Cloudborne

[Ravenbelle]

"As if, I am not leaving you behind and all alone." She wrapped her arm around Izzie's waist and pulled her along. "At the very least we can both look like dorky best friends."

And just like that, Isabel's smile returned. She just wanted this to last. Laughing a bit at her friend's antics, even around Rick and Dave, some of the nervousness was kept at bay. She stayed still as Rick pulled out the tickets and Liz jumped him, dropping her eyes for a moment with the reminder of how he wasn't the only one Liz had kissed since last night.
Thankfully, Liz mentioned that she knew Dave already or they would have looked at each other awkwardly for the next 5 minutes.

"Hey Isabel, thanks for inviting me."

"Thanks for..saying yes," Isabel crossed her arms and gave a nervous laugh, rolling her tense shoulders again.
"Uh, do you want candy or something? Do we have enough time for the concession line, Rick?" Dave asked politely.
"You don't have to, I mean everything here is way overpriced," she mumbled, already blushing slightly. Gods how do people do this?

 

[Snowflake]

"Uh, do you want candy or something? Do we have enough time for the concession line, Rick?"

"Almost ten minutes until they start letting people in, five more for advertisements, so yeah we have plenty of time." All the while he spoke Elizabeth was eyeing his pockets suspiciously and even started patting him down. "Relax Liz, I brought snacks. Red and black liquorice, just like you ordered." To that, she smiled enthusiastically and kissed him on the cheek to which he responded by putting his arm around her and bringing her closer to him. Liz, of course, wrapped her arm around his waist and leaned her head against his shoulder while they waited.

"You don't have to, I mean everything here is way overpriced,"

"Don't worry, I have a membership card. My brother is a movie enthusiast and he racked up quite a credit on this thing, we might be able to get whatever we want for free." Dave said with a smile, glad that he could get them both some snacks. He encouraged Isabel to follow along into the line for snacks and candy while the other two waited for them. "Come on, don't worry, he said I can use his card, I-I didn't steal it or anything." It was definitely subtle but it seemed Dave too was quite a bit nervous about this 'date' they had. With how quickly he said that he didn't steal the card it was clear he didn't want to seem like a bad guy. Not that he was, he too was a big dork, the sort that had dozens of geeky shirts in his closet but chose to wear a simple blue one so his date doesn't think he is too much of a nerd.

 

[Ravenbelle]

"Almost ten minutes until they start letting people in, five more for advertisements, so yeah we have plenty of time.

Isabel nodded, smiling at Liz's antics and strange love for black licorice. Until she realized that was ten minutes she would probably have to spend floundering for what words to use before they would all have to be quiet in the theater. She tried to suggest they could skip snacks because they cost too much, but it's not like they could get in early. At least Dave wouldn't actually be paying for her stuff.

"Oh..Okay, cool." She said. "In that case, I guess we should get in line," she murmured, noticing a headache coming on as she eyed Liz to see if she would join them in the concessions queue. Izzie tried not to make it look like she was pleading..she didn't want to seem needy and ask for her help since it bothered Liz before. Iz bit the inside of her cheek and turned to head toward the line with Dave just ahead of her.

 

[Snowflake]

she eyed Liz to see if she would join them in the concessions queue

Of course, Elizabeth noticed the look but instead of jump in and start doing her wacky act instead she winked at Izzie and gave her a thumbs up. 'You got this girl.' She mouthed without speaking a word. She tapped her temple with her index finger then shook it in front of her. 'Don't think about it.' Was the intended message. It's not that she didn't want to help her friend, the fact that she left her alone scared her a bit that Izzie might think she isn't as important anymore. However, Liz just couldn't bring herself to go with her and play the third wheel. The only way Izzie could deal with this was on her own, or so Liz thought. Soon enough the crowd separated them and Elizabeth was left alone with Rick. "So who do you think is more nervous, Izzie or Dave?" She asked with a grin. "Dave, without a doubt." Rick answered right away as if he expected the question.

"I..Uh... Thanks for inviting me, I wanted to go see the film but none of my friends were interested." He started repeating himself and by the time he realised he seemed to become a bit stiffer in his demeanour. He was a bit of a nerd and Isabel was very attractive, despite his good looks he didn't think he would ever get a chance to go out with her. It was safe to say he had a bit of a crush on her which was causing more than its fair share of pressure to appear fun or at least cool. His mind rushed to think of what to say while sweat started gathering just underneath his hairline "Umm... So, what kind of music do you like?"

 

[Ravenbelle]

At the very least, Isabel wasn't the only nervous one. There was less pressure in thinking of what he might be thinking of her. But that also meant none of them were very good at conversation in this kind of situation. Every pause felt like a ticking of a time bomb. If no one spoke it would explode.

"Umm... So, what kind of music do you like?"

"Oh geez..um." She hadn't expected that one. Her hand craled up to the back of her neck, pushing on the tiny bones there to try and soothe the pulsing in her head. "A little of everything. Mostly acoustic stuff. Well except for country.." crap what if he likes country music?!
"You?"

 

[Snowflake]

"Classic Rock and a bit of Blues. Dad has a lot of records so I kinda grew up listening to that and well I guess I picked up his taste." Dave said with an awkward smile while trying to seem cool and colected but sweating bullets whenever the silence lasted more than a few seconds. Luckily the line was getting shorter and after that they would be back with the others. Upon rejoining their friends Liz and Rick started to think that perhaps joining two shy people wasn't the best idea and started working on mending that by leading the conversations with menial small talk and chatter. Anything really that could get the other two to relax.

The wait wasn't too long and soon enough they were allowed to enter the showing room for their film. As expected the ads were obnoxious, old and ran five minutes over the schedule. If nothing else they were great conversation starters for the two to get to know each other more based on who liked which soda or candybar. As per usual the final ad was the Cola one, one could only imagine the marketing budget that went towards that ad being the loudest of them all.
"I just wish they would make a new one, they might as well play the christmas one given how old this one is." Elisabeth loved to complain about the comercials and ads, especialy when they were for a product she liked already.

 

[Ravenbelle]

Isabel nodded, smiling at his answer without knowing how to reply. She wasnt familiar with the genre, but she was sure that if he liked rock and blues, it couldn't be too bad. She had to find out what candy she wanted to get anyway.

And of course, when they all got into the showing room the ads showed old ads for them all. By now, she and Liz had memorized half of them. One of the junior mint ones sparked a small argument on whether they were even a candy, even if they were just like the after-dinner-mints at Olive Garden. Then the cola one showed up last, as usual. The brightness made the back of her eyes ache.

"I just wish they would make a new one, they might as well play the christmas one given how old this one is."

"Yeah I guess they figure why fix something that's not broken? I mean you remember it. Just like the the horrid O'Reilly jingle of '08," Iz joked, nudging Eliza beside her with a teasing grin.

After that the screen showed the obligatory 'silence your cell phones" photo and then started the movie. The nervous atmosphere between her and Dave seemed to heighten by ten as soon as the lights went out. Isabel felt stuck to her seat, tense and paying less and less attention to the movie as it progressed.

 

[Snowflake]

"Yeah I guess they figure why fix something that's not broken? I mean you remember it. Just like the the horrid O'Reilly jingle of '08," Iz joked, nudging Eliza beside her with a teasing grin.

Liz rolled her eyes at Izzie. "Yeah that. Or they paid upfront crazy amounts of marketing money and they will be sure to run the ad into the ground in order to get their money's worth before they shoot another." Despite the large and obvious reminder to turn off the phone, Elisabeth needed Rick to lean in towards her and point out that she didn't silence the phone making her swat him away while reaching for the phone. Almost as soon as the movie began the two leaned in towards each other in their seats almost subconsciously leaving Dave and Isabel to fend for themselves.

The nervous atmosphere between her and Dave seemed to heighten by ten as soon as the lights went out. Isabel felt stuck to her seat, tense and paying less and less attention to the movie as it progressed.

Dave too felt the tension rise up as soon as the movie began, almost as if the tension Isabel was feeling was transferred onto him as well. He looked over to see that Liz and Rick were of no use. There was only one move he could do now to ease the tensions and that was to nerd out about the film and his expectations before the introductory logos are done. "Have you seen the last two films?" He asked in a hushed whisper. "The main characters from those two will be teaming up to fight this big bad evil space wizard. In the comics, they have massive battles and a great climax. I hope they did a good job with the film. It could be like Return of the King but with superheroes." Oddly enough that served to calm him down quite a bit and also hype him up for the movie too. He seemed much more comfortable talking about a geeky topic like this than music or commercials and such.

 

[Ravenbelle]

Liz rolled her eyes at Izzie. "Yeah that. Or they paid upfront crazy amounts of marketing money and they will be sure to run the ad into the ground in order to get their money's worth before they shoot another."

Liz corrected her with the less fun answer, keeping her phone on even with the obvious reminder to do otherwise. Rick bothered her about it, and then she was left yet again, to her own devices.

"Have you seen the last two films?" He asked in a hushed whisper. "The main characters from those two will be teaming up to fight this big bad evil space wizard. In the comics, they have massive battles and a great climax. I hope they did a good job with the film. It could be like Return of the King but with superheroes."

The movie began with a high stakes action scene that left Isabel's ears ringing and half of Dave's commentary lost on her completely.
"I um...don't think I saw Return of the King. When did--" she was cut off by an anonymous 'sssh' from somone behind her and shrugged apologetically at Dave before trying to pay more attention to the film so she could discuss it with them all later.

Somewhere around halfway through the movie, the directors decided it was time for the typical superhero explosion battle and at that point, Isabel's head felt like it would explode as well. The bombs in the surround sound theater made her wince and the bright lights on the screen in front of her felt like laser pointers aiming straight at her retinas. "I'm gonna go to the bathroom," she whispered through gritted teeth before swiftly exiting the theater to avoid letting her legs shake. Unfortunately, her eyes still had to adjust from the darkness of the theater to the lighting in the hallway, causin her to groan as her head pounded even more. By some miracle, she made it to a stall and just sat on the toilet, taking deep breaths with her eyes closed against the flourescent lights overhead. Of course this would happen on her first date since forever ago. She just had to get through the rest of the movie, but she didn't know if she could without throwing up at least once, which would be a perfect ending to this night. What kind of idiot recently prone to aches and pains forgets ibuprofen?

 

[Snowflake]

"I'm gonna go to the bathroom," she whispered through gritted teeth before swiftly exiting the theater to avoid letting her legs shake.

Elizabeth took note of what was going on and quickly afterwards stood up and whispered to the other two. "I'll be right back fellas, enjoy the film." Without much care for politeness, she rushed on out ignoring the feet she stepped on and insults she was given. Normally they would receive more than a fair share of lip from her but not now when her friend needed help. She managed to stumble out of the hall just in time to catch Isabel enter the bathroom and quickly went in after her.

"Izzie?" She asked as she approached the stall and knocked on it twice. "What's wrong? How can I help?" She asked concern clear in her voice with just a bit of fear mixed in and barely noticeable. These kinds of situations left her feeling powerless and unlike dealing with people she couldn't just argue her problems away. No matter how much she wanted yelling at the cold or a migraine that it is a dumb and stupid illness was of no use, but worse than feeling sick was seeing others. "It's not just the stress, is it? You know you can talk to me about anything, right?" Deep down Elisabeth was terrified that it was something serious and didn't even want to imagine it, but stray thought flooded her mind regardless.

 

[Ravenbelle]

"Izzie?" She asked as she approached the stall and knocked on it twice.

Isabel whimpered at the harsh knocking against the door. She should have known Liz would follow her. She was so stupid for thinking her best friend could find her annoying. Now of all times, was not the moment for pitiful self-doubt.

"What's wrong? How can I help?" She asked concern clear in her voice with just a bit of fear mixed in and barely noticeable. "It's not just the stress, is it? You know you can talk to me about anything, right?"

Iz took a few deep breaths feeling slightly more optimistic about her chances of puking as Eliza spoke. "N-no, yeah I'm fine. I just. I'm getting a migraine. No big deal," she breathed, "I've had them before. I'll just skip the.. loud action scenes," she mumbled between breaths. The pain spread behind her eyes, pulsing relentlessly. She rubbed her temples, desperate for any kind of relief. "I'll meet you in the theater, mkay? I'll catch up in a sec.."

 

[Snowflake]

"N-no, yeah I'm fine. I just. I'm getting a migraine. No big deal,"

"I have some aspirin and a bottle of water in the car, I'll be right back." Though she really was powerless against these kinds of problems the least she could do is bring Isabel some medication. It was a quick jog to the vehicle and back during which she hoped Izzie would stay where she was. Given how long the action scenes usually were Liz was hopeful. When she returned she was slightly out of breath and starting to break into a sweat. Turns out that jog turned into a full-blown sprint without her realizing.

"I got it!" She wheezed and offered her the tablet packet and a bottle of water. "Should help with the migraine, head stomach and all. I'm here for you, I'm not leaving you alone." It was a stern point that she wanted to make, something of a big sister vibe she wanted to get across as well as an air of authority not to try and push her away. Knowing she couldn't just go back to the movie without worrying about her friend there was simply no way Elisabeth could leave her all alone.

 

[Ravenbelle]

Isabel really doubted aspirin would help much at this point, but she wasn't going to say so or make this worse for Liz after she already ruined her date. So she waited, near tears, but not for long. She heard Eliza return bursting through the bathroom door, out of breath, but victorious. She unlocked the stall door for her wheezing friend, wincing at the bright lights again, and accepted the pills gratefully.

"Should help with the migraine, head stomach and all. I'm here for you, I'm not leaving you alone."

Izzie smiled, shaking slightly, and took the medication swiftly. "So um, we should probably head back," she stood slowly, swaying a bit. "I don't want to keep ruinin--" her voice cut off with a gasp as her legs collapsed beneath her and her migraine felt like it was cracking her skull.
someone was screaming..and pain...so much pain. There was blood on the floor along with a knife and in her peripheral vision, long blonde hair. screaming "Isabel!"

Her eyes returned her vision in the bathroom as she leaned on her best friend, breathing hard and slowly returning to the present. What the hell was that?

 

[Snowflake]

Her eyes returned her vision in the bathroom as she leaned on her best friend, breathing hard and slowly returning to the present. What the hell was that?

Seeing Isabel falter on her feet Elisabeth almost panicked at the moment, but quickly reached out to grab her. Those few dreaded seconds while Iz blacked out were filled with panic as Elisabeth was breathless and unsure what to do. By the time she regained her senses and was just about to shout for help, Isabel opened her eyes again. Liz's heart rate was through the roof from panic but one thing was certain, she wasn't going to let Izzie just go back to the film. "I'm taking you home." She helped her friend as they headed together out and towards the jeep. On her way there Liz texted Rick that Izzie was feeling under the weather knowing he would check the phone as soon as he realised they were absent.

Once they were on the road and Liz had some time to calm down she spoke up again. "You scared me, Izzie. If you were feeling sick before you should have told me, I wouldn't have forced you to go out. This wasn't just a sudden migraine, was it?" Call it intuition, but something seemed off about Isabel. Something that perhaps only Elisabeth would notice on the count of being best friends. "I don't know what to do... Should I take you to the Hospital?" She didn't know how to deal with this. No one in her family had ever gotten any serious illness or anything dangerous. It was one of the few rare things that left her feeling weak and powerless to make any change. For a long time, she considered becoming a doctor for that exact reason.

 

[Ravenbelle]

"I'm taking you home."

Isabel didn't have the werewithal to argue, or even respond really. She tried to take deep breaths as Liz ushered her out to the parking lot. The fresh air seemed to help and the headache faded slightly as they climbed into the Jeep. Iz closed her eyes and let the quiet dark work its magic on her pulsing headache until Eliza spoke again.

"You scared me, Izzie. If you were feeling sick before you should have told me, I wouldn't have forced you to go out. This wasn't just a sudden migraine, was it?"

"No..I mean..kind of? I only started feeling a headache coming on when we got to the theater, I just didn't think it would get this bad. I'm sorry for scaring you," she mumbled, trying not to think about whether she really should be scaredor not. Did she hallucinate? Or dream for a second? She had no clue, but her head didn't want to think enough to worry about it just yet.

"I don't know what to do... Should I take you to the Hospital?"

At that, Isabel's eyes opened wide. "No! Definitely not. I'm fine. I'm actually feeling better now, I promise. You said you were taking me home. Just...let's go home. Please."

 

[Snowflake]

"Home it is then." Drive home was a quiet one. Liz decided not to bother Izzie too much and let her recover. As always she was a responsible driver and followed the regulations to the letter, although she did drive at just below the speed limit so as to get back home as soon as possible. Sometime during the ride she received a text message but failed to realize that on the count of her phone still being silenced. It wasn't until she pulled into the driveway that she checked the phone and saw the message.

"The boys wish you a speedy recovery." She got out of the car and rushed over in case Izzie felt weak again. "Maybe it's best I stay for the whole weekend, keep an eye on you while your mom works. Besides, I kinda missed our sleepovers. Just the two of us hanging out watching bad television and complaining how there is nothing interesting going on."

 

[Ravenbelle]

"Home it is then."

"Thank you," she whispered, though she wasn't sure she was heard over the rumbling of the Jeep as they swiftly made their way back to Isabel's house. Her headache slowly faded, leaving her guilty for cutting off their plans so short with nothing but a text for an excuse. The quiet let her worries seep into her racing thoughts, questioning what the hell had happened in the bathroom. Was Liz right to suggest the hospital after all? What if that wasn't the only time she would hallucinate like that? What if it got worse? She didn't think she had it in her to handle pain like that with such awful consequences again. But there was just no way she would make her mom pay for a hospital bill that would leave them in debt for months just because of a really weird migraine..and recurring headaches..and musle pain. What if it is something really awful like a brain tumor? She didn't know what to do or what she should even tell Liz.

They were already in the driveway by the time she could start working herself to an actual anxiety attack, so she was grateful to her her best friend's voice again.

"The boys wish you a speedy recovery." She got out of the car and rushed over in case Izzie felt weak again. "Maybe it's best I stay for the whole weekend, keep an eye on you while your mom works. Besides, I kinda missed our sleepovers. Just the two of us hanging out watching bad television and complaining how there is nothing interesting going on."

As needy and pathetic as she felt for ruining her night, the offer to stay overnight was too tempting to reject. She didn't want to wait in the silence for her mom to get home from a late shift. Not tonight. "Okay..if you're sure," she dismounted, still slightly wobbly, but glad to be in good company. She couldn't imagine what would have happened if Liz had decided she should go on the date by herself.

 

[Snowflake]

"Of course I'm sure,"-Liz grabbed Isabel as she stepped out of the jeep. -"How could I leave you alone at a time like this." Fully aware that she was missing another day of practice with her folks Elisabeth just didn't seem to care all that much. Not when her friend was feeling ill at least. Some things were more important than sparring and exercise. She did give them a heads up with a text message knowing full well that her Mom will be angrier, so sneakily she texted her Dad instead and decided to ask for forgiveness later. "I'll keep you safe, girl. However, if you do pass out on me I am rushing you to the hospital, got it?" After locking the car Liz helped Izzie into the house, not necessarily carrying her but just being near her in case she was to faint.

 

[Ravenbelle]

As sorry as she felt for keeping Liz with her and all of the ramifications it entailed, she was really grateful for her help, and made sure to say she'd make it up to her. The night passed uneventfully and the girls had a good time relaxing, getting ice cream and finishing homework on Sunday.

Isabel's mom wanted details about the date, and Iz didnt lie about having to cut it short because of a migraine, but she did leave out the more concerning details. She'd had some before, so Josefina wasn't that worried, but she still made the girls promise to keep Isa from too much activity, ever the protective nurse. Ms. Blanca trusted Liz, especially after she'd driven her home and taken care of her last night. So of course she was always welcome to stay as long as she wanted and would be rewarded with a tasty homecooked Hispanic meal Sunday night. Both of them enjoyed that very much and went to bed with full bellies, welcoming the next morning well-rested, rare for their sleepover nights.
--
Isabel woke with a start, eyes snapping open from a weird nightmare of falling from the sky....5 minutes before her alarm was set to go off. Of course.
Stupid Mondays.
Izzie groaned and tried to stretch, interrupted by Eliza's shoulder pressing on her back. Isabel decided to let her sleep a little longer, aware that she was far from a morning bird. She carefully left her bed and went through her normal routine in her PJs as quietly as she could manage, then she woke Liz with some pokes and nudges so they wouldn't be late.

 

[Snowflake]

Liz, ever the sleepy one, tried to swat away at the area where she figured the poking would originate from only to end up waving her arm around like a weird animal. "Don't poke the dragon when she's sleeping." She mumbled moving to the side to try and get away only to be met with a pool of her own drool. Groaning in frustration she was now practically forced to get up and at 'em along with her bestie. "Can we just skip Monday and stay in bed all day?" She asked shambling towards the bathroom.

When she returned she seemed a bit more awake but still ready to crash and go back to dreamworld if it only became an option. "You're gonna have to brush my hair as punishment for tearing me from my peaceful slumber." Elizabeth offered the hairbrush to Izzie. "Please." Then proceeded to make her best puppy eyes facial expression she could muster. Which was really more terrifying then cute. Unless Liz was acting goofy she oftentimes looked more intimidating than anything else. Not just in an imposing kind of way but in a very subtly violent and dangerous way. She didn't know it consciously, but this was something she picked up from her mother and her demeanour. Lucky for most she was a giant goofball and punk so this was a side people scarcely met.