Chapter Text
“I cannot believe your parents are seriously letting you move into the basement,” 16 year old Gabby Dawson said to her best friend, Elizabeth, or Izzy as she had been called her whole life, Rossetti as they got into Gabby’s 1977 gray VW Beetle to head to their basketball game at St. Ignatius College Preparatory School in Chicago.
“You know my mom. She worries about Pops and she’d rather have him not have to climb any stairs so Michael gets my room, Pops gets his, and I get a little apartment all my own.”
“They trust you way too much.”
“What am I gonna do? When do I have time to do anything between maintaining a 4.0, basketball, cheerleading, glee club, my job, and art?”
“You so need a boyfriend. I thought you and my brother…”
“It’s never been the right time.”
“You guys have always had an excuse.”
“He’s trying to get into the Olympics.”
“Ugh, whatever,” the Dominican American teenager groaned as she rolled her eyes.
Izzy and Gabby had been friends almost all their lives. Izzy’s mother Stella taught English at night when the girls were 4. One of Stella’s students was a young Dominican immigrant with two young children herself, Camila Dawson. Her English wasn’t the best but Stella worked with her outside of night school and Camilia would bring her children, Antonio and Gabriella, to play with Izzy and her older brother Tony.
“It’s about time you two got here!” They heard from behind them as they walked into the gymnasium.
It was the all too familiar voice of Erin Lindsay. She had come to St. Ignatius the previous year right before Christmas.
She had been taken in by a detective that Izzy’s dad knew pretty well, Hank Voight, and he had asked Izzy to look after Erin. She started off hanging with the ultra popular clique of Stephanie Lynch, Rachel Gatina, Peyton Sawyer, and Sabrina Summers.
Erin had made up a story that her parents were traveling and Hank was her godfather. After a few months of shopping and parties, the group somehow found out who Erin really was and where she came from.
Stephanie made a big show about it in front of everyone in the cafeteria one day. Izzy had never liked Stephanie since Junior High and this gave her the reason she had been looking for for years to knock her on her ass and she took it. Two hits: Izzy hitting Stephanie and Stephanie hitting the ground.
She was suspended for three days and during those three days, Erin came to her house to thank Izzy for sticking up for her. They actually found out that they had a lot in common and soon, Erin was hanging out at the Rossetti’s house almost as much as the Voight’s.
Izzy and Gabby had talked Erin into trying for cheerleader, even if it took a little bit of convincing.
“We gotta get changed before Coach Willis makes runs suicides before the game,” Gabby told her as the three of them headed to the locker room.
Once the St. Ignatius JV girls beat the JV Latin School girls 57-28 with Izzy scoring 19 points and Gabby 12, the two of them ran to change into their cheerleader uniforms before the JV boys game.
“Hey, Izz?”
“What is it, Erin?”
“Check out #32.”
“What about him?”
“He was totally checking you out the entire game. He missed two shots because he was staring at you.”
“Are you high?”
“I know what I saw. Gabby?”
“Yeah?”
“You saw #32 during the game, right?”
“I saw the shots he missed because he was swooning over blondie here.”
“Shut up, both of you,” Izzy told her best friends as they grabbed their things to head to Izzy’s house.
“Hey, uh, blond chick!” They heard come from behind them. “Yeah, you,” the red headed guy laughed. “My friend thinks you’re hot.”
“I’m good.”
“Oh come on, don’t be like that. He’s a nice guy. Just meet him.”
“Well, maybe you should start by introducing yourself.”
“Sorry. Robbie Pratt. You ever heard of World Wide Cup?”
“Nope,” Erin answered.
“Hmm, I’m shocked. Anyways, my family owns the company that provides cups for the stadiums and…”
“Okay, what’s that got to do with your friend liking our friend,” Gabby interrupted.
“Right! Sorry. He’s seen you at a few other games this year and he always talks about how hot he thinks you are. There he is. Hey, Rhodes! I’ve got her for ya!”
“Oh my god,” Izzy muttered to herself, clearly embarrassed.
“Uh, hey.”
“Connor Rhodes, meet…sorry, I didn’t get anyone’s name.”
“I’m Erin Lindsay, this is Gabby Dawson, and this blond cutie is Elizabeth Rossetti or Izzy as she’s called.”
“Yeah, we call them the ‘Unholy Trinity’,” Wolves star Nathan Scott laughed as he walked by them.
“Fuck off, Scott.”
“Tell me when, Lindsay.”
“Anyways. Connor, meet Izzy Rossetti.”
“Hi. Sorry about my friend. He’s just…”
“Yeah, I get it. Listen, it’s really nice to meet you, Connor, but I’m not interested.”
“Boyfriend, right?”
“No. I’m just not interested in rich douchebags from The Latin School that think every girl wants them.”
“Whoa! That’s kind of harsh. You don’t even know me.”
“I saw the way you walked over here.”
“So, the way I walk means I’m a rich douchebag?”
“She didn’t mean that.”
“Yes, I did, Erin. You can tell a lot by someone’s body language.”
“Why does our school offer Psychology as an elective? Listen, why don’t the two of you meet us at Francesco’s? It’s a pizza place on Halstead.”
“We know it well,” Robbie mentioned. “Love their calzones.”
“Her family owns it and the others around the city.”
“And I’m the rich asshole?”
“I believe I said douchebag,” Izzy shot back at Connor. “And I’m not rich.”
“You’re not exactly poor,” Gabby laughed.
“My dad has made some smart investments over the years. So?”
“Listen, we’ll meet you ladies there and the pizza is on us,” Robbie told them.
“We’ll see you there.”
Gabby and Izzy both noticed the flirting between Robbie and Erin and just rolled their eyes.
“Dude, you heard her, she is not interested,” Connor told Robbie as they got in Connor’s black jeep.
“Let her get to know you. I know you’re not a rich douchebag. That’s my title.”
“You don’t have to remind me.”
“Ugh, Izzy, when are you getting a car,” Erin moaned as she tried to change out of her cheer uniform in the back of Gabby’s car. “You had a birthday not that long ago. Fuck it, I give up.”
“We didn’t change,” Izzy laughed. “And I have no idea. My parents haven’t said anything about it.”
“So ask them. Your brother has that Camaro.”
“That they rebuilt for over a year. Have you seen me rebuilding a car with my dad?”
“Do you always have to be such a smartass?”
“We’ve been friends for almost a year and you’re just now asking that?” Gabby chuckled as she pulled her car into a spot in front of the pizza place.
The three girls worked at the restaurant part time so they were greeted warmly by a bunch of the regulars that were at the bar. First thing they did was go to the office and see Izzy’s grandfather, “Pops” as he was called.
“There’s my girls. How was the game tonight?”
“Your granddaughter scored 19 points.”
“What about you, Gabby?”
“12.”
“Erin?”
“You know I don’t play basketball, Pops.”
“Right. Did you have spirit tonight?”
“Always,” Erin retorted with a smartass grin.
“Good. Gabby, when is your next boxing match?”
“Two weeks from tonight so I’ll work that afternoon.”
“No, you’ll spend that afternoon getting prepared, not slinging pizza, sandwiches, and pasta.”
“If you say so.”
“They’re here,” Erin whispered as she saw Connor and Robbie sit in the round booth in the corner.
“This booth is reserved for more than two people,” Izzy’s cousin Enzo told them.
“They’re with us, assface,” Izzy told him as she pulled him away by his ear. “And don’t be rude to customers.”
“Ow, ow, ow! Why do you always go for the ear?”
“Because I can. Now, we want…”
“I know thin crust deluxe with no mushrooms. You guys?”
“Sounds good,” Connor told him.
“Then you might want to get more than one cause these three can eat two.”
“We’ll take three then,” Robbie added.
“You got it and whichever one of you is after my cousin, she acts tough but she’s really not.”
“Can you go put the order in, jerk off?”
“I’m going,” Enzo said with a laugh as he walked away.
Gabby and Erin made it where Izzy had no choice but to sit by Connor.
“So, do you have any brothers or…”
“Two brothers; one older, one younger. You?”
“Older sister.”
The table was awkwardly quiet before Izzy finally got up and went to the jukebox.
“See?”
“Follow her,” Gabby told him.
“Are you sure uh…”
“Gabby and yes. We’ve been friends since we were 4. She likes the chase.”
“So, what kind of music are you into?”
“Right now? 70s and 80s mainly. Who are you, the Fonz?” Izzy asked the 6’2 Sophomore when she noticed him leaning against the jukebox.
“Wow you are a piece of work, you know that?”
“What do you mean?”
“I’m trying to get to know you and you shut me down at every turn. Get to know me before you decide to hate me. I promise I’m not your everyday rich douchebag.”
The blond cheerleader punched in one of her favorites, B-14, or “Don’t Rain on my Parade” by Bobby Darin before turning to the heir of the Dolan Rhodes fortune. “Fine.”
“Yeah?”
“Yeah. I’ll give you a tiny chance to see what you’re like tonight and then I’ll make my decision.”
“On?”
“A date?”
“A date? Who said anything about a date? I just want to sleep with you.”
Izzy’s brown eyes went wide and her mouth dropped.
“I’m completely kidding,” Connor laughed. “This is gonna be fun.”
“We’ll see. I may make you wish you were never born.”
“Oh, my dad makes me feel like that all the time so you’re out of luck on that one.”
Izzy couldn’t help but laugh as they walked back to the table.
“I got her to laugh. That’s gotta be a good sign.”
“Don’t get a big head, Rhodes.”
They ended up having a whole pizza left and the guys insisted the girls take it with them since they were going to Izzy’s for the night.
“So, when are you going on your date?” Gabby asked after they got in their pajamas.
“Whenever he calls I suppose.”