You can make the argument that Isabel's downward spiral is partly his fault, in which case it would make sense for him to feel obligated to go try to talk some sense into her. But then you can also make the argument that she makes her own choices and that he shouldn't feel obligated.Interesting.......should Michael feel obligated?? I wonder!
Eva:
Yeah, even though Krista isn't exactly happy to know that her son's going to be very sexually active under her roof, she's happy that he's happy and that he's starting to grow up now.The mom-son conversation was funny and serious at the same time. It's always awkward to discuss your sexlife with you mom. But his mom sees Michael changing, and it makes her happy.
She is really lucky Tess and Kyle got her out of that situation.Oh, Isabel! It's hard to get a grip on your life again but girl, you're very lucky to have some friends like that!
Sara:
I agree. Kyle is a very smart, strong guy. He was totally the right person to call in a crisis.And I am SO glad Tess intervened and called Kyle. It was completely the right thing to do and I think it takes a smart and strong man to NOT engage in a pushing and shoving match.
Oh yeah, she knows. As emotional as she is right now, she's not stupid enough to be blind to what the consequences of her actions could have been that night.And it seems that Isabel really did grasp how badly things could have turned out.
Thank you for the feedback! I appreciate it a lot!
Part 51
Michael couldn’t recall a day when he’d been more eager to go to school. Deep down, he still hated the place and couldn’t wait to graduate, but something about the fact that graduation was the beginning now instead of the end was energizing him.
“Kyle!” he called out to his friend as he walked past his locker. “I’m goin’ to college!”
“What?” Kyle spat in disbelief. “Dude . . . Roll Tide?”
Michael stopped in the middle of the hallway and turned around, grinning proudly. “Yeah.”
Kyle’s mouth dropped open, and then he did such an excited fist-pump that it almost made him lose his balance. “Yes!”
Michael spun around again and continued on his way. He was on a mission this morning. It was very rare for him to feel determined to get anything accomplished, so he couldn’t let this momentary motivation pass him by.
He barged into Topolsky’s office and found her on the phone. “I’ll be down in a minute,” she was saying. “Okay. Thanks.” When she hung up the phone, she looked stressed, but somehow managed to greet him cheerily. “Michael. What’re you doing here?”
“I wanna talk,” he replied simply. Wasn’t that why everyone came to see her?
She cringed. “Ooh, I’m actually supposed to be in a meeting right now. I kind of forgot about it.”
“Please,” he tried. “Can’t it wait?” Surely if she told the principal or the other teachers or whoever was conducting that meeting that she was meeting with a student as troublesome as him, that’d get her off the hook.
She relaxed a bit, smiling pleasantly. “What do you need?”
He shut the door, pacing back and forth in front of her desk. “I just wanna tell you somethin’.”
“Okay, sit down.”
“No, I don’t wanna sit. I’m too . . . excited.” What the hell is this? he wondered. I’m excited about my future? First time for everything.
“Well, what’s going on?” she asked.
“I’m goin’ to college. That’s what’s goin’ on,” he blurted.
Her smile got even wider. “Michael . . . congratulations. I’m so glad.”
“Yeah, I knew you would be.” She’d been trying to urge him in this direction all school year. First counselor ever to actually give a damn.
“Which school did you decide on?” she asked.
“Alabama.”
Her eyebrows shot up. “Really?”
“Yeah.”
“That’s great. That’s where Kyle’s going, isn’t it?”
“Yep.” The prospect of getting to spend the next four years with not only his girlfriend but also his best friend was thrilling in its own right. Kyle was more like a brother to him than a friend. Getting to go to college with him was part of what would hopefully make it worth it.
“Well, this is great news,” Topolsky agreed. “I’m really proud of you.”
“Thanks.” He wasn’t even sure he deserved it. Honestly, if it weren’t for his standardized test scores, he wouldn’t have made it. But he had, and it was weird to feel glad about it. “Guess what else?”
“What?”
He pulled out the chair across from her desk and finally sat down. “My girlfriend’s gonna come with me. Her and her son.”
Once again, Topolsky’s eyebrows arched. “Really?”
“Yeah.” Why did she sound so surprised?
“Wow.” She nodded slowly. “And how long has she been your girlfriend?”
“Well . . . not long,” he confessed, “but she’s been my girl a lot longer. You know what I mean?” Time didn’t even feel like a factor; he didn’t care. He knew what he was feeling and what she was feeling, and it didn’t matter how long they’d been feeling it. It mattered how intensely.
“And she’s just gonna . . . pack up her entire life and move to another state with you?”
“Yeah.” If Topolsky knew Maria, maybe it’d be easier for her to understand: She didn’t have much of a life to pack up here. No close family members she couldn’t live without, no amazing job.
“Well, that’s . . . a big commitment,” she said.
“I know, but . . . it’s what we want.”
“As long as you’re sure.”
“I am.” He sensed that she was skeptical, and he supposed she had every reason to be. He was an eighteen year old guy known around town more for his sexual conquests than for anything else. People didn’t picture him as the devoted type. “What, do you want me to say she’s my soul mate or something?” Lowering his voice, he mumbled, “ ‘cause I’m pretty sure she is.”
Topolsky cupped her hand against the side of her face, staring at him and shaking her head in surprise. “Wow,” she remarked. “You’ve come a long way.”
He nodded in agreement, knowing that was true. The guy he’d been at the beginning of the year . . . he just didn’t wanna be that guy again. He wasn’t looking to completely transform or change who he was at his core, but . . . the guy that he was right now? He liked this guy.
“Anyway,” he said, leaning forward, “I was kinda wondering if you could help me. I don’t even know where to start with all this college stuff, and neither of my parents went, so they’re no help.”
“Sure,” Topolsky offered. “What do you wanna know?”
“Well, I don’t even know what to do about housing,” he admitted.
“I’m sure all that information’s on the website,” she said, spinning her chair to face the computer. She typed in the web address quickly and brought up the homepage. “Let’s just look around . . .”
“I gotta look into, like, family housing,” he reminded her, “ ‘cause of Maria and Dylan.”
“Of course,” Topolsky agreed. “And maybe while we’re at it, we can just look into some regular dorm rooms, too.”
“No,” he dismissed, shaking his head, “just the family housing’s fine.”
Topolsky gave him a look. “Are you sure?”
“Yes.” He wasn’t going to change his mind.
She sighed and said, “Okay,” as she typed family housing into the website’s search engine.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Even though work at the Crashdown was still boring and endless, it was better than it used to be. Maybe the fact that she had something to look forward to when she went home was motivation for Maria. Or maybe having a better boss helped. Ever since he’d fired Derek, Jeff Parker hadn’t handed over the reins on the place, and it seemed to be working out just fine for everyone.
But still . . . the clock kept ticking ever so slowly.
Maria leaned against the counter at the kitchen window watching as Jose put all the toppings on a Bionic Burger for a regular customer who always found something to complain about. His body language alone was a clear indicator that he would have rather smashed the burger in the guy’s face.
“You know,” he said with his thick Mexican accent, “I used to love hamburgers. Now? I can’t eat ‘em no more. I make too many.”
“Yeah,” Maria agreed, empathizing with this restaurant’s inherent ability to destroy any longing for fast food. “Do you ever wonder why they call it a hamburger? I mean, it’s not made of ham.”
Jose opened his mouth to respond, then closed it again and frowned contemplatively. “That’s a good question.”
She laughed a little. Yes, she got so bored there that these were the deep, philosophical thoughts that raced through her head all day. Why is a hamburger called a hamburger? Why put the ‘dog’ in hot dog? Why can’t sundae be spelled just like the day of the week?
“Customer,” Jose mentioned, pointing behind her.
She turned around, hoping that Michael had come to distract her. But it wasn’t him. Not by a long-shot.
It was, however, his ex-girlfriend.
Oh, crap, she thought, her throat immediately feeling dry. Was it catfight time? Because she was severely out of practice, and this wasn’t exactly the ideal venue for it.
Isabel took a seat at the counter, looking at Maria expectantly, and since she felt like there was no escape, Maria shuffled forward slowly. “Hey, Isabel,” she greeted unsurely. Oh, god. That sounded lame. But what was she supposed to the girl whose boyfriend she had snatched up?
“Hey,” Isabel returned, giving her . . . a look. Not a smile. Not a glare. Somewhere in between. Which was sort of creepy, because Maria knew she was only being polite because they were in public. She was holding back, and if she didn’t have to, she probably would have glared at her as if she were an insect.
With no idea what to say, Maria simply asked, “Can I get you something?”
“Oh, no, I’m not hungry,” Isabel replied.
Maria wrinkled her forehead in confusion. Then why was she in a restaurant?
“I just had to come by to ask you something,” Isabel elaborated. “See, there’s this crazy story floating around school today that Michael’s actually going to college. Happen to know anything about that?”
“Um . . .” If people in school knew, then he was probably publicizing it at this point. Besides, she didn’t want to lie to Isabel . . . any more than she already had. “Yeah.”
“Yeah?” Isabel echoed. “So he’s going?”
“Mmm-hmm.”
“Huh.” Isabel put both her arms down on the counter, looking mildly surprised to hear that. “Wonders never cease, right?”
“I guess.” Clearly she didn’t know that college had been on Michael’s mind for quite some time now, ever since he’d gotten that first acceptance letter. Clearly, even when they had still been together, they hadn’t communicated about that at all.
“So where’s he going?” Isabel kept on questioning.
“Alabama,” she answered.
“Out-of-state? Really? I wouldn’t have pictured that. But I guess with Kyle going there . . . makes sense. Are they recruiting him for football or what?”
“Um . . .” Maria reached behind herself and grabbed an already-spotless glass and a towel, just to have something to do to keep herself busy during this conversation. It wasn’t that it was particularly hostile or anything; it just seemed . . . passive-aggressive. “Well, they haven’t really recruited him, but he wants to try to play there.”
“He’s probably good enough,” Isabel acknowledged. “And Kyle could put in a good word for him.”
Maria nodded, still trying to figure out what exactly this was. It couldn’t be a friendly talk, because they weren’t friends. But it wasn’t exactly a conversation, either. What was the point of this? Just to get under her skin?
Suddenly, Isabel inquired brazenly, “So are you going with him?”
Maria nearly dropped the glass, but she caught it before it slipped out of her hand completely. “Probably.” She was happy about that decision, sure, but letting Isabel know about it made her feel . . . guilty.
“Are you taking Dylan?” she asked. “Or does my brother finally have to take a stab at the parenting thing?”
Maria narrowed her eyes at her momentarily, sort of hating the fact that she would even mention Max. “Of course we’re taking Dylan.”
“So you guys will be like . . . going to college as a family or something?”
“Isabel . . .” She was starting to feel like the passive-aggressiveness was becoming more aggressive.
“I’m just trying to picture it,” Isabel assured her. “And it’s . . . it’s good. It’s good for him. To be there, to do something with his life. You know, I always thought he had a lot of potential.” Her eyes started to glaze over, like she was remembering some conversation or some event that had sparked her interest in him in the first place. “I always told him that, but I don’t think he ever listened.”
Maria set the glass back down, tugging on the towel subtly to relieve some of the stress this little talk was inducing on her. “He might’ve.”
Isabel shook her head decidedly. “No, he didn’t. I think he only listens to that stuff when you say it.”
“He made the decision on his own,” Maria informed her.
“But I’m sure you persuaded him.”
“I don’t know if I did or didn’t.”
“But still . . . you’re gonna get all the credit for getting him there. I’m not gonna get any.” Isabel shrugged, an angry, frustrated shrug. “Whatever, right? It doesn’t matter.”
“It doesn’t,” Maria agreed. “All that matters is that he’s going, not who got him there.” Truthfully, Isabel probably wasn’t giving herself enough credit. She was the one who had convinced Michael to take the ACT, after all, and his ACT score was ultimately what had gotten him accepted. But she was too upset to see that, and she probably would be for a long time.
“Right,” Isabel agreed quietly, her mouth drawn together tensely, her brow furrowing. Almost as if she was losing the ability to be polite and civil, she hopped down off her seat and scurried out of the restaurant.
Maria sighed heavily, glad that awkward little encounter was over. It was going to be so nice to head to college with Michael, to a place where not everyone knew their business, to a place where a fake-nooner picture didn’t make high school headlines. To a place where no one had to know that their little love story had technically started out as an affair.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Kyle had Michael, Maria, and Dylan over for dinner that evening. He really wanted to just hang out and celebrate Michael’s decision to go to college, because after so many years of reluctance, it really was cause for celebration. It was a nice night, too, perfect for grilling. His dad would have done it for them, but he was meeting up with Diane Evans. Or maybe it was a different Diane. Really hard to keep track with him. So that left Kyle and Michael outside on the grill, trying not to blow anything up, because they weren’t as good at grilling as Jim was.
“Dude, this is gonna be so awesome,” Kyle raved as he flipped one of the burger patties. “You, me . . . the whole college experience.”
“The whole thing,” Michael agreed, adjusting the heat level. “Did you ever think I’d actually decide to go?”
Kyle shrugged. “Kinda figured you might. Or at least I hoped you would.”
“Yeah, the out-of-state tuition’s gonna kick my ass, but . . .” Michael shrugged. “Figure somethin’ out, I guess.”
“Just take out loans,” Kyle advised. “That’s what everyone does.”
“Unless they got a full-ride football scholarship, like you.”
“Well . . .” Kyle shrugged, well aware how lucky he was. “Ah, man, I can just picture it now. You and me, move-in day, carrying in the futon for our dorm room. ‘cause we’re gonna have a futon.”
Michael chuckled, closing the grill again. “Well . . . I mean, I kinda . . . I’ll probably live with Maria, you know. Like in an apartment. She’s gonna come with me.”
Kyle nodded, feeling like an idiot for not thinking of that. “Oh, yeah.” Of course. Hell, when Tess came—because she’d already made it clear that she would be following him to Tuscaloosa once she graduated—he was going to do the same thing. Love the girl, live with the girl. It made sense. It kind of sucked, but it made sense. “Well, my random roommate and I will have a futon.”
“And I’ll come hang out all the time,” Michael promised. “I’ll lay on the futon.”
“And I’ll haul your ass to class, and to football practice.”
“It’ll be just like it is now. Only better.”
“Yes,” Kyle agreed. Really, he was just glad that Michael was going to college at all. The roommate thing didn’t matter that much. “Alright, I’m gonna go get somethin’ to drink. You good out here?”
“Got it.”
Kyle slipped back inside, unused to seeing a girl besides Tess or one of his dad’s conquests in his living room. But Maria was camped out there, trying to calm Dylan down. The kid had been bouncing off the walls ever since he’d gotten there. Probably just the thrill of being somewhere new. He couldn’t get enough of all the football memorabilia in Kyle’s room, so they’d had to lock it for fear that he might break a trophy or something.
“Has he calmed down at all?” Kyle asked as he opened up the refrigerator and pulled out a bottle of water.
“Kind of.” Maria shrugged hopelessly as he did jumping jacks near the TV. “He hasn’t broken anything, so . . .”
“It’s all good.” Kyle grabbed a water for her, too, and tossed it at her. She didn’t catch it. Good thing her boyfriend was a better receiver than she was.
“You have a really nice house,” she told him, looking around.
He shrugged. “It’s alright.”
“Kind of has a bachelor pad feel to it.”
“Well, that’s my dad’s influence.” He sat down on the arm of the couch, unscrewing the lid to his bottle so he could take a drink. He would have loved to have Tess over there. It would have been good for the girls to spend some time together, get to know each other and maybe realize that they weren’t so bad. But he understood why Tess would be against that, at least for a while. Maybe once Isabel headed off to Princeton, things would be different. Not that he was trying to exclude Isabel from the group or anything, but . . . well, she really wasn’t part of it anymore, and she wouldn’t be when she left.
“Hey, so can I ask you something?” she said, laughing at Dylan as he plopped down on the floor, looking tired now.
“Sure.” He slid down onto the cushion, taking another swig of water.
“This whole football thing . . . I don’t really know how it works. And Michael keeps talking about playing, but . . . I mean, realistically, does he even have a chance? As a walk-on, I mean.”
“Oh, yeah, he stands a chance,” Kyle assured her. “Some of the best players in the NFL were college walk-ons. Like Clay Matthews.”
Maria made a confused face.
“J.J. Watt?” he tried.
“Kyle, I don’t know football.”
“Well, just trust me, they’re big-name guys. And when they started out, they didn’t have scholarships.”
“But if Michael’s not even being recruited . . . does that play a factor?”
Kyle sighed, not wanting to think about playing on a football team without his best friend on it. “It could. I mean, listen, he’s gonna have to prove himself. But he’s got the talent. He can do it. I mean, he’s probably not gonna be playing wide receiver, at least not the first year. But he could make his mark on special teams.”
“Special?” she echoed.
“It’s, like, punt returns and kickoffs and stuff,” he explained. “Man, you really don’t know football.”
She laughed a little. “Yeah. And I don’t know . . . college, either. I mean, I didn’t even graduate high school.”
“Ah, you’ll be fine,” Kyle assured her. “And so will Michael. But listen, he’s gonna have to work hard, alright?”
“What should he be doing?”
“Talking to the coaching staff, gettin’ his name out there, letting them know he’s interested.”
She nodded, taking that in. “Okay.”
“And probably sending in a highlight reel. My dad made one for him already, so that’s no big deal. And then . . . well, obviously he should be workin’ out a lot. Weights, cardio, everything.”
“He works out with you after school, right?”
“Well, sometimes.” Kyle had been around football long enough and knew enough about it, though, to know that Michael was going to have to commit to an everyday routine if he was really serious about moving on to the next level. “But he’s gotta be in the best shape of his life, ‘cause he’s gonna have to impress the coaches at training camp.”
“Training camp,” she echoed. “Right. This . . . sounds like a process.”
“It is,” he agreed. “He’s gotta get his grades up, too.”
“I think he’s only failing one class right now.”
“Yeah, but . . . I mean, he’s gotta get all of ‘em up. Coaches are gonna wanna see good transcripts. If Michael’s football ability is right on par with someone else’s, but he can’t measure up in the classroom . . . they’re gonna go with that someone else.”
Maria sighed shakily. “Okay,” she said. “I guess I should help him . . . study or something. Again, high school dropout. I don’t know if I’m exactly the best resource.”
“Nah, you’re pretty good for him,” Kyle told her. And he meant it. Michael had changed a lot for Maria, not because she’d demanded it or even expected it, but just because she deserved it. She had an effortless pull over him and probably didn’t even realize it.
“You might be the only person who thinks that,” she mumbled. “I don’t think his mom’s too happy we’re together.”
“Ah, she is. She just doesn’t wanna see history repeating itself.”
Maria frowned. “History repeating?”
Oh, crap, he thought. I said too much. Undoubtedly, Maria knew all about Michael’s parents having him at a young age. He didn’t mean to insinuate that she and Michael were going to go down the same path, though. All he meant was that Krista and Andy were probably worried about that. “You know what? You’re probably the best thing that’s ever happened to him,” he told her. “And I include myself in that assessment.”
She laughed lightly. “Thanks, Kyle.”
“You’re welcome.” He had to admit, sitting here talking to Maria like this . . . he kind of liked her. Not in the way Michael liked her, obviously, but . . . he liked that she was dating his best friend. He could see himself being friends with her, even.
“Are the burgers almost done?” she asked.
“Yeah, I think.”
“Mommy,” Dylan cooed, lifting his head up as his energy started coming back to him. “Why do they call it a hamburger? Is it ham?”
“Oh my god,” Kyle said, musing on it now, wondering how he’d never questioned it before. “He’s right. That makes no sense.”
~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Michael’s hands . . . oh god, his hands. They were, like, superhuman. Or at least they had superhuman ability, because the way Maria felt when they were all over her . . . it couldn’t be normal. It felt way too good to be normal.
Even just lying underneath him on the couch, every piece of clothing still on, he was able to drive her crazy, just by sliding his hands up her legs, grabbing at her sides, and brushing against her breasts. He was a multitasker, this Michael Guerin, because in addition to doing all that, he was still able to concentrate on kissing her senseless.
“Mmm,” she moaned, holding onto his sides, as his whole body undulated atop hers. He was obviously starting to feel friskier. “We’re supposed to be studying.” When they’d gotten home, she’d had every intention of cracking open that chemistry book and quizzing him for the test he had next week. But somehow . . . they’d just ended up here. Doing this.
It was technically chemistry.
“We are,” he asserted. “I’m learning so much.”
She couldn’t help but smile at how insatiable he was as he lowered his head to suck on her neck. It was amazing knowing he wanted her so much. “I’m serious,” she protested weakly.
“So am I,” he murmured against her skin, lapping at her hungrily. “I’m learning all about where you like to be kissed.”
She smoothed her arms around his back, massaging gently. “When you’re the one doing the kissing, I pretty much like to be kissed anywhere.”
He picked up his head, grinning mischievously. “Anywhere?”
She blushed, smiling coyly.
“I can kiss you anywhere?”
“Maybe we should take this upstairs,” she suggested, not wanting to get out of control on the downstairs couch, right in that living room where anyone could walk in on them. Especially Dylan. He was asleep now, but there was no guarantee he’d stay that way.
“We probably should,” he agreed, but instead of getting up, he just kissed her again. And really, when he did that, she was just powerless to resist, and she had to kiss him back. And she wanted to keep kissing, and maybe kiss him anywhere, too, because kissing Michael was just as incredible as having his hands all over her, maybe even more so.
Again, she moaned as he kissed his way back down to her neck. She tossed her head back, over the arm of the couch, and when she finally opened her eyes again, she saw that they weren’t alone.
“Oh, Tina!” she gasped, quickly sitting up and straightening out her clothes.
Michael sat up with her, looking more . . . disappointed than anything else. Like he was disappointed they’d been interrupted. “Teenie, hey.”
Oh, crap, Maria thought. Well, at least it wasn’t Krista catching them this time. But this was kind of worse. Because poor little Tina probably didn’t know what to think about what she’d just seen her big brother doing.
“What’re you doin’?” Michael asked her.
Mouth opened slightly in surprise, she squeaked out, “I just needed a glass of water.”
“Oh.” Michael nodded dumbly and gestured to the kitchen.
Tina shuddered as if trying to rid herself of the images and then scampered into the kitchen.
The part that was far worse, of course, was having to confess to Michael’s mom that Tina had caught them. It would be worse if they didn’t say anything, though, and then Tina mentioned something to her about it. Maria accompanied her boyfriend up to his mom’s room, but she was more than happy to let him do most of the talking.
Krista obviously wasn’t happy. “Oh, Michael!” she yelled. “This is exactly what I didn’t wanna have happen!”
“Mom, relax.”
“I told you, I don’t wanna see it, I don’t wanna hear it.”
“You didn’t.” Looking down at his feet, he mumbled, “This time.”
“No, Tina did, which is even worse!”
“Relax, don’t freak out,” Michael reiterated. “Look, she got her water, and it was fine.”
“We explained to her that we’re dating now,” Maria added in quietly, “and then . . .”
“And then she started talkin’ about her boyfriend, forgot all about the two of us,” Michael finished.
Krista pressed her hands together in agitation and held them over her mouth. “I don’t want her and her boyfriend—What? Tina has a boyfriend?”
“Yeah,” Michael confirmed. “Gorgeous, apparently.”
“She said his name’s Todd,” Maria put in.
“Oh, great. This is just great,” Krista muttered sarcastically. “You know what? I don’t want her thinking that she can do with her boyfriend what the two of you are doing together.”
“She won’t,” Michael assured her, not sounding concerned about it at all. “She’s eleven.”
“And how old were you the first time you sex?” Krista immediately cringed. “Don’t answer that.”
“Mom . . .” He gave her a long, hard look. “Tina’s not me.”
Krista sighed heavily, running her hands through her hair. “I just wanna go to bed,” she said, peeling back her covers. It was hard not to notice . . . she didn’t bother peeling back both sides. One side was still made and would probably be unslept in tonight, or at least until her husband stumbled home from the bar.
“We’ll go,” Maria said, heading to the door. “We’re really sorry.”
“Wait,” Michael said, walking over to his mom. “Alright, look, I know you’re pissed at me, but . . .”
“Honey, you just need to think and be more responsible.”
“I’m goin’ to college.”
The second she heard that, it was as if Krista forgot all about the whole Tina incident. Her eyes lit up, and her frown transformed into a gigantic, incredulous smile. “What?”
Maria stood back and smiled, loving that she could witness this moment.
“Yeah. Alabama,” he informed her.
“Alabama,” she echoed. “You’re going to college?”
“I’m goin’ to college.”
She squealed with delight, threw her arms around him, and hugged him so hard that they both fell down on the bed. She started saying something, but she was too worked up and emotional to be understood. Didn’t matter, though. Her excitement was obvious, especially when she started to cry tears of joy.
TBC . . .
-April
Well, you know me, I am a big fan of the drama in stories.
He's my favorite character to write, any version of him. And he was my favorite character on the show.
Isabel proves what a lie many women say. Most DON'T want a nice guy. They want the exciting BAD BOY who they see as exciting and fun....but deep down loves them and needs saved by the female.
It doesn't seem like she'll be getting over it anytime soon, does it?