Isabella

It’s Saturday, and I can’t believe I’m standing in front of Daniel at his birthday party. It took a lot of courage to come, considering I basically don’t know him and this is way out of my comfort zone. My original plan was just to give him his present, say hello to his friends and family, and then head to Zack’s party.

To say that Daniel looks handsome is an understatement—he’s wearing a casual black T-shirt, jeans, and black sneakers. He’s also rocking a slightly messy hairstyle. Yep. Beyond a shadow of a doubt, he is the most attractive and charming boy I’ve ever met in my entire life.

“Thank you, Isabella. You didn’t have to buy me a present…” Daniel trails off as he accepts the package and envelope I’m offering him. I can tell he’s surprised I’m here, but the broad smile playing on his lips is enough to make me want to stay longer than I originally planned.

“I hope you like it,” I say, trying hard to control the heat rising in my cheeks.

“Thank you again.” Daniel rubs the back of his neck and glances down as his face turns crimson, making him look absolutely adorable.

I give him a soft smile before scanning the backyard. People are scattered everywhere, especially Daniel’s friends sitting on the grass, gawking at me. However, one girl stands out, probably because she’s practically glaring daggers at me. She’s beautiful, despite the very obvious rage on her face.

Is she Daniel’s girlfriend? I’m guessing she is, judging by how she’s watching me like she’s about to attack me. 

I remember how she was practically glued to Daniel when I first stepped into the yard. Even though I came prepared for the possibility of seeing him with another girl, I can’t help feeling disappointed.

“Isabella, I can’t believe you came,” Kim squeals, grinning from ear to ear.

“Hi, Kim.” I wave hello to her.

“Dan, who is that?” the girl with the death-glare asks.

Daniel shifts on his feet without answering, visibly uncomfortable.

I decide to behave like Isabella Williams—the polite, well-mannered girl who hides her true feelings no matter what’s going on around her.

“My name is Isabella. It’s nice to meet you.” I introduce myself with a smile to the angry girl, who somehow manages to scowl even harder—go figure. Then I wave hello to the rest of Daniel’s friends, ignoring their hesitation and how intimidated they seem by my presence. A few of them still wave back—not all, but it counts.

“Isabella attends Vista High,” Kim explains.

“Shoot, I almost forgot the cupcakes in my car,” I mutter as the boxes suddenly come to mind. “Will you excuse me for a moment? I’ll be right back.” I turn on my heels and head toward the gate, stepping away from the party.

“I’m coming with you,” Kim declares, rising to her feet and rushing to walk beside me—gestures that make me feel a little more at ease in this unfamiliar place among people I barely know.

As we walk toward my car, I can’t help noticing how humble Daniel’s house—and the neighborhood—looks. To be honest, it’s my first time in this part of the city, and its unkempt appearance leaves me a little stunned.

“Yes, Isabella. Daniel doesn’t come from money,” Kim snorts, catching the way I’m looking around.

“Oh, that’s not what I was thinking,” I lie, feeling ashamed of how obvious my reaction must have been.

Kim laughs. “Don’t worry. I figured today is your first time around here, and probably the first time you’re hanging out with people like Daniel and me.” She pauses, smiling warmly. “Thank you for coming, by the way.”

Before I can respond, we reach my black car parked in front of the house.

“Is that your car?” Kim gasps, shocked. “What about the red one you drive to school?”

I chuckle. “Both cars are mine. Sometimes I use this one, sometimes the other. It depends on the day and my mood.” I open the passenger door and pull out a couple of small white boxes. “Kim, could you please hold these for me?”

She nods and rushes to help, taking the boxes from my hands. “What are these? More presents for Daniel?”

“Sort of,” I reply with a timid smile. I’m not usually shy, but something always shifts inside me when it comes to Daniel.

“You know, Daniel likes you,” Kim comments as we head back to the backyard.

“Really?” is all I manage to utter.

She nods, giving me a knowing smile. “Yeah.”

“Who’s the beautiful brunette sitting next to him?” I  blurt out before I can stop myself, curiosity—and jealousy—getting the best of me. My parents always taught me not to pry or gossip, but something about Daniel makes me want to know everything.

“She’s… a girl he hangs out with.” Kim cringes. “But they aren’t officially dating or anything.”

“Hangs out with?” I raise an eyebrow, doing my best to hide the disappointment tugging at my chest. “It definitely looked like she was his girlfriend, given the way she glared at me.”

“Daniel always makes it clear she isn’t his girlfriend. He doesn’t date.”

“What’s her name?” I insist, instantly regretting it.

“Lucy.” Kim gives me a crooked smile. “Why do you want to know about her?”

I glance down, avoiding her eyes. “I’m just curious. She looked like she was about to attack me or something.”

“Between you and me,” Kim begins in a hushed tone so no one else can hear, “Lucy can be really difficult, and I think she’s jealous of you.”

I let out an amused chuckle and glance over at Daniel, his friends, and Lucy, who are still sitting on the grass. 

Of course Daniel has a beautiful girl around him. Why wouldn’t he? He’s handsome, charming, and impossible not to notice.

Instead of joining them, I walk over to the table in the middle of the yard where all the food is set up. 

A beautiful middle-aged woman with blue eyes and long black hair steps closer to me. “Hi, I’m Samantha Smith, Daniel’s mom.”

“It’s nice to meet you, Mrs. Smith. My name is Isabella Williams.” I offer her a polite smile, even though I’m internally freaking out about meeting Daniel’s mother.

“What are those?” She points at the cupcakes I’m placing on the table. “Are those cupcakes?”

“Hey…” Daniel’s voice pulls my attention as he appears beside me, holding the laptop I bought him. “You didn’t have to buy me this. It’s… a lot,” he says lowly.

“Don’t be silly,” I reply. “I noticed you were struggling to take notes in Literature class because our teacher explains everything at the speed of light.” I chuckle, remembering how our Literature teacher talks like she’s allergic to pauses.

“This is awesome, Isabella. Thank you.” Daniel gives me a smile so bright it sends a wave of warmth straight through me, making my breath catch for a second.

“I can’t believe you bought a laptop for Dan,” Mrs. Smith exclaims, her eyes wide.

“Yes, well… It’s the same model I use and—”

“Dan, you should give your beautiful friend a hug. That’s a wonderful present,” Mrs. Smith pushes her son toward me, causing him to blush scarlet.

“That won’t be necessary, Mrs. Smith. I don’t want to get Daniel into trouble.” I let out an embarrassed chuckle before turning my attention back to the remaining cupcakes.

“Call me Samantha, Isabella.” She then nudges Daniel, teasing, “Why didn’t you tell me about your pretty friend, Dan?”

“Mom…” Daniel groans, mortified.

“Would you like a cupcake, Daniel?” I cut in, feeling the need to “rescue” him from his mom’s playfulness—mostly because I’m getting embarrassed myself.

“You brought cupcakes to my party?” He sounds genuinely surprised as he accepts the chocolate cupcake I hand him. He takes a giant bite, his whole expression instantly melting into bliss. “This cupcake is… incredible,” he mumbles with his mouth full, crumbs flying everywhere.

“Daniel, mind your manners,” Samantha scolds gently.

“Where did you buy them? They’re amazing.” Daniel finishes it in record time and grabs another.

“I baked them myself,” I admit, letting out a small, relieved sigh as a warm sense of accomplishment settles in my chest.

The handsome boy stops eating abruptly, almost choking on the food he’s chewing. 

“Isabella, I’m speechless,” Mrs. Smith says. “I can’t believe you went through all the trouble to bake cupcakes for my son.”

“It was no trouble at all. My mother taught me the recipe when I was twelve, and I always bake it because my brother loves cupcakes.” I lie when it comes to the baking part—I rarely do it—but my brother’s love for them is genuine. “Besides, Daniel was kind enough to invite me to his party, even though we don’t know each other very well,” I add, giving Daniel an appreciative smile.

“Hello, young lady. I’m Sebastian, Dan’s dad.” A man approaches, offering me his hand for a handshake.

I take his hand graciously, noting his blue eyes and brown hair. “I’m Isabella. It’s nice to meet you, Mr. Smith.”

“Dan, why didn’t you tell your mom and me that you’re friends with such a lovely and gracious young lady?” Mr. Smith teases, mirroring Mrs. Smith’s playful tone from earlier.

“I didn’t think Isabella was coming to my party.” Daniel shrugs.

I don’t argue because he’s right—I wasn’t planning to come. So much so that I spent the entire week trying to convince myself that he had invited me only because I’m popular or something. And yet his eyes wouldn’t stop haunting me, even though I tried ignoring him and avoiding crossing paths with him.

On Friday morning, Justin noticed something was off and asked what was wrong, which somehow led me to confess about Daniel—his magnetic eyes and how much I secretly wanted to go to his party. My brother then told me to follow my heart, teasing me about my not-so-secret crush on the new student—he had already suspected something when he caught me talking to Daniel and his friends at lunch. What can I say? Jus knows me too well.

Later that morning in Literature class, I watched Daniel from afar and noticed him struggling to keep up with the teacher’s insane pace. I caught myself getting lost in his eyes, smiling whenever he smiled at his friends, and quietly laughing every time he very obviously cursed the lesson.

After cheer practice, I headed to an electronics store to buy a laptop for the birthday boy, pretty much sealing my resolve to actually show up at his party.

“Hi.” A little girl with blue eyes—so similar to Daniel’s—stands in front of me, snapping me back to the party.

“Isabella, this is Rose, my little sister. Rose, this is Isabella. She goes to Vista High, my new school,” Daniel says, smiling warmly at her.

“Did you know you’re the most beautiful girl I’ve ever seen in my entire life?” I tell Rose with a bright smile.

“Really?” Her face lights up. “Thank you!” She turns to her brother, whose eyes are fixed on me with an unreadable expression. “Dan, is Isabella your girlfriend?”

Daniel gasps, his face turning crimson—probably matching mine, “No, Rose. Isabella is… Well, she has a few classes with me, that’s all.” 

Why didn’t he call me his friend? What a stupid question. Of course he doesn’t see me as a friend. He’s probably annoyed I even showed up.

“Please, you have to marry Isabella, Dan. I like her already,” Rose states, her sweet innocence making me chuckle.

“I’m sorry, but that will never happen,” Daniel declares, more to himself than to Rose, “because Isabella doesn’t belong to our world.”

I frown at his statement, trying to figure out what he meant, but Mr. Smith doesn’t give me a chance to dwell on it. 

“Tell us more about your family, Isabella,” he requests casually, taking a sip of his unidentified drink, which must be alcoholic, judging by its strong smell.

“My mother’s name is Anastasia, and she’s an architect. My father is John, and he’s a lawyer. I also have a twin brother, Justin,” I say, keeping it as vague as humanly possible, as I hate talking about my family with strangers.

“Where do you live, dear?” Mrs. Smith presses.

“On the other side of the city.” I give them another vague answer.

“What’s your last name?” Mr. Smith arches an eyebrow, like he’s trying to confirm a suspicion.

I hesitate, frowning slightly. However, as I don’t want to be rude, I end up giving in. “Williams.” It comes out almost as a whisper.

“Wait. Are you Isabella Williams, daughter of the Williams family? One of the most influential and prestigious families in the country?” Mr. Smith gasps, his jaw dropping to the floor.

I nod. “Guilty as charged.”

“Holy cow,” he mutters. “Your family is one of the wealthiest in the country, and your father is considered one of the best attorneys in America.”

“Dad, how do you know about Isabella’s family?” Daniel looks confused.

“How come you never mentioned you were friends with one of the Williams twins?” Mr. Smith asks, shaking Daniel’s elbow like he’s trying to jostle the truth out of him.

Daniel groans, “I didn’t know about her family. But even if I did, I wouldn’t say anything to anyone. Why would I gossip about her life?” 

I glance at him, pleased by his answer, as most people I know have zero problem bragging about being acquainted with me. 

“Hey, Dan. Aren’t you coming back to your real friends and me?” Daniel’s girlfriend materializes beside him, smiling smugly, grabbing his arm like she owns it. 

I roll my eyes, choosing to ignore her existence.

Daniel pulls his arm out of her grip and steps back, scowling. “I’m talking to Isabella, Lucy. I’ll join you and the guys later.” 

Lucy narrows her dark eyes at me before turning away and stomping back to her group.

Mrs. Smith grabs Mr. Smith and Rose by the hands and starts tugging them away, winking at Daniel as she says, “Well, my husband and I are going to leave you two alone so you can enjoy the party.”

Daniel and I suddenly find ourselves alone, both of us awkwardly unsure of what to say next.

“Are you hungry?” He is the first to break the silence a moment later.

“I’m starving,” I admit. “I had to skip breakfast because of… stuff.” I grimace, rubbing my stomach as the smell of the food practically calls my name.

He grabs a plate. “What would you like to eat?”

I scan the table for a moment, realizing that everything looks delicious. Then my eyes land on the burger Mr. Smith just finished grilling, and that seals the deal. “I’d like a hamburger and fries, please.”

“Really? I didn’t peg you as the kind of girl who eats junk food,” Daniel comments while plating the food I asked for.

“Why?”

He shrugs. “I don’t mean to be rude, but I always see you eating an apple or a salad during lunch at Vista High, so…”

“Does that mean you’ve been watching me during lunchtime?” I tease, smiling.

Daniel instantly turns red like a giant pepper, avoiding eye contact with me.

Oh my gosh. He’s adorable.

“I love salad and fruit.” I laugh. “But I’d never say no to hamburgers and fries because they taste too good.”

“You’re full of surprises, Isabella,” Daniel remarks, a breathtaking smile spreading across his face.

My mind runs wild as I gaze at him. I imagine hooking a finger under his silver necklace, tugging him a little closer, and closing the space between us until our lips finally meet in a soft, tentative kiss.

* * *