Page 7 of My Infatuation with Isabella

She drops her cell into her handbag before crossing her arms. “Hi.”

“How you doin’?”

For a second, it looks like she may just smile, but she doesn’t. “Fine.”

“You having a good week so far?”

“It’s been okay.”

My eyes move to her hair. “The pink looks cool.”

“It’s cerise. Are you going to ask me about the weather next?”

“Yeah, I was going to ask that next.” I smirk, my eyes trailing up and down her body. “You look...allkinds of perfect today.”

“Stop cupcaking, De Lorenzo. I’m not interested.”

“Keep saying that. Maybe one day I’ll believe you.”

She ignores the comment and moves toward the door, but my hand covers hers as she turns the knob to keep it closed.

“I was thinking,” I say, dipping my head closer to her ear. “Maybe we could go out sometime.”

She takes a step back, putting some distance between us, and she gapes at me. “Not on yourlife.”

I was expecting that response. “I didn’t mean just you and me. My sister wants to meet you.”

That gets her attention, but she’s not sure how to react. “I’ll think about it.”

Her eyes move to my hand that’s still covering hers, and I know her silent cues, so I remove it and allow her to open the door before we both step inside.

Anger management therapy: Session #9

“Well, if it isn’t my two favorite patients,” Dr. Burkman says in her usual exuberant tone.

“I bet you say that to all your patients,” I quip, taking a seat in front of her desk.

“You’re my favorite on Wednesdays...after twelve.” She looks at Isabella. “I love what you’ve done with your hair.”

“Thank you. I needed a change.”

“It works. Now, have you started the journal we spoke about last week? You were supposed to try to reframe your negative thoughts.”

Bella nods. “I’ve started it.”

“And?”

She looks over at me when she answers. “Unfortunately, they’re all still negative.”

Dr. Burkman gives an understanding smile. “It will take time. And you, Dylan? Are you ready to share your side of the story?”

“I’m gonna pass again, Doc.”

Bella sneers beside me. “Why am I not surprised?”

Dr. Burkman ignores the growing tension and moves along. “That’s fine. We’ll wait until he’s ready. Okay...let’s continue.” She opens up our file with her notes and clicks her pen. “Isabella, do you want to start where we left off? Tell me what happened after the breakup?”

She lets out a heavy sigh before she begins. “Well, when school started again, we weren’t on speaking terms. We didn’t even greet each other in the hallway. We were like strangers. Covid hit at the end of 2019. We went into lockdown I think in...early 2020, so thankfully, we didn’t see each other much during our senior year because a lot of our classes were online. After high school, everything sort of went downhill for me. I couldn’t get a job. No one was hiring. I found a few odd jobs here and there, but I couldn’t keep them. I’d get bored and leave. Cat was flourishing, though. In 2021...yeah, it was about the middle of 2021...that toy company she was working for offered her the opportunity to do the last year of her internship in Europe, and she jumped on it. After she left, I got so depressed. It wasn’t just that my sister moved away...The contrast in our lives was astounding. It felt like she was soaring, and I had hit rock bottom again.”

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