Maybe it was love at first sight, maybe it was right place at the right time. But the first memory she had of walking into that conner store was the first time she had meet ash. She was six... That's the day Isabella met her best friend

Isabella held her older cousins hand tightly as they crossed the busy road.

Maddy was only three and a half years older then he but it felt like nothing to Maddy.

Maddy remembered the day that Isabella's mom dropped her of at her house. Maddy was 3. She remembered a lot from that day.

She remembered her aunt, Isabella's mom crying and saying something in Spanish about how she had to leave the baby there for a while but she would be back.

She never came back. But Maddy had basically adopted her as her sister so its not like that mattered.

Isabella ran to the back of the store to grab her bug juice that Maddy promised her she would buy.

She opened the fridge door to see a boy the same age starring back at her. She wasn't scared of him, more intrigued then anything.

"Leave." He said with a smug look on his face, for a six year old he was intimidating, but not to isabella.

"I don't want to." She said back, to him crossing her arms over he chest, he stood up and pushed her out of the freezer.

But lucky for him Maddy saw that happen, "fezco get your dogs." The nine year old said to the eleven year old ginger, while she grabbed Isabella's hand bringing her closer to her.

All fez did was roll his eyes while he handed her back her change, though Maddy wouldn't admit it but she felt safe when isabella was close to her.

From then on ashtray and Isabella were best friends. They saw each other most durning the summer time, most of the time Isabella would have Maddy or one of Maddy's friends to pick her up from the shop and she would walk thier in the morning.

But she always made time for ash. He was the only person she could talk to besides Maddy, but sooner or later Maddy and Isabella weren't as close.

When Isabella was in 8th grade, and Maddy was in 11th, Maddy started dating nate jacobs. And isabella utterly dispersed him.

"I hate him so much ash," Isabella ranted while she paced the store Aisles, "And I know hate is a big word and I don't use it a a lot. But i hate nate jacobs."

"I know you do Isa," he said as he sat next to the cash register.

This went on for months. But after isabella found out what happened the night of the carnival is when she officially took matters into her own hands.

Isabella Elena Perez Broke Nate jacobs nose. It was bad enough that an 8th grader broke his nose, but an 8th grade girl, made it look even worse.

Of course maddy didn't talk to her for months after that, 3 months to be exact, but Maddy knew deep down that what Isabella did was only to help her.

A few months before that I overdosed. But I knew Isabella before that, I knew her because she would always hang out with lexi and me if we maddy and her were at Cassie and Lexie's house.

Two weeks before I over dosed. Two weeks before summer started, Isabella was sat on ashtrays bed watching a movie with him. She had her head on his shoulder. It was nothing new.

But it felt different to ash something about the way his stomach tightened when she put her head on his shoulder.

Ash had a crush on her but he had never had feelings for someone before, how was he supposed to know?

Half way though them watching the lorax, he sat up and paused the movie then turned back to her. She looked slightly mad but she would be more mad after what he would say next.

"I think were bad for each other." He blurted out

Her eyebrows nitted together in confusion and a frown came on her face. "Why? Did I do something wrong?" She asked him confused and in shock

"No. Were just not good for each other." He told her harshly.

Part of the reason he was saying this was because he didn't want her to get involved in the bad shit he had going on. And if that meant that not being friends with her anymore was that than that's what he had to do.

"Oh," Isabella said biting the inside of her check keeping herself from crying. "I'm think I'm gonna go," she said walking out of his room.

She stoped in the living room to see rue on the couch next to Fez. Rue looked up at her with a concerned face and was about to ask her what was wrong but she was pulled back into Ashtrays room by her arm.

"What do you want? You basically just told me you don't want to be my friend anymore. Without an explanation. Ash we have been friends friends for almost nine years, what the fuck is up?" She asked madily, all she wanted was an explanation.

All he did was blink at her she looked at him even more confused then he kissed her.

At first she kissed back but pulled away, he was her best friend. And she wasn't going to loose him because of a stupid kiss.

She pushed him to the ground then walked away. They both did something they regretted that day, but neither of them regretted the kiss.

She walked out of Fez's front door, she heard Fez yell "bye isabell," while she walked out the door.

Isabella walked to her house, she didn't bother Maddy god knew what she was doing not like she wanted to know anyways.

She got ten minutes away from fez and ash's house before she broke down.

Isabella sat on the sidewalk and cried into her hands. She just wanted a full explanation. If it was because he wanted her safe from drugs then why now? Its not like she been friends and involved with it for eight years.

The only thing that was going though her head was if they were going to stay friends.

Ash knew he fucked up by the way that me and Fez looked at him when he walked out of his room. All he did was roll his eyes and walk back into his room.

The next time that Ash and Isabella saw each other it was three months later, when I got back from rehab.

Isabella and Rue walked up to the store with each other. Fez was rolling up a blunt and siting in a lawn chair infront of the store. His mouth dropped open when he saw Isabella.

"What the fuck happened to you?" He asked isabella "ash is all fucking depressed cause you don't be coming around anymore."

Isabella looked down at her hands with out a word. It still hurt Isabella, I had to practically drag her by the leg to get her to just go to the store with me.

They went from seeing each other everyday for about seven years straight to not talking for three months straight.

"Some new girl in town I think you gon be friends with." Fez said to rue taking the hint that isabella didn't want to talk about it.

Isabella zoned out and rue and fez talked about something, but the thing that snapped her back into reality was rue said,

"But lowkey, is Ashtray in the back?" Isabella darted her eyes at Rue, why would she do this to her she was one of the only people that knew what happened.

"You serious?" Fez and Isabella asked at the same time, though Fez looked more concerned then isabella.

"Aye, you think just cause I went to rehab I stayed clean?" Rue said to Fez not even addressing Isabella

"I mean ain't that the point?" He asked her she shrugged and walked into the store. Isabella took a deep breath before she followed her.

Isabella stayed in the front of the store, out of the freezers to be exact. She didn't even want him to know she was there.

"I thought you ass died." He told rue, and smile came on Isabella's face but then was quickly erased with a frown. She realized how much she missed the boy.

Mars speaks
I love this book sm