Okay so I had this idea and I just really need it in my life. Isabella is perfect tbh. This may be long. It's going to span over three and half years...maybe. We'll see how it goes. I apologize in advance if parts of this chapter seem forced. I found parts hard to get through. POV shifts between Isabella and JJ. Also fanfiction needs to add Isabella Yang to the characters and I'll update that.

Isabella smoothed her dress, making sure her hair was in perfect place to make her look like a professional journalist and not a fangirl about to meet her crush. She took a few deep breaths and nodded at herself in the mirror. She had her recorder and note pad ready. She was going to do this article for the school newspaper and her grade 10 journalism class. She could do this. Don't freak out. Don't freak out. She repeated the mantra to herself.

She stepped out of the bathroom before spotting a group of girls outside, cameras flashing. She knew he was there. Should she go outside to greet him or just wait inside? Hadn't he said he'd meet her inside? Maybe that was better. That way she was sure not to get mistaken for a crazed fan. She took a few deep breaths before the door opened, letting in the sounds of the girls protesting.

"We love you, JJ!" Multiple voices were shouting.

"I love you too!" He waved, blowing kisses as he walked in.

Her heart stopped. She couldn't breathe. It was him. THE Jean Jacques Leroy. He pushed his sunglasses up to sit on the top of his head. He was wearing jeans with a nice blue button down that caused his blue eyes to pop. He was even more handsome in person. His eyes laid on her. He smiled walking over.

"Isabella Yang?" He grinned taking her hand.

"Y-yes." She tried to smile. Pull it together!

"Enchanté! He winked before kissing her hand. She could feel her cheeks burning. "I made reservations. Shall we?"

She nodded. She couldn't believe he was sixteen! He was talking like an adult! It must be all the interviews he's had. She knew skaters were often groomed young on how to socialize and interact in choice company. Maybe she was making a mistake. Could she be as poised?

She let him lead her as they followed the waiter. She had found it so strange that he wanted to meet up at a restaurant, let alone one so upscale. She knew this place. It was expensive, but as she looked around at the tables as they past, she found it even crazier. How could JJ Leroy walk past them and they not even look up? Sure, not everyone followed ice skating, but he was from this area. He was a big deal. Maybe they were used to be in the presence of other popular people.

They were led to a table in a private seating area with dim lighting and candles on the table with roses as a table piece. It was all very beautiful and romantic. She was thankful for the dim light. She knew her cheeks were burning. She thanked the waiter as she went to sit. JJ stopped her, pulling the chair out for her and presenting it with a wave of his hand and a sly smile. She blinked for a minute, freezing before pulling herself together and sitting. She had never had this kind of thing happen before. It was a bit overwhelming. She knew he was nice to his fans, but she had never expected this.

JJ thanked the waiter and sat down in own seat pulling the menu toward him, studying it. The way the lit hit his face, she wanted to die. God, he was even more beautiful. Of course she knew everyone looked better in this lighting, but still, she couldn't take her eyes off of him. He glanced up snapping her out of her trance. He smiled, setting the menu down.

"I hope you don't mind the lighting. I like to dine in privacy. My family always had the habit. Do you know what you'd like to have?"

"I…I don't…it's fine." She forced a smile. "I don't know if I can…"

"Please, order whatever you'd like. It's on me of course." He winked.

"Oh, thank you." She glanced over the menu, trying hard to focus. She could feel his eyes on her, watching. She took a slow deep breath hoping he wouldn't catch her trying to calm her nerves.

"You're nervous. Why?" Dammit. She looked up to see him frowning slightly.

"Well I mean I've never met someone like you before," she hated to admit.

"Just think of this as a date with anyone else you like. A classmate. An old friend. I'm just a person, Isabella."

"A…date?" Her eyes went wide. She silently thanked the heavens that he had looked away back to the menu.

"I'm not used to people not talking around me. I promise I don't bite. I am actually very nice." He flashed a smile.

"Right…" She breathed.

She went back to looking at the menu when her purse started to buzz. She knew her friends from were blowing up her phone wanting to know about the interview. She could hear still hear their voices protesting when she'd told them the location of the interview. They'd been so angry. They were sure she was trying to swoop in and steal JJ from them. It was just an interview. She had promised them that. She didn't understand why they were so angry. She promised to get things signed for them. She slipped her hand in her purse to silence the phone, her heart dropping at the text notification that she saw.

"I swear to god, if you are on a date with him I am never fucking talking to you again, Isabella. Bitch."

She swiped the notification off the screen and went back to choosing from the menu. He was insisting on an interview over dinner and if he was offering, may as well get a free meal out of it too. He was so polite, so comforting.

The waiter came back, taking their orders and menus, leaving them once again in privacy. Isabella smoothed her skirt and picked up her pen. She smiled and looked up at him. He was sitting there watching her, his eyes on the pen and paper.

"So I think we should get started if you don't mind. May I record the interview?" She asked politely pulling out the tape recorder. He gave her a puzzled look.

"Interview?"

"For my school newspaper. I want to be a journalist. I said this in the email." Her stomach started churning.

"Oh…" He sounded let down. "Yeah, okay. An interview. That's cool."

"Okay, great!" She smiled, starting the recorder. "So I'll start off with introductions. I'm Isabella Yang. I'm a grade 10 student. This interview is for my journalism class. The assignment was to interview a person you admire. I'm here with Jean Jacques Leroy, Canada's beloved figure skater who has just entered the senior division with amazing success. Thank you for agreeing to meet with me."

"No problem! The pleasure is all mine!" He sent a wink to her. "And may I say, Isabella, you look rather stunning this evening."

"Right, so my first question." She said trying not to let his comment get to her. She glanced at her notepad to stay focused on the questions. "What have you found to be the most difficult thing going into senior division from the junior division?"

"Well I don't have as much experience as everyone, so I feel a little intimidated, but skating is literally in my blood and my parents are very supportive and teach me a lot. I think I've had an advantage having been skating with them since before I can remember." He sipped on his water.

"Your parents are both retired Olympic skaters who have won a variety of metals for Canada." She smiled.

"Yeah, they're pretty great. They've gotten my young siblings and I into since we were small. It's great being a in a family like that."

"Do you one day hope to join your parents legacy at the Olympics and represent us in the winter games?" Isabella looked at him as he paused. He leaned toward her and rested his chin on his hand.

"Of course. I don't think there's any other option," he blinked. "It's really an expectation at this point wouldn't you say?" His eyes fell to the table. Isabella paused. That wasn't the reaction she had expected. He took the opportunity to speak again. "Since you get to interview me, may I interview you, Miss Yang?"

"Yeah, that could be fun," she smiled. "So on that note…"

"What is your favorite color?" he asked.

"Um…I guess lilac." She smiled, shifting. "So you said that you feel that it's an expectation to one day compete in the Olympics. Would you say your parents expect a lot from you in terms of skating?" JJ stared at her again, a long hard stare.

"I think that all parents want to push their kids to do their best. Mine are no different. They know what I'm capable of and coach me to the best of their ability. What's your favorite childhood movie?"

"I guess I'd have to say Beauty and the Beast." She tucked her hair behind her ears. "What do you like most about being a skater?"

"I get to do things that most people would never think the body could do. I get to be in the moment." He played with his napkin. She watched him for a moment. He pushed it toward her. "I made a swan!"

She laughed. It looked like a swan for just a moment before the weight of the cloth napkin caused it to melt to the table. "So you like to fold napkins?"

"You have a really cute laugh."

"Thank you..." Isabella couldn't help smiling again.

"I love your smile too. Tell me, have you ever ice skated before? I mean probably, right? We live in Canada and tons of people do it for fun. Plus you follow ice skating." His eyes lingered on her face.

"Actually, no, I haven't. I've always been so scared." She tugged at her sleeve.

"Well maybe I could take you sometime? Maybe after we eat? My home rink isn't that far from here. It would be fun. I could show you a thing or two."

"Um…I…that would be great!"

"Great!" he flashed a smile. "Oooh look! Food!"

The waiter set down the food. Isabella put her notepad away to make room for the plate. They ate over polite conversation the interview almost forgotten. He really was a good conversationalist. Other boys their age were nowhere near as well spoken. She knew it had to be from being groomed in the public light. Halfway through the meal the nerves had gone away alone with the feigned formality and she suddenly felt like she was talking to an old friend. He really was as nice as he seemed.

She learned his parents hired private tutors for all three of their children and homeschooled them. JJ was a bit older than his younger siblings and often felt isolated from kids his own age. He wanted to feel like a normal teenager, but he didn't think he could. He was very close with both of his siblings, but he still wanted to be with other sixteen year olds.

"Honestly that's one of the big reasons I like to do things with my fans. They're actually my age. I don't even know what other sixteen year old do?" He sighed. "It gets frustrating. And it's really hard to make friends with skaters because you only see them at competitions. My dad has told me since I was little that you have to ooze confidence at competitions. You can't believe someone else is going to beat you. Everyone is going for gold. Nobody enters to lose."

"So you don't interact with other teenagers?" Isabella frowned. "But you do a lot of volunteering."

"With my family. And mostly with the elderly or little kids or the homeless. Saturday mornings we volunteer at the food bank and help sort food and inspect the packaging to make sure it's safe. I absolutely love doing blanket and toy drives! It's nice to see people smile." He paused when the waiter came by to clear the table, handing the check to JJ. He pulled out a card and handed it back with a smile and polite thank you. He turned back to Isabella and smiled.

The interview! Her heart sank with the realization. She had spent all this time with him and didn't have the interview complete. They had talked the whole time, but did she have enough for her assignment? She pulled out her pad and glanced over the questions. Most of the questions were asked and she did have some quality stuff recorded. Maybe she should finish up the interview? There were only five more questions.

"Do you still want to go back to the rink with me?" JJ asked.

"Um…" She pulled out her phone to check the time. Twenty text messages. She pulled down the notifications, trying hard to ignore the ones from the club. As long as her mom hadn't texted her, it should be alright to go. She threw the phone back into her purse and smiled. "Yeah! Sorry, I had to check to see if my mom was asking about me. I can go! I'd love to!"

"Great!" He smiled standing.

The two left the restaurant, both eager to go to the rink. Her cheeks burned when he asked to hold her hand. His hand was so soft. She hadn't expected that. She felt something when he took her hand. She side-eyed him trying to determine if he'd felt it as well. He hurriedly pulled her toward a car, glancing around to make sure the coast was clear. He opened the door for her. He climbed in with a smile. This was happening!

He got in on the other side and started up the car. A familiar melody filled the air. She gasped. It was her favorite band. She stared at him with a huge grin. He

JJ led Isabella into the large building that held the ice rink. The inside looked far less impressive that the outside. There was a woman at the front desk reading a magazine with a bored expression on her face. JJ called a greeting to her which she responded with a warm smile and wave.

"Hi, JJ! Do you need the rink?" She asked. "I haven't seen your parents yet."

"Yeah, I do! It's okay. It's not an official practice. I just want to skate with my friend, Isabella." He gestured toward her. "Isabella, this is Renee. She works for the rink."

"Oh. Nice to meet you." Isabella smiled.

"Do you parents know you have a new friend?" Renee winked at him.

"No." He muttered. "We need skates. What size do you wear, Isabella?" He asked.

"Um…six?" He nodded, grabbing her a pair. He thanked Renee and pulled her behind him excitedly.

She entered the main room alone while JJ went to change his clothes. The rink was colder than she'd expected. She felt dumb for thinking that. Of course it'd be cold. They didn't want the ice to melt. But she still wasn't expecting it. She glanced around the room noting a few seats around the rink and a set of bleachers. The ice was perfectly smoothed. She wondered how often they resurfaced it. The lights were reflecting off of it in a brilliant glow. She had never been inside one of these before. She'd only seen it on television and online. There was something about the air here that felt peaceful.

JJ appeared next to her in a pair of black leggings and a tight athletic shirt with long sleeves. She couldn't help but admire the way the clothes clung to him. It was hard to look away. She watched him change into his skates. He stood up, walked toward the wall. He glanced at her with a smile. She watched him pull the covers off the blades of his skates, winking at her once more and pushing himself backwards toward the ice.

His movements were so graceful, so beautiful. She couldn't believe she was watching this in person. He looked almost as though he was doing laps. His eyes were closed, his face peaceful. Isabella wondered how he seemed to know when to change direction to avoid the walls. How long had he been here? Certainly he practiced a lot. You didn't get to be as good as he was without it, but still she couldn't help it. He appeared in front of her, cheeks red, a huge smile on his face.

"Come on, it's okay. I promise it doesn't hurt that much when you fall." He let out a soft laugh.

"I really don't do well with any kind of pain," she said nervously, as she stared at the skates next to her.

"I won't let you fall. If you do, you can fall on me, okay? Come on! It's so much fun. You'll love it." He encouraged.

Suck it up, Isabella. You're going to skate with Jean Jacques Leroy. This is a once in a life time opportunity. She nodded, changing into her skates. She stood, surprised at how easily she found her balance. She was expecting to fall and break her ankle, but she felt more like when she'd first started to wear heels, a little unsteady, but if she was slow enough, it would work. JJ held out his hands to her, steadying her as she stepped on the ice.

"See! Still standing!" He smiled. "Okay, baby steps." She started shakily, his arms around her waist and one holding her hand. "Good," he encouraged her.

They went around like that, nice a slow. She kept almost falling, but he was true to his word and caught her. She couldn't help laughing. It was embarrassing, but fun all at once. She loved his laugh. It was so warm and reassuring. She could listen to it forever. He suddenly let go of her taking her other hand.

"Okay, now that you've got the hang of it while I'm holding you, let's just do me holding your hands, okay?" His eyes sparkled as he watched her.

"Are you sure about this?" Her heart raced in her chest. She didn't want to fall and embarrass herself in front of him.

"Yes, I'm very sure." He started to glide back slowly, pulling her along.

Her heart pounded fast. She didn't feel much resistance at all. The feeling twisted her stomach, but filled her with glee too. He instructed her patiently, catching her when she tripped up. It seemed to be going very well until she got a little too much momentum and the two fell into a jumbled mess on the ice. JJ laughed, standing up and pulling her back up with him.

"I'm so sorry!" She apologized. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine! Are you okay?"

"Yes, but I think maybe it's been enough. I don't want to fall on you and hurt you again." She avoided eye contact.

He led her back toward the bench, staying on the ice as he watched her sit down safely. "Do you want to see my program I'm working on?" His eyes were alive.

"I'd love that!" She breathed.

He flashed a smile and was suddenly in the middle of the ice. His speed amazed her. She watched eagerly as he began. He sucked her in with the way he danced across the ice. It didn't feel real as she watched. The jump sequence had her holding her breath. How did he move like this? She couldn't wait to tell the club at school about this. They were going to freak out when she told them about what an artist he really was. Of course they knew, but she had seen in with her own eyes. She cringed as he missed a landing on a jump, but was excited how he kept going. She had stopped when she fell, not JJ. He finished, once again in the middle of the ice.

"More speed to get a little higher on that jump, JJ!" A voice called through the room.

JJ tensed for a moment before looking around. She heard footsteps coming from a few feet away. Alain Leroy. Her breath hitched. This man was a legend and her he was standing next to her! She couldn't move, couldn't speak. She watched them silent.

"Do it again. Just the jump. I want to see three good ones. Go."

JJ licked his lips, his eyes flickering to Isabella. "Papa, I."

"Don't talk back. Just do it." The man's tone was firm, but held no malice. "Three good jumps. I know you can stick that jump. It's elementary. Come on."

JJ complied wordlessly. The third apparently wasn't up to Alain's standards as he demanded three more. Isabella was sure he'd made him do fifty by the time he was allowed to finish. Her mind went back to the interview. JJ had seemed a bit uncomfortable with the questions about his parents. He came up to the wall, grabbing the blade covers and coming off the ice, sitting next to Isabella. Alain's eyebrows raised when he saw her.

"Who's this, kiddo?" He messed JJ's hair.

"Papa, you're embarrassing me…" JJ muttered, his cheeks flushing more than they already were from the activity.

"I'm your father. That's my job." Alain winked.

"This is my friend, Isabella." JJ smiled. "Isabella, this is my dad."

"Alain Leroy!" She beamed.

"Yeah…" JJ laughed as Isabella jumped to her feet suddenly back to her senses.

"It's an honor to meet you, sir! You're so talented. I'm such a fan of your work!" She gushed.

"Are you a fan of JJ's?" Alain inquired.

"Oh yes, very much." She beamed.

"How did the two of you meet?" He eyed JJ.

"I want to be a journalist and I had and assignment to interview someone I admire. So I emailed to ask for an interview with JJ. Thank you so much again for giving me the honor." She smiled looking back at JJ.

"An assignment."

"I'm a grade ten journalism student." She explained.

"Right." He smiled. "Well it was good to meet you. I hope you find your way home well. JJ, your mother probably has dinner ready."

"Actually…" JJ started, rubbing the back of his head. "Isabella actually lives bit away. Can I take her back to where we met? It was about a twenty minute drive."

Alain stood there for a minute, his eyes going between the two of them. Isabella felt like she was intruding on something. Suddenly she just wanted to be at home typing up her interview assignment or watching videos online. Really anywhere far from there where she wasn't in the middle of something. Alain finally broke the silence.

"Fine. Keep your phone and call right away when you're on your way back."

"Okay." JJ nodded.

"I love you, JJ." He said gently, hugging him before the two walked away. She could feel his eyes watching as they left.

Isabella walked through her front door, a smile plastered on her face. JJ had asked her for her number. He wanted to keep in contact. He was glad to make a friend. Maybe he would agree to come to a meeting for JJ's Girls. She'd be the best president ever if she could arrange that. He liked meeting his fans, right? So she didn't see it being a problem, though part of her felt the need to give it time before asking. Let the friendship grow more organically. She didn't want to be a crazed fan in his eyes. He honestly deserved a friend.

She ran up the stairs to her room to get started on her assignments before dinner. She opened her phone, groaning at the notifications. She read through the group text for JJ's Girls. It was a mixture of jealousy and aggression. She shook her head reading it. Why were they doing this? JJ's Girls were supposed to stick together and be nice to one another. There really needed to be more girls being nice to girls in the world. That had been their vision.

Her heart sank when she saw pictures of her and JJ together. One of them holding hands walking down the street. Another of her in the car with him. Another of the hug he'd given her when she was leaving. Followed by the angriest texts yet.

"What the literal fuck, Isabella? That doesn't look like an interview!"

"You're such a whore omg!"

"YOU KNOW I LIKE HIM MORE."

"Fuck you, you fucking bitch."

She didn't feel like dealing with this. Not tonight. Let them be angry. She wasn't doing anything wrong. She just spent time with JJ Leroy. They all loved him. They all wanted to meet him. And they all hopefully would, but she couldn't find the energy to worry about them. She had to get this paper typed up and ready to hand in by tomorrow. They'd understand. For now, she just wanted peace. Her phone sounded again. She went to silence it when she saw JJ's name.

"Hey, I just wanted to say I had a really nice time meeting you. Sorry about my dad. He's kind of intense when it comes to coaching. He's a really great guy though. Anyway good night, Isabella Yang."

Her cheeks burned reading it. JJ had texted her. She pulled her knees to her chest and sent him a text back before laying back in bed, a smile permanently plastered to her face. She was friends with Jean Jacques Leroy. Nothing else mattered.

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