Potential Concussion

Who: Kyle and Isabelle
When: Midafternoon
Where: A delightfully random street corner

It was cold and wet out, and sure the snow looked pretty, but that didn't make it much fun to walk around in. All the same, Isabelle wasn't about to let the weather keep her inside; she'd heard about the NMU book faire rather belatedly and had decided to head down there in case they had anything good on the supernatural or similar topics. She hadn't come away with much, just a bargain book or two that she'd bought and one more that she'd stolen, but she'd also heard of another bookstore in town that would have a lot more information. She'd wait to visit that one until Medea could come with her.

Making plans in her head, Isabelle didn't notice the patch of ice on the sidewalk until she'd planted a worn (and nearly treadless) boot right on it. Her foot shot out from underneath her and with a surprised yelp, she went flying, landing flat on her back on the sidewalk hard enough to knock the wind out of her.

Kyle had left Kavin's a bit earlier and was currently bicycling home when he turned the street corner in time to see the girl ahead slip and fall on her back. He grimaced at the contact made and cycled toward her quickly. He dismounted the bike easily before releasing it to fall in the snow so he could check on her properly. The fall had certainly looked painful and the fact that she was still on her back proved that it probably had been. When he was standing over her, Kyle recognized her from Kavin's party and bent over her, holding out a hand to help her up. "Hey, are you okay?"

Isabelle had needed a moment to relearn how to breathe and to make sure she hadn't broken anything, but she wasn't so far gone that she couldn't take an opportunity where it presented itself. "I don't think anything's broken," she managed, voice a little thin and breathy - and not all of it feigned. She was going to have bruises and what felt like the beginning of a decent-sized knot on the back of her skull. She took his hand with her own gloved one, letting him take most of her weight as she tried to stand without falling over. She liked winter because she got to wear gloves - it made her look normal most of the time, if no one noticed the way the pinky finger on each glove flopped empty. "I guess that'll teach me to watch the ground more carefully next time," she said with a grimace, pretending to stumble as though dizzy, hand tightening over his so she wouldn't fall.

He helped her up, his hand coming out to hold onto her elbow in case she lost her balance. Kyle wasn't even paying attention to her gloves, other than keeping his grip tight on her hand until she was able to stand on her own. "Don't worry, I've bit it hard on my bike more times than I can count because of ice." His arm came up around her back when she stumbled and he held his breath, hoping that she wasn't about to faint or pass out. That would be... yeah bad, since he couldn't exactly transport her anywhere. "Woah, careful. Are you sure you're okay? You want me to help you home, or something?"

"I'll be okay," Isabelle said, leaning against his arm for a moment before seeming to realize what she was doing and straightening. "But hey, I haven't seen you since that party - did you end up going to the masquerade?" Frustrating - she still couldn't get a read on him. It was like he didn't exist. She masked her searching look at him with a smile, but couldn't find any sign that he knew what was going on. "If you've got some time, want to grab some coffee?" There was a little shop just down the street, the sign glowing warmly in plain sight. "Catch up a little?"

He released her hand, but kept a hand against her back until he was sure she would be okay. "Uh, yeah I was at the masquerade. I'm sorry I didn't track you down." He knew Gabe was probably going to and he wanted to give his friend the opportunity, given his situation. At the offer of coffee, Kyle smiled and carefully pulled his hand away from her back. "Sure, coffee sounds good. Might be best if you sit down for a bit anyway." He turned and picked up his bike from the snow, content with walking beside it, and her. "How did you like the masquerade?"

"It was fun," Isabelle said. "It's too bad I didn't see you there, though. I was looking forward to winning our bet." She flashed him a grin. "I looked for you; I guess I must have just kept missing you. Did you have a good time?" She picked up her bag of books and headed for the coffee shop, stepping gratefully into the warmth after the short walk to reach its door.

"Yeah, sorry about that. I guess maybe we both win?" Kyle asked with a laugh. "Or maybe we both lose. I had a good time though. It was a nice change from all the parties we have at various people's houses." He set his bike against the building, not caring much about chaining it up. It was a small town, if someone stole it, he'd track them down and beat their ass. Holding the door open for her, he walked in after and wiped his snowy shoes against the mat. "Gabe told me he managed to find you though. I hear you had a similar bet with him," he grinned, leading her to the counter. Something hot and sugary sounded really good right now.

"I did," Isabelle admitted with a return grin as she followed him up to order. "And I won. As for our bet... I'm thinking we'll just have to push the contest back to Halloween. I refuse to lose on mere technicality. I'd say we could do it tomorrow at school, but I think if we were wearing masks, it'd be so weird that people would stare and give us away." She scanned the menu board to decide on her order, absently pulling off her gloves. The barista couldn't help the soft gasp she made at the sight of Isabelle's missing fingers and Isabelle, never one to pass up a chance, looked hurt and slid her hands into her pockets while waiting for Kyle to order.

"Hey, losing on a technicality is still losing, unfortunately." Chuckling, Kyle stepped up beside her at the counter, noticing the way the barista reacted to Isabelle's hands. He frowned, both at the barista, and the way Isabelle shoved her hands into her pockets. His gaze lifted back to the barista and he cocked an eyebrow before reaching down to pull Isabelle's hand from her pocket, holding onto it with his own. "Is there a problem?" he asked the barista coolly, well prepared to deal with her if there was. The woman shook her head quickly, though her eyes were still wide and apparently trying hard not to stare at Isabelle's hand again. "No? Good. Then you can do your job and make me a coffee." He squeezed Isabelle's hand and looked at her. "Get anything you want. The more complicated to make, the better."

Isabelle could've kissed the barista for giving her the opportunity, because that had been hilarious. And it was nice to know Kyle could be played like that. She hid her reaction, of course, looking surprised when he pulled her hand out and keeping a certain sort of nervous tension in her hand and arm while she ordered - nothing too complicated, sadly. She had fairly simple tastes. "Thank you, but you didn't have to do that," she murmured quietly to him, voice low so she wouldn't be overheard, keeping her eyes on the countertop as if to avoid the barista's gaze (who was trying just as hard to keep from looking at Isabelle.)

Kyle wasn't sure if she was thankful, or embarrassed that he had. He supposed he could have just ignored the situation all together, but he hadn't wanted to after seeing the look on her face. "It's no problem." He released her hand then and slipped both of his into his coat pockets. "I didn't mean to embarrass you or anything. I just think some people need to be called on shit every now and then." When his coffee was set down in front of him, he reached into his back pocket for his wallet to pay for their drinks. "If you want to find a place to sit, I can bring your drink over to you." That would at least ease some of the tension between Isabelle and the barista.

"You didn't, not at all," Isabelle was quick to reassure him, laying a hand briefly on his arm. She took a breath as if to steady herself, squaring her shoulders and laying a hand over the one that held his wallet while she reached for her own. "I can take care of it," she offered with a smile. "I invited you, after all, remember?" She'd jacked a twenty from her foster mother this morning, anyway; it wasn't as if it was her money, and it had been so worth it to realize he had white knight tendencies hidden under that popular-guy look.

He snatched the twenty dollar bill from her fingers and held it away while pulling out a ten from his wallet and slipping it across the counter to the barista. "No way, I've got it. Invitation or not, you're the one who may or may not be suffering from a concussion." Kyle smiled and handed the twenty back to her. "Really, I want to pay. So... just say thank you and we'll be good."

"Last I checked," Isabelle said with a laugh, "a potential concussion didn't make money stop working." She grinned, but relented. Sucker. "Thank you, Kyle," she conceded gracefully, tucking the money back in her wallet. "But the next one's on me, and you don't get to argue."

"No, it doesn't, but I'm hoping that my buying you a hot drink will somehow make you feel better. Don't know if it'll work, but we'll see." He got his change back and shoved it into his pocket before picking up both their drinks. "Where do you want to sit?" Thankfully the place wasn't too crowded, and the farther they sat from the barista, the better.

"It's working already," Isabelle promised, scanning the shop for seats. "How about over there?" she suggested, nodding in the direction of the store's back corner, a little nook that was cozy and would give a little privacy without seeming too intimate. It was also, of course, far from the ordering counter.

"Looks good to me." He followed her and slipped into one of the chairs before setting her drink down in front of her before wrapping his chilled hands around his own cup. "So I haven't seen you at school enough to ask.. how are you liking it so far?"

"It's all right," Isabelle said, accepting her drink with a smile of thanks, though she managed to hold it in a way that minimized visibility of her missing finger. "Some of my classes are more boring than others, but there are a couple I've always liked. Oh," she added, "and I made the cheerleading squad, so that's cool. How have you been?"

Kyle smiled and nodded. "That's cool. I was thinking the dance team was the popular new thing for girls these days, but congrats on that." He had to give her props for taking on anything that included dealing with Chrissy. "I've been good, thanks. Same old stuff. School and hockey." Kyle shrugged one shoulder and took a drink of his coffee. "Unfortunately nothing too exciting, but that's Marquette for you."

"I'm more of a gymnast than a dancer," Isabelle said with a laugh. "I'd probably embarrass myself on the dance team. But hey, I went to the game. You guys played a good one." She wasn't into hockey the way so many people up here seemed to be, but because it was such a popular sport, she'd learned to fake it. Though she couldn't deny that watching men slam each other into walls was entertaining. Hockey - if done right - was a violent and bloody sport, and that part of it appealed to her. "Yeah, I know how it is. Iron Mountain is just as tiny and just as boring. It's almost like we never left, moving here." Save the people with their secrets and the men whom she couldn't read.

"Yeah, I think we did pretty good," Kyle said with a smile, pleased that she had been there to watch. "We're always a little rusty during the first game, you know, lots of things to fix and fine tune, but I think we'll play better next time. Who knows, maybe we'll make a run at state this year." Leaning back in his chair, he studied her. "This kind of town you've got to make your own fun, you know? Otherwise I think we'd all go crazy or something. How's your sister adapting?"

"We find ways to entertain ourselves," Isabelle said, smiling slightly. "We've really only got each other, so we stick together. She's doing fine, though - getting into her drama and theater stuff, which is cool because she loves that kind of thing. And I've got cheerleading now, so I'll be a little busier."

Kyle always thought it might be nice to have siblings, even though that meant he would have to share stuff with them. Some days he wished he had a brother or sister, and some days he was thankful he didn't. Kyle really didn't like to share, even if he knew he should. "Gabe's part of theater tech," Kyle explained. "Works the sound board or something like that. I'm not very artistic in that sense at all. I'd prefer to just play sports and be physical." He grinned a touch. "I'm pretty competitive... not always in a good way but." He shrugged, since it didn't bother him. He just didn't like to lose. Who would? "And you know, starting school and everything, I'm sure you'll both make friends in no time, especially since you're joining group activities." And she was hot, so he doubted she'd be friendless for long.

"Same here," Isabelle said, grinning. "About being physical and competitive, that is. My friends and I back home were always in spontaneous races, stuff like that. We turned almost everything into a competition." Her grin widened a bit. "And I like to win. I guess sometimes that could be bad, but I don't know. Being stubborn and not wanting to lose or give up were all that kept me going sometimes." Lies, but she knew it sounded good. And invited personal questions. "Medea's definitely more artistic. She's kind of... fragile, though, so I guess it's only natural that she'd head in that direction and not sports and stuff."

"I don't think not wanting to lose is a bad thing. I like to win too, at almost everything I do. I don't really like to admit I'm bad at something. If I'm bad, I want to better myself until I'm better than other people." Kyle made a face. "Guess that might make me sound like a jerk, but I really don't like failing." He sipped his coffee again, wondering what was too personal to ask and what was okay. Girls were weird about personal questions sometimes and he didn't feel like pissing her off. "I think being stubborn and not wanting to give up makes you stronger, right?"

"Sometimes," Isabelle agreed. "Sometimes, though, I wonder if we're born as strong as we're going to get - like, it's hardwired into us - and people just choose whether or not to keep fighting or give up. Like, is there only so much you can take before you let it beat you? And for that matter, do you ever wonder if, like, some people are meant to take more than others? Like the universe is all 'oh, you can take it, have some more challenges and crap.'" She paused for a second, glancing down as if shy, and ventured an apologetic smile. "Sorry, random philosophical tangent. Wanting to be the best doesn't make you sound like a jerk. Or if you're a jerk, I'm a jerk, too. We can start a jerk club."

"Don't apologize," he said with a small smile. "Tangents are definitely allowed. I think people can be as strong as they want to be. I think maybe certain experiences make a person stronger, or weaker, it just all depends on their mindset, whether they wanted to fight or give up. I don't think that's decided at birth, I think it's decided over the course of their life." He shrugged since he really never put much thought into that stuff until his accident. "I think bad shit happening to people is pretty random more than the... the, ah, the universe deciding to pick on one particular person, even though it might feel that way sometimes." He didn't even know if that made any sense, but he liked to believe maybe it did and his brain wasn't entirely failing him. "The Best Jerks in School Club, since if we're having a club for being jerks, we have to be the best jerks, right?"

"I don't know," Isabelle mused, allowing a pensive, slightly vulnerable look to cross her face. "Maybe some of it is an accident, but I don't think the universe is as random as science might think. Someone - or something - is in the driver's seat, and I think some people do get picked on. Anyway, yeah. As long as I get to be head best jerk."

"Maybe." He wasn't entirely convinced there was anyone in the driver's seat at all. In Kyle's mind, things didn't happen for a reason, they just... happened. "I think everyone's got a different way of looking at things for various reasons. Life experiences and stuff, I guess." Smiling across the table at her, Kyle chuckled. "See, now I was thinking I'd be head best jerk. I guess I should have realized we'd end up competing for the best title."

"Obviously," Isabelle said, grinning. "It's probably going to be an ever-shifting title - I'll win it first, then you'll have to work to make yourself better until you win it, then I'll work on being better until I win it... constant struggle. I'd expect nothing less from a fellow best jerk. But you're right, I guess experience does shape your view of things. Makes you wonder how some people walk away from stuff changed for the better and some people end up bitter and mean, though."

"We could just be co-jerks," Kyle offered before snickering. "Although I think that would be pretty temporary since you would probably be consistently thinking of ways to knock me down to the title of second-best jerk. Really, we'd be destined to battle it out forever." Tapping his finger absently against his cup, he thought about what she said for a moment. "Again, I think it just depends on how someone wants to respond to a bad experience. Some people let it totally consume them, and some people chose to grow stronger from it and move on..." He certainly had been trying to. "Maybe it's all about believing whoever is in the driver's seat has a master plan? I dunno."

"Maybe," Isabelle said. "But I could even see that going two ways - either you believe that someone's got a plan and everything will work out, or you believe that someone's got a plan and your part in it was to be totally screwed. I think it depends on a lot of things - whether you've got people to support you, whether you're naturally a positive or negative person... probably it's mostly the support system you have." She fell silent, thinking back to the 'accidents' that had occurred in her life. If she'd cared about anyone who'd died, she would've probably come out of it stronger; there'd been plenty of people to rally around her when they happened. Thankfully, all she needed was Medea, and everyone else could go to hell for all she cared.

"Yeah, it probably shows what kind of person you are, when you decide which way to look at it. I've never really thought about it too much except that I'm not so sure there's anyone in the driver's seat but myself. I don't know if a support system makes a lot of difference... I think having one, or not having one, could go either way for a person." Kyle was silent for a moment. "I'm guessing life hasn't been too easy on you and your sister?"

"You could say that," Isabelle said, giving a smile that was a little sad around the edges. "We didn't actually know about each other until we were older - twelve or so, can you believe it? My mom ran off just after I was born, and I was living with my dad, but our house burned down one night and he was caught in it. So I went into the foster system because there wasn't anyone else who could take me. Well, apparently Medea went through something similar, and after a few years we ended up in the same house. We realized we kind of looked alike and that her mother had disappeared, too, so we did some digging and realized we were half-sisters. We made sure we stuck together ever since. At our last foster home... well, there was a carbon monoxide leak. Medea and I were lucky that we'd been staying at a friend's house that night. Now we're here." Her head was down and she made as if to wipe at a tear, smiling slightly. "It makes me wonder sometimes if we were getting singled out. It's hard enough to be born kind of freakish, but to be freakish with no family, moving around all the time? That sucks." She took a deep breath and a long sip of coffee, pulling a smile on. "Sorry; I don't usually go full-on therapy session with people. You'd be well within your rights to run screaming."

Kyle listened, one eyebrow lifting in skeptical surprise as she spoke. "Wow. That's... a pretty amazing coincidence that it happened to the both of you." And that they had ended up in the same system and house. "I mean, that's like something you'd see happen in the movies or something but never believe it could happen in real life. Sounds like things have been really tough for you both. But I think it's good that you guys have stuck together. Family is important and everything." His smile was small, since he never really knew how to respond to an emotional girl, even when she tried to hide it. "And you seem to have come out of it with a decent head on your shoulders, so maybe this is one of those times where you become stronger despite adversity and everything." Granted, he barely knew the girl, but she certainly seemed put together well enough. Not psycho crazy or anything like that. "I'm not gonna run screaming or anything. Sometimes people just need to unload, you know? And not that it means much of anything, but I don't think you're freakish at all."

"Tell me about it," Isabelle said. "Honestly, I'd rather it was a movie instead of my life, but you make the best of what you've got. And I wouldn't trade Medea for anything, so that's good." Her smile grew. "And thanks, I'm starting to realize you don't think that." She looked momentarily mischievous. "The same way that barista is realizing it." Which was still hilarious. She was telling Medea the second she got home. "If you ever need to unload in turn," she offered, "I'm here. Two working ears and even a shoulder if necessary."

His smile grew a bit easier now that she was smiling. It was a weird thing for him, to see a girl get sad, or emotional in any way. Everything inside of him seemed to freeze up and the most he could do is hope he didn't make it worse. But Isabelle seemed to be doing okay, so... relief. "The barista can fuck off," he stated simply. "And honestly, I doubt any of my unloading would interest you much. I don't have... there's not a lot for me to unload." Kyle didn't like talking about the deeper shit in his life. Alexis had been the only other person other than Gabe that he actually confided in about his frustrations with his accident and what had come after and that was more than enough for him. "I appreciate the gesture though."

Isabelle gave a tiny laugh at his barista comment, shaking her head. "Well, the offer stands if you ever need to get anything off your chest." She'd find a way to crack him eventually - he had a girlfriend floating around, and Gabe was a friend. She'd manage to make inroads if she decided she needed them.

"I'll remember that," Kyle said. He wasn't sure he would ever need to unload on her, and Kyle felt like it would be a bit pathetic on his part if he ever did. It sounded like she had been through a hell of a lot more than he had and he felt like his own problems weren't anywhere near bad enough to whine about. "How's the head feeling?" he asked, happy to change the subject.

"Not concussed, I don't think," Isabelle said, probing the back of her head with a tiny grimace. "Sore, but I think I'll make it. This is definitely going on the 'pro' side for my 'new boots: pros and cons' list."

Kyle offered a small smile. "Yeah, new boots are a must, especially here. The heftier the better. Maybe a helmet? And some knee pads," he teased before shifting slightly back into a more serious mode. "Do you need me to walk you home? I feel like I almost should, just to keep you from falling again."

"Oh, you're so funny," Isabelle said, rolling her eyes and grinning at him. "Thanks for the offer, but no. I'll just step more carefully; I'll be fine. You've already done more than enough. It was fun, though. Minus the falling part."

"Well, you know, I'm an amateur comedian," Kyle told her matter of factly before snickering and running his hand over his short hair. "Best thing to do here in the winter and just assume everything is always covered in ice. It might take you awhile longer to get some place, but it's probably safer. Maybe I'll see you at school tomorrow... check in to make sure you still know what two plus two is."

"I know, I know," Isabelle said, sighing. "I'm new to town, but not to the winters here. I just... neglect to be as careful during the first snow of the season until memory catches up." She snickered right back at him. "That assumes I knew what two and two was in the first place," she joked. "Math isn't my strong suit. I'm more of a literature and language girl."

"Let's hope your memory isn't affected by the bump on the head." He grinned. "Math isn't really my strongest subject either. I'd say gym is, but I don't think that counts academically. I'm pretty bad at learning languages too. Which ones are you good at?"

"Well, English obviously," Isabelle said with a grin. "And French. That's the only one I've taken, but I'd like to go to college and try out some other ones, maybe Spanish or Italian, maybe some sign language. I've got a couple books, but those computer programs that teach you and whatever are way expensive, so I guess I have to wait for college. Well, and hope I get a scholarship." She chuckled. "What's your best academic subject, then, since we're not counting gym?"

"Are you looking to have a career in that kind of field?" Kyle asked, searching his brain for the right word. Dammit. It took him a few seconds. "Ah, translating shit? Foreign communications, or whatever." Surely there was stuff out there that required the knowledge of other languages other than working at McDonalds. "I think my best subject... maybe history, I guess. I used to be really good at science but everything's sort of shifted," he explained, motioning to his head. "History comes easier now. I'm shit at learning foreign languages. I'm passing just enough to stay on the hockey team."

"I don't know," Isabelle said, pondering. "I've only really studied one language, so I don't really know if I'd be good at any others. Right now it's just a hobby; I haven't really thought about what I'll want to do career-wise. Are you taking French?" she asked. "Because if you are, you're always welcome to study with me, I don't mind helping." She frowned slightly then, catching his hesitation over finding words and the brief gesture at his head. "Did something change?" she asked.

Kyle shook his head. "Sadly, I'm in Spanish. Everyone says it's the easiest language to learn, and I'm all for taking the easy route sometimes, especially in school." Plus, he had a tutor, though he didn't like admitting that, especially to girls. They generally thought he was an idiot or something when they found out. Or at least he assumed they did. "No, nothing changed. I think I just started to... I think history just started clicking more for me. Chemistry this year, I'm just not understanding it as well as I should." Thankfully he had Alexis there, who let him copy her work whenever he didn't finish his. "I was better with plants and shit."

"Ooh, I love chemistry," Isabelle said. "Flatworms are... well, really boring to me, actually, but mixing chemicals and learning about how things bond and change depending on what you do or add to it... that's just fascinating." She was taking copious notes in case she ever got her hands on some of the more exotic chemicals available in the labs, but there was plenty one could do with things around the house as well. "Chemistry and biology can be really closely related, you know," she mentioned. "Maybe the trick is just to think about it in terms of plants and stuff wherever possible. Like, plants take in carbon dioxide and release oxygen during photosynthesis, right? But the actual process, turning CO2 into O2, that's chemistry." She stopped. "Wow, I just sounded like a huge nerd right there. Sorry."

"Yeah, a little bit," Kyle laughed. "But you're a cute nerd, so don't worry about it. I guess I could try and turn chemistry into something more interesting to me, but that requires brain power and I don't have a lot of that when I'm actually in school. I find it hard to pay attention to everything. My lab partner is nice enough to let me copy her stuff most of the time, though I realize I'm not actually learning anything that way. Are you taking chemistry this year? You sound like you know your stuff."

"Oh, okay, thanks," Isabelle said, rolling her eyes and grinning. "But yeah, I've got chem this year, fifth period. I've got a free period 4th hour, though, so if you've got a free period the same time or whatever and want to study, you're welcome to join me. Copying is great, but sucks when test and quiz time comes around."

Kyle had his tutoring fourth period, but he was able to occasionally get out of it when he actually got his homework done the night before. He smiled and nodded. "Yeah, sounds good. Everything would be so much easier if I were just psychic and could pick up the answer from people around me. Wishful thinking, I guess. But thanks for the study offer. Ah, let me know if you ever need to learn how to shoot a basketball, or ice skate, then I guess I could return the favor."

"Despite all evidence to the contrary," Isabelle said with a grin, "I'm pretty coordinated on skates. But I'll keep you in mind if I ever need basketball help." She chuckled. "Yeah, it'd be cool to just be able to read the teacher's mind." Which she did on occasion, taking her test up to the room to ask a completely made up question about it. Sometimes she got lucky and caught the answer, sometimes she didn't. But that was why she studied, so she didn't have to rely on that.

He found he liked it when chicks enjoyed basketball - and even skating, though it was a lot different from hockey in his mind. He remembered how cute Lily had been in the gym, trying to play with him. Sadly, not a lot of girls he knew were into actually playing sports. It seemed the girls he knew now were cheerleaders or on the dance team. "Well, just think of it like this," Kyle teased. "Walking on ice is very similar to skating on ice, Isabelle. Keep that in mind whenever you leave the house and you should be okay."

"Har har har," Isabelle said, rolling her eyes and smiling. "Except walking on ice doesn't involve sharpened metal blades made to keep friction to a minimum. And the motions involved in walking and skating are two different things, so when you're walking from solid concrete to ice you get thrown all off-balance. Thanks."

Cocking an eyebrow, Kyle grinned. "I was talking more about being cautious walking on the ice the same way you'd be cautious skating on it, but... yeah that works too." Gotta love a girl who'll deconstruct your joke with fact. He pulled put his phone and glanced at it before looking up at her. "I should probably go. You sure you're feeling all right to get home on your own?"

"I'll be fine," Isabelle reassured him again. "I should probably get home, too. If I need you, though, do you maybe have any kind of flashlight or spotlight-based signal with an insignia that I could shine up at the night sky to get your attention?"

"Sadly, I left my flares at home," Kyle told her with an mock apologetic smile. "It's a small enough town though, so maybe just yell for awhile and I'm sure someone'll come find you. Or if that doesn't work out, just text me." Chuckling he stood up and grabbed his coffee cup to throw away on the way out. "If I don't hear from you, I'll just see you at school tomorrow."

"Yelling, check," Isabelle said. "I can do that." She stood with him, sliding her gloves back on and grabbing her cup as well. "Thanks again," she said. "It was nice talking to you. I guess I'll see you later."

"Definitely." Kyle smiled and gave a small wave before getting rid of his coffee cup and heading out to get his bike. Definitely not a bad weekend at all.