Page 20 of Finding Fate

He had just reached the stepping stones that led from the Dearly’s driveway and around to the front porch when he heard a soft laugh coming from nearby. He stopped. That laugh was way too flirty to be Izzy, wasn’t it? He inched his way quietly to the edge of the garage, peeking past, afraid to look but needing to anyway.

He found Izzy sitting against the railing, Wesley standing in front of her as he reached up to tuck a lock of hair behind her ear, whispering something to make Izzy laugh. Tucker’s heart sank at the scene. But he stayed there, his eyes glued on his best friend as she flirted with the wrong guy. He knew it wasn’t right, but he had to find out what was happening. Wesley was his competition after all.

“No, really, I promise we won’t go see something so sappy again,” Izzy said, still laughing slightly from before.

“And no horror,” Wesley said, taking a small step closer to her. He placed a hand on the rail at her side.

Izzy looked up at the dark, handsome face in front of her. “No horror,” she agreed in almost a whisper.

“You really do look beautiful tonight,” he complimented, his fingers running along her necklace; he leaned in.

Tucker’s stomach twisted when he realized what was going to happen, but he was frozen, paralyzed to watch as another guy kissed the first girl he’d ever found feelings for.

He waited to see what she would do, hoping that she would pull away, anything to let him know she didn’t really want Wesley. But fate wasn’t in his favor tonight. Izzy leaned in, deepening the kiss as Wesley’s hand slid into her hair to cup her head.

It hit him hard.

Pain ripped through him, and his chest tightened as though he couldn’t find air. He knew that was no first kiss, and his stomach churned at the thought, his frustration rising. Wesley didn’t care about Izzy, not like he did. The creep had no right to be kissing her like that.

“I can’t watch this anymore,” he thought in desperation as he heard a moan that in no way came from Wesley, but before he could head back to Jet’s, before he could even get out of earshot, he felt it happening and knew he was done for. With one great twist, Tucker’s stomach sent him down onto all fours, his painstakingly forced dinner flying onto the Dearly’s lawn.

Isabel pulled back from the kiss at the sound, and her eyes flew to Tucker as he rocked back to his knees. “Oh, my God,” she cried, pushing past a shocked Wesley to rush to her friend’s side.

She bent down next to him, careful to avoid the mess in front of them, and pressed her hand to his forehead. “Wow, Tucker, you’re burning up. We need to get you home.”

Tucker was reeling. This wasn’t how the night was supposed to go at all.

“No, I’m fine,” he managed to mutter just before his stomach tossed wildly again, another portion of his dinner lost.

Isabel rolled her eyes. “Don’t be ridiculous. You’re obviously sick.” She looked up at Wesley’s irritated expression as he approached. “I’m so sorry.”

He grimaced at the sight of the lawn. “It’s alright, but I think it’s best I head out.”

She nodded, frowning as the roar of the convertible filled the street. “It would’ve been nice if he’d helped,” she thought, trying to figure out how she was going to get Tucker’s massively muscled frame up to lean on hers.

She pulled Tucker’s arm around her shoulders. “Come on. Let’s stand.” She groaned under the effort as Tucker got weakly to his feet. He swayed for a second, and she placed a hand at his chest to steady him. “You got it?”

He nodded, leaning against her as she guided him home.

“What were you doing outside if you felt like this?” she asked, concern coating her words.

Tucker had to take a few deep breaths before he could answer. “I wasn’t…sick at first…not like…this.”

“Were you coming to talk to Annie or something?”

Tucker shook his head weakly. “Talk…to you,” he said between deep breaths. He was working desperately hard to keep his stomach in check. He still had to tell Izzy that he liked her, that he wanted to be with her.

“Well, we’ll talk later when you’re feeling better,” Isabel said as they made their way up the walk to Tucker’s front door.

“No, it can’t wait.”But before he could argue, he was retching again.

The door opened, and Jenna peered out. “What happened?” she gasped, finding Isabel rubbing Tucker’s back as he dry heaved in her flower beds. “Chuck!” she called.

“I think he was coming over to my house to talk to me, but he got sick on the lawn. He’s burning up,” Isabel explained as Tucker’s dad came out to help.

“Well, we’d better get him in then.” Chuck pulled Tucker’s arm across his shoulders as Isabel had done, his son’s long body a head taller than his as he helped him up the porch steps. They weren’t even inside before Tucker started arguing about whether or not he’d be going to see a doctor in the morning.

“I’d better go make sure he’s okay, see what medicine I can find for him before we can get him an appointment tomorrow,” Jenna said, wringing her icing smattered apron in her hands, “I’ll have him call you when he’s up to it.”

“Thanks,” Isabel replied, reeling a bit at the events as she headed home. She wondered what he might have wanted to talk about; it was so late. “What if he saw that kiss?” she realized with a start. And why did that bother her?

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