Page 9 of My Debacle with De Lorenzo

I’m not sure why the same mandate isn’t enforced as firmly for Isabella. I mean, they’re sisters. Surely, she has the same social standing, but Scott isn’t nearly as aggressive when it comes to guys talking to Bella. None of it makes any sense to me, but I’m relatively new here. What do I know?

These double standards are weird, but they’re still in place, and Steven is toeing a line. I generally hate when Scott overreacts, but I’m sort of looking forward to it this time. Secretly, I’m hoping it ends with Steve getting punched in the face because he needs to stop running his mouth. Leaning back against my locker, I cross my arms and watch the drama unfold.

“I would choose my words wisely if I were you,” Peter warns softly and there’s a twinkle in his green eyes, like he’s as amused as me to see how this plays out.

“I just want to have a chat with her.” Steven is dumber than I thought because he ignores Scott’s threatening tone and Peter’s warning and smirks instead. “Okay, maybe more than a chat, and...we could see where that leads.”

“Yeah, that’s not happening. We’re a team. We have an image to uphold. You know we don’t fraternize with the likes of her.”

Steven rolls his eyes. “Oh, c’mon, Scott. Don’t you think you’re being a little ridiculous? These girls just live on the wrong side of town. There’s absolutely nothing wrong with that. The rest of us don’t care about where they’re from. Pussy is pussy.”

Scott slams his fist against the side of the locker, the metal clanking loud enough for Steven to jolt. “You’re testing me,” he hisses out through gritted teeth. “I’m not gonna say it again. Keep your damn hands to yourself and stay the hell away from her. And if I find out that you got within ten feet of her, I will rip your fucking ball sack off. No one touches her, least of all you. You have a pretty girlfriend. Have your little chat withher. Have I made myself clear?”

He waits for Steven to nod before he stalks off. That was sort of anticlimactic, like a Quentin Tarantino movie. The buildup was great, but the ending fell flat. I’m left feeling a little disappointed.

Although Steven is rattled by the confrontation, he hides it by rolling his eyes again. “God, Scott has a different level of hatred for that girl. I swear, I could tell him I wanted to get naked with his girlfriend and he wouldn’t get so riled up.” He looks at Kyle and smiles. “I heard what he said, but I’m going to be very selective about how I interpret it. He said I should stay away fromher, not them...so that means Isabella is free game. I think I’m gonna go back for seconds.”

They continue talking about her like she’s a sex object instead of a person and I can’t stomach it anymore. Part of me wants to defend her, but there’s no point. The same thing will happen again tomorrow. Today I’ve reached my limit on listening to them being disrespectful assholes. I grab my stuff and walk out.

3. Isabella

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