Daniel

“Isabella is something else. She’s gorgeous, rich, polite, and sweet. No wonder you’re obsessed with her,” Hugo states as he opens my laptop.

“What are you doing? Be careful,” I warn, watching him touch the keyboard of my present.

“This laptop must have cost a fortune,” he comments, clearly perplexed.

“It’s nothing for her,” I murmur, stopping my pacing and flopping down onto my bed.

“But still, she came to your party to hang out with you and a bunch of people she’d never met before. Your friends mocked her, but she didn’t leave. On the contrary, she spent the afternoon with Rose, and judging by their smiles, they had a blast. Honestly? Isabella didn’t behave like a spoiled rich girl, and even if she were, those aren’t the kind of things someone like her would do if she weren’t interested in you,” Hugo remarks, closing my laptop and placing it back on the bed.

“Isabella would never be interested in me,” I retort, the words making me feel small because I genuinely believe them.

“Are you sure about that? You’re pretty good-looking, dude. Remember back in Angelwood, when girls would fight each other just to get your attention every single day? They still do, by the way. Girls love you, man,” he smirks while squeezing my cheek playfully.

“Then why did Isabella leave before the end of the party? Why didn’t she stay for the cake?”

“How do you think Isabella felt when she saw Lucy glued to you all day? When she saw the two of you together? She probably assumed Lucy was your girlfriend and figured you weren’t interested in her at all.” He narrows his eyes, shaking his head in disapproval.

“What should I do next?” I sigh, realizing he’s right. I should have talked to Isabella and taken the chance to get to know her better.

“You talk to her on Monday and apologize for being so distant today. You’re usually a smooth talker, and people love you for that. You have no idea how many girls have already asked me about you.” He laughs.

“But that’s the problem. I can’t bring myself to talk to Isabella properly. Whenever she’s nearby, I lose the ability to think or speak because all I want to do is kiss her perfect lips,” I admit.

“You want to mess around with her so badly, don’t you?” Hugo teases, laughing even harder.

I punch his shoulder, annoyed. “Isabella isn’t the kind of girl you mess around with; she’s the kind of girl you fall in love with.”

He stops laughing abruptly and gapes at me, disbelief written all over his face. “Did you just say fall in love?”

I don’t answer. Instead, I grab my pillow and throw it onto the floor, needing to release the tension somehow.

“You’re falling in love with Isabella,” my best friend says, shocked. “I can’t believe Daniel Smith is finally serious about someone. Guess miracles really do happen.” He bursts out laughing again, rubbing the shoulder I hit. “And if you punch me again, I’m telling your girl you’re completely unhinged the next time I see her,” he warns.

“I’m not falling in love with her,” I bark, finally losing my temper.

Unfazed, he grins and continues teasing. “Yes, you are. You want to kiss her, marry her, and have a family with her.”

I stomp to the door and open it. “I think it’s time for you to go home,” I grumble, stepping aside to let him pass.

Hugo pats me on the back, still grinning. “I’m kidding, Dan. Don’t worry. You’ll be fine, and your crush on the rich girl will be gone by next week; you’ll see. Are you coming to my place tomorrow? Jake, Anthon, Paul, Lucy, and Sasha will be there to watch a movie.” 

“Nah, I’ve got a ton of homework,” I reply, pointing at the pile of school books at the foot of my bed.

“I’ll see you next weekend, then.” He fist-bumps me and heads out.

A few minutes later, I make my way to the living room, where my parents and siblings are watching TV.

“Dan, when is Isabella coming here again?” Rose squeals, smiling broadly.

“I don’t know. But I’ll tell her you’re eager to play princess with her again, okay?” I manage to smile back, though inside I’m mentally cursing Isabella for making my family adore her.

“The Williams kid is a good girl, Dan,” Dad remarks out of nowhere, catching me off guard.

“How do you know about her family?” I ask him, frowning.

“I see her father in the news sometimes,” he answers, turning back to the TV.

“Isabella is so beautiful, Dan. I’m surprised you didn’t try to flirt with her at all,” Mom teases, chuckling. “Were you scared of Lucy or something?”

“Mom, stop it,” I groan, annoyed.

She chuckles again. “I didn’t even recognize you when Isabella was here. You became a completely different person for a minute—it was like, where is my son, and who is this polite, well-behaved boy?”

“I’m going to do my homework and then sleep,” I mumble, rolling my eyes. “Thanks again for the party. It was fun.” I hug both Mom and Dad, kiss Rose on the cheek, fist-bump Oliver, and head back to my room, where I finally turn on my new laptop.

I spend a while figuring out how it works, but once I get the basics, I grab my books and start on my homework, feeling excited about my gift. I can’t believe I have a laptop. I, Daniel Smith, have a real laptop.

I catch myself grinning as thoughts of a certain green-eyed girl cross my mind.

Damn it, Isabella. You weren’t supposed to show up at my party and steal my family’s hearts today.

* * *

On Monday morning, I meet Kim at Vista High’s main building entrance.

“Good morning, Dan.” She smiles warmly.

“Morning,” I grumble, still half-asleep.

“How was the rest of your birthday party on Saturday? I mean, after Isabella and I left,” she asks, still beaming.

How can she be so cheerful this early in the morning? I don’t get it.

“It was okay,” I reply grumpily.

“I was right about Isabella, you know. I talked to her when she gave me a ride home.”

“What did you talk about?” My curiosity spikes.

“We talked about her, about us, and about you…” 

I gasp, “You talked about me? What did she say?”

“Well, she told me that—”

“Who told you what?” Carol interrupts, approaching with Raymond.

“Nothing.” Kim glances at me, frowning slightly, silently telling me she doesn’t want to discuss Isabella with Carol and Raymond. “What did you guys do yesterday?” she continues.

As we start talking about our weekend and random topics, I almost don’t notice Kim nudging me in the ribs.

“What?” I groan, trying to pay attention to our conversation.

“Isabella,” she whispers, discreetly pointing toward the parking lot, where I see Isabella and her brother walking toward their group of friends.

They stop once they reach the popular crowd, my heart sinking when one of the jocks pulls the princess into his arms and kisses her on the lips, lingering for a few seconds.

“Who is Isabella kissing?” Kim gasps, wide-eyed.

I don’t know his name, but I recognize him as one of the football players who always hangs out with Isabella—he’s the same guy who dragged her away from my friends and me the first time we talked. 

“Who’s that idiot?” I blurt out, pointing at Isabella and the guy with his arm around her waist.

Carol glances at the couple, then back at me, eyebrow raised. “Why do you ask?”

I glare at her, choosing not to answer.

“That’s Collin; he’s one of the wealthiest and most popular students at Vista High. Looks like he’s dating the princess,” Carol smirks, giving me a side glance.

“Oh, no. Danny boy is jealous,” Raymond teases, patting me on the cheek.

I shove his hand away and storm into the school without looking back, irritated with everything and everyone.

* * *

During lunchtime, I find myself eating one of Isabella’s cupcakes—I hid two of them in my bedroom on Saturday so that Oliver wouldn’t devour them.

“Isabella,” Kim suddenly exclaims, startling me.

Seconds later, Isabella is standing in front of our table, holding an uneaten apple and her phone, as usual. “Hey,” she says politely.

“Would you like to sit with us?” Kim asks, scooting to the side to make room on the bench.

Isabella glances at me briefly before looking back at Kim. “I’m going to sit with my friends in the grassy area.” She hesitates.

Of course Isabella is embarrassed to sit with us.

“Who is the boy you were kissing this morning?” Kim pries, unable to contain her curiosity.

“You can’t ask her about her private life, Kim,” I scold, even though I’m dying to hear the answer.

“That’s okay.” Isabella lets out a soft chuckle. “His name is Collin, and he’s one of my best friends.”

Just a friend? Or something more? Either way, the thought makes my chest tighten in a way I don’t like.

“So… is Collin just a friend, or is he your boyfriend or something?” Kim presses, voicing the question spinning in my head.

“He’s just a friend.” Isabella pauses, a faint blush creeping up her cheeks. “For now,” she adds.

Kim must notice the scowl on my face because she changes the subject. “Do you want to go to the ice cream shop with me after school sometime this week, Isabella?”

Shooting her an apologetic smile, the princess explains, “I wish I could, but I have cheer practice every day because of Friday night’s game, so this week is kind of chaotic. We can go another time, though.” 

As if on cue, Justin approaches the table with a sandwich, a candy bar, and a soda in hand. “What’s up, guys?” he says before taking a sip.

“Oh my gosh, Jus. Aren’t you supposed to be on a diet?” Isabella teases.

“I don’t care. I’m hungry, and I need to eat.” He shrugs.

Isabella rolls her eyes but chuckles. Meanwhile, Justin’s gaze flicks to me, his lips curling into an amused smile.

“Hey, man. I’m sorry I didn’t make it to your birthday. I ended up at another party, though I honestly wish I had gone to yours instead. Happy birthday, by the way. Did you like my sister’s note?” he asks, taking a huge bite of his sandwich.

“Yes, I did,” I reply, still feeling a little uneasy talking to two of the most popular students at Vista High.

“Good, because she wrote and rewrote it a thousand times,” he reveals, nodding.

“Oh, my gosh, Justin. Just shush,” Isabella hisses, glaring daggers.

“What? I’m just telling Daniel the truth. You really did rewrite that thing a thousand times,” Justin shoots back, snorting.

“Is there a game on Friday night?” Kim interrupts, sparing both Isabella and me from the awkwardness.

Much to Kim’s delight, Justin is the one who answers, “Yeah, and you should come because I’ll be playing, and my sister and her friends will be cheering.”

“Yes, of course we’re coming to your game,” Kim squeals.

Justin then turns to me. “What about you, Daniel? Are you planning on watching my sister cheer for the team?”

I stutter, “I-I-I—”

“Daniel will definitely come,” Kim declares, grinning from ear to ear.

“Good.” Justin nods, clearly pleased, then turns to his sister, who’s busy typing on her phone. “Come on, Bella. Let’s head to the grassy area before Collin loses it if you spend the rest of lunch here.”

Isabella frowns deeply as she groans, “Fine. I’ll see you guys later.” She offers us a small smile before walking away with her brother.

* * *