All Chapters of Only His Friends Decide if I'm Worthy: Chapter 1 - Chapter 9

Isable's POVRhea told funny stories from her ski trips, and everyone listened intently.Johnny kept piling food onto my plate until it was a small mountain. I didn't touch any of it, and he didn't notice.After dinner, Rhea suggested checking out a new bar. Naturally, everyone followed.She rode in Johnny's car and sat in the back, expecting me to pass her whatever she needed. "That's what the passenger seat is for, isn't it? Waiting on people," she said.Johnny said nothing and let Rhea's dig slide.She kept talking to Johnny about things from their childhood. I couldn't get a word in.In the past, I would have asked who went by the nickname Tiger or what had actually happened by the river they were talking about. I used to ask questions about everything, trying to remember everyone's stories so I could feel like part of the circle.But this time, I just sat quietly in my seat, barely reacting to anything.When we got out of the car, Johnny ruffled my hair. "You did well thi

Isabel's POVThat day, Johnny and I had a huge fight, and neither of us was willing to back down.He said it was just a dog. I asked him, "Would you say that to Rhea?"He was speechless. We both knew the answer.When he left, he slammed the door so hard the whole house seemed to shake.I found someone I trusted to adopt the dog and sent it far away, where Johnny could never give it to Rhea.When he came home later and saw the dog was gone, he never asked where it went. He simply dropped the subject, and I pretended as if nothing had happened.Lost in the memory, I said nothing, and my silence looked like an admission to everyone else.The group laughed and crowded around me like sharks that smelt blood."No wonder you've always had trouble fitting in. Turns out no one ever loved you growing up," Selena taunted.Nick smirked. "Good thing we're here to fix that antisocial streak of yours."Rhea smiled, but her eyes stayed cold. "Who knows? Maybe Isabel is hiding something inte

Isabel's POVWhen I fell down those stairs that night, I thought I was going to die. It was the first time I'd ever been so honest with Johnny about my feelings.He froze. He had never expected me to be so direct. In the past, I had always shaken my head and said I wasn't upset or angry, even when I was hurting.I swallowed hard against the lump in my throat. "I'm not going to let it go."The guilt on Johnny's face instantly gave way to uncertainty. He asked, "What do you mean?"My fingers curled slightly as I reached up and touched the bandage on my head."To you, this was just a few friends taking a joke too far. But to me, they humiliated me in front of everyone, made jokes about my parents, and took the only thing my parents had left me."Do you know what I was thinking about when I fell down those stairs? The only thing on my mind was making sure I kept my parents' keepsake safe."My fingers trembled as I touched the damaged necklace through the plastic bag."After they d

Third-Person POVJohnny called Isabel over and over, but none of the calls went through.When he realized she'd blocked him, he tried calling from different numbers. His texts went unanswered as well.Dejected, he slid down the front door until he was sitting on the floor.His eyes drifted to the group photos. Isabel wasn't in any of them. She used to hover at the edge of the frame, close enough to be cropped out with a single swipe.He remembered coming home after gatherings to find her sitting on the couch, quiet for a long time. Even when he tried to talk to her, she wouldn't answer. She never saved the group photos, either.He had always assumed that she was just too sensitive. Now he understood that every time she went quiet, she had been swallowing something he never bothered to ask about.His hands trembled as he struggled to keep his emotions under control.He couldn't stop thinking about the necklace and how important it was to Isabel. After some searching, he finally