did admire her fiery temper at times – just not now. Izzie stormed off and began stacking the shelves with the new order of books that had just arrived. She was in a really bad mood; she knew she shouldn’t take it out on her father but she felt like if she didn’t vent her anger, she’d explode. Izzie just couldn’t believe the nerve Stacey Johnson had at school today; how dare she say that Izzie’s ideas on the upcoming Formal were useless – and especially in front of Jake Greenberg! She was furious when Stacey had announced this at the Committee meeting earlier this afternoon; she had made her look really stupid in front of Jake – the school hottie, of all people! Izzie shook her head to clear her thoughts and resumed stacking the shelf marked ‘K – M’. After all the new books had been put in their rightful place, Izzie took over at the till. She looked at her watch 5.30pm, another half hour and then she would be free to do whatever she wanted. She smiled to herself and grinned even more broadly when the bell above the door tinkled announcing the arrival of a new costumer … in the form of Jake. Izzie wiped the loony smile off her face and tried to look like she actually was sane. Jake meandered around the stacks of books and Izzie watched him make his way to the ‘Teenage’ section – she was very shocked at this; surely a guy who had turned eighteen over the summer didn’t read those childish books? There were all aimed at readers whose average age was fourteen. Jake selected one and made his way up to Izzie, his wallet in hand. Izzie smiled at him politely while she noticed the juvenile comic book in his hand; she didn’t know if she should think that was sweet or really worrying. She settled for an uninterested look and scanned the book through the till. “That’ll be five pounds please.” Jake riffled through the wad of notes, extracted a ten pound note and handed it to Izzie with a look of recognition on his face. “Hey, you’re Isobel aren’t you?” he smiled at her briefly as she nodded. “Yeah, it’s Izzie. Um, here’s your change.” she handed him the money and he looked at her intently again. “You were at the meeting today weren’t you? You had all those ideas, right?” “Yeah but Stacey wasn’t shy about letting me know she hated them. Why, what did you think?” she smiled at him and he looked taken aback. “Oh well, we all have to agree in the end, don’t we?” he avoided her eye and looked uncomfortable. Izzie was confused, he really was very hard to understand; one minute he was interested and the next he couldn’t get away fast enough. “Yeah, I suppose so …” “Well, I gotta go, see ya.” Jake hurriedly left the shop, leaving Izzie feeling really puzzled. After work, Izzie left the shop with her father and he dropped her off at the local café. She waved him off and ran inside to meet to her best friend, Madison Herring – Maddie. Izzie shook the rain from her hair and sat down opposite her friend. “You will never guess who was in the shop just now.” Izzie told Maddie very dramatically. “Who?” Maddie asked, tucking her long, curly black hair behind her ear and listening intently. “Jake Greenberg.” Izzie beamed but Maddie gave her friend a disapproving look. “So? You really still hung up on him? He’s the school hottie Iz … and he doesn’t even pay you attention. Why do you waste your time?” Izzie felt hurt at her words but she couldn’t deny they were true; it was as if she didn’t exist to him – in fact, she had been very surprised he had known her name earlier. She shrugged it off as she noticed the magazine Maddie had been reading, ‘Teen Weekly’. It was Izzie’s turn to give her friend a disapproving look. She lifted the magazine and waved it at Maddie, “Speaking of wasting time … why were you reading this rubbish?” Maddie rolled her eyes, “It’s not a crime, besides it was already here … I was passing time until you arrived.” Izzie raised her eyebrows, “Uh huh, so the fact that there’s Kale Eddison on the cover with an exclusive interview has nothing to do with it?” Maddie blushed and shook her head ferociously, “No! I – there – ok yeah, I was reading it because of him.” she admitted reluctantly. Izzie laughed, “I knew it! Why do you follow this guy obsessively? I mean anything with his face, you buy it! You don’t even know him, he’s a world famous actor … come on, the odds that you would meet him are slim to none.” Maddie nodded, “I know, I know but come on, how can you resist those baby blues and messy sandy hair, not to mention that tall, tanned and toned physique?” She sighed and there was a dreamy look on her face.

Izzie rolled her eyes, “Yeah, like he’s even like that in reality. He’s probably airbrushed and told what to say … besides, he can’t even act that well.” Maddie looked scandalised, “Hold your tongue Ms Frank! Let’s just forget the ‘boy talk’ and get down to ‘Mr Rowntree’s English essay talk’, huh?” Izzie agreed, “Fine, fine. What you got?”

After the girls had traded pointers for their essays, Maddie drove Izzie home; the rain was very heavy now. “See you at school,” Izzie shouted back at the car as she ran inside the house. She took off her soaking coat and walked by the living room; her parents sat watching T.V. along with her grandmother. “Hey guys, hey Gran, I’m going for a shower and then bed - so goodnight.” They all nodded their heads in acknowledgement; too engrossed in the programme to say anything. Izzie sighed and made her way upstairs to the bathroom, she thought about what Maddie had said about Jake; she was right, she really needed to get over him. She shook her head, trying to clear her thoughts and once she had put her damp clothes into the laundry basket, she jumped into the shower. When she had changed into her pyjamas, Izzie sat at her computer and checked her emails. She shot down a couple of pop-ups after seeing Kale Eddison’s face with a dramatic headline one too many times and wearily clicked open an email from Stacey; it was what she had been dreading. Stacey had emailed her with a list of demands and tasks for the Formal; they ranged from small ones like - ‘make sure the balloons are delivered on that morning’ - to much bigger ones like; ‘book the band!’ That last one was going to be a bit of a problem; the band that everyone had finally agreed on had set a deadline – because there was such a long waiting list, they needed to have booked them by last Friday … and today was Tuesday! Izzie rubbed her eyes wearily and yawned; she would have to figure something out later, at least she had a good eight months to do something. Sighing, she turned off her computer and got into bed; maybe everything would be solved by the morning.

The next morning, Izzie got up and after getting dressed; she made her way to the kitchen and made some coffee for herself. She yawned and poured out a second cup when she heard the familiar shuffle of her grandmother’s slippers. “Hey Gran, want some coffee?” Izzie handed her the cup and smiled at Granny Frank; she was dressed in her finery; navy linen trousers and a longsleeved pale pink blouse and her white hair was curled to perfection. Her grandmother took the cup gratefully and smiled, “Is that a rhetorical question? You look tired, you ok?” Izzie stifled a yawn, “Yep, just school and planning the formal and stuff.” Granny Frank smiled, “Ok, but isn’t that way in May? All I’m saying is don’t push yourself too hard. See you later dear.” Izzie nodded, “I know, and yeah it is but they like to plan these things way in advance! I’ll see you later.” She made her way to her car and she pulled up outside Hartside High a little while later. Maddie was waiting for her by the locker and she looked very happy about something. Izzie strolled up to her and began to pack her bag. “What are you looking so chipper about?” Izzie studied her friend’s face carefully. Maddie grinned widely, “Didn’t you hear? Oh my God it’s so exciting! Kale Eddison wants to finish his final year of education in an actual school … what if it’s ours?” Izzie rolled her eyes, “Come on Maddie, there’s like hundreds of schools … what makes you think he would come to ours?” Maddie looked at her dazedly, “You never know, it could happen.” “Yeah, don’t count on it, come on, we’ll be late for class.” Izzie shut her locker and made her way along the corridor.

Chapter Two

“Come on honey, why do you want to go to high school when you can finish out your final year with your private tutor. It won’t interrupt your filming or anything and there won’t be the paparazzi following your every move. Think about it Kale.” Olivia pleaded with her son, trying to make him see sense. “Mother, I want to do this; I’ve never had a shred of normalcy in my life. Please let me have one year of a normal high school experience. Let me do this.” Kale gave his mother a serious look; he wanted this more than anything in the world. He was fed up of making fluffy films, fed up of being constantly under the watch of photographers; he wanted to go to an actual school. Olivia gave a defeated sigh, “Ok but I still don’t get why you want you to do this, when the paparazzi find out they’ll be all over this. You know that right?” Kale nodded, “Yeah but I’ll comply; I’ll even tell them where it is I’m attending. They’ll get their scoop and then they’ll give up eventually; they always do. It’s not like I’ll be doing anything remotely newsworthy other than going to high school – what’s so exciting about that?” Olivia looked at her son carefully, “Ok, you’re eighteen – an adult – I guess you can do what you want. Now, where have you decided on?” Kale grinned, “Hartside High, it’s about twenty minutes from the house we have in Ireland and I start on Friday.” Olivia nearly choked, “What? That gives us today to pack and then we have to travel over there! Are you really sure about this?” Kale looked at his mother sheepishly, “Yeah, that’s the thing, I want to do this on my own. Besides, I know you and Dad have to stay here in America – your work is here. I was hoping that you’d let me go on my own.” Olivia was ready to have a coronary now, “What? You, on your own … are you crazy? You’re eighteen years old, you can’t look after yourself.” Kale scoffed, “Come on, you just said I was an adult … time to start treating me like one.” Olivia mulled this over, “Ok, one condition though …” “Name it.” Kale grinned at his mother. “Your assistant goes with you, when the paparazzi get all over this; you’ll need someone to help, agreed?” Kale nodded, “Done but as long as she stays at home and doesn’t attend with me.” Olivia pondered this for a moment, “Fine, I’ll tell Alicia to make arrangements so that you’ll not be hounded by journalists when you arrive at the school but she’s not to attend with you – happy?” Kale grinned, “Yep, I suppose I better go and pack then.” He smiled to himself and started making plans to pack and arrange his arrival into Ireland.

Chapter Three

Izzie woke up on Thursday morning with a headache; Maddie had called her last night and squealed loudly down the phone until Izzie had pleaded with her to shut up and tell her what was wrong. “Maddie, what the heck is wrong?” Izzie had asked her, very annoyed at her friend for being so loud. “Oh my God, Izzie! Oh my God! I can’t believe it … I still can’t take it in. You will never guess what I have just found out?” Maddie had babbled down the phone. Izzie had yawned; it had been very late and she hadn’t had the time or patience to play games. “What … how to deafen your friend in one-easy step?” Maddie had sighed, “Very funny … this is no time for your sarcasm Ms Frank – Kale Eddison is coming to our school!” “What do you mean he’s coming to our school? For what … to make a speech – teach drama … what? Just tell me, even though I don’t really care … as long as it will stop you from squealing again.” Maddie had gotten very hysterical then, “He’s joining our school!” Izzie had snapped out of her sleepy daze at those particular words, “What? Why? Oh for the love of God – ours? Why?” Maddie had sounded angry, “Izzie, we are so lucky! Out of all the schools in the world … he picked ours. Who knew – Kale Eddison attending Hartside High!” Izzie had then listened to her friend drone on for ages until she finally told Maddie she needed to sleep. Today, however, Izzie’s headache was a reminder of the day ahead … and the events that would come to pass. She groaned and seriously considered skipping school altogether but she knew she had to go; she needed to – if she wanted to pass her A-Levels. Izzie got up and headed to the bathroom; she looked at her reflection in the mirror above the sink, she noted the bags under her eyes and made a mental note to kill Maddie later. After she had dressed and ate some breakfast, she made her way to school; she knew it would be mental today – Kale’s arrival tomorrow meant that everyone was going to be going bananas about everything; making sure the school was clean, making sure everybody was welcoming etc. etc. She rolled her eyes as she passed a group of fellow students gossiping madly and wondering if they should take extra care getting ready tomorrow morning in case they were photographed by the paparazzi. Maddie was waiting by the lockers as usual but Izzie noticed that she seemed more alert than any other morning. “So, let me guess … you didn’t sleep at all last night, did you? You were so excited you couldn’t fall asleep and you’ve had like eight cups of coffee this morning to stop you from falling asleep during class … am I right?” Maddie’s eye twitched and she shook her head, looking guilty, “No, of course not, I – oh ok – but I only had five if you must know.” Izzie shook her head in disbelief, “You truly have gone mad, you know that?” She grabbed her bag and made her way to English Class as the bell rang, Maddie followed a few paces behind; Izzie sighed, ‘Boy it’s going to be a long day,’ she thought.

Izzie had been right, the school had been manic; everyone just couldn’t wait for Kale’s arrival. She, on the other hand, couldn’t have cared less; he was just a famous actor who got paid way too much money while she struggled with her minimum wage pay to save for University. She really detested people like him and seemed to be the only person who was not looking forward to his arrival. Maddie, meanwhile, was practically giddy at the prospect of breathing the same air as him, never mind meeting him. Izzie was so glad that she was now on her way home but it also meant that she would have to endure the same thing all over again tomorrow – and it would probably be even worse. She sighed and parked her car behind her father’s Golf and went inside the house. “Hey Mum,” Izzie walked into the kitchen to find her mother cooking dinner, “What’s for dinner?” Her mother turned around, a spaghetti sauce stain on her apron and a bit of pasta was stuck in her hair. “Oh hi honey, how was school?” Izzie laughed as she pulled the pasta from her mother’s hair, “Oh you know, the usual.” “Thanks,” said her mother and she turned back to the saucepan that was in danger of boiling over. “Well that’s not what I hear dear, word is that that famous actor is joining your school.” Izzie rolled her eyes, “Yeah and I’m soooo excited,” she told her mother sarcastically. “I take it from your lack of enthusiasm you aren’t.” her mother frowned at her. Izzie sighed, “Everyone just seems to be falling all over themselves to impress him but I just don’t feel the need to.” she shrugged and her mother gave her a ‘whatever’ kind of smile and turned back to the pasta.

Izzie left her school stuff upstairs and decided to get started on her homework; dinner wasn’t going to be ready for another half hour at the most. She extracted her English Literature folder from her bag and started to plan out her essay on Shakespeare’s ‘Hamlet’. She really didn’t get a lot done since her thoughts kept straying to Jake; she really knew she should stop dwelling on him but she couldn’t – it’s not like she had a chance but there was something about him … he just didn’t seem like a dumb rugby player. She chastised herself for thinking about his curly blonde hair and tanned physique; you really could tell he played a lot of sports since he was extremely well-built. Izzie shook her head, trying to shake those thoughts out of her head in the process, as she heard her mother call that dinner was ready. She sat and picked at her spaghetti, not really paying attention to what her parents were talking about until she heard her father say her name. “Izzie, did you hear me?” Izzie had been sitting with her elbow on the table and her head resting on her fist, she sat up straight when her father spoke to her. “Sorry, I was thinking about my homework, what did you say?” Her father sighed, “I wanted to know if you could work the 3 to 6 shift tomorrow? It would really help a lot.” Izzie tried not to look peeved off, “No that’s ok, I’m out of school at 3 but I’ll be there just after it.” Her father nodded, satisfied with her answer and she went back to her cold spaghetti. She pushed it around the plate for another five minutes and then excused herself, saying she really needed to get stuck into her school work. As soon as she was in her room, she flopped onto her bed, ‘There really has to be more to life than this’ she thought miserably. Little did she know what was coming her way.

Izzie woke up absurdly early the next morning, she groaned as she realised it was Friday. Normally she would have been very happy that it was the start of the weekend but today it just meant it was the start of her final year stuck with a superficial famous actor. She rolled over and willed herself to get up; she really needed to get ready if she didn’t want to be late. However, she dozed off again and only woke when Grandma Frank walked by her room and yelled into her. “Izzie, you do know you have school in forty-five minutes?” Izzie bolted upright and quickly got out of bed. Fifteen minutes later and Izzie was dressed but still running a little late; it was clear she wasn’t going to make it there for 9 o’clock. She didn’t really mind, Kale would be no doubt causing a fuss she didn’t want to get caught in the middle of. She took her time eating her cereal and then got into her car at 8.55am and pulled out of the driveway to make her way to Hartside. There was quite a bit of traffic on the road, she rolled down her window - it was still quite mild for October – and turned up the radio; she was feeling very relaxed now knowing that she would miss Kale’s grand and – most likely - dramatic entrance. Izzie hummed along with the song – Snow Patrol’s ‘Open Your Eyes’ – as she pulled into the last parking space and grabbed her bag before she started to rush towards the school. However, she had just reached the entrance door when a voice behind yelled, “Hey, hold the door please!” She did as she was told and saw the person the voice belonged to approach her. “Thanks, I was afraid there was some sort of lock on it so I couldn’t get in.” Izzie looked up at the speaker, rolled her eyes and walked on in without saying anything. She heard footsteps behind her and turned to find he had chased after her. “Hey, you took off so fast I didn’t get to introduce myself.” Izzie smirked, “I know who you are thanks, Kale.” she said the last word with great dislike. Kale looked at this girl he didn’t know and was quite stunned; what had he done that caused this girl to look at him with such loathing? He recovered from this shock when she made to walk off again. “Hey! Why do you keep doing that? What is your problem?” Kale grabbed her arm and Izzie spun around. “Hey, watch the hands buddy! What do you want?” Izzie was really beginning to get very angry at Kale; she really didn’t know why but she was. Kale reeled back, “Wow, thanks for such a friendly welcome, I must say,” he spat sarcastically and then he caught himself on; he really had better manners than that. He let go of her arm and flashed his best award-winning smile. “I’m sorry, can we start again? I was running late and I seem to have taken it out on you, sorry. Anyway, as you seem to know, I’m Kale Eddison and your name is …” Izzie rolled her eyes; she guessed he wasn’t that bad – as a matter of fact he was actually better looking in real-life than he looked in magazines; his eyes were a clear, bright baby blue colour and his sandy hair was darker than it looked in magazines. He was also a lot taller than Izzie expected (well over six foot) and he was dressed in dark jeans, a blue shirt with a black leather jacket and black boots. Izzie took a minute to focus her thoughts, “Sorry, guess we both were taking our lateness out on the wrong people. I’m Izzie, Izzie Frank, it’s nice to meet you.” Kale grinned, “Hi Izzie, great to meet you. Now would you mind if I troubled you as to where I should go to find the Main Office?”

Izzie laughed, “Jeez, no need to be oh-so polite. Sure I’ll show you, come on.”

They both set off down the corridor, Kale trying to think of something to say to break the awkward silence. “So, how long you lived here? It seems pretty nice.” Izzie laughed humourlessly, “Yeah, it’s really fun! Na, seriously, it’s not that bad. I’ve lived here my whole life but I’m ready to leave when this year’s over, you know.” Kale nodded, “Yeah, I know what you mean; I couldn’t wait to get out of Hollywood.” Izzie was surprised at this, “Why? I’d love to live there – it looks really amazing.” Kale looked at her with sadness in his eyes, “Yeah it may seem like that but trust me, it isn’t. Everyone is so false and it’s all just a big competition as to who can get the most money for movie roles and stuff not to mention the paparazzi chasing your every move.” “Mmm, so how’d you escape them today?” Izzie asked; actually finding that she was genuinely curious. Kale shook his head, “My assistant’s taken care of it. Anyway, enough about me, I want to hear more about you.” he flashed her another blinding smile. Izzie raised her eyebrows at him, a look of slight amusement mixed with anger on her face, “You really think you can charm me like you do your supermodel girlfriends? Please, give me some credit. Do you expect me to go all gooey-eyed over you saying the overly-clichéd line of ‘I want to hear more about you’? Wow, you really are original, anyway here’s the office, goodbye.” Izzie pointed to the heavy wooden door with ‘Principal’s Office’ marked on it and walked away before Kale could retort anything back. Kale stood and watched Izzie saunter off; he didn’t know whether to be annoyed or amused at her comments. He shook his head in disbelief; he thought he might have been on the road to actually making his first friend but it didn’t seem that way now; he shrugged to himself as he knocked on the door and went inside.

Izzie was half-way down the corridor when she felt remorse; she really shouldn’t have been so nasty to him but he just seemed to bring the worst out in her. She tried to think of something else as she entered the English Literature classroom and mumbled an excuse to Mr Mason. She took her seat beside Maddie and took out her things; she was going to force herself to focus on something that was actually important and not to do with Kale Eddison and the infuriation he caused her. Half-way into the lesson, Maddie pushed a folded piece of paper over to Izzie. She took it and checked Mr Mason wasn’t looking before she opened it.

Why do you look so distracted? What happened to you this morning? Oh and did you hear … Kale never showed this morning.

Izzie shook her head at Maddie, rolled her eyes and started to write her reply.

Writing notes during class Madd? What are we ten? Anyway, I’ll humour you … I am not distracted! - Ok maybe I am but it was because I was running late and it was all because of your Mr Eddison as a matter of fact. God he really is as irritating as I thought he would be!

Izzie shoved the note back and watched Maddie’s expression go from neutral to completely shell-shocked the further she read down the page; she really hoped Maddie wouldn’t squeal in delight like she usually did when Kale was mentioned. She watched her scribble furiously and practically lob it at Izzie’s head to get her attention. Izzie took it and was about to open it when the bell rang, she pocketed it and packed her bag along with Maddie and then headed out the door towards the Drama room; their next class. “I’ll read it when Ms Belson isn’t looking, I promise.” Izzie told her before Maddie could interrogate her as they walked along. Maddie stared at her incredulously, “Erm hello? I can’t wait that long! What did you think we were going to talk about on the way to Drama?” Izzie sighed exasperatedly, “Oh come on Maddie, I really don’t want to dwell on my unpleasant encounter with Mr Eddison anymore than necessary. Let’s just save it for the written word shall we?” Maddie knew by the look on Izzie’s face that it was case closed. She dropped it and made small talk about going to the cinema tonight. Izzie agreed to go as long as it wasn’t a Kale Eddison film – Maddie said it wasn’t. They were just deciding on a time as they walked through the door to the Drama room and took the seats farthest from Ms Belson; she was an elderly lady who tended to shout a lot due to her bad hearing and they both refused to have headaches by the end of the class. While Ms Belson called out the names on the register, Izzie read Maddie’s reply.

I know it’s really childish, so sue me! Anyway, what do you mean Kale is the reason you were late? What happened? I thought he didn’t turn up today … how come you met him? Oh I’m jealous - I’d loved to have met him first. You’re so lucky! But what’s this about ‘unpleasant’? Hello?? It’s KALE EDDISON! How could breathing the same air as him and actually having a conversation with him be so horrible? Have you gone completely mad?!

Izzie shook her head and was about to jot something back when all the girls in the class squealed … Kale Eddison had just walked in. He smiled at them and walked over to Ms Belson who looked like all her birthdays had come at once; Izzie watched how she unashamedly checked her reflection in the mirror behind him and smoothed down her short grey hair while tugging down her knitted cardigan and straightening out her long skirt. “Oh, this is a pleasant surprise Mr Eddison - are you here to demonstrate your extraordinary talents to us?” she grinned at him and Izzie saw he looked a little scared of this crazy old lady. “Erm no Ms Belson, isn’t it? No, this is my second period class according to this timetable they gave me.” he waved the sheet of paper at her and she inspected it closely with her thick spectacles perched on the end of her nose. “Oh indeed you’re right – though it seems rather silly that you should learn how to act – with you being one of the finest actors out there.” Izzie couldn’t help but let a snort of laughter escape from her, luckily only Maddie appeared to have heard it as she gave her a disapproving look. Kale smiled modestly, “Oh thanks, I wouldn’t say that but you can never stop honing your skills in this profession – it is an important craft after all.” Ms Belson nodded wisely, “Indeed dear, now if you just want to take a seat. Anywhere you wish now.” Kale turned to find around fifteen giddy girls all fighting to get their neighbour to vacate the seat next to them. He also noticed that the guys were all trying to look disinterested but he knew by their faces that they were all dying for him to sit near them so they could be seen to be even cooler than they liked to think they were. Kale wondered if he could just turn around and walk back out again but he knew he had to stick this out; he was sure that by the end of the day – well, he’d be an expert at handling this kind of behaviour. He had wanted this normal school experience after all and he dealt with the paparazzi all the time; this was going to be a piece of cake –well, he hoped it would be. Kale glanced around the room and found one person who wasn’t looking like they were about to handcuff him to the seat and demand he announce their engagement … and that person was Izzie Frank. She wasn’t looking at him; she was too engrossed in reading the text that they would be studying, Kale smiled as he noticed the empty chair on the other side of her; he had found his seat. “I think I’ll just take that empty one near the back Ms Belson, if you don’t mind.” He made his way across the room, trying to avoid looking at all the miffed faces and angry glares from the girls and guys respectively. Kale was relieved when everyone turned back to face the front as Ms Belson starting talking about the play they would be studying this term Shakespeare’s ‘Much Ado About Nothing.’ He sat down and extracted his own battered copy from his bag and leaned towards Izzie. “Hello again, fancy seeing you here.” he smiled and laughed when she looked up at him with a look of disgust on her face. “Oh it’s you – I thought it might’ve been somebody important. Oh well, never mind – what’s one more disappointment.” she threw him a cross look and returned to intently reading the scene Ms Belson was talking them through. She pretended not to notice the amused smirk on Kale’s face nor the incessant elbowing from Maddie on her other side. Maddie gave up and leaned forward so she could catch a glimpse of Kale, she extended her hand when she saw him looking at her and nodding in acknowledgement. He shook her hand politely as Maddie introduced herself; he tried not to show what he was thinking - he hoped she wasn’t going to turn into a crazed stalker – he had had enough of those back in Hollywood, he didn’t need any here. “So Kale,” Maddie began, pulling him out of his thoughts, “how do you like it here so far?” Kale turned his attention to Maddie, “Oh it’s been nice; most people have been very welcoming.” He smirked at Izzie when he said this and chuckled when she ignored him and turned to the next page of her book very forcefully. Maddie noted this little exchange with slight envy and annoyance but carried on her interrogation regardless. “So, what are your other classes today? Do you need any help finding them? I’d love to give you a tour, if you want.” she looked at him with eager enthusiasm shining on her face; she really wasn’t going to leave him alone until he agreed. “Erm ok, sure … that would be nice of you.” he smiled at her and then turned his book to the appropriate page; he hoped Maddie would take the hint that she should do the same. She knew that that had been a less-than-subtle hint to leave him alone, so Maddie reluctantly turned her text to the right page and tried to pay attention to Ms Belson; who was now talking about some volunteers to act out a scene. “Come on now,” Ms Belson pleaded with her reluctant class, “I just want two people to act out one little scene; just so we can get a feel of what we are discussing. Anyone … anyone at all – Mr Eddison, perhaps you would be so kind?” Kale had been expecting this; he unwillingly agreed and went to stand at the front. Ms Belson smiled, “Thank you Kale, now who’s going to read the part of ‘Beatrice’?” Fifteen hands shot up in the air and Kale squirmed, ‘sure they all agree now they know I’ll be reading opposite them’ he thought.

Ms Belson looked amused, “Well now, that’s the passion I’m looking for … now let’s see.” She glanced around at the eager faces and stopped when she notice Izzie sitting reading her script instead of acting like a love-struck teenager; Ms Belson thought she would be the perfect choice – at least Izzie wouldn’t act all giddy and would actually take what they were doing very seriously. “Miss Frank, perhaps you’d like a try?” Ms Belson watched as Izzie raised her head and rolled her eyes. “Sure, I think I can control myself, unlike this lot.” she gestured to her overly excited class-mates and made her way to the front, much to the dislike of the other girls. “Now, you will read ‘Beatrice’ and Kale, you will read ‘Benedick’ … if you could just take it from ‘Against my will I am sent to bid you come in to dinner’.” Izzie smirked at Ms Belson’s selection; she really wouldn’t have to act like she couldn’t stand Kale that much – she had that down to a fine art already. They read through the scene and the bell rang just as they had finished it; everyone clapped them politely and started to file out of the room as Izzie and Kale returned to the back of the classroom to retrieve their belongings. Kale cleared his throat as he slung his bag over his shoulder, “You were really good there now.” Izzie looked up at him – ‘Wow, he really is super tall’ she thought – and half-smiled, “Thanks, you weren’t so bad yourself … for a movie star.” He laughed and fell into step with her as they left the classroom. Izzie didn’t say anything to him as they walked along the corridor, Kale decided to break the silence. “So Izzie, can I ask you something?” Izzie looked up to find his blue eyes full of curiosity, “I suppose you can but it doesn’t mean I’ll answer you.” she smiled when he raised his eyebrows. “Oh feisty, aren’t you? I was just wondering why you seem to hate me – I mean you don’t even know me.” He looked at her inquisitively; he was strangely drawn to her for some reason – even if she did clearly loathe him. “I don’t hate you,” Izzie told him truthfully, “I’m just not as infatuated by you as everyone else appears to be.” Kale nodded, “Fair enough, no reason for me to argue with that; everyone’s entitled to an opinion.” “Mmm,” Izzie simply replied; why was he still talking to her? All she wanted was for him to leave her alone so she could enjoy the break before her next class. Kale seemed to sense she was ticked off by him. “You really don’t like me.” It wasn’t a question, more the case of him stating a fact. Izzie shrugged, “It’s nothing personal; I just don’t see what all the fuss is about – no offence.” Kale laughed, “None taken, wow, I really love your honesty. You really aren’t afraid to say what you really think, are you? I could use that, especially when I’m rehearsing for a role; I need someone brutally honest, to tell me when my acting is rubbish.” Izzie laughed, “Sure, if you want someone to slag you off all the time; I’m your girl.” She was only half-serious but Kale looked thrilled. “You really mean that? It would help me so much.” He beamed at her while she shook her head disbelievingly. “I was joking but if you mean it … sure, why not?” Izzie laughed and noticed Jake Greenberg waiting outside her next class. She forgot they had English together and now it looked like Kale would be joining them too. She smiled at Jake who did a double-take when he saw who Izzie was with. He grinned back at her and made his way over to talk to her; something he had never done before. “Hey Isobel, how’s it going? Hey Kale, I’m Jake Greenberg, welcome to Hartside.” Kale frowned at him but shook his hand, “Thanks, Izzie has been really helpful.” He put heavy emphasis on his correction of Izzie’s name. Izzie found herself smiling at this against her will; it was quite funny when Jake looked a little confused – it was actually quite adorable. Jake nodded and threw his arm around Izzie’s shoulders, giving her a tight squeeze. “Oh I bet she has been helpful. She’s super nice, aren’t you Isobel? Hey, if you do need anything - anything that our Isobel can’t help you with - you know who to come to, yeah?” He flashed Kale a smile while Izzie settled for looking puzzled; why was he acting like they were best buds all of a sudden? She shrugged this thought off as she found she really didn’t mind; maybe she could use being Kale’s guide to get closer to Jake. Kale’s smile at Jake was strained and he looked at Izzie with a mixture of pity and amusement; her baffled expression was priceless. He noticed that Jake quickly dropped his arm from Izzie when he sensed the conversation with Kale was over. Izzie rolled her eyes and smiled as Jake walked on inside the classroom. Kale looked at her like she was crazy; why was she grinning like a fool after that jackass? He decided to tell her as much. “Em, why are you looking at him like he’s the best thing since sliced bread? The guy’s an idiot.” Kale told Izzie as they made their way to two empty seats near the back of the room.

Izzie glared at him, “How can you say that? You don’t even know him – he’s really nice actually.” Kale didn’t look convinced but smirked slightly. “Um, hello? Pot – kettle – black … anyone? You don’t know me but are quick to judge probably from what you’ve read in the media about me.” Izzie smirked back, “Everyone’s entitled to an opinion.” she echoed back at him. Kale grinned; he had met his match. “Exactly, therefore so am I about Mr Jackass over there!” Izzie laughed, “I guess two can play at this game, eh? All I’m saying is give him a chance he seems really nice.” Kale didn’t fail to notice that she had implied that Jake appeared to be an ok guy. He didn’t mention this but he wasn’t going to skirt around the issue of her giving him a chance. “Well all I’m saying is give me a chance or at least try.” he smiled down at her and she rolled her eyes in defeat. “Fine but one strike – just one - and you’re out.” she half-smiled at him and returned her attention to the chapter of the novel they were supposed to be reading. “I can live with that.” Kale told her and he followed her example and started his work also, smiling to himself; he sensed he was going to like this experience.

Chapter Four

When it came around to lunch time, Kale wondered if asking Izzie could he join her, would be too much and push her over the edge. He needn’t have worried though, Maddie had took it upon herself to invite him to sit with her and Izzie; the latter had not looked too happy when Kale accepted Maddie’s invitation. That’s why when she got the chance; Izzie dragged her friend to one side while Kale signed autographs for some of the younger students. “Why did you have to ask him to join us Maddie? Is this just so you can stare at him all through lunch? Because I don’t want to have to make conversation with someone who’ll not be listening to a word I say, you hear me?” Maddie clearly wasn’t listening, “Uh-huh, whatever you say – come on, he’s sitting down now!” Izzie rolled her eyes and groaned as Maddie tugged on her arm and directed her over to the table where Kale was now eating his lunch. “Sorry,” Maddie apologised to him; her eyelashes fluttering furiously in what Izzie presumed she thought to be a flirtatious manner, “Izzie couldn’t decide what to get. Anyway, how have you liked Hartside High so far?” Kale took a sip of his bottled water, “Oh erm, it’s great. I think I’ll like it here.” He looked very uncomfortable at the way Maddie was looking at him; like he was a piece of meat. Izzie noticed his panicked expression and found herself enjoying watching him squirm. “So Kale, you never got around to telling me what you’re studying? I do the same as Izzie; English, English Literature and Drama. I want to be an actress whereas Iz wants to be a writer.” Kale looked at Izzie interestedly, “Really, a writer – that’s really cool.” Maddie looked annoyed that he had ignored her and talked to Izzie instead; she cleared her throat purposely so that he would answer her question. Kale noticed Maddie’s forced cough and quickly looked away from Izzie who had merely nodded when he had spoke to her. “Oh sorry, I didn’t answer your question … I’m actually doing the same three - I really love literature; you know how words can convey emotions, how you can escape into a world all of your own. It’s really something else … it’s why I started acting; to get the chance to actually perform what the author was saying – well, it’s really kind of amazing.” Maddie nodded but Kale didn’t fail to recognise the look of confusion on her face; she clearly didn’t understand his passion for the written word. However, a quick glance at Izzie showed she knew exactly what he was referring to; she did dream of being a writer after all. Kale didn’t say anything else and neither did Maddie but Izzie surprised them both by nodding at Kale and saying, “I know what you mean; I grew up with a love of books – my father owns a book shop,” she explained to him. Kale nodded; he was clearly impressed, “Wow, I’ll have to check it out sometime – I’m always reading something.” They all ate the rest of their lunches in silence but Kale couldn’t help but furrow his brow when he wondered why Izzie seemed to go from being rather unfriendly to perfectly pleasant as quickly as she did; he didn’t know which reception he was going to be met with next. He shook his head and finished eating his burger. Izzie sensed that Maddie was mad at her; that was why she didn’t continue on with her conversation with Kale. She picked at her sandwich and only half-paid attention to the small talk Kale was making with Maddie. She was extremely relieved when the bell rang to signal the end of lunch; she really wanted to be alone - away from Kale and away from Maddie and her fluttering eyelashes – it was a good thing that she had a free class now. Izzie looked at Maddie; she knew that she had a free class too but she hoped that Maddie wouldn’t annoy her too much. “What you going to do this class?” Izzie asked her friend as Kale pretended not to be listening to this little exchange. “I agreed to tutor one of the younger students in English so I’ll be in the library. I hope you don’t mind.” Maddie told her politely but Izzie could tell she really didn’t care if Izzie did mind. Izzie nodded and watched Maddie leave, then she sighed; it was totally obvious that Maddie was pissed at her but Izzie failed to see what it was that she was supposed to have done wrong – she’d just have to make Maddie forgive her later on. She sighed again and noticed Kale looking at her with a sympathetic smile on his face. “You okay?” he inquired, wondering if Izzie would respond with a friendly answer or not. Izzie rolled her eyes, “I’ll be fine - Maddie just gets this way sometimes. It’s just best to let her cool off a little while and then I apologise for whatever I’ve supposedly done – whether I’m guilty or not.” Kale frowned at her “That doesn’t seem fair. You shouldn’t have to take the blame for something you didn’t do.” Izzie laughed, “It’s easier this way, trust me. Now, do you think you’ll be able to find your next class? It’s just I’ve got an essay to finish since I’m working later and won’t get the chance to do it.” Kale followed her as she made her way down the corridor, “Yeah, I will since I’m in the same class as you … I have a free period now too.” He laughed lightly as this fact dawned on Izzie. Izzie forgot that he had the same timetable as her; she would not get the peace and quiet she had wanted. She sighed and didn’t protest when Kale took the seat beside her in Mr Jackson’s classroom; it was inevitable that she would have to stay up late again to finish her homework. She took out

her notes as Mr Jackson entered the room and told them to do some work while he tapped away on his computer doing who knows what. As usual, the rest of her classmates took out their mobiles or iPods and did no work whatsoever while some others actually went to sleep for a while. Kale looked about him in disbelief; he really was shocked that Izzie was the only one actually doing something that was productive while the rest of their classmates lounged around relaxing. He glanced back at Izzie; he didn’t want to disturb her but he was curious as to why she didn’t seem to give herself a chance to relax or have a break like everybody else was doing. Izzie felt Kale’s eyes on her and she sighed, she turned to look at him, “What? I know you’re dying to annoy me … so what is it?” Kale smirked slightly, “You’re really are a feisty one, aren’t you? I was just curious why you never seem to let yourself have a break or relax? If everyone else can do it - why can’t you?” Izzie sighed, “I do relax!” Kale raised his eyebrows at her defiant tone and she jumped to defend herself, “I do! I’m even going to the cinema with Maddie tonight - if she’s talking to me again …” she added as an afterthought; Izzie knew how stubborn Maddie could be. The corner of Kale’s mouth pulled up into a half-smile, “Sounds to me like you think relaxing is a chore. Haven’t you ever just had fun?” Izzie felt very irritated at Kale’s suggestion that she didn’t know how to enjoy herself. She threw him a dirty look and didn’t answer; when she really thought about it though - he was right. Izzie didn’t tell Kale this of course; she just turned back to her essay.

After school had finished, Izzie rushed to get to the bookshop as quickly as possible. She managed to make it there just ten minutes later and she took her place behind the till; she felt that six o’clock couldn’t come around quick enough. The shop wasn’t very busy and Izzie found her thought drifting to Kale and what he had said; as much as she hated to admit it, he was right. She couldn’t remember the last time she had actually had fun or just relaxed; she shook her head to clear her thoughts and decided that going to the cinema with Maddie tonight would be the start of the ‘new’ Izzie. She smiled to herself and was even more pleased when Jake came into the shop and headed directly for her. “Hey Isobel, how’s it going?” he smiled at her and Izzie found herself blushing stupidly. “Hey, I’m ok, what’s up? You need a book or something?” she grinned at him, trying not to look too love-struck. Jake shook his head, “No, I was just wondering if you want to come to a party at my house tonight?” Izzie frowned; Jake had had house parties before and every single time, she had failed to receive an invitation. She wondered what had made him change his mind; could he possibly be beginning to like her or was there some catch? Just as Izzie was about to accept his invite, her question was answered when Jake spoke his next words; unfortunately for Izzie the latter part appeared to be applicable here. “You know you can bring someone with you too, if you want. I mean, I really won’t mind … anyone at all, you can bring them.” He flashed her a flirty smile and Izzie found her initial pleasure at him actually asking her to his party quickly evaporating. She just knew Jake was referring to Kale but it’s not like she actually knew him well enough to call him a friend let alone invite him to a party after knowing him one day! Izzie nodded at Jake and muttered, “Sure, it’s just I’ve actually made plans already. Sorry I won’t be able to make it.” Jake looked extremely disappointed and quickly left the shop without saying much else. Izzie sighed, how could she be so stupid to think that Jake was taking an interest in her? She really needed to focus on something else; something more productive, like her school work – it was far more important than boys. She tried not to think about how Jake had tried to use her to get friendlier with Kale; she really didn’t know what the big deal was anyway – he was just somebody who was paid far too much for something so unimportant.

When her shift had finished, Izzie went home and ate her dinner very quickly as Maddie had sent her a text saying the movie she had picked started at 7 o’clock and she had just half an hour to get ready. Izzie was glad when Maddie had still gone ahead with their plans; it was a sign that she had forgiven Izzie. She smiled to herself as she picked out some jeans and a dressy shirt to wear and happily got changed; she was just very glad to have her friend speaking to her again. At 6.45pm, Izzie heard Maddie beep her horn and she looked out her bedroom to see Maddie’s black Mini waiting. She grabbed her bag and headed out to meet her, when she got into the car, Izzie knew something had changed from when she had gotten Maddie’s text; Maddie was all dressed up and looked furious. Izzie glanced at her friend curiously, “You ok? You look kinda pissed off, what’s up?” Maddie sighed heavily, “Nothing. Hey, why aren’t you dressed up?” she glared at Izzie angrily while the latter looked confused. “Because we are going to the cinema where it’s generally very dark and nobody can see you. I should ask why you are dressed up? Did I miss something?” Izzie frowned at how angry Maddie seemed; what was her problem? Maddie hissed angrily, “God Izzie, we aren’t going to the cinema! We are going to Jake’s party! I told you in my message earlier!” Izzie reeled back, “Jesus, what’s jumped up your ass? You didn’t say we were going to a party, you said earlier we were going to a movie!”

Maddie rolled her eyes, “Yeah, before I knew Jake was having a party! God you’re stupid; my message clearly indicated that we weren’t going to the cinema anymore!” Izzie was furious now, “Don’t you patronise me! Your message ‘clearly indicated’ that you were picking me up to catch the film at 7!” she took out her mobile and brought up Maddie’s text again, “I quote ‘Movie starts at 7.’ Now unless there’s a secret code to unscramble this message to tell me we were going to a party, I’m going to assume we were still going to the cinema. Now, are you going to calm down and apologise?” Maddie looked livid; it was obvious to Izzie that she knew she had done wrong but didn’t want to admit it. Sure enough, Maddie shook her head and continued to rant. “No I’m not apologising, now are you going to change or not?” Izzie gave her a friend a sarcastic look, “Yeah, ‘cause you asked so nicely! No, I’m going to pass thanks.” She opened the door and got out, “Have fun at the party but I’m not going. Don’t know why you’re getting so worked up anyway … it’s not like he’ll be there.” Izzie started to walk off but Maddie yelled after her, “Who won’t be there?” Izzie rolled her eyes and shouted back, “Don’t play dumb … Kale! Now go have fun living in your fantasy world!” Maddie said nothing but drove away with an angry screech as Izzie went back inside the house. She couldn’t get over Maddie’s psycho mood swings; well she wasn’t putting up with it anymore – she was finished! As if she wanted to go to that party anyway, she amused herself at thinking how livid Maddie would be when she found out that Izzie was right; there was no way Kale was going to that party. Izzie may not have known him long or even know him that well but that was the one thing she was sure of. She sighed as she flopped onto her bed and kicked off her shoes; she still failed to grasp what all the fuss was about. What was so special about Kale Eddison? The thought really baffled her … it wasn’t like he was that good of an actor; his last role was the ‘hero’ in a romantic comedy! She shook her head; the world truly had gone mad if they cared so much about a guy who acted in such ridiculous and pointless films. Izzie decided not to let this fact bother her anymore and she turned on her laptop. She really needed to do some research for the formal but she found her heart wasn’t it in. Instead she found herself reluctantly looking at one of the gossip columns about Kale. They all talked about his decision for a normal life and how he was going to cope at school. Izzie sighed and shut down her computer after reading several more; she was fed up reading, hearing about and looking at Kale. The sooner he flaked out of school, the better. She rolled onto her back on her bed and let out a frustrated sigh; everything had gone so wrong ever since Kale had shown up – it was all his fault. He was the reason Maddie wasn’t talking to her and the reason why Jake had taken a sudden interest in her life; although the latter was something Izzie thought she shouldn’t complain about. She sighed once more and then decided to go to bed, even though it was still freakishly early, especially for a Friday night. Everything would seem better in the morning – it had to.

Chapter Five

Izzie woke up the following morning feeling a lot better; it was Saturday, she didn’t have to work (for once!) and she had formulated a plan to seek Maddie’s forgiveness – even though she really hadn’t done anything to annoy her friend. She got out of bed, she was feeling very optimistic about today; she didn’t know why exactly but she could just feel something good was going to happen. Izzie happily changed into a comfy dress, a pair of leggings and her grey boots and went downstairs to make some breakfast. She ran into her grandmother in the kitchen who looked very surprised that Izzie was up so early on her day off and that she was looking so happy as well. “My, someone’s full of beans!” Grandma Frank teased, “And looking very perky as well, I might add …” Izzie laughed, “Yeah, well I’m off, the sun is shining and I’m in a good mood – so sue me!” Her grandmother chuckled, “Ok, whatever you say … you normally don’t even crack a smile this early no matter what day it is! There’s something different …” she trailed off and looked deep in thought and then she looked at Izzie suddenly, a look of surprise crossing her face, “I knew it! I knew it! You’ve got a fella, haven’t you? You’ve been courting with some lad!” Izzie burst out laughing at her grandma’s ludicrous suggestion, “No, I haven’t got a fella! And no, I haven’t been ‘courting’ as you put it – nobody calls it that anymore, just so you know … oh dear, next you’ll be saying ‘gentleman caller’ – listen, you can rest easy; I don’t have a boyfriend or any intention in getting one anytime soon, ok?” Charlotte looked at her granddaughter carefully; there was definitely something different about Izzie, something had changed and she was determined to find out what it was – no matter how long it would take. Izzie quickly grabbed a cereal bar and her car keys and headed out the door to avoid her grandmother’s curious stares. She jumped into her little Nissan Micra and turned up the heater; it was a lot colder than she had thought despite the sunshine. She glanced at her watch once she had pulled out of the driveway, 10.30 am. – Maddie definitely had to be up by now. Izzie made a few stops before she arrived at her friend’s house; she quickly ran to the door and rang the bell. A few minutes later and Maddie appeared; she was slightly bleary eye and her curly hair was sticking up all over the place but at least she was dressed, even if it was only in old tracksuit bottoms and a hoodie. Izzie couldn’t read the expression on her friend’s face but she didn’t look like she was about to attack so Izzie thought that was a good sign at least. She smiled and waved the pastry bag at Maddie’s nose. “I brought the croissants from that bakery you like, can I come in?” Maddie grabbed the brown bag and nodded, “Sure, let’s go into the living room.” Izzie breathed a sigh of relief, followed Maddie down the hall and flopped down onto the comfy brown sofa. Maddie didn’t say anything as she tucked into the warm croissants but Izzie could tell her friend was on the verge of forgiving her; the slight smile on her face was evident of that. After Maddie had devoured the last one, she lay back and looked at Izzie. “You have no idea how much I needed that!” she sighed to Izzie. Izzie grinned, “Call it a peace offering. So, rough night then?” Maddie laughed, “Ok you’re forgiven … oh Iz, talk about a crazy night!” Izzie smiled, “That good, eh? What happened? Anything exciting that you remember?” Maddie giggled, “I look that bad, huh? Yeah, I definitely enjoyed myself then but I’m feeling it now – hangovers are no fun … no more vodka for me! You missed a great night but there really isn’t much gossip … well, only that Jake seemed kinda pissed that you weren’t there.” Izzie was intrigued despite promising herself not to care anymore, “Oh? How come? Was he really mad?” Maddie shook her head, “Nah, he wasn’t ‘mad’ pissed, more like ‘disappointed’ pissed – if I didn’t know any better I’d say he likes you Iz!” Izzie laughed and blushed slightly; she knew she shouldn’t get giddy just because a guy appeared to show the slightest bit of interest in her but she couldn’t help it. “So, did he say anything specific?” Maddie smirked, “Well he just said something like ‘I wish Isobel could’ve made it, I even told her to bring someone if she wanted to.’ I told him next time I’d make sure you’d come. Oh, that reminds me, I’m really sorry about going nuts on you … I really didn’t mean to fly off the handle – I was just so hyped up thinking that Kale would turn up and that I wouldn’t get a chance to talk to him – but you were right.” Her expression suddenly turned serious, “As much as it kills me to admit it but you were right; he didn’t show but I had a good night anyway but it still doesn’t mean that I had the right to treat you the way I did … so, sorry.” Izzie was quite shocked; it was very rare indeed when Maddie admitted she had done something wrong – in fact it wasn’t rare, it was never! “It’s ok, what are friends for? So what are the plans for the rest of the day then?” Maddie smiled at Izzie, “Give me ten minutes and we’ll go shopping and then for lunch, my treat.”

Izzie grinned, “Ok, it’s a deal.” Maddie got up while Izzie remained on the sofa wondering about the sudden change in Maddie’s behaviour; usually she would huff for days until Izzie practically begged her to be friends again – maybe she was finally growing up. What Izzie didn’t know was that she was very, very wrong.

When the girls sat down to lunch sometime later, Izzie was beginning to get suspicious about Maddie’s suddenly super nice behaviour; first buying bracelets that Izzie had admired and now treating her to lunch … something was up – Izzie was sure of it. Interrupting her thoughts, Izzie realised that Maddie was asking her something, “You want dessert? You have to get dessert.” It had occurred to Maddie earlier when Izzie had shown up at the door, that no matter how mad she was at her, she could use Izzie to get closer to Kale. She hadn’t liked telling Izzie she was right about Kale’s ‘no show’ at the party the night before but if she wanted more time together with Kale, she figured she would have to grit her teeth and do what was necessary; after all, Kale seemed to stick around longer when Izzie was there. Maybe after a while though, Maddie hoped, maybe he’d stick around when Izzie wasn’t there. But for now she would have to endure Izzie’s company if she wanted even the smallest amount of time with Kale; she would have to suffer but hopefully it would be worth the pain when Kale realised how great a girlfriend she, Maddie, would make. Maddie just couldn’t believe how easy it had been to get Izzie to think Jake was interested in her; he hadn’t even mentioned Izzie at the party but what Izzie didn’t know wouldn’t hurt her … Maddie needed her to get to Kale so she had to do what was necessary and she knew Jake was Izzie’s Achilles Heel whether she’d admit it or not. After lunch, Izzie left Maddie home and had to be quite abrupt to get away from her; Izzie really wanted to get home and think over some things but Maddie seemed adamant at doing something else. In the end, Izzie had to lie about her mother wanting her to help her with some cleaning. She felt bad about it; what kind of person was she if she lied straight to her best friend’s face? However, she really felt that something odd was going on. As much as she hated thinking it, she just had a gut feeling that something was not right; Maddie was up to something. Sure she had been chuffed when Maddie had told her about Jake but hadn’t she already decided that he was only interested so he could get all friendly with Kale? Izzie really didn’t understand why Kale seemed to have taken an interest in her – if anything she thought it was because he knew it annoyed her and he pestered her deliberately – but it was not ideal. Maddie was turning into somebody she failed to recognise as her friend and everyone was sure to ask her favours in regard to Kale, once they all found out that he liked to talk to her. Izzie sighed, she figured she’d just have to be extra careful of everybody and make sure Kale stayed well away from her.

Later on, when Izzie had eaten dinner, she decided to do something relaxing; she had been busy all week and she deserved break – Kale had said she never seemed to relax so here was her chance. Her parents were due to go to some event hosted by the charity her father supported so it would just be Izzie and her grandmother. “Hey Gran, how do you fancy doing something tonight?” Izzie called into the living room while she packed away the last of the dishes from the dishwasher. Izzie heard the familiar shuffle and her grandmother appeared in the kitchen, “Well what did you have in mind dear?” Izzie shrugged, “Dunno, you choose – I really don’t mind.” She saw her grandmother look pensive for a moment and then shuffle closer to Izzie. “I know what we can do,” she whispered to Izzie; a look of mischief on her face. Izzie was intrigued, “What? Why are you being so secretive?” Her grandmother chuckled softly, “I don’t want your mother to overhear and besides an old woman like me should know better than to lust after a lad that’s young enough to be my grandson.” Izzie rolled her eyes, “Uh, not you too Gran … of all people!” Her grandmother looked at her innocently, “What? If I want to stare at Dean Jameson on the big screen, I will. Humour an old woman, would you? We’re going to the cinema to see his new film whether you like it or not!” Izzie felt herself redden, “Oh, sorry Gran, I thought you were talking about someone else. That’s ok but you do know that he’s like forty so he’d hardly be young enough to be your grandson – son maybe – but not grandson.” Her grandmother laughed loudly, “We’ll that actually makes me feel better … I’m only twenty years older than him then! Come on, I think the next showing’s in half an hour, if we hurry we’d make it.” Izzie did as she was told and quickly grabbed her bag and car keys. They arrived at the cinema with fifteen minutes to spare which was just as well since there was quite a queue. Izzie joined it to get the tickets while her grandmother got them some drinks and popcorn. The queue moved quite slowly and Izzie was ticked off by the amount of giddy teenage girls who were there to see the new Kale Eddison film; she recognised them as mostly the second years from Hartside. Finally the queue moved along and Izzie was next in line when the cashier announced that the Dean Jameson film, ‘Rising Suns’ was sold out for the rest of the evening. Izzie groaned and her grandmother battled her way through the crowd to reach the ticket booth where Izzie was standing. “Now what do we do?” her grandmother moaned, “I’ve bought the drinks and everything.” Izzie shrugged and moved closer to the booth since she was next to be served, “What’s left?” she asked the cashier behind the plastic window.

The cashier looked very bored and uninterested in what Izzie was asking; she had bleached blonde hair, too much make-up on and was chewing gum very crudely – slapping it about in her open mouth. She sighed and pointed to the board to Izzie’s left which had now been updated. Izzie and her grandmother looked up at it and saw that only 2 films were not sold out; a children’s film called ‘Harry’s Horses’ or ‘Midnight Kiss’ with the one and only Kale Eddison. Izzie sighed and her grandmother looked disappointed that she wouldn’t get to gaze at her hero for two hours. “Perhaps we should just go home?” Izzie suggested; she really didn’t want to look at Kale’s face more than necessary. Her grandmother shook her head, “No dear, we came all this way and I’ve got the popcorn, why not go for that Midnight one? The lad in it looks quite a hunk!” Izzie couldn’t help but laugh, “Gran! You really shouldn’t say things like that at your age.” “Hold your tongue Miss Isobel, just ‘cause I’m old doesn’t mean I don’t know when a man’s attractive or not. We’re going to that one; I won’t mind looking at him for two hours.” The cashier rang in two tickets and Izzie shook her head in disbelief at her grandmother while she handed the girl the money. They walked along to the appropriate screen and found two vacant seats at the end of one of the middle rows. “So why are you so against seeing this one dear? As I said, the main lad looks very handsome – even to an old bat like me! I’m surprised you’re not secretly pleased to be looking at that hunk for a few hours – you should aim for someone who looks like that!” she chuckled and squinted at her granddaughter in the dark. Izzie laughed, “Gran, you’re not an old bat … yeah he’s attractive but I just don’t like the guy acting. And as for aiming for someone who looks like him – no thanks. I have to look at his mug enough in school thanks very much!” “What?” her grandmother shouted so loud that the couple in front turned around to give her an evil glare. “Yes, what are you staring at? The screen’s up there.” She pointed and the couple quickly turned back again but not before shooting daggers at Izzie; clearly they trusted her to keep her grandmother under control. “Gran, shush, the film’s starting soon.” Izzie whispered, praying her grandmother dropped the subject. “There’s still another trailer yet, now what do you mean you have to look at him in school?” By the tone of her voice, Izzie knew her grandmother wouldn’t give up. “He’s attending Hartside, didn’t you hear? He’s in all my classes and seems to relish annoying me.” She heard her grandmother gasp and take a few seconds to process this information. “How come you didn’t tell me? A famous film star – I’ve never been this excited since the time your grandfather and I broke up and I dated Carl Bennington for a while … now that man was a looker – like that Dean Jameson - and oh, he was a charmer too. I remember this one time he took me to this secluded little spot on the beach and we –” “Gran!” Izzie cut in before her grandmother could finish, “I really don’t want to hear this. The film’s starting now anyway so be quiet.” Her grandmother sighed, “What I was getting at was that how often is it that you actually get to meet a famous film star? Not very often so I say soak up his attention, it’s not his fault he’s attracted to you Izzie … cut the young man a break.” Now it was Izzie’s turn to laugh, “What?” she said very loudly that the couple in front stared again. Izzie avoided their glares and whispered to her grandmother, “What do you mean attracted to me? I don’t know why he chose me to bug but it’s not ‘cause he fancies me and I certainly don’t fancy him.” Her grandmother merely went “Uh huh” and shushed her, “The film’s starting Iz so be quiet.” Izzie was infuriated but did as she was told and turned her head towards the screen where the opening credits announced that Kale Eddison was starring as ‘Jake Redwood’ – many of the young girls let out shrieks of delight while Izzie was disgusted, ‘Please Lord, kill me now’ she thought desperately and sighed when Kale’s face appeared on the screen … it was going to be the longest two hours of her life!

Chapter Six

Izzie had to admit, albeit slightly reluctantly, that sitting the two hours of the film was not total torture. She actually found herself caught up in the romantic comedy; Kale wasn’t half bad but the story had been predictable all the same. However, Izzie felt that she hadn’t wasted her time seeing it – not that she would ever dream of admitting this fact to Mr Eddison himself – and her grandmother had seemed to enjoy it too; judging by her smile at the end of it and the many times she elbowed Izzie and whispered, “See, he’s some hunk … you could do worse Izzie.” Izzie had dutifully ignored this and pretended that she hadn’t heard her grandmother until she was forced to change the topic. They made their way out of the darkened room and were momentarily blinded by the sudden brightness of the corridor ahead of them. As their eyesight adjusted, Izzie looked at her grandmother, “So you aren’t too disappointed you didn’t get to see ole Dean, are you?” Her grandmother laughed, “Not at all, that Kale is easy on the eyes too.” Izzie rolled her eyes and threw her grandmother a weary look to which her grandmother told her, “Don’t be like that, I never said anything!” Izzie chuckled, “You don’t even have to say what you really mean, I can read you too well; I know exactly what you are trying to get at! Just drop it Gran, let’s talk about something else.” Her grandmother gave a defeated sigh, “Fine but first I need to tinkle dear. I’ll be back in a minute.” Izzie watched her grandmother make her way to the Ladies and wait in the short queue. Izzie propped herself against the wall while she waited and rested the back of her head against the cold hard concrete with her eyes closed. A minute later, she was being poked – very painfully – in the arm by someone. Izzie’s eyes flew open and saw nothing; nobody seemed to be left in the corridor. Then she looked to her right and jerked back when she found herself in close proximity – too close for comfort– with Kale. “Hey, fancy seeing you here.” Kale flashed his Hollywood smile at her and Izzie found herself momentarily stunned by how handsome he looked. She mentally shook herself before she answered. “Oh, it’s you – again. What brings you out to the ever-so-exciting cinema? Come to see yourself in action? As if looking at yourself in the mirror all the time isn’t enough.” Kale smirked, “Ooh touché … you are a very witty girl! No, as much as I wanted to watch myself act badly … I was actually here to watch the new Dean Jameson movie.” Izzie looked at him with raised eyebrows; she was very sceptical that this was the truth. Nevertheless, she attempted to look interested, “Yeah, we were looking to see that one but had to make do with the crap one you were in. How’d you manage to snake a ticket to ‘Rising Suns’?” Kale smiled, “The ticket cashier was very persuasive when I gave her an autograph. Although, I now regret that we didn’t meet in the queue since I could have saved you from my terrible acting. You and the other member of your ‘we’ could’ve sat through two hours of some fine acting … that Dean really nails the ‘one tear anguished look’ that I strive so hard to perfect.” Izzie couldn’t help but laugh, “Wow, you really talk some rubbish, you know that? Though, I have to agree that your acting was terrible ... but my Gran didn’t seem to mind. Think you may have gained another fan in her but you can definitely count me out!” Kale looked amused, “Ouch, well I did say I loved your honesty … harsh as it may be! So the ‘we’ you were referring to was your grandmother then?” Izzie looked at him like he was stupid, “Uh yeah, that’s what I said, didn’t I? Why, you think taking your granny to the cinema is lame?” Kale shook his head, “No, I don’t. I actually think that’s sweet, not many people our age like hanging out with their grandparents.” He looked quite serious as he said this so Izzie didn’t say anything. Kale smiled at her and sighed, “So, where is your grandmother? I’d love to meet her.” Izzie nodded to the bathroom, “She had to go to the Ladies but she’ll be back in a minute or two – just don’t go giving her a heart attack!” She laughed and found Kale chuckled too. “Don’t worry, I’ll try not to! So, not to be nosey but I thought you were here last night with your friend – Maddie, right?” He looked at her curiously and Izzie found herself looking into those baby blues of his and answering him honestly; she had every intention of lying to him but found she couldn’t – weird! “Oh,” she began; trying to look nonchalant, “Maddie found out about Jake’s party and wanted to go to it instead but she didn’t tell me until I was in the car. She got really mad that I hadn’t predicted that she had changed her mind so I just stayed in and she went on ahead. Why do you care anyway?” Kale shrugged, “No reason. Your friend seems to be a bit of a mercurial girl though – not that it’s a bad thing but she doesn’t have the right to flip out at you for something so insignificant.” Izzie nodded, “Fair point but that’s just Maddie. What did you do last night then? Since you want to invade my private life … I’ll invade yours a little. So, was it practising your ‘one tear anguish look’ in the mirror or reading about yourself online?” Kale half-smiled, “None of the above … just read some scripts and arranged with my assistant, Alicia, the best way to come here undetected.” He

looked a little guilty admitting the last part. “Ah,” Izzie nodded, “I wondered how you avoided the screaming fans and the microphone and camera brigade. Though why do you look so guilty for wanting some privacy?” Kale shrugged, “I guess because without the fans and the media … I wouldn’t be where I am today and it’s like an unwritten rule that you have to appreciate the fans and whatnot. I feel it’s my duty to be constantly signing autographs and giving interviews.” Izzie shook her head in disbelief; she actually felt a little sorry for him, “But you can’t expect that of yourself. I mean everyone is entitled to privacy – famous or not! You’re not a machine Kale; everyone needs a break once in a while – even egotistic superstars like you.” Kale chuckled, “And there I thought you were actually being nice to me for once! You really think I’m egotistic?” Izzie was saved from answering as her grandmother finally exited the toilets. “Oh Izzie,” she exclaimed, “sorry I took so long but the toilets were absolutely disgusting, I had to thoroughly clean one before I even thought about using it! I hope you weren’t waiting too long – oh,” her grandmother paused as she caught sight of Kale, “I needn’t have hurried back, I didn’t realise you were busy.” Izzie threw her a warning look when she noticed her grandmother eyeing Kale and then look at Izzie approvingly. “No, we’re not busy. Come on Gran, Kale was just leaving.” Kale smiled at Charlotte Frank and she found herself getting giddy, “Hey Mrs –” he paused and Izzie watched her grandmother smile. “Mrs Frank dear but you can call me Charlotte.” Kale smiled, “Ok, Charlotte, I heard you’re a big fan. Did you enjoy the film?” “Why yes I did Kale, and may I say how well-mannered and pleasant you are … to hear Izzie you’d think you were a rude little -” “Gran!” Izzie cut across, “Kale needs to be going and so do we … come on.” Kale watched the two of them amusedly and smiled as Izzie and her grandmother abruptly left the cinema; the latter waving pleasantly at him. Kale had been quite pleased that he had ran into Izzie; she wasn’t afraid to tell him what she thought and could be downright rude to him at times but she was brutally honest about his performances and Kale actually liked this about her; he actually felt like he was Kale; regular guy not Kale Eddison the mega film star. It was refreshing and he hoped to talk to her again in school – if she let him. He smiled to himself and figured she would; after all, they had all the same classes so she couldn’t escape from him and he assumed she wouldn’t want to be rude when he gave her the personalised autograph for her grandmother on Monday. He had really liked her grandmother and hoped to see her again; maybe if he stayed on the right side of Izzie, he just might.

On Monday morning, much to Izzie’s annoyance, Kale was waiting by her locker. What the heck did he want now? She sighed as she swung open her locker with more force than necessary; she was secretly hoping to hit that perfect face of his but he ducked out of the way at the last second. Disappointed, Izzie ignored him and packed her books into her bag while she waited for him to speak. It didn’t take him long to take the hint that he was to make the first move. “So, did you have a good weekend? How’s your grandmother?” Kale cringed at himself; he really thought he could have come up with a better opening than that. He was an actor; he was meant to be brimming with confidence and be able to think of something intelligent to say but Izzie seemed to strip him of these powers for some reason that was unknown to him. Izzie reluctantly looked at him; she figured she’d have to throw the poor bloke a bone; after all, he was being perfectly pleasant to her. “Yeah, it was ok and Gran’s fine, thanks.” Kale smiled, “That’s good … I have something for her. It’s just an autograph; I figured she might like it.” He handed her the picture and watched her put one last book in her bag along with the autograph and slam her locker closed. “Thanks, I’m sure she’ll love it. So, you have a nice weekend?” Izzie felt she had to show him the same courtesy he had shown her, though she regretted not being able to conjure up something a bit wittier. Kale shrugged, “Same old, same old; read through scripts and hung around the house. The life of an actor is not that exciting contrary to what people believe.” Izzie nodded, “Hm, so how do you manage to escape the paparazzi every morning? You must have one hell of an assistant.” Kale chuckled, “Yeah, Alicia’s great but I can’t escape them all the time unfortunately. They agreed to leave me alone the last few days ‘cause I’ve agreed to do a conference later today. They’ll get their story later on and I get to be left alone for a few more days but I’m not getting my hopes up.” Izzie found herself curious, “How do you mean? Surely when the get the story they give you a bit of privacy, right?” Kale laughed humourlessly, “Yeah right, they’re always hiding behind bushes or some crap like that. They want to catch you doing something that will shock the world; they are constantly chasing stories … waiting for you to slip up so they can write about your tragic fall from grace and turn you into a national hate figure. As they say ‘everyone loves a hero but they’re always waiting for your downfall’ … just comes with the territory I’m afraid.”

Izzie couldn’t help but feel a little sorry for him; it was bound to be miserable being followed all the time and not having a speck of privacy. “Wow, I know you guys all bitch about lack of privacy but I had no idea it was that bad. So how did you get them to leave you totally alone on Friday and all?” Kale sighed, “A heck of a lot of money and threats to call the police … seemed to work pretty well though. Blackmail and tons of money will get you places …” He laughed humourlessly. Izzie merely raised her eyebrows and remained silent so Kale changed the subject. “So, can I walk to class with you?” He flashed another dazzling smile and Izzie found herself nodding. They walked along the corridor, Kale did most of the talking but at least Izzie wasn’t telling him to go away. “So, where’s this bookstore you work in? I could really do with something new to read.” Izzie looked up at him, “You read? I had you pegged as a comic-book guy.” Kale laughed loudly, “You really are an unusual girl; you know that? No, I never touch them … a little childish in my opinion.” “Hmm,” Izzie was a little sceptic, “What was the last book you read then?” Kale smirked, “I shouldn’t admit this but it was ‘Wuthering Heights’.” Izzie shook her head, “Uh-uh, no way you read that.” Kale was adamant, “Yeah, I did … Kathy, Heathcliff and those creepy moors. Come on, have you read it?” Izzie nodded, “Just once, it’s not really a guy’s usual reading material.” Kale looked sheepish, “Well I was researching some stuff for a role … but I did enjoy it regardless!” Izzie laughed, “Uh-huh, sure. Why would you be researching that? You gonna star in an adaption of it or something? I don’t think that’s likely! It’s pretty far off your usual fluffy chick flicks.” Kale just shrugged, “Believe what you will, anyway, enough chat about what I read … you never said where this bookstore is.” Izzie rolled her eyes, “Fine, it’s in the town centre … ‘Page-Turner’, you can’t miss it.” Kale nodded as they took their seats and looked to the front; Ms Belson had arrived. “Good morning my dears, now I have some news for you all. It’s very important so make sure you pay close attention … that includes you too Miss Herring.” Izzie looked over at Maddie; she hadn’t even noticed her come into the classroom but now she saw her friend look flushed and stop trying to catch Kale’s eye. Izzie turned back as Ms Belson ploughed on. “Now, as you know, for years we have assessed your Drama skills merely on your participation in class exercises and performances of a few pieces of dialogue from the play we have studied … however, this year they have introduced a new and exciting syllabus. It is with great pleasure my dears; that I can tell you - from this year - we get to put on a play which will be open to the public and your part in this – no matter how small – will be marked towards your final grade. Everyone has to take part to pass this class and this year the principal has agreed to ‘Much Ado About Nothing’ as we are already studying this piece.” Everyone looked around at each other excitedly; a chance to actually perform in front of people! Ms Belson raised her voice to be heard above the chatter that had just broken out, “However, you will all have to audition for your parts; I will be leaving a sheet with the list of characters and other duties that will be the ones you can be marked on … choose wisely.” Izzie saw the whole class’s attitude change dramatically now; the majority now had a hungry, competitive look about them; it was going to be a fight for the best part. Izzie glanced at Kale who looked like he really didn’t care about which part he got but another glance at Maddie was a different story; by the look on her face, she was determined to get the part that would involve her acting opposite Kale. Izzie rolled her eyes to herself; she really didn’t care about any of this, she just wanted something small or behind the scenes – no way was she making a fool of herself going for one of the leads!

Ms Belson ran through a few more scenes from the play and just before the bell had rang, handed the sheet around for everybody to put their name down. Eventually it was passed to Izzie, she took a quick scan down the list and noticed a lot of the girls had scrawled their names under either ‘Beatrice’ or ‘Hero’; clearly hoping Kale would go for either ‘Benedick’ or ‘Claudio’. She scoffed and looked further down the list for some small role … ‘Margaret’ – that would do. She scrawled her name under it and passed the sheet to Kale. Kale studied the list intently; of course the female population would go for two of the leads. He scratched his head; he put his name under two of the characters, then looked again and added another one. He nodded and handed the sheet to Ms Belson on his way out; she took it and Kale made his way along the corridor to catch up with Izzie. “So … ‘Margaret’, why’d you not go for something bigger?” Kale stole a glance at Izzie and saw her roll her eyes at him.

“I don’t care about being a lead … I just wanna pass the damn class – and not embarrass myself while doing so.” Kale nodded, “Fair enough, seems you’d have to beat every girl in the class anyway.” He laughed and Izzie found herself joining him. “Yep,” she began eventually, once she managed to be serious again, “Ms Belson’s got her work cut out for her, I tell you. So, did you go for ‘Benedick’ or ‘Claudio’?” Kale smirked, “None of the above, ‘Don John’ and ‘Don Pedro’.” Izzie raised her eyebrows and said nothing. “What?” Kale asked, a smirk playing on his beautiful lips, “You don’t think I can handle it?” Izzie shrugged, “I didn’t say anything! I just can’t see you playing the villain, that’s all.” Kale nodded, “I know but it was time for a change, I’m tired of playing the same character over and over again in the movies. My agents all tell me to stick with it – ‘if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it’ – but they don’t get a say in this. I’ve been dying to play a baddie for ages, now’s my chance.” Izzie nodded, “Yeah, try telling that to Ms Belson; she’ll have you gunning for ‘Benedick’ or ‘Claudio’ – I’ll bet my life on it.” Kale raised his eyebrows, “I’m intrigued; you seem so sure. How about we put a wager on it?” Izzie smirked at him, “Ok, I’m interested, what are the terms?” Kale thought for a moment; this was the perfect chance to get her to agree to something she would otherwise decline. “Ok, if Ms Belson casts me as ‘Benedick’ or ‘Claudio’; I’ll pay for us to go out for dinner after the roles are announced … but if she doesn’t, you pay. What do you say?” Izzie shook her head in disbelief, “I say that involves me, you and dinner, no matter what the outcome is.” Kale looked smug, “Yeah and? Come on, what do you say? If you’re right you get a free dinner?” Izzie shook her head and laughed at him, “You’re a trier; I’ll give you that. Fine but I pick the place, deal?” Kale held out his hand, “It’s a deal.” Izzie grasped his hand and shook it and as she did so, she felt the most peculiar sensation shoot through her; she actually felt butterflies in her stomach; surely she, of all people, couldn’t be getting excited at the prospect of eating dinner with Kale Eddison? She shook her head to clear her thoughts and made her way to English Lit.; Kale following her closely behind.

As the school day drew to a close, Izzie found herself wishing that the week was over; already she felt she had made a huge mistake agreeing to dinner with Kale. She quickly pushed these thoughts away as she made her way to her locker and gathered the books she needed for her homework later that night. As she made her way out, she noticed all the television vans and reporters congregated in the car park; she had forgotten about Kale’s conference. She quickly struggled through the vast crowd until she made it to her car and got behind the safety of closed doors. She took a fleeting glance around and found she was blocked in; she sighed, she knew she’d have to wait until the conference was over – no way would the T.V. van move now, not when Kale was about five minutes from greeting them all. All of a sudden, Izzie noticed the crowd of reporters hurry towards the front doors of the school; it looked like Kale had presented himself. She saw them all file into the school and figured that the conference must be happening in the Staff Room. Before she knew what she was doing, she found herself getting out of her car and following the throng of people; she was curious as to how Kale would act in front of all these journalists. Izzie managed to sneak in at the back and nobody questioned her so it looked like she was safe. She ducked behind a rather large man and prayed he wouldn’t move or Kale would surely spy her sitting there. There was a lot of fuss and commotion while the reporters got out their notepads and the interviewers checked their microphones. Finally there was silence and Kale spoke to them all. “Hey everyone, thanks for coming today. Before I answer any of your questions though, I wanted to say I appreciate you all letting me have my privacy while I settled in here at Hartside High. So, who’s first?” Kale looked around the room and tried to look for the reporter that looked the least invasive. He spied Chuck Simpson; a journalist from one of the biggest international newspapers and also, one of the nicest people you’d ever meet. Kale was relieved and pointed to him; at least he was guaranteed that he wouldn’t get any awkward or intensely personal questions from him. “Chuck … how’s it going big guy? What do you wanna know?” Chuck smiled at Kale gratefully; the kid was always so nice to him – giving him the exclusives - and he appreciated it; it got his boss off his back on numerous occasions. “I’m doing alright kid, thanks for asking. Anyway, how you getting on with the whole normal school experience? I’m sure it’s a shock to the system not to mention that the entire female population that attend here are probably all falling at your feet.” He held his notepad ready as Kale leaned into the microphone. “Always nice to see you Chuck – anyway, back to your question … well I haven’t had a chance to totally settle in yet but I’m really liking it so far; I get to be a normal guy for a change. You know; it’s really actually quite nice not to be hounded by photographers – no offence to you guys.” Kale

laughed and was relieved the other reporters did too; hopefully they would pick up the hint that he would appreciate being left alone more often so he could truly experience a normal high school education. “Anyway,” Kale continued on, “I’ll admit it was a bit strange getting used to homework and trying to find classrooms but everyone’s been a big help.” The reporters all chuckled and one yelled out, “I bet all the girls have!” Kale flashed a charming smile, “Well, it’s not entirely the female pupils but it’s a fair few with some exceptions.” He smirked a little to himself as Izzie sniggered at his reference to her and her less-than-enthusiastic greeting when they had first met. The reporters all laughed and a female one tossed her hair and shouted out, “Surely you can’t be suggesting that there are some girls here that aren’t attracted to you?” Kale smiled, “Hey Kathy, well I would be lying if I said they all adored me but yes, there is one girl in particular who has made her dislike for me very clear.” He chuckled and thought of how much he really liked Izzie regardless of this fact. Tom Barton; a reporter for the local news channel jumped on this, “Who is she Kale? What did she say to you?” Kale laughed, “I’m not revealing her identity but I will tell you this; it was quite refreshing to hear her describe my latest movie as ‘crap’ – makes a guy want to try harder in his next role, you know?” They all laughed and another female reporter – Kale recognised her as Julie Falls; a shy young girl who had only been in the field a year – stuck out her microphone and asked something that caught Kale completely off guard that he wasn’t sure what was the best way to answer. She had managed to stutter out, “So, d-do you h-have f-feelings f-for this g-girl? You j-just look l-like you ad-admire her f-for not b-being a f-fan of your wwork.” Kale was completely thrown; he knew that whether Julie was shy or not, the girl could ask some tricky but brilliant questions – she was very perceptive. “Um, I don’t know about having feelings for her but I think we may be becoming good friends – well more on my part than hers probably – but for now it’s nice to be with someone who isn’t afraid to have a different opinion to her friends; she knows what she believes and goes for it – no matter what other people think.” All the journalists scribbled furiously at this and Kale regretted saying too much; he knew he shouldn’t have said more than was necessary – the basics would have been suffice. Thankfully, he was saved from what was sure to be many tricky questions when his agent announced to the room that they were done for the day. Many of the reporters looked peeved to have been cut short of what was promising to be a juicy story that they could turn whichever way they wished. Kale breathed a sigh of relief and watched them all exit the room and for a split second, he was sure he had seen Izzie’s red hair among them but that was impossible. He stretched and managed to brush off his manager; he needed time to himself.

Izzie had just about managed to sneak back out of the room undetected; she had been sure that Kale would have given up her identity and was very pleasantly surprised that he hadn’t. Although, when the last reporter had asked that tricky question, Izzie just wanted out of the room – and fast! However, she had to admit that she had been quite touched when Kale hinted that he wanted to be friends with her. Maybe that wouldn’t be such a bad thing … if she could stick him that long!

Chapter Seven

Izzie sat in Drama class and thought she deserved a medal; she had so far managed to put up with Kale for nearly a week now but she felt that was about to change if today kept going the way it was now. After Monday’s conference, Kale had taken to walking with Izzie to their every class – a habit that Izzie didn’t really mind; after all, the poor bloke was sure to get bombarded by his female admirers every time he was alone. However, Izzie was beginning to get seriously peeved with him and it was all down to the auditions for the play; that’s what Ms Belson was carrying out right now. Kale was called for his two minutes ago and Izzie found herself nervous about her own; it would be straight after Kale’s. She wouldn’t have been nervous but now she was and it was all Kale’s fault! She didn’t know if she was going to throw up or punch him but she knew one thing for sure; she was spitting mad when she found out what he had done. Ms Belson had stuck a large piece of paper on the notice board when they had arrived and told them all to look at as it was their audition times for today. Izzie hadn’t been too upset by this; she had her ‘Margaret’ dialogue prepared anyway, however, when she looked for her name and scanned her eyes across to the time, she found that she was down to audition for ‘Beatrice’ as well. Positive that it had been a mistake, she told Ms Belson but Izzie was extremely shocked when the teacher showed her the sheet that everyone had signed and found her name under ‘Beatrice’. Izzie knew she hadn’t written her name there but it looked very much like her handwriting and she was forced to go through with it; so now she was quickly learning some dialogue to get through the horrible experience. Kale had seen her shocked and puzzled expression and inquired what was wrong, when Izzie had told him what had happened, he couldn’t hold back a guilty smile. Izzie had immediately questioned him on it and he had confessed that he had forged her signature as he believed she would make a ‘terrific Beatrice’. Izzie had been so furious she was at a loss for words; she had settled for giving him a death stare until his name was called. Now she breathed deeply and ran through her lines once more; she had just finished when the door opened and Kale sauntered in with Ms Belson. “Now, Izzie Frank you’re next for ‘Beatrice’ and ‘Margaret’. Come along dear.” Izzie got up and gave Kale an evil look as she crossed the classroom and left with Ms Belson. They walked to the Theatre and Izzie cleared her throat nervously. “Now dear,” Ms Belson said, “there’s no reason to be nervous; it’s just me and you. When you’re ready, please start with the ‘Margaret’ piece and then the ‘Beatrice’ – good luck.” Izzie drew in a deep breath, ‘Please don’t let me suck’, she thought desperately, ‘and if I do, please give me the strength afterwards to kill Kale Eddison!’

Ten minutes later and Izzie had managed to find her way back to her seat and gratefully sat down; she felt traumatised by her experience but was relieved it was now over and she could now yell at Kale. She gathered up the energy and turned to him, “So, was that your idea of fun? Making me a laughing stock and humiliating myself? You happy now or shall I let you push me off my chair so you can get some more kicks?” Kale looked shocked at Izzie’s outburst; many of the other students had stopped what they were doing and turned to stare. Avoiding their gazes, Kale glanced at Izzie, “Um no, I thought you wouldn’t mind. Besides you made a great ‘Beatrice’ that time we did a scene together. You don’t give yourself enough credit; you’re better than you think.” Izzie shook her head at him, “I really can’t believe you. You have the nerve to justify your actions? How would you like it if I put you down for some character you didn’t want to audition for?” Kale gave her a small half-smile, “Ms Belson beat you to it.” Izzie had been about to continue her rant but she stopped what she was about to say, “I – oh, why … what’d she make you do?” She was curious against her will. Kale laughed, “It wasn’t that bad – you’ll actually like to know you were right – she made me audition for ‘Benedick’ while I was there. I tried to refuse but she insisted; I had to comply.” Izzie smiled, “Ha! It’s not the same thing but at least I was right and you were wrong.” “Yeah, yeah, yeah,” Kale rolled his eyes like Izzie would’ve done and she laughed. “So are we even now? Can you forgive me?” He stuck out his lower lip in a comical pout and Izzie couldn’t help but laugh. “Ok, I just hope she casts you as ‘Benedick’; ‘cause then I get a free dinner!” Kale’s mouth pulled up a one corner into a crooked smile, “Well you won’t have to wait long; she told me she’ll be announcing them at the end of the day on the main notice board.” Izzie felt a knot in her stomach and hoped Ms Belson took pity on her and cast her as ‘Margaret’; she couldn’t mess that up too badly when they performed on opening night. She pushed these thoughts away and changed the topic as she and Kale walked along to their free period.

During the last class of the day, Izzie felt sick; the cast list would be up in less than twenty minutes. Kale glanced up from his novel and saw Izzie’s

pale complexion. “You ok?” he whispered; his voice full of concern. Izzie shook her head, “No,” she muttered when Mr Rowntree wasn’t looking, “I’m nervous about the casting.” Kale smiled, “You’ll be fine; Ms Belson knows what she’s doing. Look, try not to worry about it … think about where you want to go for dinner which I will inevitably have to pay for, judging by our good Drama teacher’s excitement at my audition.” Izzie laughed despite herself, “In that case I’ll have to research the most expensive place in town!” Kale chuckled, “It’s your choice … now stop worrying; you’re distracting me from ‘Jane Eyre’!” Izzie sniggered, “Yeah and you looked so engrossed before! Although, I guess you’re right; we’ll find out soon enough … now, I may return to ‘Mr Brocklehurst’ myself.” They both quickly returned to their books as Mr Rowntree swept past them and they remained silent until the bell rang. “So, time to find out who’s made the cut.” Kale raised his eyebrows at Izzie in a comical way and she laughed. They walked along the corridor to where the main notice board was located and found that the entire Drama class had beaten them to it. They waited until some people had moved away and gradually edged closer but they still couldn’t see. Izzie did see Maddie, however, and she didn’t look very happy. She beckoned her friend over; she hadn’t really spoken her since Saturday and she wanted to catch up. “Well Maddie, who’d you get?” Izzie smiled at her encouragingly. Maddie looked like she was sucking on some lemons, “I got the part of ‘Hero’.” Izzie hugged her friend and exclaimed, “Well that’s brilliant but why do you look so sad? I mean it’s a main role … who’s your ‘Claudio’ then?” Maddie still looked peeved off, “I really was looking to play ‘Beatrice’ but whatever. Oh, Jake’s been cast as ‘Claudio’.” Izzie found herself not really caring that Jake was one of the main characters; she had totally forgotten about him regardless of what Maddie had said on Saturday. She shrugged and settled for a polite, “Oh, that’s good.” Maddie nodded but had a peculiar look on her face; she looked like she was sizing Izzie up, like she wanted tell Izzie what she really thought of her. Izzie felt awkward but was saved from Maddie’s withering looks when Kale interrupted them. “Hey Maddie, how are you? Congrats on your part; I’m sure the other girls would’ve killed for it.” He flashed a smile at her and she visibly warmed a little. “Oh thanks Kale, yeah it’ll be great getting the chance to actually be on stage, you know.” She simpered at him and ignored Izzie. “Yeah,” Kale said, “well I guess we’ll see you in rehearsal then.” He moved away and Izzie followed him but not before she noticed the jealous look Maddie was now giving her. ‘Jeez’, Izzie thought, ‘she really needs to grow up.’ She shook her head and managed to get within viewing distance of the board since many others had left. She scanned her eyes down the list and saw Kale’s name at the top beside ‘Benedick’; she smiled to herself; looked like she was getting a free dinner. She followed the list down until she saw her own name; she took a deep breath and then looked to the other side of the list … ‘Beatrice’. She was stunned and didn’t stir until Kale gave her a hug. “Wow buddy,” she began, pulling out of his embrace, “what the hell you doing?” Kale pulled back also and shrugged, “It was just a celebratory hug, that’s all.” “Oh,” said Izzie, feeling a little bit stupid now, “Sorry, I’m not much of a hugger, thanks anyway.” Kale eyed her curiously, “You are a very unique girl; you know that?” Izzie threw her head back and laughed, “Yep, I’m one of a kind. Anyway, I will return the favour and give you a celebratory hug; I like to try new things, you know.” Kale smiled crookedly as she gave him a quick hug and they smiled at one another. “Now,” began Izzie, “let’s hope your acting doesn’t suck too badly in this. I can’t afford for you to make me look bad too.” Kale chuckled, “And there’s that honesty I’m so fond of; I knew it wasn’t far behind – it never is.” They walked down the corridor together discussing their roles and Izzie found herself actually warming to the part of ‘Beatrice’; Kale made her believe she could do it and that helped. They made it out the main door and were met with flashing bulbs and microphones thrust into their faces. “Oh no,” Kale said despairingly, “I figured they wouldn’t leave me alone too long after the conference.” Izzie felt blinded by the flashes and noises that surrounded her and she felt Kale put an arm around her protectively as he attempted to guide her to

her car. “Hey, everyone back off, let her get to car and then you can ask me whatever you want.” Kale sounded very annoyed but somehow managed to push through far enough so that Izzie could make a break for her car. She ran and once inside, she locked the doors and looked on at Kale with pity. Kale grunted in frustration as the reporters surrounded him again, “Look guys; a bit of personal space wouldn’t go amiss … just make this quick, ok? What are you looking?” He sighed and the reporter nearest to him jumped in quickly. “Who’s the girl Kale? Are she and you dating? What’s the story kid?” Kale shook his head, “Look I’m not revealing the poor girl’s identity just so you can all follow her like vultures; she is a friend and will remain an unnamed friend. We are not dating, so there’s no juicy story for you all to chase.” Another reporter cut in, “Yeah right, cut the crap Kale. You may not wanna talk but I’m sure she’d be willing to spill the dirt for the right price.” Kale smiled without amusement, “Try all you want but you don’t know her like I do; she won’t give you a thing. Now are we going to change the topic or should I just leave?” The reporters were quick to protest and one piped up, “No, easy Kale, we just want a story. I’m sure everyone is in the same boat as me in that our bosses are all on at us to get another newsworthy story. Just give us something kid; it doesn’t matter how small.” The rest of the reporters nodded in agreement and Kale sighed reluctantly, “Fine, the latest thing happening in my life is that I’ve got a lead part in the school play. Is that newsworthy enough for you?” They all nodded and Kale filled them all in on the details and eventually managed to escape fifteen minutes later. He made his way over to his car which happened to be parked next to Izzie’s. She rolled down her window and whistled, “Phew, I thought they’d never leave. I’m glad they have though; one was blocking me in.” Kale looked at her with a distressed look, “Izzie I’m really sorry. I didn’t know they’d be waiting to ambush but I should’ve figured they’d be waiting for the opportune moment.” Izzie looked at him sympathetically, “Hey, you didn’t know. Anyway, they’ve got their story so they’ll leave you alone for another bit.” Kale laughed, “Yeah, I sure hope so. Thanks for being so cool about this. I just want to warn you that your picture will probably be in the paper, as will some ridiculous story no doubt.” Izzie laughed, “Don’t worry, I’ll handle it. Now, where are we going for dinner?” Kale smiled, “Jeez, after all that I’m shocked you haven’t changed your mind.” Izzie rolled her eyes, “Um, I’m not about to pass up a free meal, that’s for sure.” Kale chuckled, “Ok, you wanna go now? I know it’s a little early but I’m kind of hungry.” Izzie nodded, “Ok, I could eat too; how about ‘Soda Joe’s’ – it’s usually quiet around this time and it’s an American diner; it’ll make you feel at home, yeah?” Kale raised his eyebrows, “You know I am British really, my parents just moved to America when I was two. But hey, it sounds great … you wanna take my car?” Izzie debated with herself and decided to take him up on his offer; it would be nice not to drive for once. “Sure, as long as you leave me back here so I can get home.” Kale nodded, “No problem, come on then.”

The waitress had just served them their dessert and Izzie found that she was actually quite enjoying herself. Kale was really nothing like she had pictured him; the more she got to know him, the more he surprised her; in a good way. “So,” Izzie began, licking some chocolate off her spoon, “why did you really decide to finish your last year at Hartside? I mean, not that Hartside’s a bad school – ‘cause it isn’t – but why not just finish getting tutored? Come on, making films can’t be that bad.” Kale sighed, “No, they’re not; I love making movies but I was just fed up of not having a normal day where I did normal things. I mean, most days I’d be on the set for hours and if I wasn’t, I was studying with my tutor and then there are the press conferences, paparazzi, award shows … I think you see where I’m going with this – I just wanted that all to stop for a second and just be me; normal high school student.” Izzie nodded, “Yeah, I get all that but you seem to forget something; you’re not normal! Come on, you’re Kale Eddison … you’re a big famous film star! Your life will never be normal so you should just enjoy it. Believe me, having a normal life like mine is not that exciting; I’d kill for a bit of disruption in my everyday boring life.” She shook her head at Kale; she really couldn’t believe he’d want a normal life – it certainly wasn’t much fun.

Kale laughed at her over-the-top reaction, “Izzie, you really make me laugh. You do make a fair point; most people would kill to be in my shoes but they’ve never experienced it firsthand. Yes there are good things but there are not so good things about it too.” Izzie shrugged, “Guess nobody’s ever really happy then; the famous want to be unknown and the unknown want to be famous … it really is a mad world.” She laughed and finished off the last piece of her chocolate fudge cake. “Phew,” she added, “good thing I’m not an actress otherwise I shouldn’t have eaten that!” Kale smiled at her fondly, “You don’t know how rare it is for me to see a girl eat some chocolate – I find it quite nice; there’s nothing worse than sitting through a date where the girl picks through a salad.” Izzie grinned, “Guess you date a lot of stick models then? I tell you one thing … I couldn’t cut it as an actress or model; I’m in the minority that believe it’s actually vital that you eat!” She laughed and Kale chuckled also. “Seriously though,” Kale began, his face turning quite sincere-looking, “I’ve only dated the one model and she wasn’t very sociable and as for costars – don’t get me started!” Izzie half-smiled at him; by the look on his face, it was quite clear that he was telling the truth and, to be honest, she was quite shocked. “You mean to say that you’ve only dated a few people? I thought it was nearly the entire female population!” She chuckled and saw Kale was laughing too. Kale smiled at her surprised expression, “Yeah, you shouldn’t believe everything in the papers. They all make me out to be some sort of play-boy but I’m not – sure, I like to have a good time but there’s a difference between enjoying yourself and being a player – they just neglect to mention that part.” Izzie didn’t say anything; she actually felt quite guilty because that’s what she had believed about him. Although, she couldn’t help but think that, as an actor; he could be acting right now. Izzie wasn’t sure what to think so she thought it best to proceed with caution; she decided to change the subject, “So, looking forward to the play? I have no idea how I’m going to cope playing such a prominent character; I mean, the dislike I’ll have to show towards you should be no problem since it won’t be acting but everything else, I don’t know …” she trailed off and flashed him a wicked grin. Kale smiled, “You’re a very funny girl; you know that? I’m sure you’ll do brilliantly.” “Aw thanks, I’m sure you will too – you know – for an actor!” she smiled at him again and he had to laugh; she really was great to be around. “Right,” Kale said, pushing his messy sandy hair out of his baby blue eyes as he checked his watch, “it’s almost six … I’d better leave you to get your car; we both have homework to do.” Izzie nodded and grabbed her bag, “Ready when you are.” She stood up as Kale went over to pay the bill and they walked out of the diner together, laughing about poor old Ms Belson’s obvious obsession with Kale. Kale drove back to the school car park and Izzie got out to go over to her car. “Hey!” Kale called after her, “I had a really nice time tonight; I’ll see you in school tomorrow … talk to you later.” Izzie nodded and waved him off as she started her car and then drove home. Overall, dinner hadn’t been too terrible but one thing was for sure; Kale was definitely a charmer but Izzie was determined she would be one girl that wouldn’t succumb to his friendly advances – film star or not, he was still an ordinary bloke to her.

Chapter Eight

Izzie woke up the following morning and smiled to herself when she realised it was Friday; the start of the weekend – total bliss! She felt today was going to be a good one and she was feeling extremely happy but she didn’t really know why. She got dressed and made her way to the kitchen; her mother was in the kitchen with her grandmother and they were both looking at a newspaper. “Hey guys, what’s up? Did something interesting happen?” Izzie eyed them both curiously; they were both wearing very sombre expressions. Her mother glanced up and quickly hitched a smile on her face; “Hey honey, nothing’s up. Do you want some coffee? I’ll make some coffee.” Izzie watched puzzled, as her mother frantically flitted about the kitchen and her grandmother tried to shove the paper hastily out of sight. Izzie was no fool; they were both hiding something. “Why are you both acting weird? What’s in the paper that you don’t want me to see?” she frowned at them and then held her hand out for the newspaper. Her grandmother reluctantly passed it to her and sighed, “You’ll find out sooner or later.” Izzie opened out the newspaper to the front page and was shocked to find her own face there, “What the hell is going on?” She stared at the picture and then noticed the headline, ‘Kale’s Mystery Girl Revealed!’ Furious, she frantically turned to page 5 and began to read.

‘Teenage girls all over the world will be devastated! It is with great sadness that our reporter must announce to the world that the one and only,

Hollywood Golden Boy, Kale Eddison has found himself a girlfriend. Yes girls, it appears our Kale has finally settled down and with the daughter of a book shop owner no less! Last night, our reporter followed young Mr Eddison and our mystery girl and can exclusively reveal that the young pair dined together at the local ‘Soda Joe’s’ – an American-inspired diner – and eyewitnesses told our reporter that the couple looked very cosy indeed! One eyewitness, a Mr Brady, informed our reporter that “that famous young bloke and red-headed girl” enjoyed a rather romantic meal and that they “seemed to be having a good time since they were laughing and joking” throughout their meal. Indeed, another – known only as Ms C – confirmed Mr Brady’s observations and added that Kale was a “proper gent” in that he “paid for the bill and everything!” So, after further investigation, our reporter found out the identity of this young red-haired female and can reveal it is Isobel – Izzie – Frank, daughter of Isaac Frank, owner of local bookshop, ‘Page-Turner’. This rather ordinary girl has appeared to capture the heart of Kale and doesn’t seem to realise it. An interview with a reliable source – a close personal friend of Miss Frank’s – revealed that Kale seems besotted with Isobel but Miss Frank is rumoured to be less than fond of our Kale. In fact, the source exclusively revealed that Miss Frank once called Kale “egotistic” and believes that he’s “not that great of an actor” – an opinion that may or may not have changed. Furthermore, this source revealed that Miss Frank may be only using our Kale to help ensnare another young lad – Jake Greenberg. It has been confirmed that these three are involved in a school production of Shakespeare’s ‘Much Ado About Nothing’ and it is rumoured that young Isobel believes her close relationship with Kale will help her capture the heart of her true target – Mr Greenberg. However, the date these two shared last night and the eyewitness accounts from the other diners seem to suggest otherwise – as do our reporter’s photographs included in this article. Perhaps Miss Frank is playing with Kale’s heart in this rumoured love triangle – one sure to be even more complicated after today – or maybe our young hero has indeed succeeded in winning over Miss Frank. Whatever the truth is and whether our young lovers are involved with each other or not – the question on everyone’s lips is sure to be “What does Kale Eddison see in a girl like Isobel Frank?”’

Izzie glanced at the next page to look at the photographs; she didn’t even notice a reporter or photographer last night – and she sure as hell didn’t think Kale did either. One picture was of her and Kale laughing over dinner and the other was a class group photograph (she was ringed with a circle) from last year; every pupil had received one – that meant that someone from Hartside had leaked it to the press but Izzie didn’t know who. When she had finished looking at the article she raised her eyes to meet her mother’s and grandmother’s; they had been looking at her anxiously throughout. “Well, whoever this ‘close, personal friend’ of mine is had better watch out. I can’t believe this is happening … school’s gonna be fun today!” Izzie sighed and rubbed her face wearily; maybe she’d wake up and find it was all a dream! Out of the corner of her eyes, she noticed her grandmother was patiently waiting to ask her something. “Shoot Gran, I know you’re dying to ask something.” Her grandmother smiled guiltily, “Oh alright dear, are you really dating young Kale or not?” Izzie shook her head in disbelief, “Gran, did you not listen to me in the cinema the other night? I’m not dating him; I can barely stand him at times! And before you ask, I was out for dinner with him because we both bet on something and he lost; the condition was that loser bought dinner … that’s it.” Her grandmother raised an eyebrow at her but didn’t say anything and Izzie noticed her mother remained quiet too. She needed to get out of the house; she grabbed her car keys and made her way to the front door where she was bombarded by around thirty reporters – she hadn’t even heard the commotion whilst inside the house! Izzie pushed her way through them and managed to get inside her car; she saw her mother shout at them to leave and motion for Izzie to quickly escape. She did so and saw the reporters all get in their vans and cars and start to follow her. She felt like cursing Kale up and down; this was all

his fault and it was all over nothing! Izzie pulled up to the school and noticed Kale was surrounded by reporters too; the ones that were following Izzie had also started to get out of their cars and run over to Kale while a few encircled her car. She took out her phone and was about to text Maddie for help when Kale made a run for it; he sprinted across the car park towards her car and quickly motioned for her to open the passenger side door. Izzie did and as soon as Kale had bolted inside, she locked the doors again. “What the hell Kale? What was the point in that? Now the both of us are just going to be stuck here instead of just me! You know, next time, a little heads up would be nice! I had to push through dozens of reporters at my own house just to get to my car, I mean what the hell are we gonna do now?” Izzie was furious and breathed heavily after she had finished her rant. Kale had decided to let her blow off some steam before he spoke; good thing he did – it looked like Izzie was ready to hit him! “Izzie,” he began apologetically, “I’m really, really sorry. To be fair I did warn you that something like this would happen but I didn’t know there was a reporter following us last night and I had no clue that they’d turn up at your house – I don’t know what to do. My assistant, Alicia, is going to try and do some damage control but there’s not much else we can do I’m afraid.” Izzie glared at him furiously, “What do you mean ‘not much else’? How are we going to get into school? I’m telling you now, you see if I find out that this was all some elaborate plot to get your name in the papers so you would get more attention for your upcoming film – I swear to God, I will kill you.” Kale looked shocked, “What? How can you even think that? A better question would be which one of your ‘close, personal’ friends talked and gave them some juicy ammunition which paints me as some pathetic loser?” He was fuming that Izzie was pinning all the blame on him. Izzie couldn’t help but be riled at his accusations, “Really Kale? That’s such a low blow; you’re only really worried about how you are seen? What about me? I’m made out to be some heartless, game-playing bitch! You’re not the one being presented as a scheming and cold-hearted cow, are you?” Izzie took deep breaths to try and calm herself down as she looked around at the reporters taking pictures from outside her car; no doubt they had both given them a follow-up story for tomorrow’s newspaper. She could just see the headline now; ‘Kale and Girlfriend in Lover’s Tiff!’ Kale noticed her gaze, “Perhaps we should continue this little discussion somewhere else where reporters won’t be able to cook up another completely false story?” Izzie had to admit that he was talking sense so she nodded her head, “Ok, hang on, I’ll try and get out of here.” She started the engine and several of the reporters backed off; she put the car in reverse and took them all by surprise when she shot backwards. Before they had time to congregate around the car again, Izzie had put the car in first gear and took off out into the main road. Kale looked over at her in disbelief, “I can’t believe you just did that! We’ll not lose them for long though.” Izzie nodded, “I know, but it’s a start. So, where were we? Ah yes, I was emphasising how I’m portrayed as the villain in this piece. Anything you’d like to say?” She eyed him meaningfully. “Ok, how many times must I apologise? I’m sorry,” Kale let out an exasperated sigh and then turned very serious, “really, I am sorry and I’m sorry about you being made to look bad in this whole mess.” “Yeah,” Izzie agreed, “you should be! But for now let’s worry about how we’re gonna get into school undetected. Do you’ve any ideas?” Kale shrugged, “Don’t think we’ll be going to school today. I know the media and they’re gonna be chasing us for the rest of the day … trust me!” Izzie scoffed, “Funny that, I did and look how that turned out! So what the hell are we supposed to do then? I certainly don’t wanna be stuck with you for the rest of today.” “Do you really detest me that much?” asked Kale incredulously as he gazed at Izzie with a hurt look on his face. “Right now … yeah I do but ask me tomorrow and – no, the answer would still be the same.” She frowned at him but couldn’t help but smile a little too. Kale smirked, knowing she was half-serious, “Guess I can live with that, now what you wanna do?” Izzie glanced at her rear-view mirror, “Well since there are still reporters following us, I suggest we go somewhere where they can’t. You have any ideas?” Kale nodded, “Ok, we’ll just have to shake them off first but I think we could maybe head to a private spot near my house; it’s in the country so it’ll take them a while to find us.” Izzie was hesitant; the last thing she wanted was to be alone with Kale but she was out of options; she’d just have to grin and bear it no matter how much he irritated her. “Fine but you’d better direct me – and fast – because I don’t want my picture to end up in tomorrow’s newspaper.” She sighed at the five or six vans and cars following them and followed Kale’s first instruction.

Half an hour later and Izzie was reclining back in an armchair in Kale’s secret hideout; they had managed to lose the reporters and ended up near

Kale’s house. He had then directed her to a little building that was located near the field beside his house. There was a heavily wooded area at one side of the field and this is where the building was; it was hidden by the mass of trees which was perfect to hide from anyone; the outside the building just looked like an old storage area. Izzie had been unsure when she laid eyes on the building as she didn’t imagine that it would be a comfortable place to spend the rest of the day. She had been pleasantly surprised to then discover that inside it was more of a den; there was a sofa and armchairs, a fridge full of drinks and snacks and shelves lined with books. Izzie had looked around her in amazement but she was even more surprised to find that there weren’t any TV’s or games consoles; she had expected Kale to be one of those guys who could be glued to ‘Halo’ for hours on end. When she had voiced this observation, Kale had simply told her, “I come here to read scripts or to chill out and just relax … oh and FYI I can’t stand computer games hence the books.” Izzie had laughed and was impressed to find some great classics among the books. Now she was just lounging back in one of the comfy armchairs while Kale raided the fridge. “So,” Izzie began as Kale laid out some of the snacks and drinks from the fridge onto the table, “how long do you reckon we’ll have to hide out here?” Kale shrugged as he helped himself to an apple, “Dunno, guess we’ll have to keep checking that we weren’t followed and then escape later.” Izzie nodded and picked up an apple also; it looked like it was going to be one long day with Kale and there wasn’t exactly much to do in the den. Kale chewed on his apple and watched Izzie look around; he’d really have to try and make this bearable, after all it was his fault that they had to resort to hiding out in his den. He sighed and then noticed that Izzie had spied one of the scripts he had received earlier in the week and had been reading over. Izzie lifted the script and scanned the first couple of pages; another romantic comedy – surprise, surprise! She flicked through the rest of the pages and scoffed at the predictable ending. Kale watched her with amusement, “I take it that you wouldn’t go see that movie then?” Izzie raised her eyebrows at him, “No, I think I’d rather stick needles in my eyes. Have you ever thought about doing something different or is this what your agent recommends you to do?” Kale sighed, “What do you think? You think I like making these fluffy movies? Don’t get me wrong; they’ve helped me build a name for myself but I want more challenging roles now. I want to play someone who is completely different; a character with flaws or maybe a villain. But the way this business works is ‘stick with what works’ – another way of telling me to do what I’m told and tough shit; I’ve no choice in the matter.” Izzie looked shocked, “Seriously? That is such bullshit Kale, really. You always have a choice … seems to me you’re just too chicken shit to take a stand.” Kale laughed, “Guess you’re right; harsh but it’s the truth. I guess I’ll just have to wait until the right script comes along and then dig my heels in.” Izzie shook her head in mock annoyance and reclined further back in the chair; she looked rather bored now. “So,” Kale began hesitantly, “I’m sure you hate my guts for what’s going to be one long and boring day.” Izzie shrugged, “Nah, at least I don’t have to put up with Maddie’s mood swings and I could do with the break. Although, there isn’t really much to do around here, is there?” Kale smiled apologetically, “Yeah, sorry about that – hey, I’ve an idea … you wanna run lines together for the play? I think I’ve a copy of it around here somewhere.” He got up and rifled through his bookcase and extracted a copy of ‘Much Ado About Nothing.’ Izzie laughed, “Sure, since there’s nothing better to do. Where do you wanna take it from?” Kale quickly scanned the pages and turned to near the back; he smirked, “What about Act 5 Scene 3?” “Why do you wanna do the scene that is like, near the end?” Izzie looked at him curiously; he was up to something. Kale managed to keep his face straight, “No reason but all the drama’s going on in that scene … you know the whole reveal of ‘Hero’ and whatnot.” “Ok,” Izzie said slowly; she was still suspicious of him but she agreed regardless. Kale flicked to the appropriate page, “You wanna just do our characters or the others as well?” “Nah,” Izzie shook her head, “just ours, now give me the book, I don’t know my lines yet.” She snatched the book from his hands and smirked at his shocked expression. “Hey!” Kale protested, “Let’s just test how well you know the story, give me the book back and see if you know your lines … you might surprise yourself.” Izzie rolled her eyes, “Fine, here you go. You are so touchy.” She handed him the book back and he laughed. “Ok, start from ‘I answer to that name. What is your will?’ and see if you remember the rest.” Kale nodded to Izzie and she found herself automatically recalling her lines with ease; this really surprised her as she hadn’t even had time to learn them yet.

She paused for a moment and looked at Kale curiously, “How’d you know I’d remember my lines even though I haven’t learned them yet?” Kale shrugged, “Just a feeling, if you’ve read it enough times, it just sticks without you knowing it - now come on, keep going.” “Fine, where was I?” Izzie thought for a minute and remembered, “I would not deny you,” she continued on. Kale nodded when she had finished that particular part of the dialogue perfectly and smiled to himself when he knew what was coming next, however, by the look on Izzie’s face, she didn’t. Kale looked into Izzie’s eyes and continued on, “Peace! I will stop your mouth.” And before Izzie even realised what was happening Kale had leaned forward and kissed her firmly on the mouth. Izzie was angry and yet pleasantly surprised at the same time. She pushed Kale away roughly, “Oi, what the hell Kale?” she spat angrily despite the butterflies she was feeling in her stomach and the sudden weakness in her legs. Kale tried to look innocent, “It’s in the script, see?” he waved the book in front of her face and she reddened slightly. “Oh, sorry I forgot about that bit. I – um – let’s finish the scene.” She finished off awkwardly; she was totally embarrassed by her over-reaction. Kale smirked, “Let’s leave it for today, and I’m sorry if I took you by surprise but that’s the way it has to be portrayed.” Izzie nodded slowly, afraid to meet his gaze; she felt incredibly stupid at how she had acted and she also felt something else but she couldn’t quite explain. She cleared her throat nervously and sat down on the armchair again while Kale took the one opposite her. It was plain to see that their kiss had affected her but Kale wondered was it the same reaction he’d had? As soon as he had kissed her, he felt something spark off in his stomach; like a jolt of an electric shock. Kale wasn’t quite sure how to explain it but one thing was for sure; it felt good and he wanted very much to do it again. However, it was a case of whether Izzie would agree to it or did she still hate his guts and now even more so? It was very hard to tell by her expression but Kale figured it would be better left alone for now; he decided to change the subject. “So,” Kale began awkwardly, “is there anything else you want to do?” Izzie didn’t answer straight away; she was too preoccupied thinking about their kiss. She shook herself mentally and forced herself to meet Kale’s eyes, “Well, there’s not really much else is there? Although, I am getting kinda hungry … what are we gonna do about lunch?” Kale smiled, “I could check if the coast is clear and if it is; what do you say we make a run for it and go somewhere, what you think?” Izzie raised her eyebrows, “After this morning’s newspaper article … have you gone totally mad?” Kale’s grin slipped a little, “Oh yeah, well I’ll check it out anyway and then we can go up to the house. There’s more food up there and nobody will be able to see us besides the cook and maids.” Izzie reluctantly agreed and waited while Kale went outside to have a look around. He came back about ten minutes later and declared - much to Izzie’s relief - that all was clear and they could escape to the house. After a lunch that consisted of salad sandwiches and some coffee, Izzie felt much better. She actually found that Kale seemed to be just like any ordinary guy; she actually felt like she could begin to tolerate him – at least a little bit anyway. “So,” Izzie began after she’d drained the last of her second cup of coffee, “what now? I know we’re a lot more comfy now but we still have the issue of the photographers following us; we still can’t go anywhere.” Kale sighed, “I know, welcome to my world. I dunno, you wanna watch a movie or something?” Izzie shrugged, “Sure but please don’t make me suffer through one of yours!” Kale laughed, “I promise, come on; the cinema room’s downstairs. Izzie followed him down to the lower level and found herself in a very large room that resembled a film theatre; there were reclining red chairs lined in a row, a popcorn machine and other sweets and drinks. Izzie couldn’t help but be impressed; the large screen and even the décor of film posters made the whole room feel like the real thing. “Wow,” Izzie exclaimed, “what films you got?” Kale rhymed off a couple of titles and Izzie settled on a Hilary Turner one; she was her favourite actress and it was her favourite film of all time – the classic story of boy meets girl - ‘A Time to Love’. Kale looked impressed and loaded up the reel while Izzie helped herself to some popcorn and some nachos. Kale dimmed the lights and took the seat beside Izzie, grateful that she didn’t tell him to move away. The credits began to roll and Izzie found herself absorbed in the film while Kale found himself absorbed in looking at Izzie. He really did like her but he highly doubted that she felt the same and he couldn’t blame her – to date, her picture had been splashed all over the papers and her name tarnished. He knew he was to blame but he struggled to think of something that would make it up to her; he knew being involved in his life wasn’t easy and it was unfair of him to be so selfish and want Izzie to be around him constantly. He sighed to himself and turned his attention back to the screen and regretted it; it was the scene where Hilary’s character told her husband – a superb Dean Jameson - she was dying. That scene was always one that pulled at Kale’s heart; the acting was so realistic and believable – something he felt he had yet to achieve. That was acting at its best and he was just a poor man’s Dean Jameson. Kale turned away from the screen, ashamed of the lump in his throat; he coughed in an attempt to clear it and saw Izzie glance at him out of the corner of his eye – her look

was one of curiosity.

The film ended and Izzie stretched and yawned; it had been very comfortable to just relax all day – apart from dodging the photographers this morning. She looked at Kale and smiled lazily, he returned her smile and felt his heart thump rapidly – what the hell was wrong with him? He cleared his throat, “You want some coffee?” Izzie nodded and he was relieved to leave her for a few minutes; she was really making him feel … well he really didn’t know how to describe it – it felt good but he had difficulty naming the emotion. He shook himself mentally and concentrated on making the cappuccinos. Izzie remained seated in the recliner, she was feeling quite confused. She had been touched when she noticed Kale’s expression while watching the film; there had been a fierce determination in his eyes and also a sense of vulnerability about him. It was clear that he was very passionate about acting and it seemed to Izzie that he was a guy who would persevere until he achieved what it was that he was after. She was also beginning to feel something else as well … she couldn’t quite put her finger on it but when he had smiled back at her and their eyes had locked, she had felt … well she didn’t know for sure but had thought it was quite a nice little moment – wow, what was wrong with her? ‘A nice little moment’ … where had that come from? She tried to clear her thoughts just as Kale came back into the room. “Here you go,” he handed her the mug and sat down again. “Thanks,” Izzie smiled at him briefly then quickly averted her gaze to the floor – there was that unnamed feeling again. She ignored it and took a fleeting glance at Kale, “So, what time is it? You think we ditched them?” Kale laughed, “4.30 and yeah, I think we have, so what do you wanna do now?” Izzie shrugged and Kale smirked, “You know we could always run lines again … I wouldn’t mind.” Izzie raised her eyebrows, “Yeah, I think not.” Kale kept smiling at the look she was giving him, “Not a hope in hell then,” he laughed and Izzie reluctantly let her gaze fall on his baby blue eyes. Kale stopped laughing and for a few minutes they simply looked at each other, Izzie started to feel uncomfortable but also butterflies in her stomach – what was wrong with her? She coughed awkwardly and attempted to break the eye contact but Kale was too quick. Before she could even comprehend what was happening, she felt Kale’s warm lips meet hers. It took around five seconds for her brain to catch up and she pushed him away. “Why the hell do you keep doing that?” She glowered at him while Kale looked confused. “I thought we were having a good time, weren’t we? I – why are you so mad?” Kale scratched his head perplexed as Izzie abruptly stood up. “I have to go,” she declared loudly and she started marching towards the front door of the house while Kale chased after her. “Izzie, no – don’t go,” he told her as she turned back to look at him. “Don’t ever speak to me again,” Izzie told him and she turned back to the door, within seconds she was gone. Kale stood for a few minutes and felt really messed up. They had had a nice day together, they were starting to get along and he actually thought Izzie was beginning to like him but now it had all gone wrong – him and his stupid actions. He cursed himself but let Izzie go on; she was far too mad to reason with at the minute. He sighed and returned to the cinema room where he flopped onto the chair Izzie had just vacated. It was then that Kale realised he was sitting on something, he got up to investigate; Izzie’s mobile. Figuring it had fallen out of her pocket when she had fled so suddenly, Kale took it and left the room, making his way up to his bedroom. He knew he would have to return it and by the fury in her tone when she had left, Kale concluded that he wouldn’t be able to return it in person. He sighed and then an idea struck him.

Izzie drove home quite recklessly; she really didn’t know what she was feeling and felt very mixed up indeed. On one hand, they had had a nice time together but, on the other, he was Kale Eddison – mega film star – she loathed him – or so she claimed frequently. That was twice he had kissed her today – true, the first was acting but the second – the second had been the real deal; he had wanted to kiss her. She shook her head; did she like him? Could he be trusted? Would he bother her again? Would he go to the papers to spite her? What would be the next headline; ‘Isobel Frank – heartbreaker and cold-hearted bitch’? Izzie shuddered and tried to pay attention to the road in front of her; she pushed these thoughts to the back of her mind and concentrated on getting home safely. She was just grateful that she had been the one driving or she would have been stranded with Kale. Izzie eventually ended up home and found - much to her relief - that there were no photographers camped out. She got out of her car and made her way into the house. “Hey Gran,” Izzie found her grandmother sitting at the kitchen table with a coffee mug in her hand. “Oh, Izzie dear, I didn’t hear you come in. Those dreadful reporters aren’t lurking outside again, are they?” Her grandmother frowned and Izzie laughed. “No Gran, anyway I’m kinda tired, I think I’m just gonna go on up to my room, ok?” “You don’t want anything to eat?” Her grandmother looked at her with a worried expression.

Izzie shrugged, “I had a big lunch.” Her grandmother looked at her carefully but let the subject drop, so Izzie made her way upstairs. She threw her bag onto the bed and flopped down beside it. Her head was full of thoughts about Kale and this frustrated her. She sighed and figured she’d phone Maddie; even though her friend was acting weird, Izzie felt like talking to someone and Maddie would have to do. She rummaged through her bag and checked her pockets; no phone. She frowned and then punched the mattress … Kale. Izzie was angry at herself; how was she so stupid to have accidentally left her phone at his house? She’d never get it back now. Just as she had decided to take a shower, Izzie was in the middle of slipping off her shoes when there was a knock at the front door. She sighed, knowing her grandmother wouldn’t hear it, and made her way downstairs. Izzie flung open the door and was met by a pretty blonde woman. “Uh, hello?” The blonde woman smiled at her, “Hi, Izzie isn’t it?” Izzie nodded, wondering who this stranger was and how she knew her name. “Hi,” the woman said again and continued, “I’m Alicia – Kale’s assistant – he wanted me to drop this off.” She produced Izzie’s mobile from her bag and handed it to her. Izzie took it and gazed at the woman, wondering if Kale had told what had happened between them today? “Um, thanks.” was all she managed to say. Alicia smiled, “Mr Eddison was busy and insisted it be returned to you A.S.A.P. Have a nice evening.” She smiled at Izzie and made her way back to her car and Izzie watched her drive off. Izzie looked down at her mobile; it didn’t look to have been unlocked and for that she was grateful; at least Kale respected her privacy. She decided that Kale wasn’t all bad but returning her phone wasn’t going to make her forget his actions earlier. She made her way upstairs again and threw the mobile on her bed before she headed for the shower; she really needed to clear her head.

Izzie felt ten times better after her hot steaming shower; she put on her comfiest jeans and a hoodie and settled onto her bed. She extracted her iPod from the mess within her schoolbag and selected some soothing songs that would help her relax. She was really just beginning to forget the events of the past few hours when she heard her phone bleep. Izzie sighed, a little annoyed that she had been distracted and lifted her phone. A quick glance at the screen showed there was one new message alerting her to a new email message in her inbox. Izzie sighed and booted up her laptop; it took a few minutes for her email inbox to load but when it did, she found she had received an email from one Kale Eddison. Izzie had had an inkling as to who it might have been from and she was proved right. She sighed and clicked the message open.

From: Kale Eddison Subject: I was a jerk To: “Izzie Frank” Date: Friday, 22 October 2010, 18.32

‘Dear Izzie, Sorry about earlier and this invasion of privacy (I got your email address from a message in your inbox on your phone – you can hate me for this but I really needed to talk to you; so once again I apologise) Anyway, I really needed to talk to you and I figured since you didn’t want to see me again, emailing or texting (yeah I’ve got your number too – please don’t be mad but I had to make sure you would hear me out; it’s my second option if you don’t reply to this) anyway, back to the point, I figured since it wasn’t face to face, it doesn’t really count and I’m not disobeying your wish of never seeing me again. First off, I can’t tell you how deeply I regret my actions … I was stupid and I didn’t treat you with the respect you deserve. I took no thought in thinking about what you wanted; my thoughts were just of myself and for that I apologise. I cannot begin to imagine how horrible it must have been for you to be treated that way against your will. I will not try and defend my actions … I acted like a jerk – and I know it. I failed to put my feelings to one side so they wouldn’t cloud my judgement of the situation between us. I regret the incident terribly and seek your forgiveness. You can call me all the vile names under the sun; I won’t stop you because I know I thoroughly deserve to be called each and every one of them. I had no right to assume that you would enjoy our kiss as much as I did – because I’m not going to lie … as much as I regret how my actions have made you feel - abused, mistreated and humiliated – I really did enjoy kissing you, even though it was one-sided (my fault again). Anyway, I can’t explain it but kissing you made me feel … I can’t quite explain what exactly but it felt good … really really good. The few girls I have kissed (which including costars - has not been very many - contrary to what the papers say) have never made me feel this way. I know you’re probably thinking, “Yeah, yeah, you’re an actor, you don’t mean any of this.” but I beg you to see that I am different; I want you to believe that I do not follow the stereotype of most of my fellow actors. I have real feelings and sometimes they awaken inside of me. Well, my feelings for you have been writhing inside of me ever since our first meeting (hard to believe it was just over a week ago) when you coolly informed me that I couldn’t ‘charm you like I did my supermodel girlfriends.’ I have to admit, you had me stumped; no girl had ever been immune to my charms and I confess I was slightly disappointed. Anyway, there was something about you that drew me in which is why I kept pestering you – much to your obvious dislike – until you succumbed and couldn’t get rid of me whether you wanted to or not. I know I annoy you and I know you dislike me but I was still strangely drawn to you … nobody had ever treated me like a real person before. When I’m around you I can be ‘Kale Eddison – regular Joe’ not ‘Kale Eddison the movie star’. You see that’s what everybody seems to forget; I am just a regular guy at the end of the day … someday they will realise I’m just like everybody else and when that day comes I worry that I will be totally alone. Anyway, enough rambling, I just wanted to tell you that I’m not sure exactly what it is you bring out in me but I like it; it’s new and exciting and I’d rather have you in my life if that’s possible? I’m not quite sure what it is I am feeling when I’m around you but I promise to push it to one side and not let it affect our friendship because I’d really love to get to know you better Isobel Frank. The only thing I’m sure

of is that you prefer to be called ‘Izzie’ and you thoroughly dislike me but I beg you to let me get to know you a little more because I really think I’d like to. Begging your forgiveness for being such an ass, please consider my suggestion.

Yours, annoying, irritating and (please feel free to insert your worst insult about me here _____ ) Kale Eddison ;)

Izzie stared at the screen; the guy could really write apology letters. It was probably the best apology she had ever heard and she hated Kale for that; damn him for making her feel like she had no choice but to forgive him! She sighed and hit the ‘reply’ button.

From: Izzie Frank Subject: RE: I was a jerk To: “Kale Eddison” Date: Friday, 22 October 2010, 18.57

‘Dear annoying, irritating and jackass Kale, Yes, you acted like a jerk … however, that said, as mad as I am about everything that happened today – not to mention the invasion of my privacy! – I find myself strangely leaning towards your suggestion of forgiving you. Don’t ask me why but, as much as you pester the hell out of me, I find myself thinking that that was, perhaps, the best apology I have ever heard - DO NOT pat yourself on the back just yet buddy! I haven’t finished – ok, back to my point, yes, your apology is heartfelt and appears genuine – then again, you are an actor! Anyway, the point I’m trying to make is that I will give you the benefit of the doubt – just this once! I’m giving you one more chance and if you mess it up – tough shit! I do have a few conditions though; if you ever come in close proximity with me again – excluding rehearsals for the play of course (they, regrettably, can’t be helped!) – I will not be held responsible for my actions (FYI, just so you are warned; they will involve a lot of pain on your part!) So, if you can agree to keep your distance and not try anything funny, I will certainly agree to be friends. I hate to admit it but you are rather charming … in a totally irritating and frustrating way! So, I hereby give you my word that I will be your friend (so help me God!) if you agree to the condition mentioned above.

Yours, (why do I agree to do these things?) Izzie

After she had sent it, Izzie waited a few minutes for a reply, instead she received a text message from an unknown number. ‘I agree. Thanks. U won’t regret it. Promise. K’ Izzie rolled her eyes but she saved his number in her phonebook and replied. ‘U owe me! Iz’ She smiled despite herself and went to bed a little later and found herself feeling a lot happier.

Chapter Nine

Saturday morning started off rather well, Izzie found she had slept very well the night before and woke up feeling fresh and energised. She didn’t have to work - her father had taken pity on her and let her have a break – and she smiled to herself at the day of freedom that awaited her. She whipped back her duvet cover and made her way down to the kitchen where she found her grandmother reading the paper intently. “Morning Gran, please tell me there’s nothing in there today, is there?” Izzie watched as her grandmother glanced up, “No dear, you’re safe … for now.” Izzie was relieved as she happily set about making a cup of coffee but there was also something nagging her at the back of her mind; she had been pretty sure that there would be a picture of some sort in today’s paper but why on earth did the reporters keep quiet about her argument with Kale in her car yesterday? She shrugged to herself and decided not to dwell on it too much. After Izzie had gotten showered and dressed, she wondered what to do with her Saturday of freedom … she grabbed her bag along with her car keys and decided she would just see where she ended up. As she was about to pull away from the house, her phone bleeped. She rummaged in her handbag and managed to extract it from the depths within. ‘Just wanted 2 let u know I made deal with paps. No pics in paper today. K’ Izzie rubbed her eyes and reread the text message again; yep, it was indeed from Kale. She couldn’t quite believe it but she figured it was the least he owed her considering his actions yesterday. She smiled and hit ‘reply’. ‘Thanks. Have a nice day. Iz’ She hit ‘send’ and instantly cringed at herself; ‘Have a nice day’? Was that the best she could come up with? Izzie shook her head to clear her thoughts and was about to pull away again when her phone bleeped again. She sighed, slightly irritated at the disruption, and read the message … it was definitely intriguing.

“So,” Izzie began, “what was with the cryptic message? You said to meet you, here I am.” She looked at Kale curiously, waiting for him to answer. Kale smiled, “I just wanted to see you again … and to apologise in person.” Izzie raised an eyebrow, “Really? And you just had to interrupt my free time?” Kale smirked, “Yes I did,” he turned suddenly serious, “Izzie, I really am sorry about yesterday, I acted like a complete ass and I figured the least I could do was apologise to you … and pay off the papers to make sure they didn’t print the pictures from yesterday.” He looked at Izzie hopefully. Izzie looked at him curiously; she had to admit that it was rather sweet of him to go to all that trouble. “Well thanks; that was the last thing I would’ve needed so I appreciate it. Now, if that’s all, can I go now?” Kale looked slightly disappointed, “Um, yeah, that’s pretty much it. Sorry for dragging you away from your free time.” He began to turn away but, against her better judgement, Izzie stopped him. “Wait,” Izzie said, “do you want to do something?” She shrugged when Kale turned around and looked at her with curiosity. “Ok, if you don’t mind.” He was very confused by the girl standing in front of him; Izzie was a very complex person to work out, nevertheless, if she was agreeing to spend time with him … well he wasn’t going to pass that opportunity up. “Where do you want to go?” asked Izzie. Kale thought for a moment, “I dunno … is there somewhere you want to go?” Izzie smiled, “I know a park not far from here … there’s a trail through the woods that’s nice to walk around. Are you up for it?” Kale nodded, “Sure, I’ll drive and you direct the way.” They both climbed into Kale’s car and headed towards the Curtis Nature Park. They both talked easily; yesterday’s events were now forgotten. Izzie fiddled with the buttons on the radio to find a decent station; she flicked through them until she settled on the only one that wasn’t crackling. She turned the volume up and listened for the next song, after a few seconds, she recognised the song. Izzie turned to Kale, “Am I so sad as to like this song?” Kale glanced at her, “No, I like it too.” Izzie tutted and rolled her eyes, “You don’t know even know who it is!” Kale shrugged, “Oh really, I think it is Paul Weller at his best.”

Izzie laughed, “Ok, you know who it is but do you know the song title?” Kale chuckled, “Come on … we both know it’s ‘You Do Something To Me’” Izzie sighed, “Ok Mr Know-it-all.” Kale frowned, “What?” Izzie sighed and rolled her eyes again, “Nothing, just who knew we both like the same song?” Kale nodded and smiled, “Well, statistically that was bound to happen.” Izzie laughed and decided to change the subject, “So, how exactly did you get the reporters to not print the pictures from yesterday?” Kale shrugged, “I’m not saying; I dealt with it. I made an arrangement.” He seemed awfully adamant not to explain further but Izzie persisted, “Come on, you paid them – that’s what you said in your message – what did it cost?” Kale sighed, “Enough to get them off our backs for a while, ok?” Izzie admitted defeat, “Ok, I forfeit. Hey, take the next right and that’s the park.” Kale followed Izzie’s instruction, parked in an empty space and they both got out. “Ok,” Izzie began, “I know a great little trail, follow me.”

As they walked along the route that Izzie had picked out, they talked about lots of things. Kale was particularly interested in finding out all about the different school events; he had never been to a school dance or taken part in anything that could be classified as a ‘normal high school experience’ and was very curious. Izzie rolled her eyes when he quizzed her as to what the next event would be. “Oh just the Halloween Dance … it’s not that exciting really. It’s the Saturday before Halloween and is just an excuse for some people to dress like – well never mind.” Izzie finished lamely, changing her mind about what she was going to say. Kale raised his eyebrows at her curiously but didn’t pursue it further, “So, you going to this dance then? That’s next Saturday then, yeah?” Izzie nodded, “Yeah, it’s next Saturday and yeah, I’ll probably go but I don’t know what I’ll dress up as yet.” Kale nodded, “Guess I’ll have to find a costume then. Anyway, you want to go together?” He looked at Izzie hopefully and when he saw her look a little peeved, he hastily added, “Just as friends, I mean.” Izzie had been a little wary of Kale’s suggestion and could tell that he added the last part as an afterthought when she had looked alarmed. However, Izzie had clearly warned him of the boundaries and it seemed he was going to stick to them. “Ok, sure, as long as it’s as friends. So, do you have any idea what you’re going to go as?” Izzie smiled at him and Kale thought for a moment. “Does it have to be something scary? Or can it be something relatively normal? Oh, maybe we should go as a couple, you know like, Morticia and Gomez?” He laughed at her expression and then Izzie realised he was joking. She felt relieved, “Oh I dunno, whatever you want. You could go as Prince Charming and you wouldn’t even have to wear a costume!” She smirked at him and he laughed at her sarcasm. “Well, if I’m Prince Charming then you’re the Queen of Darkness.” Kale laughed as Izzie pretended to look outraged and hit him a shove on the arm. “Hey, not fair … besides my dark side only seems to rear its head when you’re around … funny, don’t you think?” She smirked at Kale again and he smiled. “Ok, ok, I walked into that. So, seriously, what are you going as?” Kale looked directly into Izzie’s eyes. Izzie felt suddenly weak all over but just about managed to keep her train of thought on track; what the hell was wrong with her? She cleared her throat to cover the awkward pause that had passed between them. “Um, truth is, it’s a secret but it’s nothing scary. You’ll just have to wait and see.” Kale accepted this, “Ok, I look forward to it then.” He smiled at her and she returned it with a grin of her own but it was slightly forced; Izzie had other things on her mind – other things involving Kale … and the way he made her feel sometimes. Izzie mentally shook herself from these thoughts that were swirling around; did she like Kale? Why did he infuriate her one minute and make her go all jelly-legged the next? She forced herself to push these confusing questions into the back of her head – way in the back – and paid attention to what Kale was talking about now. “So, is the end of this trail much further?” Kale glanced at her and then at the sky. Izzie shrugged, “Another five minutes walk, why?” She looked up at the sky also and found her question answered when a huge raindrop fell on her

cheek. Kale laughed, “That’s why,” he pointed to a particularly dark cloud that Izzie hadn’t noticed yet and the rain that was getting heavier by every second. Izzie saw the huge rain cloud making its way towards them; it looked like it was going to be a very heavy downpour. “Shit!” Izzie yelled and grabbed Kale’s hand, “Come on, if we run now, we can make it back to the car before it gets any worse.” Kale did as he was told and let Izzie lead him back to the car park; he wasn’t going to argue with her, not when she was holding his hand – willingly, he was pleased to notice - and causing him to feel those pleasant little shooting sparks again. They made it back to Kale’s car and quickly jumped inside but they were both quite soaked anyway. Kale noticed that Izzie was shivering and he lifted the blanket he kept under the seat and handed it to her. Izzie was quite touched at this gesture and gratefully wrapped it around her while Kale started the car and turned up the heater. “Well,” Kale began, still waiting for the car to heat up before he drove off, “that was going quite nicely until the rain showed up. Are you still cold?” He looked over at Izzie who nodded. Kale was quite concerned by this so he removed his own jacket and handed it to her. Izzie shook her head but her teeth chattered as she protested, “No Kale, you’re bound to be cold too. Take it back.” She thought it was sweet of him to offer her his jacket but she was also uncomfortable looking at him now; the rain had soaked his shirt through and she could see, even more clearly, the outline of his toned chest. Izzie quickly averted her gaze incase Kale caught her staring and refused to take the jacket. Kale smirked at her stubbornness and threw it over her anyway while he fiddled with the blowers on the dashboard. Izzie couldn’t help but smile when he gave her the jacket anyway; she could smell a lovely aroma off it – not aftershave but a clean, woodsy type scent – and it was just the way she imagined it would be – not that she dwelled on thinking about how nice Kale Eddison smelled! Izzie cleared her throat awkwardly in an attempt to block out her own thoughts and saw Kale glance at her curiously and then turn his attention back to clearing the steamed up windows of the car. “It’ll just take a few minutes for the windscreen to clear and then we’re good to go,” Kale told Izzie unnecessarily but he needed to say something to distract himself from thinking about her and how he had felt when she had held his hand as they fled to his car and how adorable she looked with her coppery hair all wet as she huddled up in the blanket. “That’s ok,” Izzie told him, “I’m in no rush, though I think the first thing we should do when we get out of here, is get something to eat … I’m bloody starving.” She laughed and he agreed as he turned to look into her face briefly again. Izzie felt that butterfly sensation in her stomach again as his baby blue eyes pierced her own green ones and then something else happened …

Izzie didn’t know how it had happened or who had moved first but all she knew now was that Kale was kissing her again – no, wait a minute, maybe she was the one who had instigated it this time – well, whoever had made the first move didn’t matter because Izzie found herself enjoying kissing him – who cared about her ban on him trying anything like this again? Not her, that was for sure. Izzie really couldn’t comprehend anything right now, her lips were tingling and she really wondered why she had pushed Kale away last time and yet … at the same time, she wondered why she wasn’t pushing him away now? She despised him, or so she thought but this – this right here – this was not how you acted towards somebody you hated. Izzie felt light-headed, but in a good way, and was a little glad when the kiss broke off. She really needed to catch her breath. Kale studied her eyes when he pulled back and saw something there – was that a look of uncertainty she was giving him or a look of surprise? He really couldn’t tell but he was sure that her verbal attack was about to come shortly or maybe this time he had earned a physical attack too – although, this time she hadn’t pushed him away … “Well,” Kale began when Izzie didn’t speak but merely looked him in the eye with a look of confusion on her face, “I guess I deserve whatever’s coming to me. Hit me with it then, I’ve broken my promise.” Izzie studied him for a second longer and then took herself by surprise when she heard herself declare, “Who cares?” and grab Kale towards her so that she could kiss him. When she had eventually pulled away, Izzie felt embarrassed. She didn’t know what had come over her but she’d be lying to herself if she said she didn’t enjoy kissing Kale. Izzie cleared her throat awkwardly and avoided eye contact with Kale who was currently sitting looking quite shocked but thrilled too. “Ok,” Izzie began, still avoiding Kale’s eyes, “let’s just forget that happened. I don’t know what I was thinking but it won’t happen again. I think it’d be best if you just drive me straight home.” Kale stared at her, “What? After that … I – you … I really don’t understand you Isobel Frank! I kiss you and then you kiss me and now you just want to pretend like it never happened? Come on, despite your protests to the contrary, the fact remains; you like me. If you don’t like me, you would never have kissed me.” Izzie had to admit, what Kale was saying was true but she decided to chalk it up to a moment of madness and nothing more. “I’d like to go home now Kale.” Kale made to interrupt her but Izzie held up her hand, “No Kale, I don’t feel very well and would like to go home.” She told him firmly and Kale had no choice but to obey her. Neither of them spoke for the remainder of the journey and when Kale pulled into the car park in town where Izzie had parked her car, she muttered her thanks and quickly drove off, leaving Kale feeling very confused indeed.

Chapter Ten

Izzie awoke the following morning, feeling absolutely wretched; she hadn’t been lying to Kale when she had said she felt sick. Although, if she was totally honest with herself; Izzie had been desperate to get away - especially after their ‘incident’ yesterday. She really didn’t know why she had acted the way she did. All she knew was that she felt absolutely horrible today; her throat felt like she’d been swallowing razor blades and her head was pounding. Izzie groaned as it dawned on her that she was truly sick but, nevertheless, she attempted to sit up. She felt light-headed at first but managed to swing her legs onto the floor and slowly push herself up from her bed. Izzie shuffled into her slippers and made her way downstairs to the kitchen; her grandmother was there as usual and turned around when Izzie entered the room. “Dear me child, you look like death! Are you feeling ok?” Izzie just about managed to shake her head at her grandmother before she fainted.

Izzie could hear a beeping noise but it was incredibly fuzzy; she was also dimly aware that she appeared to be semi-conscious. The noise was gradually getting louder and she tried to open her eyes. Nope, nothing happened – she tried again. Blurry face – oh how her head hurt – and her throat too – was she dying? God this felt like dying – she opened her eyes again and found her vision a little clearer but there was also a significantly bright light too – oh God, please nobody tell me to walk into the light. Izzie groaned out loud and heard somebody close to her stirring – a shuffle of shoes and then she felt a hand to her head, “Izzie? It’s Mum, can you hear me?” Izzie tried to open her eyes again and heard her mother speak again but not to her. “Isaac, do you think she’ll be ok? She’s till burning up, should we get the nurse in or where’s Doctor Albright?” Izzie heard her father sigh wearily, “Calm down Mags, give her a minute. Look, she’s trying to open her eyes again.” Izzie was indeed struggling to move her eyelids again but she somehow eventually managed it and was surprised yet proud that they stayed open. She blinked rapidly a couple of times and saw her mother’s worried face swim into view – at least she could make out her mother’s features this time. “Oh thank God, honey how you feeling?” Izzie noted her mother’s concerned expression. Izzie tried to speak but all that came out was a raspy sort of croak. She tried to clear her throat but found it hurt too much, she motioned to the jug of water by the bed and her mother poured some into a glass. Izzie managed a few sips but found it didn’t help her throat any – if anything it felt worse. “Do you think you can talk now?” her mother encouraged but before she could even attempt to reply, her father spoke instead. “Maggie, our girl has tonsillitis; of course she finds it hard to talk.” Isaac shook his head wearily and glanced at Izzie. “How are you holding up kid? Just nod if you’re ok.” Izzie wanted to laugh at her mother’s expression; she didn’t look best pleased but she seemed to be heeding her husband’s advice. Izzie nodded and managed to get out a raspy and hoarse “What happened?” Her mother answered her, “Your Gran said you just hit the floor; passed right out. We called the ambulance when we realised you had a fever. Doctor Albright thinks that’s probably why you fainted … anyway I’m just glad you’re awake now. You had us all quite worried, you know.” Izzie rolled her eyes and forced herself to drink some more water before she attempted to talk again. “So, how long have I been here?” she asked croakily. “A few hours,” her father informed her, “and that reminds me I’d better phone your Gran; she’s been worried sick, she wanted to come but I forced her to stay home … I knew you wouldn’t want a whole fuss.” Izzie nodded, “Thanks Dad.” He smiled and exited the room, leaving Izzie with her worried mother. “How much longer do I’ve to stay here?” Izzie looked at her mother pleadingly but before her mother could even reply, a doctor walked in. The doctor looked over at Maggie, “Your husband told me Izzie had woken up,” he answered her unasked question. Then he turned his attention to Izzie, “Hi, I’m Doctor Albright, how’s the patient? You’ve got quite a nasty case of tonsillitis but thankfully your fever’s down a good bit … but to answer your question, you’ll not be going home today. Yes your fever’s down but you’re still not down to a temperature I’m happy with, so that means you’ll be here for tonight – at least.” He added when he saw Izzie’s glum expression. “Terrific,” Izzie replied miserably. Dr. Albright smiled, “Well at least you can speak a little; that’s a good sign. Now, in terms of medication; I’m prescribing you an anti-inflammatory, some painkillers along with antibiotics and a throat spray.” Izzie groaned, “I’ll be rattling like a coin purse!”

Dr. Albright laughed while her mother scowled at her, “Well it’s good to see you have a sense of humour about it; nasty business tonsillitis but I’m sure you’ll be as right as rain in no time.” He smiled at her and left the room. Her mother yawned, “Well, if you don’t mind honey, I think your father and I will shoot off … visiting’s over in fifteen minutes but we’ll come back tomorrow around eleven-ish, ok?” She kissed Izzie on the forehead and then she was gone, leaving Izzie to drift off to sleep again.

The next morning, Izzie woke up ridiculously early; she hadn’t slept very well but she also felt a bit drugged up from all the medication. Izzie could see the light shining through a gap in the curtains and wondered what time it was. She tried to prop herself up to get a drink of water but she nearly had heart failure; Kale was dozing in the chair beside her bed. A few seconds later, a nurse burst into the room; alerted by the sudden spike in Izzie’s heart rate. “Are you ok dear?” The nurse checked Izzie over and looked at her for an answer. Izzie nodded, “Yeah,” she whispered hoarsely, “I just didn’t know he was here.” She pointed to Kale and the nurse suddenly smiled girlishly, even though she was a woman who was clearly in her forties and who should know better. “Oh my dear, it was the sweetest thing; he’s been here from late last night – insisted on staying with you. You’re a lucky girl to have Kale Eddison by your bedside.” She smiled at Izzie and then left the room. Izzie quietly poured herself a glass of water, careful not to make too much noise so that Kale woke up. She hoped to quickly down the water and then pretend to be asleep before he woke up; she really didn’t know how to face him because of what had happened on Saturday. Izzie gulped the water and then wriggled back down into the bed when she noticed that Kale was beginning to stir, she closed her eyes and kept up steady breathing; hopefully he’d be fooled into thinking that she was in a deep sleep. She heard him clear his throat and move in the chair; it squeaked a little. Izzie was dying to see what he was doing now but she couldn’t risk him seeing her awake. She heard a bit more squeaking and she couldn’t resist opening her eyes the barest of a millimetre; he was fumbling around in his pockets for something. She watched him for a little second longer but then closed her eyes again quickly when he extracted his phone from his pocket. She heard him clicking the buttons and then after a few seconds, he spoke. “Hey Alicia - what? Yeah I know it’s like seven in the morning. Huh? Oh, yeah I’m good. What? Oh I don’t know – no, she’s not awake yet. Look, I was just wondering if you could try and keep the press out of this. Please, just give them whatever they want – whatever it takes; see that it’s done. What? Yeah, I suppose that’s true … um, phone them too then, tell them I’m not going in today. What? No just tell the principal that something important and unavoidable has come up … I’ll feed him some story when I go back. Huh? Oh, um, I don’t know, probably all day. Yeah, I want to make sure she’s ok. What? Oh it was a piece of cake, one of the nurses has a daughter who’s a big fan; I signed an autograph and she let me on through. Yeah, ok … thanks, bye.” Izzie heard Kale sigh wearily, “Sorry Iz, this is my fault; I really shouldn’t have guilt-tripped you into taking pity on me and taking me on that trail. When I called by your house and you grandmother told me what happened; I felt so bad. Oh man, I’m such an idiot at times … I know the doctor said it was just a very bad case of tonsillitis, so that’s a slight relief but I can’t help think if I hadn’t forced you to spend time with me, then we wouldn’t have gotten caught in that rain … it’s probably what made you sick. Ok, I really need to stop talking now … I just hope you feel better soon.” Izzie heard him sigh once more and she still remained in her feigned slumber; there was no way she could talk to him, even after what she had just heard. Kale didn’t speak again but she heard his footsteps as he moved closer to the bed. What he was doing, she didn’t know but it was a little comforting knowing he was watching her sleep and that he intended to keep a bedside vigil all day. Izzie felt that he was closer now; she could also feel his hand over her own. She was quite touched by this gesture and wouldn’t mind if he stayed like that all day … all day – ALL DAY? Izzie realised now that her parents were due to visit at eleven and she really could do without having to explain why a super-famous film star was at her bedside. She figured she’d have to ‘wake up’, tell Kale that his gesture was appreciated but she wanted to be left alone for the rest of the day. Just as she was about to flutter her eyelids, she caught whiff of a familiar aroma; Kale was definitely closer now. Izzie was definitely going to have to open her eyes now, but before she could, she felt Kale kiss her lightly on the lips. She couldn’t help it when her eyes opened in shock when that happened. She saw Kale withdraw back quickly. “Hey, how you feeling?” he asked her, a look of guilt mixed with concern on his handsome face. “Um,” Izzie began croakily, “I’ve been better.” Kale laughed nervously, “Yeah, that’s probably partly my fault for getting you caught in the rain.” Izzie shook her head, “It’s not your fault.” She grabbed the glass of water from her bedside - in an attempt to avoid looking directly at Kale - and took another sip of water. Kale smiled nervously, “Yeah, and sorry about that.” Izzie knew immediately that he was referring to the kiss. She didn’t say anything and Kale spoke again. “Um,” he shifted in his seat, looking uncomfortable now, “you didn’t hear anything while you were asleep, did you?” Izzie didn’t know whether to save him from the embarrassment or not but the decision was out of her hands when she saw his expression; clearly her expression had given the game away. “Oh, wow,” Kale avoided Izzie’s eye line, “sorry about that too.” Izzie shook her head, “Don’t worry but I really think I should apologise to you,” she paused to take another drink and continued, “I still stand by us being friends and that’s why I want us to move past all our previous behaviour. Honestly I think I was running a fever on Saturday; I normally don’t act

like that.” She told him jokily. Kale studied Izzie’s face, he had to confess; he was disappointed but he tried not to let it show. After all, as long as Izzie tolerated him as a friend, she would be in his life – which is what he wanted. Kale smiled at Izzie but she noticed that it didn’t reach his eyes; she decided to change the subject. “So, that’s it settled; friends it is. Now, how long have you been here?” Izzie decided that this would be the best way to sneakily get rid of Kale without him knowing that she was doing it deliberately. “Oh, um since about 9.30 last night,” he smiled sheepishly at her. Izzie took another sip of water; her throat was really killing her now so at least she wouldn’t have to ham it up, “God, you should really go home and sleep. My throat’s feeling quite sore again, so I’ll not be much company.” Kale stifled a yawn; he was pretty beat and Izzie looked wrecked too, “Ok, I’ll call you later or something. I’m just glad you’re all right.” He got up, stretched and gave Izzie’s hand a friendly pat and left. Izzie breathed a sigh of relief; at least she wouldn’t have to explain anything to her parents now. She yawned and tried to sleep again – but as sleepy as she felt, she found she couldn’t drift off; every time she closed her eyes, all she could see was the look on Kale’s face when she said that they should be friends; it wasn’t his strained smile that worried her, it was the look in his eyes; it was one of intense hurt … and the thing that bothered her most; she was pretty sure that if Kale had looked at her own eyes hard enough, he would’ve seen right through her little act …

Izzie woke up later on to find her parents and grandmother in her room. Her mother smiled at her when she saw that Izzie was awake. “Hey honey, how you feeling now?” Her mother felt Izzie’s forehead and looked at her worriedly. Izzie tried to brush her mother off, “I’m fine,” she protested croakily, “I’m actually feeling a lot better.” Her grandmother smiled at her in a knowing way and then frowned at her daughter-in-law. “Would you leave the girl alone … she’s looking a hundred times better than the last time I saw her. Now, could you be a dear and go grab me a cup of coffee from the canteen?” Izzie’s mother looked slightly taken aback but left the room regardless. Izzie watched her Gran smile craftily, “Oh and Isaac … go get some breakfast.” She eyed her son sternly. Izzie bit back a laugh as her father rolled his eyes, “Mum, if you want to be alone with your granddaughter, just say.” He shook his head and left the room too. “Now,” Izzie watched her Gran smile broadly, “are you going to explain to me why Kale Eddison was calling by the house looking you yesterday evening or am I going to have to make you tell me?” Izzie looked uncomfortable, “Nothing’s going on Gran, your mind can stop going into overdrive right now.” Her grandmother frowned, “Isobel Charlotte Frank, don’t you lie to your grandmother; it’s bad for my health.” Izzie rolled her eyes, “Way to be melodramatic Gran and don’t middle name me … it’s not going to squeeze info out of me!” Her grandmother did not look amused, “Isobel, you can tell me … be thankful that your mother was still here with your father yesterday when Kale called otherwise she’d be ten times worse at trying to get information out of you.” Izzie couldn’t deny that that was true, “Fine Gran, what do you wanna know?” She knew her grandmother wouldn’t give up easily. Her grandmother gave her a satisfied smile, “Ok, why was he quite distraught looking when I told him where you were? He looked very concerned when I told him you had collapsed and he seemed to be under the impression that it was his fault.” Izzie sighed, “Well, we met up on Saturday, we got caught in that heavy fall of rain … that’s probably why he thinks it’s his fault that I’m sick. As for him looking distraught, I have no idea.” Not strictly true but her grandmother didn’t need to know it was probably because he was feeling guilty about the way they had left things on Saturday. Her grandmother raised an eyebrow, “Uh-huh, I believe you though thousands wouldn’t.” She eyed Izzie sceptically and waited for Izzie to say something more. “What?” Izzie asked, trying to act innocent. “I’m telling you the truth so don’t give me that look.” “What look?” her grandmother shot back, “Two can play at this game you know. There’s something going on; he came by to see you for pity sake. Just ‘cause I’m old, it doesn’t mean I’m a fool.” Izzie gasped, “Who told you?” She thought that Kale had sworn the nursing staff to secrecy about his little late night visit. Her grandmother perked up instantly, “What do you mean? I told you that he came by the house … wait, what do you mean?” Izzie watched as her grandmother looked excited.

Izzie slapped a hand to her forehead, “Oh man, I thought … never mind, it’s not important, forget I said anything.” “Whoa, wait a minute,” Izzie watched as comprehension slowed dawned on her grandmother’s face, “Kale came by here, didn’t he? When? Was it last night? Well, what happened?” Izzie sighed, knowing her grandmother was not likely to give up on her mission to find out the gossip. “Ok, yeah, he came by last night. He bribed a nurse so he could stay all night.” Her grandmother gasped, “Oh my, isn’t that so sweet? Well, what happened? Did you talk?” Izzie lowered her voice incase somebody came in unexpectedly. “I woke up to find him here; he near gave me heart failure in the process. Anyway, he asked how I was and wanted to stay all day but I told him to go and get some rest.” Her grandmother looked satisfied at this, “So, is he coming back again?” Izzie sighed, “Gran, why are you so interested in all of this? It’s not like we’re dating; we’re friends – quite grudgingly on my part – but friends nonetheless and that is it.” Her grandmother nodded, “Keep telling yourself that but you didn’t see him yesterday. He looked like he wanted to be more than just your friend … and keeping a bedside vigil? Well that definitely screams more than friends.” Izzie sighed, “Gran, you just want to see something that isn’t there. I’m afraid to burst your bubble but he definitely knows that I don’t want to be anything more than friends.” “Are you sure about that?” Izzie saw her grandmother scrutinise her expression. “Yes,” Izzie told her grandmother with as much conviction as she could muster but she knew, deep down, she thought she felt something more for Kale but she still didn’t understand why. “Hm,” her grandmother said knowingly, “I think you protest too much. Are you sure you’re not in love with him? It’s not a bad thing if you are, you know. These things happen so fast and unexpectedly; I knew within the first week of knowing your grandfather that I’d marry him. When you know, you know … you can’t help who you fall in love with … even if they are a famous film star.” Izzie tried not to answer too quickly since it would only give her grandmother more ammunition to support her theory, “Gran, I can honestly tell you … I am not in love with Kale Eddison.”

Chapter Eleven

Izzie was glad to be able to leave the hospital on Thursday; she was sick of sitting around but Dr Albright was adamant that she wasn’t to be discharged until her temperature returned to normal. Izzie happily let her parents fuss over her when they finally arrived home; she was just relieved to be home again. However, as soon as her parents were satisfied that she was alright, she gratefully found solitude in her bedroom. Izzie rummaged about for her school bag; once she had extracted it from under her bed, she dug out her iPod and flopped onto her bed. She tried to concentrate on the lyrics to the songs but found her thoughts drifted elsewhere … somewhere where they shouldn’t be! Izzie just couldn’t stop thinking about what her Gran had said at the hospital and now all she could think about was Kale and if she felt that way about him. She really didn’t know, she really despised him at times but at the same time, he could be really sweet. Izzie sighed; frustrated with her train of thought, she got up, keeping her headphones in and made her way over to her desk and turned on her laptop. When her homepage had popped up, she decided to check her emails and found one from Kale that had been sent earlier today.

From: Kale Eddison Subject: The Halloween Dance To: “Izzie Frank” Date: Thursday, 28 October 2010, 08.34

‘Izzie, Once again, I am sorry about everything, anyway, I heard you were getting home today and I just wanted to talk to you about the Dance on Saturday; I didn’t want to text or phone you because I’m sure you still feel quite weak and want to rest. Anyway, since I haven’t really seen you from Monday, I thought I’d send you a quick email to check if you are still up for going to the Dance. I totally understand if you don’t want to go but I rather hoped you’d still be able to make it. Please don’t leave to attend my first High School Dance alone; I really don’t think I could handle trying to avoid certain people all night! I know I’m being totally selfish but if you still agree to it … I will be the happiest guy alive. Anyway, text or email to let me know … it doesn’t matter what time.

Speak soon hopefully, Kale

P.S. Hope you are feeling better and have forgotten my idiotic rambling at the hospital!’

Izzie chuckled to herself; he really didn’t want to go to this dance alone; it was evident that he was way past desperation now. Izzie shook her head to herself and sent him a text message; knowing that he would most likely want to know right away. ‘Got email, will go but u owe me. Iz’ A few seconds later and her phone bleeped, ‘Thanks, c u tomorrow. K’ Izzie smiled in spite of herself and continued to check her emails and found one from Maddie; this was a bit of a shock since Izzie hadn’t spoken to her in a while. Nevertheless, Izzie clicked it open.

From: Maddie Herring Subject: Sorry To: “Izzie Frank” Date: Wednesday, 27 October 2010, 15.04

‘Hey Iz, I heard about you being sick. Sorry I haven’t visited … or even spoke to you in a while. I was acting childish, so can we just forget all the crap that happened? I also wanted to warn you that Jake is dating Stacey now … sorry if you’re gutted. Anyway, can we be friends again?

Talk to you later, Mads’

Izzie felt very suspicious of Maddie’s email; there was just something she couldn’t put her finger on. It seemed very convenient that she wanted to be friends again after Tuesday’s article in the paper. Izzie had been shocked to see that she had made a headline once again. Kale had called her to the hospital to apologise; he was mad he couldn’t do it in person but he couldn’t leave his house as the reporters had set up camp outside it. He was furious that his visit to Izzie had been leaked and he was still trying to uncover who had squealed but Izzie wasn’t too mad this time; the hospital had managed to keep reporters from invading and at least the paper had the decency not to paint her as too much of a villain this time:

‘‘Kale’s Bedside Vigil’ Kale Eddison fans … it is with great pleasure that our reporter can disclose more juicy gossip regarding our favourite Hollywood Golden Boy. We can exclusively reveal that Kale has been exposed as a real sweetheart! Our insider recently uncovered some vital information that paints our Golden Boy as The Perfect Male. Mushy romantics out there; this information is especially for you. As our readers know, our reporter was the first to publicly reveal that our Kale was smitten with a local girl, Izzie Frank. Now, we have the great pleasure in informing you – our readers – that one Mr Kale Eddison paid a secret, late-night visit to his sweetie pie at the local hospital. Our reporter uncovered this juicy gossip when contacted by our source. We were informed that Kale had bribed a nurse to let him in – past visiting hours! – so that he could keep a bedside vigil with Ms Frank. After further prying, we managed to discover that Ms Frank was suffering, from what was believed to be, “a nasty case of tonsillitis”. Now, all of us know that we feel lousy when we’re sick but we certainly aren’t that lucky to have Kale Eddison staying the night with us! Our source also reported that Mr Eddison went to great lengths to avoid any photographers; he was overheard on the phone to his assistant, telling her that he wanted to “keep the press out of it”. Naturally, our Golden Boy has underestimated us once again and it is with relish, that we can bring you this report. Our insider also revealed that, despite Kale staying the night, he left rather early the following morning; making one wonder why … Did our Golden Boy get scolded by the nursing staff? Or perhaps, was it because Ms Frank forced him to leave when she awoke to find him there instead of her other boy toy; Jake Greenberg? We can only guess at this point but surely, the question on everyone’s lips is; “Can Kale Eddison possibly get any cuter?”’ Izzie had given Kale a break when the article had surfaced, after all, he had tried his best to keep it a secret; he hadn’t known somebody would blab. Anyway, Izzie was still suspicious of Maddie’s motive; she had been wary to trust her after the first article had appeared. To receive this email now, well Izzie was even more wary; she was strongly beginning to suspect that Maddie had been the ‘close, personal friend’ mentioned in the first article. Izzie knew Maddie was envious of her friendship with Kale and Maddie could be devious enough when she wanted to be. Izzie didn’t know what to do; she read the email again and actually laughed out loud; Maddie had even the nerve to bring up Jake again! Izzie definitely knew something was up; Maddie had always been the first one to tell Izzie to stop lusting after Jake but then when Kale came along – BAM! – Maddie was all gung-ho for Izzie chasing Jake, leaving Maddie free to go after Kale; how pathetic. Izzie shook her head; she was well and truly over Jake and really couldn’t care less who he was dating. Izzie sighed, she decided to ignore the email but if Maddie kept pestering her; she’d have to tell that their friendship was definitely over. Izzie felt quite sad; Maddie had been her friend for seven years but her recent behaviour was evident that she was not a true friend. Izzie then realised she had a dilemma concerning Kale; on one hand, should she blame him for destroying the friendship, or should Izzie be grateful that he helped her to realise Maddie’s true colours? Izzie decided to go with the latter for the time being; she was too tired to dwell on it too much.

The next day, Izzie found reporters outside her house again. She sighed as she opened her front door and they all came running. She really didn’t want to have to deal with this … but, at the same time, she couldn’t help but think that this was her chance to put the record straight. She took a deep breath, smiled at the first reporter who was close to her and said, “What do you wanna know?” There was a fight to see who could get their microphone out quick enough. A local reporter was the first to thrust hers in Izzie’s face. Izzie eyed the manic look on the woman’s face and began to really regret her decision; nonetheless, she smiled and waited for the woman to speak. “So, Ms Frank, is it true that Kale Eddison visited you in the hospital when you were ‘supposedly’ sick with tonsillitis?” Izzie bit back her scathing reply and forced herself to smile sweetly, “Yes, it’s true he visited me when I was genuinely suffering from a nasty bout of tonsillitis.” Izzie deliberately put heavy emphasis on the ‘genuinely’ and smiled innocently. The woman raised an eyebrow; sceptical, “Uh huh, and tell us Ms Frank, are you playing with Mr Eddison’s heart for fun? Is this all a big game to you or do you genuinely have feelings for him?” Izzie sighed and refrained from slapping the woman, “Look, I know there has been a lot of speculation about myself and Kale but I want to put the record straight, right now.” All the reporters inched closer and the woman raised an eyebrow again, “Ok then Ms Frank, enlighten us.” Izzie forced another smile, “First, it is Izzie and I want you all to know the truth; I have been portrayed as some sort of evil vixen in this but I can assure you that I am not. The truth is, there is nothing going on between Kale and I or any other male for that matter – yes, by that I mean I have no

interest in Jake Greenberg either. Anyway, all I’m saying is that I’m not playing with anyone’s heart; I am not chasing Jake or Kale. All I want is to be left alone because I am not involved in the juicy love triangle that you all seem to believe I am a part of. Kale is merely a friend – and I use that term loosely as it is more on his part than on mine; due to the fact that I can barely stand him. And as for Jake; I’m not involved with him romantically either because I barely know the guy. Now, do you have anything else you want me to clear up?” The reporters talked amongst themselves for a few minutes and then a man from the back move closer. “Ms Frank – I mean Izzie – do you really expect us all to believe that when the evidence declares otherwise? Kale visited you in hospital and stayed the entire night! Now what does that look like to you?” Izzie sighed, “It may look like something but it doesn’t mean that it is; he was just being a concerned friend. Now, if you don’t have any questions that don’t accuse me of being some sort of temptress, I need to get to school.” They all muttered and Izzie made to walk away but Julie Falls piped up with one last question, “I’m s-sorry Izzie b-but I c-couldn’t help b-but n-notice that y-you s-said that y-you can b-barely st-stand Kale and I w-was w-wondering if y-you w-were the g-girl he m-mentioned at the p-press coconference last w-week?” Izzie laughed, “Yeah, he probably was referring to me since all the other girls seem to worship him!” The reporters laughed but Julie wasn’t finished yet. “Ok b-but the w-way he sp-spoke of y-you, it s-sounded like he m-might have f-feelings for you. D-do you n-not think this is g-gonna be a pproblem?” “No!” Izzie exclaimed adamantly but she couldn’t help but blush; if only this reporter knew how much of a problem Kale’s feelings were! Izzie shook her head, “No,” she said more calmly, “Kale knows where I stand on this – regardless if he has feelings for me or not – because I am definitely not interested in him that way and that’s not likely to change anytime soon.” Izzie watched Julie eye her shrewdly and squirmed when the woman spoke again. “You s-sure a-about that?” “Yes!” Izzie retaliated, a little too quickly. Luckily, most of the reporters didn’t pick up on this. However, Izzie was sure Julie had and sure enough, Julie gave Izzie a knowing look, “I think y-you p-protest too m-much.” was all Julie said (exactly what her grandmother had told her, Izzie couldn’t help but notice). Izzie found she had nothing to say to that and remained silent while all the reporters – sensing that they would not get any more juicy gossip today – started to make their way back to their cars or vans and drive off.

Izzie made it to school without being followed by the reporters and was thankful that they didn’t seem to be lurking at the school either. She pulled into a parking space and noticed that everyone appeared to be already in the building, apart from Kale; he had just pulled into the space next to her. She glanced at her watch, 8.40; at least she had five minutes to spare before the first bell rang. Izzie grabbed her bag, got out and locked the door just as Kale did the same. “Hey,” Kale flashed her a mega-watt grin and Izzie felt herself blush stupidly but he didn’t appear to notice, “how you feeling? You look a hell of a lot better … the last time I saw you, a ghost had better colour!” Izzie pretended to frown at him, “Ha ha, you’re such a comedian. So, managed to break out then, did you?” Kale smirked, “Yeah, all the reporters eventually left and I decided to make a break for freedom.” Izzie smiled, “Yeah, well it looks like they’d somewhere else to be since they were at my place again; I only just got away.” Kale frowned, looking very annoyed, “I’m sorry Izzie, they just never know when to quit. They didn’t bug you too much, did they?” Izzie shook her head, “Nah, I just set the record straight when they asked about your hospital visit and I tried to get them to listen my side of the whole ‘love triangle’ story. Dunno if they’ll listen but at least I tried.” She laughed a little and Kale smiled but didn’t say anything. “So,” Izzie began, changing the subject, “do you think Ms Belson will be pissed that two of her main characters have missed the first rehearsal for the play?” Kale laughed, “I totally forgot about that … it was Tuesday, right? Well I think she’ll let you off since you’ve got a legit excuse.” Izzie chuckled, “Yeah right, Ms Belson’s your number one fan; she’ll forgive you.” Kale smiled, opened the main door and they made their way to their first class.

School passed quite quickly and both Kale and Izzie had been relieved to find that Ms Belson had rearranged the first rehearsal for next week. When the final bell rang, Kale walked with Izzie to the lockers and then out to the car park.

“So,” Kale hesitated and Izzie looked up at him, waiting. Izzie let out a small laugh, “You gonna finish that sentence, movie star?” Kale half-smiled, “Funny … um, I was going to ask you … are you working now or do you think we could help each other with our homework?” Izzie noticed that he had paused significantly before quickly tacking on the end bit of the question; she just didn’t know why. “Um, no, Dad gave me the rest of the week off so I could catch up on school work. So, you wanna go to the library then?” Izzie gave him a curious look as he looked to be deep in thought. Kale was cursing himself silently; what the hell was wrong with him? He had wanted to ask Izzie if she would be his proper date to the Halloween Dance on Saturday but found that he couldn’t. Well, it was more the fact that he shouldn’t that had stopped him; Izzie wanted to be friends – she had made it perfectly clear at the hospital – and nothing more. He was just going to have to accept that, he shook himself mentally and paid attention to what Izzie was saying. “Yeah, the library sounds like a great idea; let’s go.” Izzie nodded and they made their way back into school and headed in the direction of the library.

Once they had managed to find two seats, they took out their books and set to work on a particularly nasty essay on ‘Hamlet’ for Mr Mason’s English Literature class. Izzie found herself not really paying attention to what she was reading or writing; her thoughts kept dwelling back to what both her grandmother and the reporter, Julie Falls, had said about Kale. Izzie wrestled with her thoughts; did she really feel something more for him but she just didn’t realise? She frowned and sneaked a quick glance in Kale’s direction; he was immersed in writing what looked to be a lengthy paragraph so he didn’t notice Izzie’s staring. Izzie sighed and quickly returned her gaze back to her essay when she noticed Kale glancing over and smiling. Izzie forced the thoughts about Kale to the back of her mind and willed herself to pay more attention to her homework; it was not easy. Kale was quite pleased at himself for actually doing something constructive; he had nearly finished his essay and he hadn’t thought that much about Izzie, even though she was sat directly in front of him. The few times he had looked her way, she had looked quite confused and frustrated; he wondered what was bothering her since the essay was not that difficult. He had to admit, he was still debating whether or not to ask Izzie to the dance as his date; but he was positive that she most definitely would not go for it! He finished off his last sentence and set his completed essay to one side and tried to find something else to do to distract himself. He settled for learning some of his lines for the play; learning a script was always the one thing that was guaranteed to keep his attention. Izzie noticed that Kale had breezed through his essay and was now looking over ‘Much Ado About Nothing’; she envied him, she had yet to write a full page of her essay. She really thought she was going to go truly insane if she didn’t stop thinking about him. Izzie was just really confused – there was no other way to describe it; the more she thought about her feelings towards Kale, the more she wondered what it was that she was feeling – not love but it certainly didn’t feel like hate. If she was being honest with herself, she had never felt hatred towards him – not even when they had first met – it was more annoyance than anything but did that necessarily mean she didn’t like him? Izzie shook her head, closed her eyes and massaged the temples of her forehead; she was beginning to get a migraine with all this overanalysing! She sighed aloud and opened her eyes to find Kale pushing a note across to her.

You look like your brain’s fried, what’s up? Anything I can help with? You can look at my essay for ideas if you want … I won’t tell! x

Izzie glanced up to find him flashing one of his Hollywood smiles and she smiled back. She read the note once more – ignoring the kiss he had added since it made her feel … well she didn’t know exactly; was ‘giddy’ the appropriate word for it? – and started to pen back a reply. When she had finished, she pushed it back across the table to Kale; his eyes quickly scanning the page.

Yeah, you could say my brain’s fried! Just not from thinking about the essay … anyway, thanks for the offer but I think I’m nearly there. Don’t let my crazed thoughts distract you from learning your lines. x

Kale was definitely distracted now; what was Izzie being so cryptic about? How he wished he knew what she was thinking about; it was bound to be interesting if it didn’t concern the essay. But, alas, it seemed like he wasn’t about to find out; a brief glance at Izzie confirmed that her attention was now back on her essay. Kale sighed and then, deciding to be daring, he quickly wrote a reply and passed it back to Izzie.

OK, if you change your mind, just let me know. Anyway, once you’re done, how about we get the hell out of here? I’m sure you feel drained after your first day back and I sure as hell could do without going back to my house to find the paps still there … do you wanna maybe do something? I don’t mind what as long as it is away from school, photographers etc. etc. – I think you get the picture. What do you think? X

Izzie skimmed the note quickly; she really wanted to agree but she didn’t want him to get the wrong idea. It sounded a bit like he was asking her on a date and, despite how she thought she felt, she decided it would be best if they remained friends; it would be less complicated that way. Although,

there was the possibility that Izzie was getting way ahead of herself and that Kale was merely suggesting it innocently; perhaps he had no intention of making it a date. Ok, she really needed to stop overanalysing and just make a decision. Izzie didn’t over-think her reply, she just put pen to paper and kept it as brief as possible.

It’s a nice idea Kale, really, but I’m actually feeling pretty beat. I’m still not back to my normal self yet and I could do with the rest. Sorry, hope you’re not too bummed.

Kale inspected her reply and noticed she was looking at him apologetically so he tried not to look too disappointed; he shrugged and gestured that it didn’t matter. He felt rather stupid; Izzie had kept making it clear that she wanted to remain just friends – it shouldn’t have been such of a shock that she had refused his invitation. Kale vowed not to pester Izzie for something more again; he realised he was being cocky in thinking that she would actually want to have a relationship with him. Yes, they had kissed but it was only the one occasion when Izzie had been the first to initiate it and even then, she had made it clear at the hospital that she had regretted it and realised it was a mistake. Kale thought he must have been working in the film industry too long; this wasn’t a movie and there was no happy ending scripted; he would just have to accept that. Izzie felt remorse when she noticed the flicker of disappointment that had passed over Kale’s face when he had finished reading her reply but she felt it was for the best. She really needed to sort out her feelings and decide how she really, genuinely felt about Kale. She was too confused to make drastic decisions that would either lead him on or lead to disastrous consequences; neither outcome led to a desirable or pleasant experience and Izzie really didn’t like those odds.

Chapter Twelve

When the dreaded Halloween Dance had managed to sneak up on Izzie; she found herself beginning to regret her decision in agreeing to go with Kale. She had successfully dodged him all day Friday; citing that she had to work as her excuse, but she knew she couldn’t avoid him forever. It was now 7.30pm and Kale had suggested they meet in the hall at 8pm; Izzie had been glad as it meant that it would be easier to avoid anymore stories appearing in the paper. She had been that distracted about sorting out her feelings for Kale; that she had left it until the last minute to sort out a costume. Yes, she had told Kale that Saturday that her costume was a surprise but that had been merely a piece of fiction; Izzie had no idea what she was going to dress up as. So, an hour earlier, Izzie found herself resorting to rifling through her mother’s wardrobe and eventually coming up with an old Shakespearian stage costume. When Izzie had questioned her mother about it; Izzie had watched in amazement as her mother blushed and mumbled something about once playing ‘Juliet’ in a local production of ‘Romeo and Juliet’. While Izzie was surprised at this revelation, she could not dwell on it as the clock on the kitchen wall told her she had precisely forty-five minutes to get ready. Now, Izzie was about make her way to Hartside High when a frightening thought struck her; what if there were photographers lingering outside the school? She really didn’t want her picture to end up in the paper again, if she could help it, so Izzie decided there and then that she was going to disguise herself and that was how her plan of masquerading as a ghost had been born. As she pulled into one of the few remaining empty parking spaces in the school car park, Izzie was amazed to find that her prediction had come true; photographers were swarming outside the entrance of the school. Izzie shook her head to herself and thanked her lucky stars that she had stuck the white sheet over her proper costume at the last minute. She got out of the car and made her way towards the front door, still nervous of the reporters, but adamant that they would not discover who was beneath the sheet. She managed to squeeze through and had her foot on the first step when one of the reporters tapped her on the shoulder. Izzie turned and squinted through the eye-holes in the sheet. “Oi, ghostie … who lurks beneath the sheet? You ain’t Kale Eddison trying to pull a fast one, are you?” Izzie smiled to herself and put on her girliest voice, “Not unless he’s decided to change into a girl.” The reporter chuckled and she was relieved to see him turn away and say, “Alright girly, on ya go.” Izzie reached the door and was relieved to be in such a safe haven … for now. She breathed deeply and made her way down the corridor where she could hear the faint strains of ‘Monster Mash’ being played. She opened the door and was met with a faceful of fake cobwebs, complete with plastic spiders. There were also some paper maché grave headstones lined around the edge of the hall and fake rats and bugs strewn across the fake webs. Izzie was amazed at how spooky the hall looked; as much as she hated to admit it, Stacey had done a good job and when it came to it, Izzie hoped that her effort for the Formal would be just as good. Izzie glanced around at everybody’s different costumes and recognised a few familiar faces; Maddie was dressed as a witch – but quite a glamorous one – there was also Jake dressed as a zombie and Stacey dressed in what Izzie could only call underwear and a pair of bunny ears that were perched on the top of her head. Izzie shook her head and noticed, with relief, that some of the other costumes were quite normal-looking; there was a Cinderella and Prince Charming near the DJ Booth, Scooby Doo and Daphne dancing and even a Tom and Jerry near the food table! Perhaps her costume wouldn’t stick out too much since there were many others who lacked scariness. Izzie smiled to herself and made her way over to the drinks table – where Kale had told her to meet him – and managed to bump into another ghost. “Whoops,” Izzie giggled, “sorry, can’t see out these damn holes.” She heard the person beneath the sheet chuckle deeply and Izzie concluded that it was definitely a male person then. “Looks like great minds think alike,” Kale’s voice came from underneath the white sheet. Izzie gasped in shock and then laughed, “I should’ve known, very original idea Mr Eddison – a ghost; who would’ve thought! Though, I’ll admit I just threw this sheet on at the last minute so I could avoid the reporters. I’ve my proper costume on too.” Kale laughed loudly, “Great minds think even more alike; that was my plan too and it worked perfectly. Oh, and I have something on under here also.” Izzie feigned relief, “I’d like to think so Mr Eddison; if you were naked under there … well I shudder what to think if you removed your sheet – I, for one, would not hesitate in bolting for the door. That is something I could do without seeing, thank you very much.” Kale laughed even louder, “You are a strange girl Izzie Frank, you know that? Ok, back to the matter at hand … how about we reveal our true costumes then?” Izzie rolled her eyes but remembered that Kale would have a hard time seeing the gesture through such small holes and nodded her head instead. They both whipped the sheets off from over their heads, stuffed them under the table and straightened up to take each other’s costume in. Kale had a look of pleasant surprise on his face and Izzie stared at him in amazement … of all the costumes he could pick! “So, ‘Juliet’ what are the odds of this happening? It is ‘Juliet’, right?” Kale smiled at her and Izzie nodded.

“Yeah,” she managed to say eventually, “it’s my mother’s; I never knew but she told me tonight that she played her once. Anyway, I can’t resist so I’ll go for it – ‘Romeo, Romeo, wherefore art thy Romeo?’” Kale chuckled and looked down at his outfit, “Guilty as charged; what can I say? It’s from a production I did a while back and it was the only thing I could find … so sue me.” Izzie laughed, “I can’t believe we actually match and we didn’t even plan on it.” Kale smirked, “I tell you; it’s fate. It happens once in a while.” Izzie rolled her eyes, “Uh-huh, keep dreaming movie star. Now, can you dance as well as you act?” Kale held out his hand which Izzie took and he lead her to the dance floor, just in time for ‘Thriller’. “Did my ears deceive me Ms Frank or did you just compliment me?” Izzie scoffed, “Yeah, in your dreams. Now, come on, quit stalling; I haven’t seen you bust a move yet.” Kale shook his head in disbelief, “And just when I was starting to think you were beginning to be nice to me! Well, rest assured; that illusion is now shattered … now, give me some room so I can show you what I got.” Izzie took a step back and watched in amusement as Kale broke into a hilarious ‘zombie dance’ routine. Many others turned to watch this comical display and soon - to Izzie’s astonishment – Kale was leading everyone in his funky moves. As the song ended, everyone clapped and then broke off into little groups again while Izzie shook her head in amazement. “Well, Mr Eddison, colour me shocked; I didn’t know you could dance so badly or that you could lead a mass of people to actually follow your bad example.” Kale chuckled, “Don’t lie, you loved it.” Izzie rolled her eyes again and hit him playfully on the arm, “Yeah, yeah, how’d you guess?” Kale smiled at her and they made their way back to the refreshments table where Kale helped himself to some fruit punch. “So,” Izzie began, “what do you think of your first high school dance?” Kale looked around and then met her gaze again, “Definitely interesting but, I have to say, the company makes it a little more bearable for me.” Izzie threw him a look and he knew to avoid that kind of talk for the rest of the night; he had to behave himself, as difficult as that might be. “Sorry,” he apologised to Izzie, “I’m determined to mess things up again, aren’t I?” Izzie smiled at him, “Don’t worry; let’s just enjoy ourselves tonight, yeah?” Kale nodded in agreement and pulled her onto the dance floor again. Izzie laughed and joined him in his mad dancing until the DJ cut the music halfway through the song. “Sorry to stop the party folks but it’s time to announce the winners of the best costumes. Ms Belson, Mr Rowntree … could you guys please come up and put us out of our misery?” Everyone laughed but Izzie turned to Kale, “I didn’t know it was a competition, did you?” Kale gave her a funny look, “Hello? I’m the guy who’s new to all this … was there not meant to be?” Izzie shrugged, “Not usually; it must’ve been Stacey’s idea. The teachers must’ve been judging us all night.” Kale nodded and gestured to the stage; Ms Belson and Mr Rowntree had now taken their place near the microphone, “Who do you reckon then?” Izzie smirked, “Please, you know your number one fan will choose you. Dunno who will win the female one … probably Stacey if it was her idea; she’s bound to have fixed it so that she would win.” Kale chuckled, “We’re about to find out … wanna bet on it?” A mischievous glint shone in his baby blue eyes. Izzie smirked, “I’ll win and you know it. What are the terms?” Kale grinned cheekily, “Dinner again?” Izzie vehemently shook her head, “Uh, no way … look what happened last time. Try again.” Kale thought for a moment, “Ok, what about a movie? Winner picks the film and loser pays?” Izzie nodded, “You’re on. Ok, so who do you think will win?” Kale was about to answer when Ms Belson stepped up to the microphone first and started to say, “The winner for best male costume is …”

“Whoops, looks like I’m too late.” Kale smiled, “Let’s just make it that I think you’ll win best female.” Izzie agreed as she knew there would be a snowball’s chance in Hell of her winning and it looked like she was going to win the bet since, when they both returned their attention to the stage, it was just in time for Ms Belson to declare, “Kale Eddison … come on up and collect your prize. Give a big hand to our best male costume winner.” Kale threw Izzie a feigned look of loathing and made his way up to the stage, looking quite reluctant when Ms Belson handed him a white envelope and planted a kiss on his cheek. Izzie smirked at him and then returned her attention to Mr Rowntree. “The winner of the best female costume is … Isis Bell. Come on up here and collect your prize.” Izzie watched many of the girls look severely disappointed but she, for one, was glad that the shy girl from her English class had won; her Medusa costume was out of this world and had a headdress of snakes that actually moved mechanically. Izzie’s gaze followed Isis up to the stage and then moved to Kale again; he looked a little disappointed to have lost another bet. Izzie smirked to herself and wondered what film would be best to force Kale to sit through; she would have to check what chick flicks were on.

When Kale gratefully left the stage, twenty minutes later, he made his way over to Izzie again. Izzie was enjoying teasing him about Ms Belson and was clearly relishing the fact that she had won another bet. “Looks like you’ve gained a girlfriend and she’s older too … oh you charmer you.” Izzie smirked at Kale who rolled his eyes. “Uh huh, just what I needed … although it would shut the press up about us for a while.” Kale grinned and Izzie raised an eyebrow at him but remained silent; the less she said, the better. Izzie decided to change the subject, “So, what did you win then?” Kale looked down at the envelope in his hand and shrugged, “Didn’t open it yet but we’re about to find out.” He tore at the flap and pulled out the card that was inside. “It’s a meal voucher for somewhere called ‘Wing Ting’s’ … where’s that?” Kale frowned in puzzlement and handed it to Izzie. She rolled her eyes at him, “It’s a Chinese Restaurant near my Dad’s bookshop. It’s actually quite nice.” Kale grinned, “Ok, how about we hit ‘Wing Ting’s’ before we go to the cinema on the night of your choice? I can only imaging what horrors you have planned for me … you’re going to make me suffer through the most god awful movie, aren’t you?” Izzie smiled slyly, “Yeah, one of yours! No, I’m joking, you’ll just have to wait and see, now let’s go dance.” Kale let Izzie drag him back to the dance floor and they had a good time competing to see who could come up with the wackiest moves. After a while, the DJ changed the track mid-song and declared, “This is for all you loved up things out there.” Izzie groaned at the soppy choice of song and quickly tried to escape the dance floor but Kale was too fast; he grabbed her arm and pulled her back. “Come on, you’ve ridiculed me all night on my horrible dance moves, the least I can do is show you that I do know how to slow dance.” Izzie was unsure; hadn’t she promised herself to avoid such situations until she figured out her exact feelings for Kale? He wasn’t going to make it very easy for her; that was clear. She sighed and decided to limit herself to one dance; she could survive one dance … couldn’t she? They moved around the dance floor; Izzie noticed that Kale was quite graceful but she wasn’t going to inflate his ego by admitting it to him. She tried her best to keep as much distance as possible between them but her body seemed to have different ideas; she found herself pulled to him like a magnet. Kale certainly wasn’t doing much to help matters either; he kept pulling her in closer and moved her arms to around his neck. Izzie was feeling uncomfortable now; her heart was thumping wildly and her stomach was doing somersaults. She had nowhere else to look but into his face; his baby blue eyes were shining and Izzie really noticed how handsome he actually was despite what she had claimed about his looks in the past. She shivered, even though she wasn’t cold and was relieved when the song ended. She pulled away from him; the magnet attraction between them had seemed to have disappeared now thankfully. Kale didn’t put up a fight when Izzie led him to the refreshment table once again; he had pushed his luck and he was just happy that he had been able to get that close with Izzie and not screw it up. “So,” Izzie began, coughing awkwardly, “you think the reporters are still lurking out there?” Kale shook his head, “Dunno but I hope not. What time is it anyway?” Izzie glanced at her watch, “Wow, it’s nearly midnight; I’d better get going … my mother won’t sleep until she knows I’m home safe.” Kale nodded, “I think I’d better go too. I’ll walk you to your car.” They walked down the deserted corridor and, very hesitantly, opened the door before they stepped outside. Thankfully, all the reporters had left so they could go to their cars without hassle. Kale walked Izzie to her car but stopped her from getting in right away. “Izzie, I …” he trailed off; there was a peculiar look on his face and Izzie noticed that he turned his face from her for a moment. Kale shook his head and turned to face Izzie again; his face was expressionless now but it looked forced … whatever he was feeling right now; he was determined to

hide it. He cleared his throat and stepped back to allow Izzie to get into her car, when she had settled herself in the driver’s seat, he made to close the door for her but paused. “I’ll see you Monday,” was all he said before he closed the door and started to make his way over to his car; leaving Izzie sitting in her car feeling very perplexed indeed.

Chapter Thirteen

The weeks that followed the Halloween Dance and Kale’s odd behaviour in the car park, were actually quite normal; by Izzie’s standards anyway. Kale never mentioned his strange behaviour that night and neither did Izzie; they merely carried on as if it had never happened. They were both tied up with the play rehearsals and were getting on swimmingly but they didn’t discuss anything that would veer into dangerous territory and they both avoided the ‘kiss scene’ for as long as possible. However, there was no real awkwardness between them and Izzie felt that they were – at last – building what she hoped would end up to be a solid friendship. So, it was a great surprise to them when they both realised it was merely a week until Christmas Eve. It was the last day of school before the Christmas break and they were just finishing their last rehearsal for the play which was due to open the final week in January. Ms Belson prowled around everyone, making sure that they knew their lines and were totally prepared for the opening night. “Alright everyone,” she spoke loudly above the noise, “I think we’ll call it a day. Now, I know that this is considered to be a break by all of you … but it is not a chance to neglect rehearsing altogether; I expect you all to keep running through your lines and improving your performance, even if you think you can’t do anymore … there is always room for improvement. Ok, you can all scram … oh and Merry Christmas.”

After everyone had exchanged Christmas wishes – apart from Maddie or Jake; they had since become a couple from the Halloween Dance and neither had bothered with Izzie or Kale which suited Izzie just fine; her friendship with Maddie was well and truly over now – they all began to file out of the room until it was just Kale and Izzie left. Izzie finished packing her bag while Kale rummaged around, trying to find where he had left his own. Eventually, Kale spotted it under a table and pulled it out. He glanced over at Izzie; she was still putting the last of her notes into her bag. Kale extracted a gift box from the depths of his bag and looked at it hesitantly. He sucked in a deep breath; he could do this, it was only a Christmas present. He turned to take another quick peek at Izzie and found her looking at him strangely. “Kale, you ok? You ready to go?” Kale shrugged, “Yeah, I’m fine but hold on a second. I have something for you.” Izzie had been about to leave the room but she stopped suddenly in her tracks when he said that. She slowly turned around to face him; Kale closed the gap between them and held out his hand, offering her the small gift box. Izzie took it reluctantly but then smiled sheepishly at him as she removed a package from the inside of her coat while Kale looked at her, puzzled. “Great minds think alike … I didn’t know if we were going to do presents or not but I couldn’t resist when I spotted this.” She handed him the package, Kale smiled at her and Izzie added, “Look, let’s not open them until Christmas Day, ok?” Kale nodded and they made their way out to the car park where they had parked side by side. Before he got into his car, Kale called to Izzie, “Hey, I forgot to say … Merry Christmas.” Izzie smiled, “Merry Christmas Kale.” She watched him start his car and back out, then he was gone. Izzie started her car and quickly turned down ‘Driving Home for Christmas’ that was blaring from the radio before she pulled out onto the main road. She found herself distracted the whole journey home; she was utterly mystified as to why on earth she felt so sad. Izzie had managed to push her confusing thoughts to the back of her mind by the time she had arrived home. However, she now found herself faced with the dilemma of debating about whether to open the present Kale had given her or not; she was extremely curious and came close to caving and opening it on more than one occasion but she managed to resist at the last minute. She eventually set in under the Christmas tree near the back; it would be easier to avoid temptation if it was out of sight.

When Christmas morning arrived, Izzie was wide awake at the freakishly early time of 6.30am. She knew it was too early to go downstairs but her curiosity about Kale’s present had been killing her all week; she really felt like she couldn’t wait any longer. She sighed and tried to convince herself that she could wait a few hours more; it wouldn’t kill her. However, just as she was about to attempt trying to sleep, Izzie heard a faint noise coming from the kitchen. Curious, she got up, stuck her head out her bedroom door and strained to hear what the ruckus was. After a few seconds, Izzie concluded it was her father; judging by the noise of pots and pans banging, her dad was getting started on cooking the turkey. Izzie smiled to herself; this was the perfect excuse to explain why she was up so early. She grabbed her dressing gown and headed down to the kitchen to get a coffee before opening her presents; she didn’t want to appear too eager. When she entered the kitchen, she was met by the sight of her father struggling to fit a rather abnormally large turkey into the oven. “Jeez Dad, are you sure that turkey’s big enough? I mean it does have to feed four mouths.” Izzie smirked as her father turned to her red-faced and sweating profusely. “Izzie, it’s too early for your sarcasm. Now, if you’re just gonna stand and look at me, you’d better get what you’re looking and vamoose out of here.” Izzie chuckled but hurriedly made a quick cup of coffee for herself and hastily left the kitchen. She wandered into the living room to find both her mother and grandmother yawning and making their way to the kitchen in search of some caffeine. “Better watch out in there,” Izzie warned them, “Dad’s having his usual tussle with the turkey.”

Izzie heard her mother groan and mutter what sounded like, “Not again” before she made her way into the kitchen to help her husband. Izzie looked over at her grandmother who had chuckled, “I think I’ll leave them to it. Now dear, how about we deal with the presents.” She winked at Izzie and lifted the first present from under the tree and handed it to Izzie. Izzie looked at the label and discovered it was from her grandmother, she ripped it open as her grandmother plonked herself down on the armchair nearest the TV. Izzie discovered a beautiful dress inside the wrappings and hugged her grandmother. “Gran, it’s the one I had been looking at a few weeks ago but how did you know?” Izzie watched her grandmother smile, “I have my sources,” she merely chuckled and Izzie frowned at her but examined the dress in her hands further. The dress was even more beautiful on closer inspection; it was floor length and a silky material in a teal colour, it also had delicate little straps and lots of tiny embroidered flowers on it, along with a silk sash around the waist. Izzie looked at her grandmother sternly, “Gran, this dress must have cost a fortune. I don’t deserve it.” Her grandmother scolded her, “Izzie! It doesn’t matter how much it cost, I know you wanted it so I got if for you – end of. Besides, you never know when you might need a slinky little number like that.” Izzie rolled her eyes, “Where could I possibly wear this Gran?” Her grandmother tutted at her, “Really Izzie, don’t you have a formal coming up?” Izzie nodded, comprehension slowly dawning on her face, “Thanks Gran, it’s perfect for it.” Her grandmother nodded, “Right, that’s it settled. Now, let’s get cracking with the rest of these, shall we?” Izzie agreed and attacked the small pile of presents with much gusto.

Within fifteen minutes, they were down to the last two; one of which was the present from Kale. Izzie had hoped her grandmother wouldn’t spot it but it was the next one her grandmother was holding out for her to open. “Alright dear, this one has a card taped to it so I don’t know who it’s from but it’s addressed to you and this last one is mine … why don’t we open them together before your parents join us to open theirs?” Izzie swallowed hard; she was very nervous but also excited that she would finally find out what Kale had given her. She nodded her head at her grandmother and proceeded to tear the card off the present first and opened it.

Izzie, I saw this and thought of you … because you are one! Merry Christmas. Love Kale xx

Izzie felt very nervous now and she spotted, out of the corner of her eye, that her grandmother had already opened her own gift of a bath set and was now looking at Izzie curiously. Izzie carefully opened the wrapping paper to find a small jewellery box; she was definitely dying to know what it was inside now. She sneaked a glance at her grandmother and found her still watching with building excitement. “Sweet Jesus Izzie … put me out of my misery already and open the damn box!” Her grandmother told her hysterically. Izzie laughed and slowly prised the box open to find a beautiful necklace. She heard her grandmother gasp in admiration and Izzie examined it more closely; it was white gold with a fine chain and the pendant on it was in the shape of a star. Izzie chuckled to herself; so that’s what Kale had been referring to – he believed Izzie was a star. Izzie felt quite touched at this but also confused; her emotions were running high and she didn’t know whether she should be mad at Kale or not. In fact, Izzie could only feel the urge to cry; Kale had been so sweet but it was also making everything a heck of a lot harder. Izzie fought back the tears, feeling ridiculous for even wanting to cry in the first place, and handed it over to her grandmother who was clearly itching to examine the necklace. “Oh it’s beautiful Izzie, I’m assuming this is from that lovely young Kale Eddision – am I right?” Izzie nodded and then suddenly cringed to herself; boy, now she felt really stupid about what she had given Kale …

Kale had woken on Christmas morning to find himself all alone; his mother had some concert that she needed to stay in America for and his father was directing some major movie that required a lot of crucial re-shoots. Kale hadn’t been all that surprised when Alicia had passed on the news; it was the story of his life and he was well used to being alone during Christmas. In fact, if he had been shooting a movie, he wouldn’t have had time to celebrate Christmas; he figured he wasn’t missing much and had thought it best to decline Alicia’s kind offer of celebrating with her.

Kale got up and wandered around the empty house; it was quite strange to not hear noises coming from the kitchen or not see somebody cleaning. Kale felt quite relieved to be alone; it was nice to have a bit of solitude for once; no reporters, no photographers – nothing. He made his way to the kitchen to make himself a cup of coffee, while the kettle boiled; he helped himself to some croissants that Mrs Wilson – the cook – must have left out for him and that was not all. When Kale went to the fridge for some milk, he noticed a note stuck on the door; Mrs Wilson had plated him a Christmas Dinner and had left it in the fridge for him. Kale was touched at this; the kind, elderly lady always looked out for him more than necessary; it must have been her maternal instinct. Kale smiled to himself; at least he would actually be able to eat some turkey today. He grabbed his coffee and made his way into the living room to watch some cheesy Christmas movies since he had nothing better to do. He had just settled in front of the widescreen plasma when his gaze flickered over to the tree; it was a surprise to him to find a few presents under it. It wasn’t that he never received presents; it was more the fact that there seemed to be one more than the usual ones from his parents, Alicia and the staff. It was then that Kale remembered that Izzie had given him one; he eagerly abandoned the TV and decided to open hers first. He looked at the neatly wrapped parcel and felt bad about ripping the paper; he tore it off and discovered an early copy of ‘Much Ado About Nothing’. He smiled to himself and opened it to the front page where he found an inscription:

Kale, I thought you might like this to remember at least one good high school experience It will hopefully remind you that you can control your choice of roles and when the right one comes along, you’ll know … just don’t be afraid to go for it! Izzie x

Kale laughed; it was so typical of Izzie to tell him something that was appropriate for his most recent dilemma – to decide whether or not to take the role of playing another dashing hero that he had been offered. Now he felt his choice had been made; he had to turn it down; he wanted something new – a challenge – and he would wait until that opportunity appeared and then he would ‘go for it’!

After Izzie had showered and dressed, she decided to join her grandmother in the living room until dinner had been served. She settled down on the sofa beside her Gran and watched the Christmas film her grandmother was engrossed in. “So,” Izzie began, “what are we watching?” Her grandmother turned to her and pointedly stared at Izzie’s neck where the necklace Kale had bought her was currently hanging. “So, have you thanked him yet?” Her grandmother merely said, purposely ignoring Izzie’s question. Izzie shook her head, “No, I feel really stupid when I think about the silly thing I gave him.” Izzie shuddered and her grandmother looked curious. “Oh and what did you get him?” Izzie shrugged, “Something that cost a hell of a lot less than this necklace.” Her grandmother shook her head, “Izzie, it’s not the amount spent; it’s the thought and effort that went into choosing the gift that’s important.” Izzie nodded, “True, I did do a lot of research on his present.” “Well there you go,” her grandmother reassured her, “but I really think you should call him and thank him … he’ll think you don’t like it.” Izzie debated with herself; she knew she would have to do it sooner or later and she really didn’t think she’d be able to do it in person … Izzie nodded to herself; her mind made up. She fished her mobile out of her pocket and scrolled through the phonebook until she found Kale’s number, she hit ‘call’ and waited for Kale to pick up. As the phone was ringing, Izzie noticed her grandmother had edged closer – obviously she had wanted to eavesdrop on Izzie’s conversation but Izzie wasn’t going to give her the chance. Izzie left the room and went to sit on the stairs while her grandmother huffed with her and turned the TV volume up a little louder. Izzie rolled her eyes to herself and finally Kale answered. “Hey, Merry Christmas … is everything ok?” came Kale’s voice. Izzie laughed, “Hey, same to you, um, yeah, everything’s fine … I um, I just wanted to thank you for the beautiful necklace, you really didn’t have to do that and I’m sure it cost a fortune!” She heard Kale chuckle, “Nah,” he told her, “I thought it was perfect for you … I’m glad you like it. Thanks for mine, by the way. It’s actually been really useful … in more ways than one.” Izzie was intrigued, “Oh yeah? It’s pretty lame in comparison to yours … so what has it helped you with, other than learning your lines?” Kale was quick to correct her, “Hey, it was really thoughtful and unique … and I loved it which is what counts. Anyway, your little bit of advice helped me with a personal matter …” he trailed off cryptically. Izzie sighed, “Yeah, thanks for explaining that fully,” she quipped sarcastically, “it’s not like I’m curious or anything.”

Kale chuckled again, “It just helped me figure out my next career move, that’s all … there’s no need to be shirty with me.” Izzie had to laugh at that, “Shirty eh? You certainly know how to express yourself … anyway, what are your plans for the rest of the day then? You’ve probably a big fat and juicy turkey cooking this minute, am I right?” Kale looked around his surroundings; if only Izzie knew how far from the truth she was. He turned the Christmas film he had been watching up; the characters were all enjoying their festive dinner and Kale wanted to give the illusion that he was not alone; he really didn’t want Izzie to pity him if she knew the truth. “Yeah,” Kale said louder, “as you can probably hear … everyone’s getting into the Christmas spirit here.” He forced a laugh and he heard Izzie chuckle. “Same here … although, I can probably say - with total confidence – that my family is significantly more insane than yours; you should’ve seen my dad with the turkey this morning! Every year he buys the biggest turkey … and every year, he struggles to fit it in the oven.” Kale laughed, “Sounds like fun. Well, I’d better let you go … I’ll see you later.” “Yeah, ok … I’ll talk to you later if I can escape this mad lot. Merry Christmas.” Izzie hung up the phone and made her way through to the living room again where her grandmother hurriedly found the TV remote and hit the ‘mute’ button. “So …” her grandmother looked at her eagerly, “did he like his present?” Izzie nodded, “Yeah, he loved it … sounded like his family were getting in the festive mood. Anyway, why are you so interested in all of this?” Izzie watched her grandmother shrug, “No reason … now, do you think it’s safe to go into the kitchen or will we find a ‘Yuletide Homicide’?” Izzie roared with laughter, “How do you think of them Gran? I guess we had better check, we wouldn’t something like that putting a dampener our Christmas now, would we?”

Chapter Fourteen

For once, Christmas Dinner in the Frank household passed without any arguments, and Izzie was enjoying relaxing on the sofa after her turkey indulgence when her phone bleeped. She noticed her grandmother look at her inquisitively and Izzie avoided her eye while she clicked open the text message from Kale. ‘What u up to?’ Izzie was curious; it was quite random of Kale to text out of the blue and with no real reason, nevertheless, Izzie decided to bite and reply. ‘Feeling stuffed from dinner. U?’ A few seconds later, her phone bleeped again, ‘Not much, same with me.’ Izzie felt like Kale wasn’t telling her something; she left the living room, avoiding her grandmother’s knowing look, and went up to her bedroom for some privacy. She worded her reply carefully. ‘Is everything ok? Do u wanna talk?’ ‘No, I’m fine. Promise ;)’ Izzie wasn’t fooled that easily, she replied, ‘Ok, talk later’ but grabbed her car keys. She popped her head around the living room door and saw her grandmother and father dozing but her mother was watching TV. “Mum, I’m just going to visit a friend. I’ll be back later, ok?” Izzie watched her mother nod and not pay much attention to her so she set off out the door.

Kale was sitting watching a Christmas special of some soap and feeling very stupid; he didn’t know what had possessed him to text Izzie and the moment he had, he’d regretted it instantly. Just because he was all alone on Christmas day and feeling sorry for himself was no reason to disrupt Izzie’s celebrations. Kale came to the conclusion that he was just feeling very lonely; after he had eaten the dinner Mrs Wilson had left him, he craved some festive spirit but there he was all alone – if the press could see him now, he could just see hear the jibes about money not being able to buy you happiness, even for a movie star like himself. He sighed and then he heard the doorbell; probably Alicia checking up on him. Kale made his way to the front door and hitched a smile on his face before he swung the door open to find Izzie standing. “What are you doing here?” Kale asked in surprise. Izzie smiled at him, “I think I can tell when someone wants to talk but just won’t admit it. Now, can I come in?” Kale moved to the side and Izzie stepped inside. He led her into the living room and he noticed Izzie glancing around and looking quite perplexed. “Am I missing something Kale? When did everyone leave?” She threw him a baffled look and he sighed. “You’re probably going to laugh,” Kale told her, “there has been nobody here at all today.” Izzie looked very puzzled indeed now, “I’m not laughing Kale; I’m just confused.” Kale smiled a little, “I don’t blame you. When I was on the phone to you earlier … the noise you heard – the party going on – it was on TV.” Izzie looked at him to continue, when he didn’t, she prompted him, “Ok … I still don’t understand what it is you’re trying to say.” Kale smiled sadly, “What I’m trying to tell you is that I’ve been alone … all day … my parents have work commitments and the staff are all with their families.” Comprehension dawned on Izzie’s face, “Oh … oh my God, Kale why didn’t you say something? You could’ve come to my house – I’m not gonna lie; it’s a mad house – but at least you would’ve had some company.” Kale shook his head, “Please Izzie, don’t pity me. I’d rather you tell me that I deserve it … after all, I am the egotistic movie star whose own parents failed to celebrate Christmas with him. It just proves money can’t buy you everything.” Izzie frowned at him, “You do know I was joking about the ‘egotistic’ thing … but Kale, nobody deserves to be left alone at Christmas! Oh I feel so bad now.” Kale patted her on the arm, “Don’t, come on, sit down and I’ll make some coffee. Oh God, now I feel bad for making you feel bad.” Izzie sat down, “Ok, I think we’re both not doing each other any favours. Let’s change the subject.” Kale nodded, “I’ll get the coffee and you … you sit here and relax.”

“So,” Kale paused to take a sip of his coffee, “why did you come round – not that I don’t want you here – because I do – but I’m curious.” Izzie smiled, “I just sensed something was wrong. You just sounded … sad.” Kale grinned, “You’re very intuitive … and I’m very grateful.” Izzie laughed, “Yeah and I missed my daily dose of Mr Pain-in-the-Ass!” Kale chuckled at that, “See, I knew you liked having me around.” Izzie hit him playfully on the arm, “Don’t flatter yourself buddy. Seriously though, you should’ve said something earlier.” Kale shook his head, “I enjoyed the peace and quiet; a chance to think. It was nice but then …” he trailed off. “But then you started to feel lonely,” Izzie finished for him. “Kale, it’s not a weakness to admit you want some company.” She looked at him sternly. Kale laughed, “Ok, please don’t look at me like that … I’m worried you’re going to pop a blood vessel or something.” Izzie rolled her eyes, “Gee Kale, a comedian and actor … is there anything you’re not good at?” Kale smirked, “Yeah, getting the girl I like to like me back.” Izzie knew she had walked right into that one; trust Kale to make her feel even more confused than she already was. Izzie looked away from him and said nothing. Kale sighed, “Hey, I’m only messing with you. You don’t need to tell me again that you despise me; I get it.” Izzie glanced at him and then looked directly into his baby blue eyes, “I don’t despise you Kale, really.” Kale was surprised at how sincere Izzie sounded, “Well then why can’t you give me a chance? Now I know there’s a possibility you might like me too … why can’t we give it a shot?” Izzie sighed and shook her head, “Kale, everything is not that simple. The world isn’t just black and white.” Kale smiled, “I know … but it isn’t just shades of grey either.” Izzie smirked, “Touché … but why can’t we just be friends? Is that not enough for you? I hate when you bring up this crap; it makes me feel all awkward.” Kale thought for a moment, “I’m sorry. I’m being a jerk again. Your friendship is important to me but I’ll always want more.” Izzie nodded, “Fair enough Kale, but you’re going to have to accept the possibility that that is all it will ever come to.” Kale didn’t get his hopes up when Izzie said ‘possibility’; it wasn’t a definite ‘no’ but it wasn’t a definite ‘yes’ either … God women could be so frustrating! He shook his head to clear his thoughts and looked into Izzie’s eyes. “Ok, I can accept that.” Izzie felt relieved, “Ok, I think it’s time to change the subject so I don’t feel awkward again.” Kale laughed, “Sorry, it’s my fault … me and my big mouth. Blame the day job; gushing about our feelings is kind of in the job description.” Izzie chuckled, “Sure, no problem … now, it’s getting late; do you think you can cope without me until we get back to school?” Kale shook his head solemnly, “No, I’d die without you,” then he sniggered, “I’m just messing, of course I can but where’re you going? I thought I’d see you before we’re due back.” Izzie smiled, “I’ve to visit relatives all week so you won’t see me until Friday but,” she paused for a minute, “we do have these things called mobile phones … if you wanna talk, I’ll answer.” She looked at him seriously then, just to show she wasn’t joking about. Kale looked grateful, “Thanks … for everything. I’ll see you bright and early on Friday morning. Let’s hope everybody’s been rehearsing!” He wagged his finger disapprovingly a lá Ms Belson and Izzie laughed as she headed out the door. Friday morning arrived very quickly and Izzie found herself excited to see Kale again; she pushed aside any inklings that would suggest that this was because she really liked him and blamed it on the fact that she missed him being a nuisance. “Hey,” Kale smiled at her and leaned against the wall beside her locker. “Hey yourself,” Izzie told him as she slammed her locker shut and fell into step with him as he starting making his way down the corridor. “So,” Kale began, “nice holiday visiting your relatives?” Izzie rolled her eyes, “The less said, the better … trust me.”

Kale chortled, “Ok, I’ll not ask again. So, do you think anyone actually rehearsed over Christmas? Ms Belson is seriously deluded if she thinks everyone was running through their lines the entire time.” Izzie sniggered, “I know but as long as the main characters know their lines … it’ll be alright. So, do you know your stuff Mr Movie Star?” Kale rolled his eyes, “Mock all you want, I know you love it all too. I’ll have you know that I am word perfect and I can guess that you are too … as for the rest, we’ll find out soon enough …” he pointed to the notice board, “rehearsal today at 11am.” Izzie groaned, “Great, there goes my good mood.” Kale looked puzzled, “Your ‘good mood’? I wasn’t aware you had such a function, let alone know the meaning of it!” He smirked at her and Izzie gave him a dirty look. “Ooh,” he teased, “if looks could kill!” Izzie bit back a laugh but a smile slipped out anyway and Kale chuckled, “See … two can play at that game.” Izzie smiled, “Yeah, yeah, shut up and move your ass … we’re going to be late.”

When school was over, Izzie was a little disappointed she couldn’t meet up with Kale since she had to work. However, it would give her the opportunity to think things over; she hadn’t had the chance over Christmas break to suss out her feelings for him and work would be quiet so it was the perfect time to think. Although, she couldn’t deny, if she was disappointed that she wouldn’t be able to see Kale again … didn’t that seem to suggest that she had already made up her mind about him? Maybe there would be no need to mull things over so much …

Chapter Fourteen

After weeks of rehearsal, the opening night of the play was not far away; it was the last day before the ‘big night’ and Ms Belson was just running through some last minute pointers before she dismissed the class. “Now, I want you all to have fun tomorrow night and if you make a mistake …” she paused and waited for them to bleat back the end of her sentence. “…we forget about it and move onto our next line.” They all chanted back to her and Ms Belson smiled; apparently satisfied that everybody was prepared. “Alright,” Ms Belson smiled, “you can go, see you all tomorrow night.” Izzie was relieved, she turned to Kale, “Thank God, I thought she was going to give us another lecture there.” He laughed, “She just wants it to be flawless … and it will be.” Izzie smiled, “Good to know you have the confidence in yourself not to mess it up.” Kale shook his head, “Oh the cheek! You really should be a comedienne if you don’t make it as a writer.” Izzie rolled her eyes, “Funny, now, you coming or what?” Kale sighed, “Yeah, I just can’t find my script. Look, you go on and I’ll meet you by the lockers, ok?” Izzie nodded and made her way out the door with everyone else … well almost everyone …

Kale had just located his script behind one of the props when he felt a tap on his shoulder and he turned to find Maddie. “What are you looking Maddie?” he frowned at her; she hadn’t bothered him or Izzie since before Halloween and he liked it that way. Maddie smiled, “Oh come on Kale, what did I ever do on you? I just wanted your help with something.” Kale sighed heavily, “Fine, what is it?” Maddie fluttered her eyelashes flirtatiously, “I’ve got an audition and I just wanted your advice on what way to play the part.” Kale found it hard to resist; he always liked the chance to help somebody out … especially when it involved acting. He nodded, “Ok, what’s the role? You got the script handy?” Maddie obediently extracted the script from her bag and handed it to Kale, “I’m gunning for the part of the soldier’s girlfriend but I don’t really know how to play the scene.” Kale flicked through the pages, “Which scene is it?” Maddie pointed to the appropriate page and Kale nodded, “Ok, since it’s a highly emotional and intense scene, I’d recommend you stick to the basics.” Maddie nodded, “Ok, what are the basics I should stick to?” She looked at Kale pleadingly but was also wishing that Jake would hurry up with his part of the plan.

Izzie was collecting a textbook from her locker when Jake approached her. She sighed, “What do you want Jake?” Jake tried to look innocent, “Hey, I’ve just come to pass a message on from Ms Belson; she wants to see you back in the rehearsal room … she forgot to tell you something important for tomorrow night.” Izzie was embarrassed by how sharp her tone had been, “Oh, right, sorry Jake. Ok, I’ll go now. Thanks.” She set off down the corridor and had just reached the door when she heard voices; Kale and Maddie to be exact. Izzie was curious as to what they could possibly be discussing but she was also wary that Ms Belson was probably waiting for her inside too. She pushed the door open and was quite sickened by what she saw …

Kale had been frustrated trying to explain the basics of acting out the scene to Maddie that he came to the conclusion that he would have to show her a few simple things.

“Ok,” he began, trying to keep his cool, “this scene involves you – the girlfriend – not wanting me – the soldier – to leave and fight for my country, right?” Maddie nodded and looked at Kale with puppy-dog eyes, “Yeah.” “Ok,” Kale continued, “one of the simplest actions you can do to really make the moment intense is hold my face, like this.” He tenderly held a hand against Maddie’s cheek and looked her directly in the eye. Maddie mimicked his actions and he nodded, “Good, now you do this when you say the line ‘I don’t want you to leave … but I know you have to do this baby.’ It’ll really convey the anguish your character is feeling at that particular moment; the torment of the dilemma of allowing my character to leave but also the selfish need for me to stay.” Maddie nodded, “Ok, I think I get it. Could you help me with one practice run and then I’ll leave you alone … promise.” Kale agreed, “Ok, it’s my line first …” Izzie couldn’t believe her own eyes when she saw Maddie and Kale kiss, however, the thing that disturbed her most was the fact that Kale had let her kiss him. Kale suddenly pulled back and became aware that Maddie was now looking at someone. He turned, with a dazed look on his face, to see Izzie standing in the doorway. “Izzie, hey, I thought I was meeting you by the lockers.” Kale still looked a bit out of it. Izzie now dimly realised something; Kale was an extremely dedicated and brilliant actor. Before Maddie had kissed him, Izzie had noticed the look in his eyes; it was the same look he had during all the rehearsals for the play. The look he had in his eyes now made something very clear for Izzie; it was different from the one when he was in character. They always said that your eyes never lie; they always show what you truly feel and it was crystal clear to Izzie that Kale looked dazed because he was just pulling himself out of character. It amazed her how he had the ability to draw himself into a scene so vividly and emotionally; he literally became his character when he was sucked into a scene. Guess she’d have to stop teasing him about his crap acting skills; he definitely did have talent. Izzie still found herself a little annoyed though, regardless of how good an actor Kale actually was; he and Maddie had still shared a kiss – scripted or not, it was still a kiss. She knew she shouldn’t feel jealous or betrayed but that was what she felt bubbling up in her right now. She tried to ignore those feelings while she looked at Maddie’s satisfied face. “What exactly do you think you have achieved here Maddie?” Izzie asked her, still feeling both annoyed and confused; why was Maddie acting like this now? Maddie grinned slyly, “Oh, just how I can get two men under my spell with ease while you can’t get your grubby paws on even one.” Izzie raised her eyebrow, “That’s the point you wanted to prove? Ok, well done … you can see I’m truly destroyed by your actions … truly! It’s just too bad that Kale and I aren’t actually dating.” Izzie laughed and hoped Maddie was smart enough to recognise the sarcasm in her voice. Maddie frowned; clearly irritated that Izzie seemed to be unaffected by her actions. She flipped her hair and sneered at Izzie, “Well, at least I got my revenge on you for just snubbing me when you became best buds with a movie star. Real friends don’t dump you when some mediocre movie star shows up.” Izzie laughed hysterically, “Do you hear yourself? This is ludicrous, all of it. First of all, you snubbed me when Kale arrived, two; real friends don’t sell stories to the papers to get revenge – yeah” Izzie paused when a look of guilt flashed across Maddie’s face, “I know you were the ‘close, personal friend’ quoted; it doesn’t take a genius to figure out who would spread some bullshit rumour about me – you made your jealousy of my friendship with Kale quite clear; I practically followed the trail of breadcrumbs – or should I say blood, from stabbing me in the back! Anyway, where was I? Oh yeah, and lastly, how dare you call Kale ‘mediocre’; he’s been acting since he was no age whereas you still wouldn’t know how to convey emotion of any kind if you studied it until your dying day! You are such a spiteful bitch that you are incapable of any emotion that is human … you, my friend, are a robot! And you will still be one, no matter how many acting lessons you take … you will be mediocre – and that is being polite!” Maddie simply stared after Izzie had finished her outburst; she looked like she had just been slapped. Kale, who had been watching the confrontation with an open mouth, turned to Izzie and gave her a little round of applause. Izzie snapped out of her bad temper and smiled at Kale and even took a little bow. Maddie finally woke from her stupor and glanced at both of them, she looked directly at Izzie. “Guess that means our friendship is over.” She eyed Izzie scornfully. Izzie smirked, “That, is the most intelligent thing you have said in the last while … guess you do have a brain inside that metal head after all.” Kale was bent double at that; he was practically choking he was laughing that hard. Izzie chuckled at him and Maddie quickly left the room; she knew she had been defeated. After a few seconds, Kale had managed to stop laughing and calmed himself back to seriousness again, his intense gaze bore directly into Izzie’s eyes and she felt jelly-legged. “Did you really mean what you said?” Kale asked her. Izzie shrugged, “I said anything to shut her up,” but she smirked nonetheless and Kale realised she was joking. “So,” Kale smiled, “I’m really better than ‘mediocre’ huh?” Izzie rolled her eyes and hit him on the arm, “Yeah, you’re just one step above it … you’d need to be to let Maddie trick you into kissing her!” Kale looked shameful, “I know, I got too into character and got carried away. Ah the curse of being an ‘above mediocre’ actor, eh?” he winked at

Izzie and she sniggered. “Yeah yeah, just watch that head of yours when you’re walking through the door; it might not fit.” It was Kale’s turn to roll his eyes, “Come on, let’s get out of here before any other females try and seduce me.” Izzie smirked, “Yeah, well you’re in safe company with me bucko … if you can resist my allure!” Kale suddenly turned serious again, “Do you know how difficult it is for me to not give into the temptation you offer to me… do you do it on purpose just to torture me?” “Wow,” Izzie was a little taken aback, “lighten up buddy, I was messing. Why do you always have to turn it into something more? Why can’t you accept that we are friends and nothing more, huh? Way to kill my good mood Kale, jeez … you are such a jerk.” Kale felt anger flare up inside him; he was sick of it … sick of the way Izzie made him feel, even if it was through no fault of her own. “Yeah Izzie, really … you think that I’m the jerk? You blow hot and cold more times than I change my clothes … and that’s every day! So don’t you call me a jerk when you are the one who is all flirty and then the next minute you’re avoiding me like the plague. You are the jerk! You can’t play around with people’s feelings like that … it’s not a game Izzie! Just because I’m an actor doesn’t mean I don’t get hurt … if anything, I feel things more intensely because of my job.” Izzie was furious, “How dare you … after me defending you earlier? How the hell do you have the nerve to call me a jerk and accuse me of playing with people’s feelings? I have been nothing but honest about my feelings for you … you are the one who keeps messing it up by wanting more. It’s not my fault you ‘feel things more intensely’ ... it’s not my fault you confuse my behaviour for flirting! So, don’t you stand there and accuse me of being hot and cold when you are the one who is reading everything wrong!” Izzie breathed heavily while Kale looked shocked but he recovered quite quickly since he strode across the room – closing the short distance between them – grabbed Izzie’s face and kissed her. When Izzie tried to protest, Kale ignored her and kissed her more passionately until Izzie was tingling all over and feeling rather faint; boy, he could really kiss when he was mad! Izzie then found her senses and pushed him back. “Ok Kale,” she began calmly, “that really wasn’t the best way to end that argument.” Kale shifted nervously and tried to avoid Izzie’s eyes as she continued, “Look Kale, I understand that you can’t help your feelings for me but you really need to stop doing that.” Kale looked directly into her eyes, “I know and I’m sorry but you can’t deny that you had some sort of reaction to it. Can you honestly say that you didn’t enjoy it? I know you want us to be friends but isn’t there the tiniest possibility that it could be something more?” It was Izzie’s turn to avoid eye contact, “Look Kale, you aren’t making this any easier for me. Ok, I confess … I did have a reaction and I did enjoy it but I still just want us to be friends.” “But,” Kale protested, “what is so difficult about us being something more; you like me and I like you … it sounds pretty simple, right?” Izzie shook her head, “I’m just not interested Kale. I’m tired telling you; I can be your friend but nothing more and if you can’t accept that then I’m afraid we’ll not even have friendship.” Kale sighed, “Fine but somewhere along the line you’re going to have to admit that you have feelings for me. I know you do … it just seems like you don’t know it yet.” Izzie rolled her eyes, “Ok, can we just forget all this and be friends? I don’t want this messing up the play … please Kale?” Kale nodded, “Ok but I know I’m right … and sooner or later you’ll prove it.” Izzie smirked, “You really do have a big ego about yourself, don’t you?” Kale smiled, “And now you’re back to your normal, charming self.” Izzie grinned, “Shut up Mr Big-Head. Now, I’m going home to get some rest before the big night tomorrow night. I think you should do the same.” Kale sighed, “Guess you’re right, see you tomorrow … ‘Beatrice’.” Izzie chuckled, “Save it for the play … ‘Benedick’.” Kale laughed as they made their way to their cars and then headed home.

Chapter Fifteen

Opening night had arrived and Izzie was feeling extremely nervous. Earlier that day, Izzie had acted like nothing had happened the day before and Kale had followed suit which suited her just fine. Now, however, she was very worried about the play; she kept thinking she was going to mess up her lines and screw up the entire play. She sucked in a breath to try and steady her nerves as she put the final touches to her make-up. Suddenly, she saw someone watching her in the mirror, she turned to find Kale standing by the doorway; he was smiling at her in a smug, knowing way. “What do you want?” she sighed. “Oh, do you have to be so nice?” Kale chuckled, “You feeling the old pre-play jitters then?” “No!” Izzie replied, much too quickly, “no,” she said again, more calmly, “I was trying to relax before you interrupted me!” She smirked at him and he grinned back. “Fair enough, I’ll leave you in peace.” He turned to leave but turned back before he was fully out the door, “Hey, break a leg, ok?” Izzie smiled, “You too.” and she watched disappear out the door. She took another deep breath; everything was going to be fine – if she just refused to think about everything Kale-related – then she’d be fine. She sighed and then heard Ms Belson call her name … ‘here goes nothing’ Izzie thought as she made her way onto the stage …

The play, thankfully, went off without a hitch and when the last scene had finally came to an end; Izzie had been relieved it was over. Nobody had messed up any lines so Ms Belson was very happy, as was Izzie, although, the only thing that she felt had went wrong was the kiss between her and Kale; it had went on just a tad too long and Izzie felt Kale had been taking advantage of the situation but she never called him on it. Now, Izzie was glad to change into some normal clothes and wipe off her make-up. She had just finished pulling on her sneakers when she heard a knock on the door. “Come in,” she commanded and looked up as the door opened. “Hey, you were great out there tonight.” Kale told her as he leant against the doorway, looking even more handsome now he was back in his usual dark jeans and black shirt combo. Izzie tried not to stare too much, “Thanks, you too.” She finished tying her shoelace and stood up. “So, what’s everybody else up to?” Kale shrugged, “I think they’ve all left. So, can I walk you to your car? Just incase you get mobbed for being such a good actress?” he smiled crookedly at her. Izzie rolled her eyes, “Hilarious! But hey, why not … I’ve just got to grab my bag.” Izzie found her bag and fell into step with Kale as they both made their way to the car park. “So,” Kale began, “you ready to do this all again for the next two nights?” Izzie smiled, “Yeah, I think so. It wasn’t so bad.” Kale grinned but then turned serious, “No it wasn’t but I have to apologise for the last scene.” Izzie held up a hand to stop him, “Don’t Kale, it was ok. Let’s forget about it, ok?” Kale nodded and they stopped when they got to Izzie’s car. “Guess I’ll see you tomorrow then?” Izzie gave him a half smile, “Sure and … you didn’t suck too bad.” She winked at him and then gave him a peck on the cheek before she got into her car. Kale was momentarily stunned but as soon as Izzie drove off, he made way to his own car but he couldn’t help but think about Izzie the whole way back to his house.

The following week, after the play had finished, Izzie was nervously waiting for the review in the local paper to come out. It was rumoured to be written by the reporter who was responsible for the previous articles about Kale and Izzie which was why Izzie was dreading what the woman, Tess Drudger, was going to write. A week later, on Monday morning, Izzie stopped at the local newsagents on her way to school to pick up the paper; she decided not to look at it until she had reached school. She pulled into an empty parking space and took a deep breath. She flipped to the appropriate page as her stomach churned with nerves.

‘‘Much Ado About Something!’ Ok Kale Eddison fans … I am sure many of you fought tooth and nail to get tickets to attend the local Hartside play ‘Much Ado About Nothing.’ Those of you who did manage to get tickets will know exactly what went on … those of you who failed to score some tickets will just have to make do with my review. But, never fear, I promise I have provided as much juicy details as I can. As I sat down last Friday night, I will admit, I was expecting the usual awful High School production – even if it did star our Hollywood Golden Boy. However, what I did not expect was a flawless adaption of Shakespeare’s ‘Much Ado About Nothing’. Every actor was suited to his or her role and if there were any mistakes … well, I failed to spot any. From the opening scene, I was drawn into the world of ‘Beatrice’, ‘Benedick’, ‘Hero’ and ‘Claudio’. When a scene required tension … you could cut it with a knife … when a scene required humour … I laughed until I nearly cracked a rib. All in all, what I’m trying to say is that the play was perfect. Although, the one thing that I would dispute, would be the title; ‘Much Ado About Something’ would have been more appropriate. Now, I guess I have you all intrigued by now … I will not keep you in suspense much longer. Throughout the whole play, I’ll admit, I was rooting for Ms Isobel Frank – ‘Beatrice’ in the production – to fail miserably. I am sure most people wouldn’t be able to cope with sharing the stage for nearly three hours with the two men that Ms Frank is rumoured to be involved in a love triangle with! However, I must confess surprise at Ms Frank’s strong stage presence and ability to cope well with being in such close proximity to her two boy toys. There was no visible awkwardness between any of the characters – other than when scripted – and I found myself enjoying the play. Our Kale was, of course, flawless as ever and suited the role of ‘Benedick’ perfectly. I also found the banter between his character and Ms Frank’s didn’t feel forced and was actually quite delightful to watch. Now, to get to the good stuff … the final scene was one heck of a show; high drama, romance and humour. All to be expected, I hear you cry, to all of you who know of Shakespeare’s light-hearted play. However, as much as I want to say that Ms Frank and Mr Eddison did a fine job of making the whole ordeal believable … I am not the only one in belief that there is some genuine chemistry between Izzie Frank and Kale Eddison. Throughout the entire play, I noticed that the other male involved in the supposed love triangle – Jake Greenberg – has no chemistry with Ms Frank whatsoever. It appears we may have misjudged the whole situation since Ms Frank did not appear one bit interested in Jake. It was pretty obvious that Ms Frank shares a connection of some sort with our Kale but she tries her best to hide it. Maybe we have been wrong to assume that she is playing with the two boys … maybe Ms Frank’s little speech a few weeks ago was indeed the truth. I personally now believe that there is nothing going on between her and Jake Greenberg – they lack any sort of chemistry at all! However, that said, even though Ms Frank was adamant that her and our Kale were “just friends” … I have seen for myself – with my own eyes – that our Kale is smitten with her and the feeling does appear to be mutual. But … I can say with total confidence that Ms Isobel Frank does not realise it herself; she was certainly very realistic when portraying the playful banter between her character and Kale’s. Our Golden Boy does appear to irritate Ms Frank but there is also a spark of attraction there too but it is just a question of whether Izzie Frank realises it or whether she is confusing it with something else. Whatever the outcome, the question now, on everybody’s lips is, “How long before Kale Eddison is called to do a major movie that will change his career forever?” My guess … not very long!’

‘Great!’ thought Izzie, ‘Yet one more person who is making me even more confused about whether there is something between me and Kale.’ Izzie sighed to herself; this was bound to stir up some trouble for sure. Izzie stowed the paper away, shook herself to clear her head, grabbed her bag and got out of the car. She was making her way to the entrance when she heard a shout behind her. “Hey! Hold the door please.” Izzie turned and couldn’t help the smile that formed on her face when she looked at Kale making his way towards her. “You’re funny!” she told him as she rolled her eyes and smirked. “What?” he asked innocently. Izzie laughed, “Come on, re-enacting when we first met?” Kale looked puzzled, “Huh?” Izzie felt stupid now, she was very embarrassed by the confused look was giving her until he started to smirk. “You’re a jerk, you know that?” she hit him on the arm. “Ow!” Kale protested, “Look, I couldn’t resist.” He laughed and Izzie grinned at him against her own will. “So,” Kale began, changing the subject as they made their way down the corridor, “you see the review in the paper?” “Yeah, seems like Tess is still your number one fan.” Izzie smirked at him and Kale chuckled. “Well, she seems to think a bit more highly of you. I’m sure you’re glad.” Izzie half smiled, “Yeah, it is nice not being made out to be a complete bitch for once.” Kale turned serious, “I really think everyone already knows that you’re not what the papers made you out to be. You know I’d never think that about you; you really shouldn’t care what other people think anyway.”

Izzie laughed humourlessly, “Yeah, easy for you to say; the whole world loves you.” Kale shook his head, “Not everyone … besides, what’s not to love about you? Who else would keep me grounded and not let me gain a big head about myself?” Izzie looked up at him, surprised, and grinned, “Yeah, someone’s got to keep you in check.” It was Kale’s turn to roll his eyes, “Yeah, because I so love myself. I mean, how do you put up with my constant self praise?” He smirked at Izzie, knowing she’d appreciate his sarcasm. Izzie chuckled, “Ok, you aren’t that bad.” “Good to know,” Kale retorted back with a look of amusement on his face.

After the school day had ended, Kale had wanted to ask Izzie for some help on his English paper – really, it was a pathetic excuse to spend more time with her – but his plans were scuppered when he discovered Alicia had left him a voice mail asking him to meet her back at the house. Kale sighed to himself, bade goodbye to Izzie and headed for the house. When he arrived at the house, he noticed Alicia’s car already parked outside and he went straight inside. “So,” Kale began as he flopped down onto the sofa, “what’s the ‘big thing’ you have to tell me?” Alicia was definitely excited by whatever she was going to tell him; Kale could see her fidgeting with nervous energy. “Well,” Alicia rushed eagerly, “I got a phone call shortly after you left for school. I couldn’t get through to you all day so I hope it still stands.” Kale was curious, “What still stands?” Alicia beamed at him, “A lead in the new Sam Oliver movie.” Kale wasn’t impressed, “Sam Oliver? Let me guess, he’s directing another fluffy movie and he needs his leading man?” Alicia shook her head, “Do you really think I’d be this excited over a role like that – I know you’ve been looking for more challenging roles … and I believe this could be it!” Kale was interested now, “Do you have a script I could look at? What part is Oliver looking me for?” Alicia grinned, “I had him fax the script straight over … I’ve looked it over and I think you’ll like it … he’s rooting for you to play the villain. He says he heard about you expanding your range to Shakespeare and he wants to take a chance on you!” “Oh my God Alicia,” Kale hugged her, “this could be my big break. This could be the start of more serious roles for me! When does filming start? Oh this is great … just wait until I tell Izzie.” Kale felt his enthusiasm quickly evaporating now; Izzie.

Izzie was sitting in the book shop, sorting through some new titles that had just arrived, when she received the text message from Kale; ‘Meet u at coffee shop in half hour?’ Izzie was intrigued, she replied saying that she’d be there and told her father that she had to leave early; he didn’t dispute it since they weren’t very busy anyway. When the half hour was up, Izzie grabbed her bag and waved to her father that she’d meet him back home and made her way over to the little coffee shop across the road where she could see Kale waiting at a table inside. The door pinged as she opened it and made her way over to Kale who had already ordered her a cappuccino. She took a sip and looked at him, waiting for him to spill the beans on this little get-together. Kale was looking at her with animated eyes; he looked thrilled by what he was about to tell her but Izzie could also see his eyes were tinged with sadness and she wondered why. “So,” Kale cleared his throat nervously and continued on, “I’ve got a bit of news … pretty big news. But I could really use your advice on it.” Izzie nodded, “Ok, shoot … what’s the big news?” Kale sucked in a deep breath, “I’ve been offered a role … a really great role.” “Ok,” Izzie was intrigued, “go on … what type of role?” Kale beamed at her, “I’m being given the chance to play a villain in the new Sam Oliver movie!” Izzie’s face broke out into an ecstatic grin, “Oh my God, congratulations! But wait, isn’t Oliver the guy who directs all those romantic comedies?” Kale nodded, “Yeah but he’s taking a chance on a new script … this thriller and he’s hand-picked me to be the bad guy. Can you believe it?” Izzie smiled, “Yeah, I actually can. He must have faith in you … you should too. Now, what’s this about my advice? It sounds like you don’t need it. Take the part Kale.”

Kale smiled sadly, “I really want to, I really do but I also want to finish out my school year. I mean there’s only four months left and I promised myself to do this; to give myself a chance to be a normal guy but now this opportunity comes along and they start filming in a week. I don’t know what to do Izzie.” Izzie smiled, “Come on Kale, we both know you badly want this part … and I know you’re going to take it. So stop putting it off and ring them up and say that you’re on board!” Izzie felt slightly crushed as she was saying that to him; finally she had made up her mind about him … and it was really crappy timing! Judging by the ache she was feeling in the pit of her stomach; she was – despite her many protests to her grandmother and even Kale himself – totally in love with Kale Eddison. Wow, it had just taken her a heck of a long time to admit it to herself but she couldn’t admit it to him – not now; he had to follow his dream. If he didn’t, Izzie knew he would regret it forever; this was the once-in-a-lifetime chance he had been waiting for and she just knew it would change his whole career for the better. She had to make him take it … it would be selfish of her to hold him back; she had to let him leave without him ever knowing how she truly felt about him. Kale grinned at her, apparently oblivious to the battle that was raging inside Izzie’s head, “You really think I should go for it?” Izzie nodded, “Yeah, you’d be stupid not to take it.” Kale smirked, “You seem very eager to get rid of me … I wonder why? It couldn’t be that you’ll finally be left in peace, could it?” Izzie smiled but it didn’t reach her eyes; she just hoped Kale didn’t notice, “How’d you guess? I suppose I have never hid how much I detest you, have I?” Kale grinned, “No, you haven’t. But,” he suddenly turned serious, “if I do take this role … I want you to tell you something before I leave.” Izzie instantly felt uncomfortable; she didn’t like the sound of this. She sighed and started to protest but Kale cut her off. “No – Izzie please don’t say anything – I have to get this out. Ok, I couldn’t live with myself if I didn’t tell you this before I go … Izzie Frank, when I first met you I was instantly charmed by you … your honesty was so refreshing and I found myself pulled to you – I didn’t realise why but now I know. Despite your obvious loathing of me, I wanted to spend every minute of my time with you. I love your sarcasm and your ability to make me feel like a ‘normal’ guy … I can be myself with you and I love that. I know I haven’t exactly kept my feelings for you a secret since I kept practically attacking you but when we kissed for the first time … it was unlike anything I’ve ever felt. I don’t know if you felt it too and it doesn’t really matter if you didn’t but I just have to tell you that I love you … I’ve loved you ever since the first day we met when you looked at me with that look of disgust on your face and blatantly swatted away my attempts to charm you. I’m in love with you Izzie Frank and I ask you this; if you feel the same way … I wouldn’t hesitate to turn down this role and stay here. So, what do you say? What’s your answer?”

Izzie had known what was coming; she’d have been pretty dense not to realise it when Kale had looked at her the way he did before he spoke. She really despised him right now; why did he have to declare his feelings now? Izzie knew, with all her heart, that she felt the exact same but she had realised it too late. She wasn’t going to be the reason why he turned down an amazing career opportunity and it was her own fault for not recognising her true feelings for Kale until the last minute. She sighed to herself; no, she was going to make him take this role. Even though it would kill her to do it; she was going to have to reject him. She was going to have to break his heart and turn his offer down and convince him that she didn’t feel the same; even if it meant going against her true feelings – no matter how strong they were. “Kale,” Izzie eventually began, “I don’t despise you … I know I don’t always act like I don’t but I actually find myself warming to you – I don’t know why but I do! Anyway, as much as I appreciate your offer and how hard it must have been for you to keep your feelings bottled up all this time; I have to tell you some bad news … as lovely as it was to hear how strongly you feel for me, I have to confess … I don’t feel the same. I’m really sorry Kale, especially if I have ever given you the vibe that might suggest anything to the contrary but I’m afraid I don’t love you as anything more than just as a friend. So, you should take the job and go; there’s nothing keeping you here.” Izzie didn’t know how she managed to lie so well but Kale seemed to be buying it, judging by his crushed expression. It killed her – really caused her physical pain – to see him look so dejected but she was doing this for his own good; it was better for him to hate her for rejecting him than hating her for ruining his career. Kale sat in a stunned silence for several minutes and then merely nodded. “I really am sorry Kale.” Izzie repeated. Kale shook his head, “You know, it really kills me to hear you say all that … especially when I know it is all complete bullshit.” He looked Izzie squarely in the face. Izzie found herself shell-shocked but she managed to protest, “Kale, just accept it … please don’t make it worse than it already is.” Kale looked angry now, “No Izzie, why won’t you admit you love me too? I know you feel something for me. For someone who is so smart, you’re incredibly stupid to not recognise what it is you’re feeling!” It was Izzie’s turn to be mad, “How dare you call me stupid! Just because you’re some hot-shot movie star – that is no reason to patronise me … you really are a jerk Kale Eddison!” Izzie was truly spitting mad and she was glad; it made it easier to squash her true feelings. And, if she made him angry in the process, then it would make everything go a whole lot smoother. Kale was furious, “God you frustrate me! Now I really don’t know why I’m attracted to you! If you don’t want to admit it – fine – but know this; if you change your mind after I leave, my offer no longer stands.” Izzie stood up, “Good, maybe then you’ll finally understand that everybody is not in love with you … you aren’t God’s gift Kale! Trust you to think that

you can win me over but you just can’t accept the fact that there is one actual human being who is immune to your charms and does not love you and never will.” Kale was speechless at that and Izzie felt a stab of regret; there really had been no need to be so harsh but if it made Kale accept the role … then so be it. She decided to leave there and then without saying another word. She grabbed her bag and quickly rushed out of the coffee shop, leaving Kale sitting there looking extremely hurt.

Chapter Sixteen

The days that passed after the row, Kale failed to turn up to school and Izzie figured it was because he was getting reading to leave for filming. She wasn’t proud of what she had told him in their heated discussion; it was pure lies and she was torn up about it but it had been a necessary evil. Even though it had been required to persuade Kale to take the part, Izzie felt completely heart-broken; she had probably blown a chance at happiness but she kept telling herself that it had been for a reason more important than her and her feelings for Kale. This was bigger than some High School crush; this concerned someone’s career and she couldn’t – wouldn’t – be the reason for destroying it. Besides, she frequently reminded herself that this wasn’t one of Kale’s fluffy films that they were in; this was real life and the majority of the time … there was no happy ending.

On the second day after their row, Izzie was feeling rather sorry for herself as she made her way home from school. She just wanted to lock herself in her room and not be disturbed for the rest of eternity. As she threw her bag into the kitchen, she found her grandmother sitting in the living room. She flopped down beside her and Izzie watched as her grandmother turned to look at her with a worried expression. “Izzie dear, is everything ok?” Izzie smiled at her grandmother; she knew her too well. “Not really but I can’t do anything about it; I’m doing the right thing – even though it hurts like hell.” Her grandmother looked sympathetic, “I think this calls for some coffee, I’ll put the kettle on and then you can tell me all about it, ok?” Izzie nodded gratefully as she watched her grandmother make her way into the kitchen while she grabbed the remote and started flicking through the TV channels with more force than necessary. She had just settled on a re-run of a sitcom when the doorbell rang. “I’ll get it Gran,” Izzie called into the kitchen as she jumped up and slowly made her way to the front door. She sighed heavily as she opened the door and then felt her mouth fall open …

Kale looked relieved that she had actually answered the door but Izzie didn’t feel ready to face him again; especially when all the nasty things she had said to him came rushing back to her. “Kale,” she managed to get out, “What are you doing here?” Kale sighed, “Look, I don’t want to leave things like this. I just want one thing and then I’ll happily leave.” Izzie crossed her arms and looked at him warily, “What is it?” Kale sighed again, “I’m willing to leave … I really am prepared to take the role if you do one thing for me.” Izzie sighed deeply, “Ok, what?” She had a feeling she was going to regret agreeing to whatever it was that Kale had in store for her. Kale smiled but it didn’t reach his eyes; which Izzie noted were lacking their usual gleam of mischief, “Look, our argument; we both probably a lot if things we regret. I know I did – apart from me telling you I love you – which I still do by the way – but I want to leave whatever it is between us on good terms. I will leave you alone forever on one condition … if you tell me directly to my face – here and now – that you do not love me.” ‘Oh boy,’ thought Izzie, ‘I’m so going to have to lie my butt off. I guess it’s time to get my actress head on again.’ She looked directly into his baby blue eyes and found herself feeling weak – no, she had to do this! She forced herself to keep her expression neutral, “Ok Kale, I can accept that … and I will admit it … I do love you … but as a friend.” Kale looked crushed; she really did look sincere and he was just going to have to man up and accept that. He made a half-hearted attempt to smile but Izzie could see he was struggling to keep his cool. “I really am genuinely sorry Kale; I hope you can find it in your heart to forgive me … someday.” Izzie was trying her best to sell it and it looked like it was working; she had hoped he’d put up a bit of a fight this time but she must have made it very convincing this time since he just looked deflated. “Ok,” Kale finally said, “I’ll see you around Izzie … I’ve already forgiven you.” He smiled sadly, turned around and made his way to his car and then drove off.

“Isobel Charlotte Frank, what the hell are you playing at?” Izzie found herself facing her grandmother after she had closed the front door and she looked livid. “Gran, whatever I’ve done, not now …” Izzie trailed off as the grief of losing Kale finally hit her. Her grandmother’s face softened a little, “Oh Izzie, why did you do it? I overheard the whole thing? The boy is infatuated with you and – despite what you told him – I know you love him too … I just don’t know why you didn’t tell him that?”

Izzie could feel her façade slipping as a tear slid down her cheek, “Oh Gran, I had to tell him that.” Izzie watched her grandmother look confused, “Ok dear, let’s sit down and you can you tell me all about it. Let me grab the coffee and biscuits and then we’ll start at the beginning.” Izzie nodded and after a few hearty gulps of coffee and a few chocolate biscuits; she felt ready to discuss the whole debacle. “Gran, I couldn’t tell him I loved him.” “But why?” her grandmother persisted. “Where do I begin? I’d just figured out that I loved him and then he tells me about this really great role he’s been offered – too good to pass up; it’s career-changing stuff! Anyway, he tells me that he won’t take it if I admit I love him but I couldn’t do that to him; I couldn’t live with myself if I was the one held responsible for killing Kale Eddison’s career.” Her grandmother nodded encouragingly and Izzie continued on, “I just knew it was the right thing to do – it was the selfless thing to do; even if it is complete torture for me because I know it will have been worth it in the end. There’s also the little issue of the fact that I’m a nobody. I’m nothing and he is this super-hot famous movie star – he’s Kale Eddison! I mean, sooner or later, despite what he thinks now, he would realise this and not want me anymore. He’d break my heart and I’ll be known as ‘that girl who Kale Eddison dated once’. I’m afraid to take a chance because I can’t see how else this is going to end – other than in heartache. I can’t completely trust him to not believe that something better will come along – a film role, another girl, whatever. It’s inevitable that it will happen – it already has with this film role!” Izzie sighed but continued, “I can’t be selfish; I can’t make him pass up a dream opportunity like that – his career is so important to him, regardless of his protests. I watched him during the play and he adores acting; I can’t picture him doing anything else! That’s why I can’t be the reason that’s holding him back; he’ll regret it and end up resenting me and I can’t bear that.” Izzie was breathing heavily by the time she had finished and she saw her grandmother shake her head, “Izzie, I can’t tell you what to feel and what not to … nor can I tell you what to do or not … but I can ask you to do this; ask yourself are you truly happy with your decision? And if you think you are … will you still be happy on down the line or will you keep thinking about what could’ve been?” Izzie stared at her grandmother who merely smiled, “Just something to think about Izzie.”

Kale was busy packing up the last of his things before he left for America. The movie was scheduled to start filming in three days and he couldn’t get away from Ireland quick enough. Izzie had really hurt him; he had thought she was lying in the coffee shop – he was so sure that she would confess she loved him too but he had been too cocky. Then, when he turned up at her house, he wanted her to tell him to his face that she didn’t love him because he knew from her expression in the coffee shop that she did love him. However, what he wasn’t expecting was for her to admit she did love him as nothing but a friend; he concluded that that he had been half right about her expression in the coffee shop. He had been so adamant that she loved him, he just failed to realise it was in a platonic way. He felt so stupid for putting himself out there just to get shot down; he was seriously regretting his decision to come here in the first place but then he would never have met Izzie and that was something he wanted to remember regardless of how she felt about him – or rather didn’t feel about him. Kale sighed, he was due to leave tomorrow morning and part of him was excited about the movie; he decided to focus on it rather than dwell on what could’ve been. He had just decided to get some lunch when there was a knock on the door. He sighed heavily and made his way downstairs since he had allowed all the staff to go home. He opened the door to find Izzie’s grandmother standing and she looked irate. “Finally, there you are! I’d like a word with you young man.” Kale was shocked and opened his mouth to say something but she interrupted him. “Well?” Charlotte Frank looked at him pointedly, “aren’t you going to let me inside? I’m sixty years old and I ain’t getting any younger and it isn’t getting any warmer out here either!” Kale snapped out his stupor and let the door fall open wider, “Of course, come in.” Charlotte stormed past him and he followed her through to the living room where she plonked down on the couch waiting for him to sit down next to her. He obeyed her silent request, sat down beside her and waited patiently. “Now,” Charlotte began; a look of determination on her face, “I heard your little speech to my granddaughter yesterday. I also heard her reply and I wanted to let you know that everything she told you … complete and utter crap!” Kale looked confused and decided to bite, “Ok, you have my attention. What do you mean? I was there; she doesn’t love me – she was pretty adamant about it too. I’ve decided that I give up; she doesn’t feel the same. Believe me – now more than ever – I am convinced of it.” Charlotte scoffed, “Kale, for a man of such extraordinary talent; I’d like to think you of all people would realise when someone is acting!” Kale shook his head, “I know she wasn’t lying. She loves me as a friend and as much as I wish that wasn’t true … I have to accept the fact that Izzie doesn’t want me!” Charlotte yelled in frustration, “Kale, let me fill you in on how Izzie operates; she always feels like she should do the right thing – no matter if it causes her deep unhappiness.”

Kale frowned, “What do you mean? Mrs Frank, does Izzie know you’re here?” Charlotte rolled her eyes, “It’s Charlotte and no; do you really think I’d be daft enough to let my granddaughter know I’m meddling in her life? Heavens, she’d never trust me again! She’s at school; oblivious to all of this! That said; I feel if I don’t do something, I’ll regret it.” Kale was curious now, “Ok Mrs – Charlotte – what is it that you feel you have to do?” Charlotte – for the first time since she walked through the door – smiled warmly at him, “Kale, my granddaughter is totally, head over heels in love with you. She told me herself after you left yesterday.” Kale tried not to look hopeful, “What did she say to you?” Charlotte filled him in on all the conversation she and Izzie had had after he had left and when she had finished, she told him, “So, don’t you see that Izzie was doing what she thought was best for you. Let me tell you Kale, if someone does something for someone else – even if it hurts them immensely – because they believe it will be better for that person … well it doesn’t take a genius to figure out that they love you more than just a friend.” Kale was quite stunned but also quite mad, “Well, if that’s true then I should respect her wishes.” Charlotte looked furious, “What? Kale, you are making a grave mistake if you think that. Stop being so bloody noble and convince her that her actions – though very considerate – are wrong and that you want her to put herself first for once!” Kale shook his head, “She’s too stubborn; it’ll never work. I think it’d be best if I left her alone. All I’ve done is screw up her life since I came here; the nasty articles they printed in the paper, being selfish and wanting to be with her all the time – not to mention all those times I kissed her – no … I’m done. Now, if you don’t mind, I’ve an early flight tomorrow and I need to finish packing.” Charlotte knew that was her cue to leave but she couldn’t resist one last parting shot; hopefully it would shock him into seeing some sense, “Kale Eddison, for someone who is so in love with Izzie; you don’t know her very well. If you did, you wouldn’t have to think twice about what to do. However, it would seem to be, quite frankly, that you don’t deserve her … and never will.” With that, Charlotte saw herself out and decided it would be best to let that thought stew in Kale’s mind.

The next day, before Izzie had come home from school, Charlotte had heard on the news that Kale had left for America earlier that morning; she couldn’t help but curse him for being so idiotic. However, when she heard Izzie’s car door close, she decided to not mention it; Izzie probably knew already. When Izzie walked into the living room, she acted quite cheery to her grandmother, “Hey Gran, I don’t mean to be anti-social but I’ve a ton of homework and I want to get started on it.” She smiled brightly and continued on, “You don’t mind, do you?” She watched her grandmother shake her head, “No dear, you take all the time you need.” She looked at her knowingly and then turned her attention back to Dean Jameson film that was on the TV. Izzie made her way up the stairs and was grateful when she reached the sanctuary of her bedroom; at last she was alone to be her true self. She had been miserable, during the entire school day, when she heard that Kale had left but she had tried her best to act like she didn’t care. She had continued to do her schoolwork and ignored everybody – not that anybody was concerned anyway. Now though, she was glad she didn’t have to hitch a fake smile on her face and pretend everything was ok. Izzie sighed and decided to take her mind off her heartbreak; she found her iPod, put her headphones in, turned it to shuffle and turned the volume up so that it was loud enough to drown out her thoughts. After about twenty minutes, Izzie concluded that this had been a very bad idea; every song that had played in the passing minutes, made her think of Kale – whether they were relevant or not. She had endured Bon Iver and St Vincent’s ‘Rosyln’, Percy Sledge’s ‘When a Man Loves a Woman’, Lifehouse’s ‘From Where You Are’ and ‘Somewhere in Between’ and finally, the latest one – so aptly named ‘You Could be Happy’ by Snow Patrol. Izzie finally ripped out her headphones when she heard the opening bars to Jamie O’Neal’s ‘All By Myself’; that song definitely wouldn’t make her feel any better! Izzie rubbed her face wearily; she was exhausted from her emotions varying every two seconds. She decided to go to bed early and hoped that everything would seem better in the morning; she doubted it but there was always the possibility of hope. At least it was Saturday tomorrow and with her due to work all day … well there was a good chance that she would be too distracted to focus on Kale.

Kale, the whole flight over to America, had been mulling over what Izzie’s grandmother, Charlotte, had said to him before she walked out the door. As much as he wanted to do what Charlotte had been trying to convince him to do; he felt he couldn’t put himself out there again. He sighed and tried to sleep but couldn’t; Izzie was constantly on his mind. What was she doing right now? Was she thinking about him? Was Charlotte telling the truth yesterday when she said Izzie confessed she did love him as more than a friend? He thought he’d slowly go insane if he dwelled on these much longer. Kale knew he had made a big-ass mistake but it was too late now; Charlotte was bound to have told Izzie about their little meeting and Izzie was probably crushed that he hadn’t changed his mind or even bade her goodbye. He felt like kicking himself while he agonised over whether he had made the right decision or not. If he went back now, there was still a chance that Izzie would hold his lack of ‘goodbye’ against him; he knew himself that that would be a strong possibility – she was so damn stubborn after all. He sighed out loud and figured he’d made his choice; it was too late to

change his mind and he’d just have to deal with the consequences of his decision.

Izzie awoke on Sunday morning and wondered how much longer it would be until the ache in her chest disappeared forever. She sighed and decided that she would just have to deal with it; many people coped everyday and she was no different. She got up and went downstairs to get some breakfast; baby steps, that was all it would take and she would get through everyday and everything would eventually go back to normal. If she just took one day at a time … everything would work out. The rest of Sunday passed with Izzie distracting herself with homework and watching old movies with her grandmother. When it came to 9.30pm, Izzie yawned and noticed her grandmother yawn too. “I think I’m going to get an early night Gran,” Izzie yawned again and her grandmother nodded. “That’s alright dear, I think I will too. Old age catches up with you eventually.” She chuckled and Izzie smiled. “I’ll remember that Gran.” Izzie watched her grandmother grin broadly and then eye Izzie with a peculiar look on her face, “Izzie dear,” she said, “everything may seem hopeless now but things will get better.” Izzie smiled sadly, “Doesn’t seem that way now Gran.” Her grandmother smiled, “I know but mark my words; everything that is meant to happen will. If you’re destined for something, it won’t pass you by; I’m a strong believer in fate and that everything will work out. Plus, Hell roast him if he still can’t see how wonderful you are!” Izzie laughed, “Thanks Gran, I’ll see you in the morning.” “Goodnight dear and remember … tomorrow’s a new day; anything can happen.” Izzie watched her grandmother smile and then she made her way up to bed; she felt better about tomorrow already.

The next morning, Izzie woke up feeling a little less sad about the whole Kale thing and practically bounced downstairs to get some breakfast before she left for school. She flicked the kettle on and set out two coffee mugs; her grandmother could always smell the coffee before Izzie had even poured it out. Izzie hummed to herself and wondered why her grandmother hadn’t appeared by now. She assumed she was probably still beat from last night and decided to bring the coffee to her. Izzie made her way to her grandmother’s room and knocked lightly on the door before she entered the room. She found her grandmother still sleeping so she crept over to the bedside locker and decided to leave the coffee there for her when she woke up. However, as Izzie approached the bed, she knew something was very wrong; her grandmother wasn’t breathing. It took Izzie a few seconds to find her voice, when she did, all she could manage to scream was, “DAD!”

Chapter Seventeen

Izzie had come to a conclusion; if there really was a God, then he must enjoy messing up people’s lives. Why else would He throw so much bad luck and misery her way? As if it wasn’t hard enough for her to have to deal with Kale’s departure to the other side of the world – no, God had to throw some more heartache into the mix! Izzie just wondered why He had picked on her grandmother. She had woken up this morning with hope and the day had ended in disaster. She knew, deep in her heart, before her father had called for the ambulance; it was too late. She didn’t need the paramedic to shake his head gravely and tell her and her parents that her grandmother had “passed on”. Izzie had left the bedroom and went to sit out in the back garden on one of the hard plastic chairs and hadn’t left that spot since. She had her head in hands and was desperately trying to make sense of everything. Her parents had been in the living room all day making funeral arrangements but Izzie had kept out of the way; she didn’t want to think about that … there would be time for that later. Izzie sighed and stared up at the (now darkened) sky. She could see all the stars tonight and that made her smile a little; she remembered the stories she had been told when she was younger. Her grandmother had told her that she’d be a star someday and that Izzie should know that was her way of keeping an eye out for her; even after she was gone. Izzie was comforted by that thought and now felt strong enough to go inside and go to bed; after all, her grandmother had told her “Tomorrow’s a new day; anything can happen …”

The days leading up to the funeral passed in a blur. Izzie avoided contact with everyone; she knew she should really be with her family but she wanted to be alone. If she was really honest with herself; it wasn’t that she didn’t want to see her family … it was more the case of wanting a certain someone to appear. Izzie knew it was foolish to think of Kale at a time like this but it was his company that she craved; she just knew that he would make her feel better. She sighed and sat on her bed looking at the suit she would have to wear the next day; it was so sombre looking and she knew – if her grandmother had been here – that she would have made some joke about it and Izzie would have laughed. She didn’t feel like laughing or really doing anything; she just wished she could talk to Kale – she didn’t know if that would make her feel worse (it probably would) but she figured she couldn’t feel anymore miserable than she was feeling right now. Her decision made, Izzie grabbed her phone and scrolled through until she found Kale’s number. It rang for a few seconds and then clicked to voicemail. Izzie concluded that this was better than nothing. “Kale,” she managed to get out, “Grandma died …” It was all Izzie could cope with trying to say so she hung up and went straight to bed; dreading tomorrow and all that would come to pass.

It was a mere hour until her grandmother’s funeral and Izzie wasn’t sure if she was ready to say her final goodbye. She had paced her room all morning and tried to keep it together; it wasn’t easy and she found herself straying to check her phone on more than one occasion but Kale never called. Izzie had expected a text message at least but then she assumed he was probably busy filming and hadn’t checked his phone. She just felt so alone and really doubted whether she could get through today or not. Much too soon, Izzie heard her mother call softly up the stairs that it was time to go. Izzie sucked in a deep breath and made her way downstairs; this was it. She had just made it out the front door when a car abruptly pulled up, a figure got out and the next thing Izzie knew was she was being enveloped into a hug which was when she broke down in tears; the first tears since her grandmother had passed.

Izzie surprised herself with being able to cope throughout the funeral; she had cried when they played her grandmother’s favourite song – Dixie Chicks’ ‘Ain’t No Mountain High Enough’ – but she also laughed when the minister joked about her grandmother’s fondness of Dean Jameson. She was proud of herself and knew her grandmother would be proud of her too; especially since Kale had sat holding her hand the whole time. It had been a bit of a shock when Izzie realised who the figure had been but she had been very pleased that Kale had taken the time to fly back and see her. Now, they were sitting in the corner of the hall where tea and sandwiches were being served. Everybody was chatting and sharing stories about ‘good old’ Charlotte Frank; it made Izzie smile to see how much everyone loved her grandmother as much as she did. She looked at Kale and he smiled at her. “I still can’t believe you came the whole way back here Kale, you didn’t have to … especially the way we left things.” Kale’s expression softened, “Hey, I wouldn’t be anywhere else. Besides, your grandmother was the feistiest person I’ve met – apart from you of course – and I liked her … I wanted to pay my respects.” Izzie smiled, “I appreciate that. When do you have leave again?” She tried not to look too hopeful but a part of her also thought it would be best if it was sooner rather than later; she’d have to get used to life without him again. Kale glanced at her and then stood up, “Come take a walk with me; I have a few things to tell you.”

Izzie followed him out of the entrance door and they walked hand-in-hand until they found a little wooden bench just outside the grounds of the church hall. They sat down and Kale turned to face her. “Izzie, I have something to tell you; your grandmother showed up at my house the day before I left.” “Oh.” Izzie was surprised but she let him continue on. Kale nodded, “She yelled at me and then she told me about the conversation you both had after I had left.” Izzie flushed with embarrassment, “Oh, she never said … but look, Kale, it doesn’t change anything; I still want you to do the film.” Kale nodded again, “I understand that but … I probably don’t have a film to go back to; when I got your message, I told the director I had to leave and then I walked out. They are probably lining up somebody else to take my place as we speak.” Izzie looked horrified, “How could you do that Kale? That role was everything to you!” Kale shrugged, “You needed me more than some director did. Besides, I’ll admit it; I wanted to see you again.” Izzie smiled, “That’s sweet Kale but a big sacrifice; I’m not worth it.” Kale chuckled and Izzie looked at him curiously, “I’m not laughing at you Izzie,” he explained to her, “I’m laughing because I just remembered what your grandmother told me before she left my house. She told me if I had to think twice about you then I didn’t deserve you and never will.” Izzie bit back a laugh, “Oh Gran … that is so like something you would say.” Kale smiled; it was good to see Izzie smile again, “It was good advice and it just proves that you definitely are worth it … I really don’t deserve you at all.” Izzie shook her head, “Kale, you still shouldn’t have walked off the set; I don’t want to be the reason why you missed a fantastic opportunity.” Kale held his hand up to stop her, “Don’t, Izzie … just don’t. I love you; that pretty much comes above some film role. I had to be there for you, even if you do still love me just as a friend; friends be there for each other.” Izzie shook her head, “Kale … you know I love you … and not just as a friend. I think I’ve been in love with you for a while now … probably since the day you sat beside me in Drama class just to annoy me … it just took me long enough to figure it out. Then that day you asked me to meet you at the coffee shop … that was the day I finally realised that I love you. I was going to tell you and then you text me and I was like ‘this is a perfect opportunity’ but then you dropped the bombshell and I realised I had to let you go or you’d regret it and hate me for it. I thought it was best to convince you that I was anything but in love with you.” Kale shook his head in disbelief, “Izzie … how can you think that I’d hate you? To be honest, I was still mad at you when your grandmother told me all that and I was too proud to go after you again … that’s why I left but I’ve regretted it ever since.” Izzie sighed, “So where does this leave us then?” Kale shrugged, “Dunno, maybe I’ll stay here or …” he trailed off as his phone starting ringing. Annoyed, he took it out of his pocket and was about to switch it off when he noticed the caller display and was very surprised. “Jeez,” he said aloud, “Izzie, it’s Sam!” Izzie thumped him on the arm when he didn’t answer it right away, “Kale, answer it. I’ll never speak to you again if you don’t!” She eyed him sternly. “Ok, ok,” Kale agreed and hit ‘answer’. “Hey Sam, what’s up? This is a surprise! Oh, ok … yeah I understand. Oh really … you sure? I really don’t know … can I get back to you? Huh? Yeah it was important … I really am sorry about the way I acted though. Uh-huh, yeah … great … ok, thanks … ok, you too … bye.” “Well?” Izzie was on the edge of the bench eagerly waiting for Kale to spill it all. Kale still looked to be in shock, “He said the job’s still mine if I want it.” He looked at Izzie now and she grinned at him. “Oh my God … are you serious? Well you have to take it.” Izzie flapped at him, “Please tell me you agreed to it?” Kale looked to be more alert now, “I told him I’d have to get back to him; he’s given me 48 hours and then he’s finding a replacement.” Izzie gaped at him, “What are you waiting for? Call him back! Tell him you still want it … go on!” Kale shook his head, “I don’t know Iz, we’ve just made some progress here … I don’t want to mess this up before it’s even had a chance to become something.” Izzie glared at him, “Kale Eddison, you are too good an actor to turn this down. I know I always criticised your acting ability but I confess … I realised during the play that you’re great. You were born to play this part and I have every faith in you that you can do it justice. It will be the start of something great for you … I can feel it.”

Kale tried to protest but Izzie stopped him, “Don’t argue … tell Sam you’ll be there.” Kale nodded, “Ok, I feel bad leaving again but ok; I’ll phone him back.” After Kale had hung up, Izzie nodded at him in approval, “There … that wasn’t so hard … was it?” Kale sighed, “Not as hard it will be to leave you … again.” Izzie rolled her eyes, “It probably wouldn’t have worked out anyway …” Kale smirked, “Yeah, you’d have killed me after a week.” Izzie laughed at this and then Kale turned serious, “Seriously though, I think we could’ve made it work … still could.” He looked hopeful and Izzie smiled. “Kale…” she laughed but continued on, “it’s not exactly the ideal situation, is it? I think we should remain friends … it worked well before.” Kale agreed, “Ok … I’ll still hold on for something more though … you know I will.” Izzie half-smiled and changed the subject, “You should get going … your flight leaves in a few hours.” Kale knew this was true but he still wanted to stay, “I know, I know.” Izzie smiled sadly, “Hey, just know I’ll only be a phone call away … just incase you need me.” Kale nodded, “I wish I wasn’t in love with you so much; it would make this a whole lot easier.” Izzie laughed, “Come on Kale, perk up … no more mushy talk. Get going … I’ll talk to you soon, yeah?” Kale gave in, “Yeah, ok … I’m going … I just …” he trailed off and looked into Izzie’s eyes and she felt herself melting; damn him for making this so difficult. She sighed and tried to break the eye contact between them but she didn’t get the chance; Kale pulled her towards him and they shared a long, farewell kiss. Izzie tutted at him when they broke apart and scolded him; “That’s not making it any easier Kale.” He smirked, “I just wanted to say goodbye properly this time.” Izzie grinned; how could she be mad at that? She laughed as she shooed him off and she watched him disappear in a waiting car a few minutes later … then she felt her heart break all over again.

March

April

Chapter Eighteen

It was half-way through May now and Izzie was still miserable. The past two months without her grandmother had been hard enough but coupled with the fact that she hadn’t heard from Kale at all … well she was down in the depths of a deep depression. It was like she was on auto-pilot everyday: go to school, go to work, do homework, eat and then go to bed. Izzie failed to remember the last time she laughed or even felt happy; sure she put on a brave face when surrounded by her parents or anybody at school but the truth was that she felt incomplete. She had this huge black, gaping hole in her heart … but nobody could see it; only she knew it was there. Izzie sighed to herself as she finished off yet another essay and then turned her attention to the clock on her desk: 12 midnight; yet another day without Kale and it still wasn’t getting any easier. She yawned and decided to go to bed; she hoped tomorrow would be the day that she finally started to get over Kale; it was rather silly of her to get so upset over something she never really had but it still hurt. Izzie sighed again and miserably crawled into bed; she wondered what Kale was up to at this very minute … she strongly suspected that – wherever he was – one thing was for sure; she was, most likely, the last thing on his mind.

The next day, Izzie came to the conclusion that she had been right; an article about Kale had appeared in the paper – after nearly three months of nothing, there it was; black and white proof that Kale had apparently forgotten about her already. Tess Drudger, the local reporter, had been most disappointed with the lack of gossip surrounding Kale those last few months but she had appeared to get over this fact very quickly now; there was an entire two page spread on Kale and all the gossip from the set of the ‘Sam Oliver movie’. Izzie; mad at Kale but also curious, quickly flicked through to find the article.

‘‘Kale Eddison fans rejoice!’ Ok hardcore fans … calm yourselves. Yes, you have indeed read this correctly; our Hollywood Golden Boy is back on the radar! As you know, these past few months have been extremely quiet on the Kale-front; one minute he was attending his High School classes and the next he had disappeared back to America without so much as a ‘goodbye’. We all know he left Ms Izzie Frank behind to pick up the pieces but what she didn’t know was that – instead of being heartbroken or pining for his love – he has been living it up when he is not on the set of his new film, ‘Bad Times’. It has been rumoured that our Kale has been seen out partying with numerous women, boozing all night and even getting caught up in drunken brawls. What – I hear you cry – has gotten into our favourite Golden Boy? Don’t despair young fans! Our reporter has the pleasure – or should that be horror – of being able to inform you all of what exactly is going on. It has come from a reliable source that our Mr Kale Eddison has gone off the rails! These past few months, he has been acting out of character and has been accused of being downright rude. It has also been suggested that he has been fired from his latest movie project for his despicable and unacceptable behaviour. So, all you fans out there, there you have it. Kale has not – as we presumed – turned into a recluse; he has been exhibiting some unsuitable behaviour and generally acting like an idiot. Frankly, I think that after this article, Kale Eddison will find himself losing many of his precious fans and – most certainly – the affection of Ms Izzie Frank in the process. Kale – if you’re reading this (i.e. you’re not on a bender somewhere) – not a smart move buddy; you’re only going to end up hurt and all alone. That said, the question everyone is bound to be asking is, “What on earth is going through Kale Eddison’s head?”’

Two more weeks had passed since the article and Izzie found herself forgetting all about it; she was too preoccupied by the fact that school was beginning to draw to a close. She had other things to worry about and it seemed to be that Kale had moved on. Her final year was but a mere three weeks away and she wondered how it had sneaked up on her so quickly. She sighed as she made her way into school and was not best pleased when Stacey Johnson stopped her in her tracks; not improving her already foul mood. “Isobel! About time you showed up; there’s a committee meeting in half an hour … bring all the details with you.” She stalked off and left Izzie standing, open mouthed. Izzie felt quite sick; how could she have forgotten about all the preparations that needed to be done for the Formal? She started to panic; she hadn’t completed one task! She had been too wrapped up in her heartache that she had forgotten all about it. Izzie felt panic wash over her and sweat break out on her forehead; she had just realised – out of all the tasks Stacey had left her to do – she had forgotten to sort out a band and the Formal was due to take place – she glanced at the poster stuck to the wall to her left – this Friday night … two days away! Izzie could only think of two words for a situation like this … ‘Oh shit’.

Naturally, Stacey had been pissed at Izzie; she had yelled, screamed and even threw a foot-stamping tantrum. Izzie had been quite scared and everyone on the Committee had backed away quickly to avoid her line of fire. In the end, Stacey had told Izzie that it was her sole responsibility to fix it … or else. Izzie had been pulling her hair out ever since; she had managed to sort everything else out – with the help of her mother – but the one thing she couldn’t sort out was the most important … the band. She had tried and failed every band listed but none of them were available at

such short notice; in other words … she was screwed. Izzie sighed; it was now Thursday night and she was in full panic mode. She desperately flicked through the phone book and decided to try some DJs that were listed; she crossed her fingers, grabbed the telephone and typed in the number to the first name on the list; DJ Jeff. After numerous phone calls, Izzie was at her wits end; there was only one name left and if he wasn’t available … well then her life wouldn’t be worth living when Stacey got hold of her. Izzie wearily typed in DJ Chill’s number and waited for someone to pick up. After a few rings, Izzie was relieved when a male voice answered the phone. “Yeah, what up?” Izzie cringed but ploughed on with her plead regardless, “Hi, DJ Chill? I was wondering if you were able to play for the Hartside High School Formal tomorrow night? I know it’s short notice but … you are literally my last hope. Can you do it?” She heard the voice chuckle throatily, “Ok, ok, since you sound desperate; I’ll do it. It’s gonna cost you extra though.” Izzie sighed in relief, “Oh my God, thank you so much. That’s fine, whatever it is … consider it a deal.” After a few negotiations about the price and details about where the Formal was being held, Izzie hung up ten minutes later feeling optimistic; yeah, it wasn’t the band that everyone had agreed on but at least it was some form of musical entertainment. She yawned; exhausted by her frantic phone calls and decided to take an early night; after all, she required some beauty sleep for tomorrow night … even if she was flying solo.

Izzie was thankful that, when Stacey had interrogated her earlier today, she could tell her with complete confidence that she had the entertainment booked; she neglected to mention who it was but Stacey had seemed pleased so Izzie decided not to venture the details. It was hard to believe that tonight was the Formal and Izzie had been double-checking everything all day; if she managed to pull it off without a hitch, there was a small chance that Stacey might not kill her. When the final school bell rang, Izzie made a break for it; she would have to get ready quite early as she had been told by Stacey to go to the venue as soon as possible before the Formal started to make sure everything was perfect. Izzie sped down the road and rushed into the house like a whirlwind. She flung her dress – the one her grandmother had given her at Christmas – onto the bed as well as all the accessories before jumping into the shower. Half an hour later and Izzie was transformed; her hair was styled into soft curled tendrils complete with hair band, her face had the barest hint of make-up and her dress looked even better on than it had on the hanger. She was ready and actually felt a little excited about the Formal; she let her mother take the necessary pictures before she was out the door again in a flash. Izzie arrived at the venue – a local hotel – just after four-thirty and inspected the hall; it was quite spectacular. There were lots of silver and light blue balloons floating above each table where the meal would be served; in one corner, a stage had been set up to accommodate the DJ when he arrived and beside it; a rather large wooden dance floor. Everything looked to be in order; there were chair covers decorated with silver ribbons and scattered across the room were fancy arrangements of white roses decorated with ribbon and ornate butterflies. All in all, Izzie was very pleased; Stacey wouldn’t be able to find fault with anything. Soon it was time for everyone to start arriving; Izzie checked to see if the photographer had arrived and was pleased to find him already stationed by the hall entrance. She smiled at him and then gladly flopped down onto one of the dining chairs to rest before the rest of her year turned up. Stacey was first to arrive with her date – a boy Izzie didn’t recognise – and Izzie noticed how she looked everything over and nodded her approval over at Izzie, who breathed a sigh of relief. Next, Maddie appeared with Jake and neither glanced Izzie’s way which suited her just fine; Maddie had been a terrible friend and Izzie remembered – with a jolt of pain – that it had been Kale who had shown Izzie the light in bringing out Maddie’s true colours. Izzie pushed all thoughts of Kale out of her head and promised herself not to think about him again for the rest of the night. By 7.30pm, her whole year was sitting down to a delicious three-course meal. Everyone was in high spirits and talking animatedly amongst one another … everyone – that is – except for Izzie. She was sitting at the table with the least amount of people and hadn’t bothered to socialise with them all throughout dinner; she just wanted to be left alone. When the last dessert plate had been cleared away, most people made their way to the bar while others circulated around different tables. At 9.30pm, Izzie was starting to panic; DJ Chill had meant to have arrived half an hour ago and he wasn’t answering his phone. Stacey had glared in Izzie’s direction and many people were starting to get restless; desperate, Izzie quickly nipped out to her car and managed to come up with her iPod and a set of speakers. She figured she could get away with it until DJ Chill showed up. After Izzie had got some music playing, she tried ringing DJ Chill again; still no answer. Izzie sighed in frustration and felt the colour drain from her face when she noticed Stacey making a bee-line for her … uh-oh! “Isobel, what the hell is going on? Where is the entertainment? It should be here by now! Please tell me you have a good excuse as to why they haven’t arrived yet!” Stacey flipped her long blonde hair angrily over her shoulder and eyed Izzie scornfully, waiting for her to answer. Izzie sighed, “Stacey, I’m doing the best I can; it’s not my fault that they’re running late. I’ve tried ringing but there’s no answer … but I’m sorting it, ok? Just leave me alone to handle it and it would go a hell of a lot quicker!” Stacey glared at her but seemed to get the message since she stomped off a few seconds later. Izzie gulped; Stacey was going to murder her before the night was out – she was sure of it! She sighed wearily and tried DJ Chill again; thankfully he answered on the fourth ring.

“What up?” came the same male voice again. Izzie refrained from shouting ‘Hallelujah’ and instead remained calm while she questioned him, “Where are you? Have you left yet? You were meant to be here three-quarters of an hour ago!” The male voice chuckled, “Alright love, keep your hair on … I’m on me way. Ran into a bit of traffic but I’ll be there in five.” And then he hung up. Izzie scoffed at the cheek of him and decided she was going to let him have it when he turned up; he was going to have to accept a lower rate because Izzie sure as hell wasn’t giving him the full amount after that! Izzie looked around and was grateful to see many people dancing and having a good time; even Stacey was busy gyrating to Lady Gaga’s ‘Bad Romance’. Izzie made a break for the bathroom to freshen up and was relieved, on her way back, to find DJ Chill setting up. She made her way over and was shocked to find he was a guy who was probably in his late fifties and was now too busy leering at all the girls instead of concentrating on plugging in the speakers. Izzie tapped him on the shoulder and eyed him with disgust; he was even creepier up close. She shuddered as she took in the lecherous grin, receding hair-line and beer belly; she hoped to God that he had a decent music collection! “You’re late!” she yelled over the music blaring out from her tiny set of speakers. He grinned, “I woulda got here sooner if I knew there was so many of these hot young things here!” Izzie quivered with anger, “Oi! You are here to do a job; get on with it!” she made to walk off but not before she turned back and yelled, “Oh and just to let you know … I’m docking your fee for being so unprofessional!” With that, Izzie stalked off, leaving him open-mouthed, and went to sit in the corner but she was careful to keep an eye on him.

Another half hour passed and still DJ Chill wasn’t set up yet; Izzie was furious but also mindful to avoid Stacey – she was rumoured to be asking around for Izzie; no doubt to yell about why the band they had picked hadn’t turned up and why DJ Chill had. Izzie quickly ducked behind one of the tables as Stacey marched past and tried to think of the best way to break the news to her; she couldn’t avoid her forever. Finally, Izzie plucked up the courage to face Stacey; better to get it over and done with. Stacey suddenly spied her lurking near the door and advanced on Izzie. “There you are! What the hell is going on? Where are ‘The Kickers’ and why the hell is that pervy guy here?” She glowered at Izzie with her arms folded and tapping her foot impatiently. Izzie sighed heavily, “I told you at the time that ‘The Kickers’ weren’t available and I couldn’t get anybody else at such short notice! You may make do with him ‘cause he’s all we’ve got!” Stacey shook her head and ranted, “That’s not good enough! You have ruined the Formal for us … do you realise this? God! I should’ve known you’d make a mess of this! You are such a stupid bitch who isn’t worth the dirt on my shoe!” Izzie was getting more riled up, the longer Stacey yelled; if she wasn’t careful, she was going to end up belting Stacey one. However, she kept her cool as Stacey continued on calling her every name under the sun; she just didn’t see the point in starting something so close to the end of her final year. Stacey raved on and Izzie just rolled her eyes, not paying much attention to her. She really didn’t see what the problem was; DJ Chill had finally finished setting up ten minutes ago while Stacey had been shouting and everyone seemed to be having a good time – even if DJ Chill’s choice of music was a little dated. Finally, Izzie yawned and held her hand up to interrupt Stacey, “Oi, Stace, if you spent less time screeching at me; you would’ve realised that everyone seems to be making the most of it. I admit DJ Chill isn’t the best but at least he is providing us with some music. I think you should just shut the hell up, leave me alone and go join in the fun.” Stacey looked like she had just been slapped and then started off on her shrieking again. Izzie tried to escape but Stacey kept blocking her path so she gave up; she knew Stacey would tire eventually – even if it wasn’t the most enjoyable way to spend her Formal.” Izzie paid more attention to what everybody else was up to rather than listening to Stacey. She had just about made out – over Stacey’s lunatic screaming – that DJ Chill was now going to play ‘an oldie but goodie’ and Izzie found herself curious; the man had truly terrible taste in music judging by tonight’s show! Izzie nodded to Stacey’s shouting; she hoped it at least looked like she was listening, even though she was actually trying to hear what the song was. After a few seconds, Izzie felt a punch in her stomach; of all the songs … DJ Chill just had to pick that particular song; her and Kale’s song … ‘You Do Something To Me’. And suddenly, Izzie now noticed that everybody had stopped dancing; even Stacey had broke off mid-rant and stood dumbstruck. ‘Ok,’ Izzie thought after a few seconds of this strange behaviour, ‘everyone’s acting weird … what the hell?’ It was then that she noticed a group of young men carrying equipment over to DJ Chill and then they started to set up drums etc. Izzie was perplexed; where had this band appeared from? She frowned and noticed Stacey was still standing mute. Then Izzie felt a warm hand place on her shoulder and she spun around …

Kale smiled warmly at her and leaned forward to whisper in her ear, “I believe DJ Chill is playing our song … would you care to dance Miss Frank?” Izzie was stunned; she was totally speechless so she nodded mutely and let Kale lead her to the dance floor where everyone created space for them and then returned to their own dancing. Izzie blinked up at Kale; afraid he was a mirage and was about to suddenly disappear. They danced for the entire song and then one of the young men from earlier grabbed a microphone, “Hey guys … we heard it was your Formal and that you needed a band. We are ‘Broken Disco Floor’ and we’ve come to your rescue.” He nodded at the rest of the band and they struck up a rock number which had everyone dancing in minutes; Izzie noticed that DJ Chill slunk away to the bar huffily and the she finally looked back at Kale. “Are you going to explain to me what the heck is going on?” she asked him angrily. Kale looked sheepish, “I called by your house and your mother explained the whole deal; you know … the Formal, no band – the whole thing and I wanted to help. I called in a favour with these guys and they were happy to come; I hope this solves any problems Stacey had … she didn’t look too happy with DJ Chill.” Izzie rolled her eyes, “Understatement of the century! I guess I should say ‘thanks’ for everything but you still haven’t told me everything.” Kale’s grin faltered, “You want an explanation about the article and not calling you, don’t you?” Izzie nodded, waiting for him to speak. Kale sighed, “Izzie, I wanted to call but I knew if I did I would want to walk out on the film again and I knew you’d be mad if I did that … I just thought it’d be best if I didn’t speak to you for awhile; to try and focus on something else for once … you know. Anyway, it worked for awhile but then I just got so fed up of not seeing you … hearing you, so I decided to fly back today. As for the article; it was all lies … Tess Drudger got fantasy and reality mixed up. She got her hands on some pictures of me doing what she described in the article; what she didn’t know was that I was acting.” Izzie looked a little puzzled so he continued on. “Izzie, those pictures were taken during filming of the movie; it’s my character who was behaving like that … not me. However, Tess printed the story anyway because she knew it would stir up some trouble; that’s what reporters do. Anyway, I hope you can forgive me.” Izzie merely stared at him for a few minutes and finally spoke, “I forgive you and that’s all very sweet Kale but you’ve just done the one thing I told you not to; walk out on the film again.” Kale shook his head, “No, I forgot to tell you; it’s not like that. Sam knew something was up with me from the beginning. He knew I was in some sort of funk and then he finally figured out I was ‘love-struck’ – that’s how he put it. He was awesome Iz, he demanded that I followed my heart and told me we can resume filming at the end of next month; that way you can come with me. Sam knew I wasn’t performing up to my potential; so he decided to let me follow my heart and then come back and give my best performance and really do the role justice.” Izzie smiled at him, “I have to confess; I’ve been miserable without you too. I’m sorry about all the nasty things I ever told you to force you to leave. Just know that I really do love you.” Kale grinned, “I know Izzie and I love you too … always have … and always will.” Then he grabbed Izzie and they kissed as many cheered and whooped around them … guess they were destined for a Hollywood happy ending after all.

A few months later …

Izzie had just stepped out of the limo and lifted the delicate hem of her dress so it wouldn’t get caught on anything. Kale appeared two seconds later, looking extremely handsome in a tux and held out his arm for her. She took it and they both walked down the velvety red carpet to many screams and flashbulbs until they were safely inside. The ceremony started fifteen minutes later, Izzie and Kale both sucked into the show. Soon, it was the last award to be revealed and Izzie waited with bated breath. Dean Jameson was standing on the magnificent stage behind the stylish plinth. He addressed the audience and read out the nominees. After all the clips had played, he pulled a little gold envelope out of his inner jacket pocket. “And the Oscar … for best villain goes to …” Dean paused dramatically and the camera flickered between all the nominees, “for his part in the chilling, terrifying and truly haunting ‘Bad Times’ … it’s Kale Eddison!” Dean finally shouted and the applause nearly deafened Izzie as Kale rose from his seat and made his way up to the stage. He accepted the statue and shook Dean’s hand before stepping behind the plinth, “I don’t know what to say … thank you so much everyone. I had some stiff competition and I admire every single other nominee’s work. This job isn’t easy and it’s taken me long enough to gain the respect of some amazing directors which led to even more amazing roles. This role was a rare opportunity for me to expand my acting ability beyond that of ‘romantic hero’ and I have one special person to thank for that. The only girl who had the guts to tell me when my films were crap and that I should go for the unthinkable. She was also the only girl who was immune to my charms but also made me feel like the real me. Ladies and gentlemen … I’d like to thank the girl I’m in love with and who is daft enough to love me back … Miss Izzie Frank. Izzie, could you come up here please?” Izzie was going to kill him; flaming cheeks, she made her way up to the stage and he put his arm around her. She, however, leaned into the microphone, “To be honest … there have been times when I’m not in love with Kale Eddison … and now is one of them!” Izzie hit him playfully on the arm, “I can’t believe you’ve embarrassed me in front of all these people.” Kale smirked, “You love me really.” Izzie rolled her eyes and turned back to the audience, “I really am quite daft … I’d need to be to be in love with you!” She laughed and then Kale swept her up into a kiss … It looked like – against all odds – they really could live happily ever after.

The End

About the author:

Joanne has loved writing from a young age and didn’t start writing properly until she was at college. The idea for this book struck her on a bus journey home one day. She hasn’t been able to stop writing since.

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