“‘More monster?’” Izzy growled, but Riley continued despite her interruption. 
	Between Riley’s words and tone, her infuriated expression only deepened as he continued, her nails digging slightly into her palm.
	“You’re enjoying this, aren’t you?” she hissed, her face twisted in anger. “I’m not a kid, and don’t bring my parents into this!” She swiped her hand through the air in emphasis of the demand, taking a small step toward Riley. “The Wolf was going to leave after dumping Trevor’s parents on me. It attacked because [i]I[/i] chose to try delaying it. Not you, me. I would’ve gone to him even if you [i]haden’t[/i] asked me to help, so don’t try playing that card!”
	Her gaze darkened when he continued, his tone changing to one demanding obedience. She stood there for a long moment after he finished, glaring murderously at the man, both fists once more tightly clenched. 
	At last, Izzy gave a heavy snort, then turned on her heels and stormed out of the room without another word. She left the school with a heated quickness, the summery light of early evening warming her skin as she hurried back toward her house. When she had placed a decent distance between her and the school, she stopped, her breaths slightly heavier than usual from her anger and frustration at the situation. She ran a hand through her hair and took a few deep breaths, trying unsuccessfully to calm herself.
	She gave a groan as she realized she had forgotten yet again about the vampire child’s needs, and glanced back the way she had come, the school now out of view. Hoping he would be okay for one more day, she pulled her phone from her pocket to check it, hoping that maybe, just maybe, Trever somehow regained control of himself and tried to contact her. Alas, she had no such luck.
	Glad the device had somehow managed to survive so long, she spared the warning of a dying battery only a quick glance before checking the many missed calls and messages from her brothers.
	She heaved an irritated sigh, and quickly calculated how long she was unconscious for. Coming to somewhere around fifteen hours, she stuffed her phone back into her pocket, her hand following it inside, and trudged her way toward the city, adding coming up with a semi-believable excuse to give her brothers for her absence to the list of issues already mulling around her head in a disoriented mess.
	When she at long last reached the small town, she decided to take a short detour, hoping her bike was still in the alleyway as opposed to somewhere back at the school. Without it, traveling between the two places would be a pain. She found it where she had left it, laying against the ground. At least [i]that[/i] small factor was in her favor.
	Mounting it, ever careful of her left arm, she pedaled toward Trevor’s house on the way home. She stopped outside it for just a short momend, staring at it as if her friend would emerge from the doorway, back to normal. But the house remained dormant, the door still tightly shut, guarding only the possessions of its absent residents.
	With a shake of her head, she hurried back to her house, hoping her brothers would be out or her entrance would go unnoticed at least long enough for her to change out her shirt.
	But, yet again, with her bike leaning against the side of the house in case she needed it for another late-night run, luck was not on her side.
	Trying to wipe her bitterness from her face, the moment she opened the door, Blake bombarded her with questions.
	“Aww, I didn’t know you cared so much,” she answered with a hint of playful sarcasm, incapable of keeping her annoyance from leaking into her voice as she went into the lie she had concocted on her way back. “I’m fine, Blake. I woke up early so I could get a good walk in before you guys got up. Lucas--you remember him, right?--apparently had the same idea. Long story short, I managed to rip my shirt pretty bad, and he came to my rescue. I went to his place since it's closer, borrowed a shirt of his dad’s since all his were in the wash, and fell asleep on their couch with my phone on silent. Forgot to check it when I got up, and we hung out for a few hours after that.”
	Izzy shrugged the whole thing off, and headed to the kitchen, only then realizing how hungry she was. She went to the fridge, pulled it open, and leaned partially inside, scanning the shelves for something quick to grab.