That Boy Next Door

Chapter 15

A/N Dedicated to @zakurokanazaki for that long comment that made me smile and feel like I'm actually good at writing lol...anyways, a lot of your comments made me smile and I just want to say that I really appreciate you all taking the time do that for me :) 

The pounding in Dannie's head increases as a look of hurt flashes across Seth's face.  It is gone so quickly though that Dannie is not sure if it was there in the first place.

"No, I'm sorry.  That was a mistake," Seth says, his teeth gritted and his voice cold.  "I have a girlfriend and that must never happen again."

Dannie nods her head robotically but her inner turmoil is hidden beneath the careful facade on her face.  During that brief kiss--well, she wouldn't call it brief-- but during that kiss, she had felt something stir inside of her.  Like an older version of herself awakening after being buried beneath the rest of her emotions.

It was during that kiss that she had realized something; she had a crush on Seth Parker.  

So hearing the words come out of his mouth hurts twice as much as when she had said them herself.  She wanted him to convince her that it was okay, that what they felt for each other was acceptable.

No, not they.  It was only her.  After finally acknowledging her feelings for Seth, it turned out that they were only one-sided.  And what else did she expect?  He was happily in a relationship with his best friend.

"I guess I should go then," Dannie says quietly glancing up briefly to meet Seth's eyes.  His guard is up and his expression reveals nothing, not even regret.

Dannie opens the door and slips out of the room, rushing down the stairs.  She swipes at her eyes, trying to keep the hot tears at bay.  Hearing another door slam, she looks up to see Kate come in the house, eyeing her suspiciously.

"Seth is waiting for you," Dannie says mustering up her best smile and pushing past a now confused Kate.  Even though it hurt Dannie to know that Seth was too in love with Kate to see her, she was glad that she escaped the house before the tears started streaming down her face.

***

A couple hours later and deep into the night, Lucas is sitting on Dannie's bed as she changes into a t-shirt and boy shorts.  The sound of her parents arriving home after a long day of work and eating dinner is the only thing she hears.  She doesn't go greet them though because she is too tired to face anybody but her best friend.

"So I take it that things went badly?" Lucas asks watching Dannie pace around the room, looking for her favorite purple t-shirt.  Dannie throws him a 'no duh' look and continues hunting around the piles of clothes in her room.

"Want to talk about it?"

"Not really."

Lucas sighs and pushes himself off the bad.  Reaching a hand into a pile of worn out jeans and shorts, he pulls out the shirt Dannie has been looking for and tosses it at her head.

"Thanks," she mumbles going to the bathroom to slip it on.

"So, do you still not want to talk about it?"

"The answer is still no Lucas," Dannie says sitting on the bed alongside him.  

"How about a Q and A then?" he pesters.  Dannie rolls her eyes and nods her head warily.  It was never any use shutting him out but she knew by now that she could trust her feelings with Lucas.

"Good.  I'll start off easy.  Do you like him?" he asked.  "Him" referring to Seth.  

Dannie shook her head wildly, her hair splaying out from her face.  "That's the hardest question!  Start off easier."