Heart of the Pride by Anaya Phoenix (top 10 novels to read txt) 📕

“And what would that be?” Izzy poured herself some orange juice and sipped it, watching carefully.

“He sleeps naked, like somebody I know used to.” She rose a brow at her husband and Izzy lost it. She spit out her juice and laughed out loud, her stomach constricting with it.

“He… he sleeps naked!!” She roared, pounding on the marble countertop and doubling over. She stood and wiped her eyes, still giggling and took a deep breath. His parents looked at her with mild humor as she began to eat.

“Oh, hey Izzy. Ready to leave?” Timmy said, coming into the kitchen. As soon as she looked at him she laughed again, damn near falling over when she leaned on the island. He sighed and shook his head.

“She’s not gonna leave me alone about this, I just know it.” He had no idea how true that was.

                She was still giggling even as they walked to lunch, her mind flashing back to how flustered his mother had been.

“It wasn’t even that funny.” He grumbled, adjusting her books in his arms.

“Fuck that! It was hilarious!” She laughed shaking her head and giggling even more. He looked down at her and smiled.

“What am I gonna have to do to make you forget it?”

“Uh nothing. I’m never forgetting this. This, my dear naïve friend, is my ammo. Piss me off and I swear to god I will record me and your mom having a very detailed description of every embarrassing thing you’ve ever done leading to this.” He narrowed his eyes on her, his smile growing wider.

“You wouldn’t.” She winked and walked into the lunch room.

“Try me babe.” She left him there with his mouth open as she sashayed to get herself lunch. Sometimes being a girl was just plain awesome!

                As she bit into her pickle he plumped down next to her, bringing with him the entire basketball team and some of the football flock too.

“Hey there Isabel.” Jaime said, taking the seat across from her and picking off one of her fries from her tray.

“Can I ask why you guys are sitting with me? And why you feel the need to steal my food?” She asked, not really caring if he stole her food.

“We’re sitting with you because we’ve nominated you as ‘The Girl’, I’m stealing your food because as ‘The Girl’ you’ve got to give up your food when we’re hungry.” Jaime explained air quoting ‘The Girl’.

“What’s ‘The Girl’?” She  asked, looking to Timmy to answer. He shrugged, one of his cheeks puffed out with Philly cheese steak.

“Each year we delegate a girl to hang out with us, to balance out the testosterone. Last year it was Cassandra Wilder.” The guys nodded but continued to eat, she raised a brow as no one moved to explain further.

“What happened to Cassandra Wilder?” She asked, looking around for answers.

“Nothing,” a girly voice said, suddenly coming from behind a football player. Izzy looked to the voice to see a pretty blond with hazel eyes and stocky figure. The football player looked up, smiled, and pushed the people around him to make room for her. She tucked a piece of golden hair behind her ear and sat down next to him. She gave him a brief kiss on the lips.

“Sorry I’m late, Mr. Crumbles chewed my ass out because I looked down during his class. It’s all your fault, stupid block-head.” She grumbled, unwrapping her tuna sandwich.

“Babe, I’ve got to profess my love for you each period. You know this.” He said, making the table laugh.

“Oh ha, ha. Get me in trouble again I’m closing up shop and melting the key in the fires that will be my anger.” She said, taking a bite of her sandwich as he dropped his fry.

“You wouldn’t.”

“Try me, Darren, try me.” She said, her hazel eyes glinting in mischief. Izzy smiled as she watched them bicker, it was hilarious and refreshing. It was nice to see someone else fight instead of her family and herself.

“So, wait. Why isn’t she still ‘The Girl’?” Izzy asked, her brow crinkling as she looked at the blond who shrugged.

“Apparently their rules state that if the appointed ‘Girl’ belongs to someone in the group she can’t be the appointed ‘Girl’ anymore.” Cassandra answered, snuggling closer to Darren who didn’t seem to mind as he wrapped his arm around her waist and pulled her even closer.

“Belongs?”

“It’s disgusting, and pig headed. But it works and it keeps them from stealing my food so I’m happy.” Darren gave an outraged gasp,

“You’re only with me to keep your food safe?” To which she replied with a blink and a dumb founded look.

“Why else did you think I was with you?” She said innocently, smiling like a preschooler. The guys laughed and Izzy smiled wider. Maybe she would like being ‘The Girl’, it was always nice to try new things. Bella looked her way and waved a small wave, trying not to drag too much attention to herself. Izzy waved back and flagged her over. Her twin shot a nervous look to Timmy then back to her, the fear clear in her eyes. Isabel looked to Timmy and raised a brow.

“You gonna sop looking at my sister like she’s killed your baby?” She asked with a lilt in her voice, the lilt made his eyes clear up. He knew it.

“Is this one of those things of yours that you make seem like your asking but in all actuality you want me to do it?” He asked, putting one of his fries down. She nodded and smiled at him, then looked to her sister. He followed her gaze and groaned.

“Do I really?” Before she could answer with an indefinite yes a disgruntled yell came from Cassandra. Izzy’s eyes narrowed on her then took in the full situation before she stood up. A brunette, one of the snarky ones, had bumped into Cassandra and made her spill her soda on herself.

“Oops, sorry Cassie.” She said silkily, her minions behind her giggling emptily.

“We wouldn’t have bumped into you but… your backside is so large we couldn’t not walk into it.” The people around them, and had heard, laughed. Izzy cocked her heard and pursed her lips, beside her she heard Timmy sigh. He knew this was going to get bad fast.

“Well, I’m sure her backside would be small too if all she ever ate was dick and water. Scratch the water part, wouldn’t want to gain water weight.” Izzy said to the trio snarky, crossing her arms and cocking her hip. The people around and the people at their table laughed. The brunettes gaze landed on her then widened. She obviously didn’t know that the people here were protected by her.

“O-oh Izzy. I- I didn’t know you sat at this table.” She stuttered and backed into her friends who looked equally as scared.

“Now you know. I’m granting you leniency, that’s only because this period is almost over and I’m still hungry. This is the only time you will be giving you this speck of mercy. Don’t make me do it again.”

“Or maybe it’s because you’re getting soft.” One of her sycophants muttered. Timmy stilled beside her and looked to his friends, who all nodded. They would have to work to get Izzy off of the girl.

“Show you soft…” Izzy mumbled angrily as she stood on the table and stomped across it.

“Now!” Timmy yelled and, as a group, they worked to tear Izzy the Terrible off of the poor girl who decided to be brave.

Izzy fumed silently in the back seat of Timmy’s car. Not only was she forced to be ripped off the her prey, but she’d also gotten detention! Which wouldn’t have been that bad, if she hadn’t unintentionally gotten the boys detention too. They’d made sure that this detention sucked for her by pestering her every time the teacher wasn’t looking. They knew she couldn’t say anything, because then she’d have it for more than one day. Nobody wanted detention for more than one day. It was basically like signing your death certificate. On the dotted line. If you came here more than one time it meant that your life, starting now, was heading toward the downward spiral that, no doubt, ended up in a bad comb- over, and a beer gut. Or for the ladies stringy hair, oily face, and pudgy thighs. Enter shudder here.

                Now the stupid brats sat around her, eating McDonalds and laughing while Izzy sat strapped with three seat belts. She hadn’t made it easy for them, but there were so many of the big bastards and they were too damn strong for her. Not that she would ever admit that, because she wouldn’t. Not ever.

“Are you bastards going to share?” She spit out, her stomach grumbling loudly. They’d finished off her lunch, and they damn well knew it too. She was starving!

“No! You gave us detention, we’re starving.” Darren said, chomping on his fries happily. She sighed in her head and cursed them for this. She let her eyes water, which wasn’t so hard seeing that she was in a car chock full of big sweaty boys, and wrinkled her nose.

“But I’m just so hungry and you guys ate all my food and… it’s just so hard!!” She sobbed, letting plenty of tears fall down. The car went silent as they took in her red face and her tears.

“Izzy-“ Timmy tried, but she caught him off with a sob.

“Why are you guys so mean to me? Is it because I’m a girl? I just want something to eat, you guys just don’t understand!!” She wasn’t making any sense, she was just repeating some of the phrases she’d heard her sister say whenever she cried. They normally worked for her.

“Izzy of course not-“ Darren tried but she slumped against the window.

“Just take me home please, maybe my parents will have something to eat there.” She sniffled and said weakly, “that’s if I make it… I’m known to pass out without food.”

She could barely hide the grin when they all gave their food to her but, somehow, she did.

                They unbuckled her from her seat quickly, scared to make her cry again. She could tell, she saw it in their eyes. She sniffled and picked up her book bag and brushed the crumbs from her shirt.

“Izzy, you Ok?” Timmy asked, getting out of the car and walk to her, his green eyes watching her carefully. She barely hid her smirk.

“Yeah, I’m fine. Sorry, about the tears. I was really hungry.” He looked abashed that he’d made her cry as his cheeks flushed a deep red.

“I’m sorry, we’re dicks. We weren’t thinking and-“ She could no longer hold in her laughter. It bubbled out of her until she was doubled over and clutching her achy abdomen.

“D-dicks don’t normally think!!” She yelled out between laughs, tears winking out the side of her eyes. He narrowed his eyes as his team mates inside finally caught on. She finally controlled herself and took deep soothing breaths.

“OK, I’m, sorry. I was hungry and you guys were just a little too high and mighty for my taste.” She explained, gearing herself for running. She wasn’t an idiot. She knew that you