THE NEXT evening, Isabella's family (plus, Johnny) were invited to a family meal at the LaRusso's house. Initially, Isabella didn't want to go; she hadn't left the house all day because she felt so terrible about Tory. She didn't know why, she hated Tory, but Isabella just felt awful.

Miguel ended up forcing his sister to attend the meal because he 'didn't want all the attention to be on him'. Since Miguel and Sam were together, he was afraid of not being good enough for her— especially in front of her family. Isabella was there to set the standards very low, which would then make Miguel look better.

"I don't think I'll ever get sick of seeing you two together," Carmen smiled at the two Sensei's, who had managed to agree to starting their joint dojo.

"Yeah," Amanda chuckled sarcastically, "The last time these two were in a kitchen together... let's just say I'm glad the steaks knives weren't out."

Steak knives. She had pulled one to Tory's throat just a few nights ago. That moment replayed her in her mind.

Isabella felt eyes on her, even if they weren't. She looked down into her lap, avoiding eye contact with everybody possible.

Amanda noticed, of course, looking in between Carmen and Isabella, "Oh, I'm sorry. I didn't realise—"

"It's okay," Isabella interrupted quickly, with a small smile.

Carmen nodded, "Yeah, Belle's learnt her lesson, haven't you?"

The girl nodded, making eye contact with Miguel who was sat opposite her. Anthony LaRusso, the younger brother, blurted out, "Wait, you're that girl that was in juvie for the school fight? I saw a video. It was so cool—"

Isabella couldn't reply— cool? She spent nearly five weeks in juvie for something that he thought was cool? It was the complete opposite: it sucked when everybody looked at her differently, when people were scared of her, when nobody understood that she would never actually hurt someone like that. None of that was cool.

Isabella was suddenly very hot; her sweaty hand clenched around her fork as she stabbed at the food on her plate to try and pick it up. Calm down, calm down, calm down, calm down.

"Anthony," Mr LaRusso warned, as he sat down at the end of the long table.

Amanda changed the topic quickly, "So, Miguel, how's school?"

Johnny was sat beside the girl, but lowered his voice so only Isabella could hear, "You okay, kid?"

Isabella nodded, despite her eyes that were filled with tears; she kept her head low, suddenly very interested in the chicken on her plate. Calm down, calm down, calm down.

"Uh, good," Miguel continued, "Great, actually."

Carmen added proudly, "Straight A's this semester."

"Yeah, a total nerd." Johnny remarked to try and make Isabella laugh, but she kept her eyes on her plate.

Mr LaRusso nodded, "With grades like that you can go anywhere you want."

"Yeah,I'd like to go to Stanford." The boy smiled, "I think it's like number six in the country. The campus is beautiful."

"I bet. It's a very impressive school." Mr LaRusso agreed, before asking curiously, "What about you, Isabella? Thought of any colleges you'd go to?"

Miguel tapped her leg underneath the table with his foot, giving her a look of please just lie.

Isabella told the truth, "I don't know if college is for me."

Miguel kicked her, gently, again.

Mr LaRusso was surprised, "Oh, well that's life, college isn't always the best for everyone. What would you do instead?"

Another kick.

"Uh, I would..." Isabella paused, looking at Miguel; he just wanted to look good for Sam. Isabella was forced to come to this meal to make Miguel look better. She continued, "I haven't really thought of what I'd do..."

Another tap from Miguel's shoe.

Stay calm, stay calm, stay calm.

"... I'd be working, definitely." Isabella smiled, "I'd be getting a high pay, I hope."

Amanda nodded, "And, how are you finding school?"

Kick. Again.

Stay calm... for Miguel.

"I haven't been going." Isabella replied truthfully, "Ever since juvie, I just wanted to focus on myself. I wanted to make sure I was ready, before I went back."

"That's very mature of you," Amanda nodded in agreement, "Will you ever go back?"

Another kick, harder this time.

Isabella took a deep breath, "I don't know."

"You're not missing much. I wish I could stay off school," Sam added, before smiling, "Remember when you and Robby's mission was to bunk the whole day?"

"I remember perfectly." Carmen replied with a sarcastic eye roll, "I got a call from the principle and spoke to Belle about it. She proceeded to lie."

An eruption of laughs echoed around, but Miguel kicked her leg again. The boy urged, "But, you wouldn't do that again, would you, Belle? I mean, she got into so much trouble. I don't think that you've missed a class again, right?"

Sam replied with a chuckle, "She definitely has. The amount of times I've had to lie to teachers for her is insane."

"Do the teachers not catch you?" Anthony asked in awe, "Where do you even go?" 

Isabella replied, "Me and Robby found a spot without cameras, so we just stay there. It's quiet and hidden—"

"Let's not give anyone ideas." Mr LaRusso interrupted with a chuckle, "Anthony just started freshman year. He needs to focus, right?"

"It's my first year of High school, I don't need to focus." Anthony rebelled, "Isabella, how was your freshman year? Did you break the rules?"

Another kick and a look.

She hesitated, "Uh, freshman year was mostly—"

Miguel kicked her again.
Don't react. Calm—

"Can you stop kicking me?" Isabella blurted out in frustration to her brother, as the table fell silent.

Miguel's face flushed, "I'm not."

"You've been kicking me all night!" Isabella argued, "It's annoying—"

"Guys, guys." Carmen interrupted, "That's enough. Miggy, keep your legs tucked under your chair. Belle, take a breath." Her mom looked at Amanda, "I'm sorry."

"No, don't be!" Amanda exclaimed, "I'm surprised my kids haven't started yet."

Johnny said, "Back in our day, there was no bunking spots. You could just not show up to class and nobody would care, right, LaRusso?"

"That's right." Daniel nodded, "Weird how times change."

Isabella nodded, "My hiding spot is good, though. It doesn't have any smoke detectors eith—"

Carmen raised her eyebrows sternly, "What detectors? It's the first time I'm hearing about this."

"My friends smoke." Isabella replied quickly, hoping her face wasn't giving it away, "Well, my old friends. I don't see them anymore. Bad influence, right?" She chuckled nervously.

The truth: back then, Robby was hanging around with some Dealer, so he would give Isabella some drugs to try. Every day, in their hiding spot, they'd just get high... until Robby was found with Molly on him, and then juvie happened shortly after.

Johnny chuckled, "That's what we all say. In fact, I said that to my step-dad, too. Bunch of bulls—"

"Johnny," Carmen warned, "This isn't funny—"

"Yeah," Johnny nodded, his smile fading as he tried to lecture, "Don't do drugs, Belle."

"You've done drugs?" Anthony asked, "What kind?"

Sam took a sip of drink to try and hide the smirk on her face, as she knew everything that Isabella had done.

Isabella spluttered, "No, I-I don't take drugs. They're really bad for—"

Miguel kicked her, a look of frustration on his face.

"Keep your foot on your side!" Isabella raised her voice, purposefully kicking Miguel's foot hard from under the table.

"Ow— it was on my side." The boy shot back quickly.

"Isabella." Carmen warned.

"So, every single time I talk, I'm just imagining a foot that's tapping my leg?" Isabella snapped, "I'm not dumb, Miguel, I know what you're doing."

The table went silent.

"I'm not doing anything!" Miguel exclaimed, "Ma, tell her to stop—"

"No!" Isabella interrupted, as she glanced at her mom, "Miguel's been kicking me all night so I don't embarrass him with my stories. He wanted me to lie so we'd look better."

Carmen frowned, "Miggy, is this true?"

"No!" The boy spluttered, "Why would I— why would I do that?"

"Because you want to impress Sam's family?" Isabella retorted, "But, guess what, nobody's buying your bullshit stories—"

"Shut up, Belle!" Miguel raised his voice, "You always ruin everything—"
Suddenly, Miguel's arm knocked the wineglass next to him, causing it to spill onto Mr LaRusso, "Oh! I'm sorry. I'm sorry, shit. I mean— I'm sorry!"

"Don't worry about it." Mr LaRusso smiled, "It's just a little wine, right?"

Miguel sighed in defeat, before mumbling, "You ruin everything."

"What did you say?" Belle asked angrily, even though she did hear him, "Speak up, Miguel, I can't—"

"Isabella, that's enough." Carmen interrupted sternly, "Just eat your food and don't talk to your brother."

Isabella took a long breath of frustration and disbelief; her head spiralling into a fit of rage— Miguel asked her to go! He wanted to make himself look better. Isabella was supposed to be the bad sibling, so he could be the best one— like he always is! Angel Miguel. He never does anything wrong! Angel fucking Miguel.

Isabella rested her elbows on the table, burying her face into her sweating hands. Don't say anything.

The conversation had moved into Sam's life now, however Isabella couldn't shake the anger she felt inside. Every sniff, scrape of a fork against a plate, cough, or chew angered her. The lights were too bright, and one bulb kept flickering above her head— it was giving her a headache. A burning sensation in her throat choked her— she wanted to cry, scream, punch, kick.

Isabella was forced to sit in her chair, silently, stabbing at the food on her plate in frustration.

She let out a deep breath, but it wasn't heard within the loudness of their conversation. Isabella's leg bounced frantically, as she picked at the skin around her finger nails.

Johnny noticed, whispering, "Don't do that, kid." Isabella ignored him. He suggested, "Wanna take a breather?"

At this request, Isabella stood to her feet suddenly, chucking her napkin down on the table— which gained the attention of the gathering— and stormed towards the front door. The main door in front of her was large and confusion: why can't they have a normal fucking door? Were they too rich for a normal doorknob?

Carmen warned, "Isabella—"

"I'll go," Johnny offered, as he followed the girl to the door she was struggling to open; she had resulted into tugging the door handle and kicking the bottom of it. Johnny stepped in front of her, opening it for her, "Let's not do that, everything costs millions of dollars in here."

Carmen's voice repeated, "I'm so sorry." This statement was followed with reassurance, like Isabella wasn't normal, like they'd let her off because she was different.

Johnny closed the main door behind him, before turning to the girl as she attempted to kick a garden gnome. The man stepped in front of her before she could, placing two hands on her shoulders, "Listen, kid, if you break anything it will make this situation worse for you."

"Worse?" Isabella repeated, tears filling her eyes, "Everybody in there already thinks I'm a freak—"

Johnny interrupted, "No, they don't."

"Yes, they do!" She snapped, "Miguel's a fucking liar. He told me to come tonight just so he wouldn't be the worst person there."

Johnny sat down on a bench in their front yard, motioning for Isabella to sit next to him. He asked curiously, "Did Miguel tell you that?"

She shot back, "No, but why else would he have wanted me there?"

"Because you're his sister." Johnny explained calmly, "You're very important to him. He probably wanted you there to be a part of the family, after all the time you missed in juvie."

"You're wrong." Isabella was crying now, "He wanted me to lie about my life so I wouldn't embarrass him.  He wanted me to lie about school, juvie, college... just so Mr LaRusso would like him! Then everybody takes Miguel's side, and I look like the crazy one."  She mumbled, "Fuck them all."

"Fuck them all." Johnny copied.

Isabella frowned, her voice softening, "What?"

"Fuck 'em." Johnny repeated, "It wasn't right that Miguel wanted you to lie. I'm sure he had his reasons, but it wasn't nice to do that to you in front of everybody." He paused, "For the record, it was good that you didn't lie. Somebody needed to tell an interesting story after all of that nerd shit."

A tear rolled down her cheek. Nobody had ever stuck up for Isabella like that before, because usually nobody understood. Johnny understood.

Abruptly, Isabella wrapped her arms around him tightly, crying into his chest. She whispered, her voice breaking, "Thank you."

a/n:
my poor girl belle is just overstimulated pls give her a break
ALSO I LOVE JOHNNY