That Boy Next Door

Chapter 21

"Hey Dannie!" Oliver said, giving her his trademark grin and rushing to give her a hug.

"Oliver!" Dannie said joyously. The boy was truly something else, always happy and never minding the tension in the atmosphere. When Lucas arrived beside Dannie and Oliver, the latter whom had finally closed his mouth after jabbering Dannie's ear off, the awkwardness in the air was piercing.

Nobody said anything and only the sound of the shallow waves could be heard.

"Well, let's get climbing!" Lucas said finally, pointing to the nearby mountains covered in a luscious jade color. As Dannie later found out, the others had already started and were near the top of the mountain.

Dannie basically glued herself to Lucas as the group made their way to the bottom of the mountain trail. But, much to her apprehension, Kate stitched herself to Seth.

"How is it that one day everything with Seth is good and the next you guys aren't talking?" Lucas whispers next to her, obviously frustrated.

Dannie herself didn't know. She was too busy watching Kate's hand creeping up Seth's arm, resembling a large and hairy tarantula. Well, except that her hand wasn't hairy but it most was definitely large.

"I just kind of got...scared," Dannie muttered mostly to herself.

"Scared of what?" Lucas prompted.

"You know, the whole liking Seth thing. He could be gone any moment and I'll be the one mending a broken heart," Dannie explained.

"Dannie, you fool. You can't think about it like that. If you like somebody, you have to go after them. If it turns out to be something stronger, fate will bring the two of you together," Lucas explained, looking into the distance with a sparkle in his eye.

Dannie smiled at him as she knew they were reminiscing the same memory together.

Before Lucas and Cece had become a couple, the three of them had been the closest of friends. When Lucas had asked Cece out, she had rejected him repeatedly-- for a whole two years to be exact.

Cece didn't want to ruin their friendship but after seeing Lucas with another girl, she finally relented and admitted her feelings for him.

"I don't exactly have two years to pine after Seth," Dannie said, still smiling fondly at the memory, her fascination with Seth momentarily forgotten.

"Then you better get to work fast," Lucas said gesturing to wear Kate stood next to Seth. She looked like she was raping his arm.

"I can't just go up to them!" Dannie said. Kate was obviously going to attack her again or worse.

"Sure you can, just watch."

Lucas cupped his hands around his mouth and shouted, "Kate! Can you come here for a moment, I need you!" The blonde looked back at him and gave him a sickly sweet smile.

"Sure Lucas," she said, grinning at him creepily like the Cheshire cat.

"Now's your chance," Lucas said giving Dannie a nudge.

While Kate ran towards Lucas, Dannie made her way stiffly to Seth. She knew she owed him an apology for ditching him yesterday but she wasn't sure it would come out of her mouth.

"Hi."

Dannie mentally slapped herself for coming up with such a boring greeting. Could she not have done any better?

"Dannie," Seth said looking at her a bit surprised, but there was also a tinge of happiness, or maybe she just imagined it.

Dannie glanced back over her shoulder to make sure nobody would hear her. To her satisfaction, Lucas was laughing his head off as Oliver chatted Kate's ear off. She looked like she wanted to shove her fist in his mouth.