Intermission - To work for it (Part 3).

Isabelle thought her words over and over as she rode the bus. She would meet Noelle at 7:30 pm at a small park near her house.

Noelle had been confused, and more than a little apologetic.

“You needed to talk to me and I was just at your house. I’m sorry, I should’ve waited a bit more to at least say hi,” the redhead had said over the phone.

The girl was so innocent and pure it really made you feel guilty for having to bring her bad news. Isabelle couldn’t blame Oliver for not daring to tell her, as the only thing stopping her from turning back was that she’d promised her brother she would help.

The park where they met had stone walkways, areas with short, green grass and a playground with a jungle gym, seesaws and swings. According to what they’d told her, Noelle and Alice had found Cake close to this place. It was starting to get dark, but the park was well lit with tall lamp posts.

“Isabelle,” Noelle called to her from a bench.

“Hey. Sorry to bother you at this hour,” Isabelle told her, walking to her and greeting her with a peck on the cheek. She sat down next to her.

Noelle giggled. “It’s no bother. But what’s so important that it can’t wait until tomorrow? Or be said over the phone.”

“...It’d be even more awkward to tell you at school,” Isabelle said. “But whether I tell you or not depends on how you answer a question.”

Noelle raised an eyebrow. “S-Sure?”

“Sorry to throw this at you out of nowhere, but… Noelle, do you like Oliver?”

Noelle tensed up and her face turned fully red in mere seconds.

“W-W-What? Why do you…?”

“Because it’s kind of obvious. If you don’t, then I’m just seeing things and that’s that. But tell me. Do you like him?”

Noelle pressed her legs together, gripped her knees and stared down at her hands. “I… It’s… I know it might be strange but… I do. I l-like him a lot.”

God, she was so cute! And the most likely scenario was that she was going to get her heart broken! But better be upfront than hide things. It would only hurt more down the line.

Isabelle grimaced. “Then… I do have to tell you.”

Noelle’s eyes widened. Her face fell for a moment before she **** herself to smile. It was heartbreaking. “He’s already seeing someone else, isn’t he?”

“It’s… Yes. Did you know?”

“I had a feeling.” She **** a chuckle. “Who…?”

“Milana, Grace and Sarah.”

“...” Noelle blinked. “Wait. Huh?”

“He only just told me. I finally convinced him to trust me again, if only a little. They have a… semi-open relationship, I guess? Milana, Grace and Sarah are only dating Oliver… but they let him see other girls, apparently.”

Noelle’s jaw half-hung as she tried to process it, keeping quiet for a long moment. Isabelle let her. It was a tough pill to swallow.

“You know, I kind of thought that would be the case,” Noelle chuckled weakly. “The first part, at least. Those girls seem so into him, and they spend all their time together, right? It’s like there wasn’t any other answer.”

“When Oliver told me, I thought of you,” Isabelle told her. “They’re doing their best to keep it a secret, but… I felt it was only fair that you knew, too, since…” Isabelle spoke through the knot in her throat. “I told Oliver I wanted to tell you, and he said okay.”

Noelle’s face turned to horror. “D-D-Does he know I…!?”

“He had an idea,” Isabelle offered wryly. “He wanted to tell you himself, but couldn’t find a way to do it.”

“I… see.” Noelle pursed her lips. Under the park lights, the glittering of her eyes was clearer. “I suppose he didn’t… I never had a chance, did I?”

Should she do it? Should she tell her? It felt like a good opportunity.

…

Fuck it. Go for it.

“I’m not so sure about that.”

“What?”

“Oliver… He really likes you. He told me so himself. But what could he do about it? Just because his… girlfriends encourage him to see other girls, doesn’t mean you’d agree to that arrangement, right? He wanted to tell you this himself, but he was scared you’d hate him for it.”

“...” Noelle bit her lip. “It’s such a wild thing. I like to think I keep an open mind, but I don’t know if… if I could agree to something like that.”

“Yeah, I don’t blame you.” Isabelle sighed. “Still, you know Oliver had a pretty bad case of social anxiety to the point he couldn’t speak to people, right? But ever since he started dating those three, he started to change. He talks far more, he got a job, he hits the gym, he’s willing to take risks and chances he never would’ve before. Those girls helped him change and grow while I was too damn busy looking elsewhere, doing stupid crap and even making things worse for him.” Isabelle’s lip quivered, but she pushed through. “He looks happier than ever. Hell, he LOOKS better than ever. Weird as what they have is, no one can deny it’s been great for him. I used to hate their guts, and for stupid reasons, but now that I know the truth, I know how dumb I was. I need to apologize to them tomorrow.” She clicked her tongue and shook her head. “Sorry. I’m getting ahead of myself. I don’t even know what I’m trying to say anymore.”

Noelle swallowed. “Thanks for telling me, Isabelle. I think… I think I can start moving on now, at least.”

“...I think you two would make a great couple,” Isabelle told her.

“You mean ‘would have’,” Noelle corrected, laughing weakly.

“...” Isabelle stood up. “I bet Oliver will want to talk to you soon to clear things up.”

Noelle nodded. “I still want to be friends with him, at least.”

Isabelle smiled. “Thanks. I really mean it.”

The two girls hugged as they said their goodbyes.

Sometimes Isabelle wished she could read minds, and this was one of those times. Noelle’s face showed she was deep in thought, even as they parted ways. What was she thinking about?

Isabelle wished she had a fail-proof solution to Oliver’s problem. She wished she could convince Noelle to go for it and date her brother, but trying to push her into it would only make her reject the idea even more. No, this was all she could do for now. Much as she’d like to help more, in the end this could only be resolved between Oliver and Noelle. But somehow, Isabelle wasn’t worried, not with the way her brother was now.

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