“You don’t know what you’re talking about.”
Danni snorted. “That figures; typical Darren, putting everyone down when he doesn’t like what he hears. You know what? I could do that too.”
“Go ahead,” Darren said.
“Don’t think I won’t,” Danni warned.
“Then do it. What? Are you scared?” Darren taunted.
“I think maybe you’re the one who’s scared,” Danni said.
The defiance left Darren’s eyes. “Yeah, maybe.”
Danni stepped closer to him. “Why?”
“What if I fail?” he asked. “Everyone’s expecting me to get this arm and transform into this bad ass baseball player, but what if I can’t do it? I wouldn’t want to let everyone down if they gave me all that money.”
“Or maybe you don’t want to let yourself down.”
“Maybe that too.”
“The only way you’ll let anyone down is if you give up without even trying.”
Darren cracked a small smile. “You think you’re pretty smart, don’t you?”
Danni smirked back at him. “I don’t think I am. I know I am and so do you.”
“Yeah, I do.” Darren slid his arm around Danni’s waist and pulled her closer. When he dipped his head toward hers, she pulled back. “You don’t want to kiss me?”
“Not until you promise you’ll think about it,” Danni said.
“Think about kissing you?”
Danni sighed. “I’m serious, D.J.”
His expression sobered. “I’ll think about it.”
“About what? I want to hear you say it.”
Darren grinned at her. “I’ll think about trying some of these fundraisers, I promise.”
The second time he brought his head toward hers, Danni didn’t avoid his kiss.
Chapter Twenty-four
As they waited for not only the first bell of the day to ring but Darren to show up, Danni and her friends stood in their favorite morning meeting spot.
“I can’t believe Darren didn’t like our ideas,” Marcy said.
“It wasn’t that he didn’t like them,” Danni said. “I think we just kind of overwhelmed him. Besides, he said he’d think about it.”
“Even if he doesn’t, I wouldn’t worry too much about it,” Chelsea said.
Marcy frowned. “Why not?”
Chelsea shrugged. “No reason.”
“What are you up to?” Danni asked.
Chelsea gave her a sly smile. “What makes you think I’m up to anything?”
“Oh, I don’t know,” Danni said. “Maybe it’s that shit eating grin.”
Marcy wrinkled her nose. “That’s gross.”
“And totally untrue,” Chelsea added. “Darren’s here.”
For the moment, Danni was distracted by her boyfriend’s approach. The way he moved belied just how appealing he was. Before his accident, Darren strode with confidence, always keeping his head up and his back straight. Back then there was no doubt he knew girls were looking at him and liking what they saw while guys were just wishing they could be him. Now he walked with a slouch that seemed to suggest he was trying to curl up inside himself.
His choice of clothes had also changed. Darren used to wear shirts that showed off the taut muscles in his arms and stomach. Now he hid beneath bulky sweatshirts as if hoping to draw attention away from his body.
Even Darren’s hair was different. It had always spilled over his forehead, but since the accident he had let it grow even longer in the front. No doubt he was trying to hide the jagged scar that was the result of the stitches he once had across his forehead. Despite all these changes, Darren couldn’t alter the thing that still made him the hottest guy she had ever seen. There was no changing those blue eyes.
“Earth to Danni,” Marcy said.
“Oh no, I think we lost her,” Chelsea joked.
Danni’s cheeks pinked. She had been so lost in her thoughts that she’d forgotten where she was; so lost she hadn’t even realized when Darren not only joined them but slid his arm around her shoulders.
He peered at her with a look of concern. “You okay?”
“Yeah, sorry, just spaced out for a minute,” Danni said and then smiled.
Chelsea laughed. “No kidding! What were you thinking about anyway?”
Though she drew in a breath to speak, Danni had no idea what she was going to say. Relief washed over her when the bell rang to save her from having to answer. Besides, from the way Darren was grinning at her, she was pretty sure he knew just what she was thinking.
* * *
Even though it was almost ten at night, Danni was nowhere near finishing her French homework. She knew it was her own fault, both for waiting so long to do it and for taking the class. Danni cursed the day she decided to take French instead of Spanish like her mom wanted her to. After almost four years of it, she still hated doing translation exercises.
The clanging of her cell’s text message alert was a welcome distraction. Danni shoved her homework aside and pounced on the phone. A frown creased her brow. Why was Justin texting her?
J.J.: Okay, all set for Friday. Six okay with you guys?
Danni: Okay for what?
J.J.: Sorry, Danni. Sent this to the wrong girl.
Danni: Good thing Chelsea thinks you’re gay or she’d be heartbroken.
J.J.: LOL! Do me a favor and don’t mention this to D.J.
Danni’s frown deepened as she typed her reply: Why not?
J.J.: Not sure if you noticed but my brother gets a little jealous when it comes to you.
Danni’s face warmed, and she was glad he wasn’t there to see it. She texted: Fine, whatever. Have fun on your date.
J.J.: What date?
Danni: The one you’re planning for six on Friday.
J.J.: Oh, right. Talk to you later.
Danni typed the word later back to Justin and set her phone aside. Heaving a sigh, she picked up her homework once more. She made it halfway through the second of the five paragraphs she had to translate before being interrupted by a knock on her bedroom door.
“Yeah?” Danni called without looking up from her book.
The door cracked open. “Does that mean it’s safe to enter?” Charmain asked, following her words with a laugh.
“Yeah, sorry, I was just doing some homework.”
Charmain frowned. “Isn’t it a little late for you to be doing that?”
“Isn’t it a little late for you to just be coming home?” Danni smiled to make sure her mom knew she was only kidding.
Her mom laughed again. “Touché! So what are you working on? Maybe I can help.”
“French, and before you say anything, I know I should’ve taken Spanish. Believe me, I wish I had.”
“I wish you had too. Bilingual Spanish speakers are in demand in a lot of fields.”
Danni fought the urge to roll her eyes. “I thought I told you not to say anything.”
“Sorry, force of habit. Listen, don’t make any plans for Friday.”
“Why not?” Danni asked.
“I thought we could go out to dinner.”
“Oh, okay. Is Nick coming?”
Charmain smiled at her. “I don’t think we’ll need him there.”
“Um, okay.” Danni frowned at her mom’s strange choice of words.
“Great, I’ll let you get back to your French homework, which could’ve been Spanish if you’d listened to me.”
“Mom!” Danni said, and her mother giggled.
If she didn’t think it would have made her mom mad, she would have thrown a pillow at her. Instead, she returned her attention to the dreaded French, hating the fact that her mom was right. She should have taken Spanish!
* * *
“Am I blind, or is Adam Westfield looking right at us?” Chelsea asked.
Both Danni and Marcy turned in the direction Chelsea indicated. Adam stood a few feet away with a couple of friends, but he didn’t seem interested in them.
He was watching the trio of girls who stood in front of the school waiting for Darren to arrive. When his eyes met Danni’s, he glanced back at his friends.
Though she had known Adam since elementary school, Danni didn’t think of him as a friend or even an acquaintance. Beyond an occasional exchange of hello, their brief conversations had been confined to school related topics. If Danni ever missed a class she shared with Adam, she could count on him to know the homework assignment.
Like Danni and her friends, Adam was one of those academic types who didn’t fit in with Spencer and his crowd. He wasn’t bad looking, but he wasn’t memorable either. Tall and thin with messy brown hair and chocolate brown eyes hiding behind a pair of square framed glasses, it was safe to say Adam was ordinary looking.
“He’s doing it again,” Chelsea said.
Danni looked over at Adam in time to see him glance away.
“Why do you think he keeps looking over here?” Marcy asked.
“I don’t know,” Chelsea said, grinning. “Maybe he can see your thong over the top of your jeans.”
Marcy’s cheeks turned crimson. “You know I’d never wear a thong!”
“Right, forgot who I was talking to,” Chelsea said. “Maybe you’ve got toilet paper stuck to your shoe.”
“I do not,” Marcy said, although she glanced at her feet to confirm her denial. “Why does he have to be looking at me anyway? Maybe he’s looking at you.”
Chelsea rolled her eyes. “Not likely, considering I’m pretty much invisible to the opposite sex. He’s probably looking at Danni.”
“Who’s looking at Danni?” Darren asked as he approached their group.
There was no mistaking the rough edge to his voice, and Danni almost laughed out loud at his obvious jealousy. Of the two of them, she was the one who had more to be worried about. One arm or not, Darren was still one of the best looking guys in school, a fact proven by how many girls were all over him at the homecoming game.
“Adam Westfield keeps looking over here,” Chelsea explained.
Darren looked around. “Who’s that?”
“That tall guy over there – the one with the glasses.”
Darren’s gaze travelled in Adam’s direction. When Adam looked their way once more, Darren draped a possessive arm around Danni’s shoulders. He held her so tightly she wouldn’t have been surprised if his fingers left a mark on her skin. As soon as he was confronted with Darren’s glare, Adam looked away.
Chelsea burst into laughter. “Geez, Darren, why don’t you just go over there and kick his ass for looking at your woman?”
Danni was glad to hear the first bell ring. It not only gave her a chance to get free of Darren’s confining grasp, but also to save poor Adam from a possible ass kicking. Though she didn’t think her boyfriend was into senseless violence, she wouldn’t have been surprised to see him confront Adam. If it weren’t for the fact that she shared similar feelings about him and other girls, Danni might have been worried.
When they passed through the gates, Darren’s parting kiss was longer than usual. Danni gave him a knowing smile before turning in the direction of her first period class. This jealousy thing had its perks.
“Hey, um, Danni, can I talk to you?”
Danni stopped and stared up at a red faced Adam Westfield. “Sure, what’s up?”
“I wanted to ask you something.”
“Okay.”
“You’re pretty good friends with Marcy Larsen right?”
“She’s one of my best friends. Why?” Danni asked, and then broke into a wide smile when Adam’s face turned a darker shade of red. “You like her, don’t you? That’s why you kept staring at us this morning.”
“Yeah, maybe,” he said. “You think she’d go out with me if I asked?”
“I don’t know,” she replied.
The way Adam’s shoulders slumped made Danni feel sorry for him, but she wasn’t sure whether Marcy would go out with him. After all, she’d spent so many years hoping Nick would ask her out. Danni didn’t think Adam was her type, although he should have been. The guy was nice and smart and would probably treat Marcy way better than Nick would. Even though Nick was her brother, Danni knew he wasn’t the romantic type Marcy was hoping for.
“I could ask her what she thinks of you and let you know,” Danni offered.
Adam’s eyes lit up. “You’d do that?”
“Yeah, but you should know she might not be interested. Would you be okay with that?”
“It would suck, but it would be better than not knowing.”
“Okay, then give me your number and I’ll text you after I talk to her,” Danni said.
Adam pulled his cell phone from his pocket and traded numbers with Danni. As she hurried to beat the second bell, she could not stop smiling. Marcy was going to be surprised.
* * *
Walking out of her sociology class, Danni retrieved her phone from her purse so she could call Darren.
“I’m surprised you’re calling,” he answered.
Danni furrowed her brow. “What?”
“I figured you’d be busy talking to your new best buddy Adam.”
“What are you talking about?” Danni asked.
“I saw you guys together,” Darren said. “Right after you kissed me, you were flirting with him.”
Danni mashed her lips together as she tightened her grip on the phone that was pressed to her ear.
“Look, if you like the guy then you can have him,” Darren said. “I don’t need another girl cheating on me.”
Danni’s first instinct was to tear up, but she fought against it. As she rounded the corner, she spotted Darren walking a few steps ahead of her. She tapped the end call button and shoved her phone into the front pocket of her jeans.
“You stop right there, Darren Jacobs!” Danni ordered.
Darren paused and spun to face her. The sneer on his perfect face only fueled the fire of her anger.
“I’m sick and tired of this.” Danni advanced on him. “From the day we met you’ve been acting like a total asshole, and I’ve been letting you, but I’m not going to do it anymore.”
“No need now that you’ve got Adam Westfield, huh?”
“For your information, Adam wanted to know if I thought Marcy would go out with him.”
Darren’s shoulders sagged and relief flooded his face. “Danni, I ”
“Oh, no, you don’t! You’re not going to say sorry and expect me to forgive you. I’m done with that.”
“What do you mean?”
“Just what I said,” Danni said. “I’m done with letting you treat me like I’m the enemy.”
“Are you saying you don’t want to be with me anymore?”
The second bell rang, but neither of them made a move to go inside. They stood staring at one other, both breathing hard.
After a few moments, their teacher appeared in the doorway. “Is there a problem here?”
“Not anymore,” Danni said.
“Great, then you both need to come inside so we can get started. The bell rang almost thirty seconds ago,” Mrs. Greenleaf said.
Danni stalked past Darren without meeting his pleading gaze. All eyes were on her as she stormed down the aisle and dropped into her seat. For once she didn’t care and she didn’t even glance at Darren as he sat down beside her.
Having gotten the two of them into the room, Mrs. Greenleaf took the roll and then launched into her lecture. Despite the way she was staring at the teacher, Danni wasn’t listening to a word she said.
“Darren, please tell me you’re not sending text messages after being tardy,” Mrs. Greenleaf said, and Danni snickered.
“I’m taking notes,” Darren said. “I used to be left handed. Since I can’t write, this is the only way for me to take them.”
“Really, then why haven’t I seen you do it before?”
“Guess I never needed to,” Darren replied. “You can check if you want.”
Mrs. Greenleaf looked a
t the phone Darren held in her direction. “No, that’s all right. I’m sorry about that. Go ahead.”
As unreasonable as it was, Danni wanted to scream at the teacher for apologizing. When her phone vibrated in her pocket five minutes later, Danni knew without looking she’d just received a text message from Darren. The childish part of her wanted to bring it to the teacher’s attention, but she kept quiet and continued staring at Mrs. Greenleaf who was engrossed in her explanation of the different types of participles.
“Please read it,” Darren whispered. “Please, Danielle.”
Danni’s resistance began to crumble. She didn’t know if it was due to his use of her full name or the undisguised desperation in his words. Not taking her eyes off Mrs. Greenleaf, she worked the phone from her pocket. As soon as the teacher turned her back to write something on the whiteboard, Danni typed in her password and opened the message.
Darren: Please don’t break up with me. Let me explain.
Danni glanced up at Mrs. Greenleaf. Finding the teacher still writing on the whiteboard, she sent her reply: Fine, explain.
It took several minutes for Darren to type his one-handed reply and several more before Danni got a chance to read it.
Darren: I don’t want to lose you, but I’m scared. Everyone’s always staring at us and I know they’re wondering why you want a freak like me. I know because I wonder the same thing.
The sadness in his words softened Danni’s heart. Rather than sending him a text, she slipped her phone back into her pocket in favor of retrieving a piece of paper from her binder. While the teacher probably thought she was taking notes, Danni wrote a note to Darren.
I want you because: 1) You’re my very best friend; 2) I can be myself with you; 3) You’re loyal, not like a dog, but you did date a cheating bitch for a year and always believed her lies; 4) We have a lot of fun together; 5) You didn’t ditch me when you came back to school, even though every girl wants you and you won homecoming king; 6) You’re a nice guy, but lately you’ve been kind of schizo and should really get that under control; 7) You’re a great kisser; 8) You always want to take care of me; 9) You have amazing blue eyes; and, 10) You have a super sexy body. Since I already know how hot you look with your shirt off, I’m 1000% sure you look even better totally naked.
When Mrs. Greenleaf dropped her eyes to the lesson book, Danni folded the note in half and passed it to Darren. By the time he finished reading, his blush began at his neck and stretched up to his face. Embarrassing him hadn’t been Danni’s goal. Instead, she needed him to know her feelings for him weren’t based on his appearance. There was one other thing she needed him to know, but she wasn’t about to write that on a piece of paper.