A/N Dedicated @Idontgiveaflip for making the wonderful cover on the side:) I seriously love it<3
"You're going out in that?" Katy asked skeptically when she saw Dannie come out of her room.
Dannie looked down at her ripped black jean shorts and plain off the shoulder top. She kicked the nonexistent dirt with her converse and eyed her little sister.
"Yeah, so what?"
"You look nice," Katy smiled and hugged her sister. Leaning down to return her hug, Katy put her mouth next to Dannie's ear.
"Watch out for Kate tonight, she'll be there to ruin your date."
Dannie straightened her back and rolled her eyes.
"It's not a date Katy. And I'm sure we'll be fine," Dannie said, confident that even if Kate did show up, she wouldn't be too much of a bother.
"Don't say I didn't warn you," Katy said scampering away.
Dannie sighed and grabbed her wristlet. She hadn't been sure of how she would pay for her meal as Lucas already took half of her money but Katy had generously given her her own fifty dollar bill.
"Heading out?" Dannie didn't have to turn around to know it was Lucas.
"Yeah, I'll be back before the ship leaves. Don't worry," she called back.
Weaving her way through the shops, Dannie came to the small building labeled Natural Slice. A small smile made it's way onto her lips when she saw Seth sitting inside, waiting for her. Pushing open the door, a small bell rung, causing Seth's head to snap up and meet her eyes.
"Hey Dannie," he said, his eyes glowing as she sat down.
"Hey," she smiled at him and looked around. As much as she wanted this night would go well, she couldn't help but be paranoid about Kate appearing and ruining everything. Maybe she would show up and dump pizza sauce down her shirt or something. Dannie winced at the mental image and wiped the sweat off her palms.
"So, what do you want?" Seth asked.
After three platters of pizza and arguing over whether or not it was a vegetable, Dannie and Seth sat back, bloated. Time had flown by with not a dull second, but now in the silence, Dannie's thought started to run wild again.
What if Kate showed up? What would happen then?
"Oh no," Seth moaned looking at something behind Dannie's shoulder.
Dannie cringed but didn't turn around. Speak, or think in her case, of the devil and she shall appear. She didn't need to look to know that Kate was somewhere behind her.
"Let's get out of here," Seth muttered.
"Huh?" Dannie asked but she followed Seth's lead anyways and got up out of her chair.
"I'm not in the mood to deal with Kate right now," he said grabbing her hand and pulling her over to the far side of the restaurant.
Dannie smiled, not because he didn't want to see Kate but because he was holding her hand. It felt good. However, Dannie's smile disappeared when she realized there was almost no way to get out of the building without Kate noticing.
Currently, she and Seth were hiding in a dark corner of the restaurant. Unfortunately, there was only one door out and that was the one at the entrance.
From where they were hidden, the pair saw Kate and Quinn walking to the table they were just sat at.
"I swear I just saw him here," Kate muttered harshly.
"Was that Dannie he was with?" Quinn asked, looking confused as ever.
"What? Your sister? Is she that much of a slut to be a rebound for Seth?" Kate shrieked. A couple of people turned around to give her questioning glances but Kate paid them no attention.
Dannie felt her skin prickle with annoyance. First of all, Seth never liked Kate that much...she hoped. But more importantly, Dannie was nobody's second choice. Not even Seth's.
"She would have to dump you for me to be a rebound," Dannie growled, deciding whether or not to go and rip out Kate's lungs. Then she wouldn't be able to talk and cause so much noise pollution.
Seth squeezed her hand in reassurance, his golden eyes telling her not to blow their cover. Dannie sighed and reluctantly complied. They weren't even on a real date anyways, so she had no need to be jealous of him.
"Can we go now?" Dannie pleaded, fearing her self control would slip if another nasty insult came out of Kate's mouth.
"There's no way out," Seth muttered quietly. Dannie looked at the entrance of the restaurant longingly. How long would they have to wait until they could leave? She looked towards Kate and Quinn and saw that they had sat down and were about to order a meal.
"But I have an idea," Seth said, a grin lighting up his face. A similar smile made it's way onto Dannie's face.
"I'm all ears."
After hearing his plan, Dannie covered her mouth to keep from laughing.
"That will never work!" she exclaimed quietly.
"Do you have any other plans?" he asked skeptically.
"Well, no. But-"
"No buts. Let's go," he said standing up quietly.
Together, they made their way over to a trash can where empty pizza platters were placed. Grabbing a stack and handing the other half to Dannie, they walked over to the door labeled 'Employees Only'.
With confidence in his stride, Seth walked in as if he owned the place. Dannie however, tried to blend in with his shadow.
"Do you even know where the exit door is?" she asked glancing around nervously. The employees around them were dressed in all white outfits while they were dressed in casual tourist clothes.
"Nope, but there's got to be a door back here somewhere."
Suddenly, a man wielding a large butcher's knife appeared out of nowhere, shaking his fist in the air.
"Wat doe je kinderen hier aan het doen?"
Seth and Dannie exchanged a wide-eyed glance.
"Je ne parle pas français," Dannie tried, offering a tiny smile. Seth gave her an incredulous look.
"He's not French you idiot!"
"Well then let's see what you can do!" Dannie said defending herself.
"Eh, hola hombre amable," Seth said, speaking slowly to make sure he got the accents right.
"Zie je me voor een dumbass?" the large man cried out. "Ik zal je gesneden in leverpastei!"
"I think we should go," Seth said backing up into Dannie to grab her hand as he watched the man crazily rattle the knife.
"I agree," Dannie said, petrified. Using the empty pizza platters in his hand, Seth threw them all at the man and took off in the opposite direction. Dannie could only imagine the steam that would be coming out of the man's ears; his face probably as red as a newly popped pimple.
"Bel de politie! Laat die kinderen weg te krijgen!"
"What they heck is he saying?" Dannie asked, hysterical giggles leaving her mouth as she sprinted after Seth. He was still holding her hand and needless to say, it provided her with a warm sensation.
"I don't know! Just run," Seth called back to her, dodging the occasional 'wet floor' sign. Dannie's eyes widened as she saw what was up ahead.
"What do we--" her voice got cut off when Seth leaped over a cart full of delicacies. Ranging from chocolate covered strawberries to cheesecake, it looked like heaven. Except for the fact that they had to avoid the food.
Letting Dannie's hand go, Seth had taken a flying leap and cleared the hurtle. However, she was not as athletic nor as graceful, and so she ended up plowing through the whole thing.
Several gasps resounded from behind her as her body collided with the sugar-filled foods. The cart wobbled slightly before tipping over, resulting in a ground full of food.
"Sorry!" Dannie called to the employees behind her as she jumped over the mess she had made. There were colorful stains on her clothes but she wasn't one to complain or to care.
Seth grabbed onto her hand again and they sprinted towards the red exit sign. Bolting out the door and down the back alley, the two didn't stop running until they had reached a quiet little park.
"You run fast for a girl," Seth said, hands on his knees and breathes coming out in a pant. Dannie stood over him, breathing only slightly faster than usual and taking a petty satisfaction in watching Seth catch his breath.
"Or maybe you just run slow for a boy," she teased.
"I ran track for four years, I don't think I'm slow," he said cockily. Dannie only smiled sweetly and patted his cheek as if to say "sure you aren't buddy".
She continued walking down the small pathway of the park, enjoying the green scenery. There were a few people here and there, enjoying the cool night breeze.
After a couple of seconds, Seth had caught up to Dannie and had begun to walk alongside her.
"So, I'm sorry Kate ruined our date for friends," Seth said giving Dannie a sheepish smile.
She just shook her head and smiled. "No, it was really fun actually. I'll never forget it." And she meant it. Although it was crazy, it gave her this rush of adrenaline and just made things more...exciting.
As they continued to walk together in comfortable silence, Dannie realized that they must have looked wild, even for tourists. Their hair was wind blown from all the running, there were pizza stains all over Seth's shirt, and rainbow frosting all over Dannie's. Nonetheless, Dannie felt comfortable just because Seth was with her, confidence radiating from him.
"Hey, you wanna go for ice cream," Seth asked pointing out a parlor nearby. Dannie nodded happily.
A bell rang as they entered the ice cream parlor. Seth ordered a mint chocolate chip ice cream with whipped cream and cherries and Dannie ordered a simple vanilla with sprinkles.
"Who puts whipped cream on their ice cream?"
"Who gets vanilla ice cream?" he shot back.
"The half that don't get chocolate, obviously."
Seth motioned to his ice cream flavor before the cashier cleared his throat, waiting for the two to stop bickering.
"I don't care who gets what. I just want to know who's paying for that ice cream," he said, his voice a dull monotone.
"Uhm, me?" Dannie said pulling out her leftover change..
"No, I am," Seth said bumping her hip with his and handing the cashier some money.
"What? No!" Dannie cried indignantly. Guys only paid for girls when they were on a date and they were most definitely not on a date.
"Too late, I already did," Seth said, sticking out his tongue in victory.
"Very mature of you Mister Parker," Dannie muttered.
They left the store and Seth wrapped his arm around his shoulders.
"I'm very mature thank you very much."
"Which is why we snuck out of a restaurant through the back door right?" Dannie said, smirking.
Seth opened his mouth but for once, he had nothing to say.
The speakers placed near the lamp posts started to crackle slightly and the jazz music flowing from them stopped.
A different tune started to play and Dannie recognized it as Jason Mraz's "Im Yours".
"Can I have this dance?" Seth asked in a posh accent, bending down on one knee and extending his hand.
"Yes you may," Dannie said playing along although she had no idea how to dance. It turns out that Seth was a pretty good partner though as he held her hand and spun her around to the beat of the song.
He held her hand lightly as he taught her dance steps to the song.
"You're not to bad Hale," he said as they joined both hands and twirled under the spotlight of the street lamps.
The song ended as they reached the end of the path where a fountain was located. As the final note was played, Seth dipped Dannie down, making her feel like a heroine in a Hollywood movie.
Seth would have asked her if she enjoyed their dance but the full blown grin on her face gave him his answer.
Her eyes flickered up to meet his breifly, identifying the green patch in his left iris. Looking down into her deep brown eyes and eventually her lips, Seth tilted his head lower.
Dannie's eyelids fluttered shut as she waited in anticipation for his lips to meet hers. He was so close to her now that she could feel his hot breath blowing across her neck. Dannie didn't care anymore about anything. All she wanted was to feel Seth's lips on hers.
An angry scream in the distance made the two snap apart instantly, though Seth still kept his hold around Dannie's shoulders.
"You!" An angry Kate stepped out from behind the fountain, jabbing a finger at Dannie. Quinn followed in her shadow, looking a bit unsure about herself.
"You ruined my plans!" Kate screeched, stomping her foot angrily. "And Seth! How could you dance with her to our song?" she asked. After addressing Dannie with the rage of hornets, Kate's eyes had turned wide and innocent when she looked at Seth. Tears were brimming at the edge of her eyes.
"I-I didn't know that was our song," Seth said confusedly. Dannie however, was past being confused. She only had a rage that could match Kate's now.
"I ruined your plans? How about your ruined ours?" Dannie shouted across to Quinn and Kate. "You follow us to the restuarant and then you stalk us to this park? Get over yourself! Seth dumped you!"
Dannie felt the tiniest twinge of regret when a hurt look flashed across Kate's face and she was about to apologize before the blonde model launched herself at Dannie.
"You bitch! Seth will never love you!" Kate screeched as Dannie let go of Seth's hand and backed away. She didn't want him to help her. She could handle this on her own.
Kate swung her hand out, nails extended like a feline, ready to scratch up Dannie's face. Dannie calmly grabbed her wrist before it could make contact and twisted it backwards, earning a scream from Kate.
"He'll be moving back to California in the fall, you have no chance with him!" she cried wripping her hand free from her grasp.
Kate launched a punch, not knowing where it was going to land but hoping that it would hit Dannie. Momentarily caught off guard by the new information, Dannie looked to Seth for confirmation but found him with downcast eyes.
Kate's fist clipped the edge of Dannie's jaw, sending her stumbling backwards. Kate took this as her chance and tackled Dannie to the ground.
"You're a worthless, backstabbing, little girl," Kate grunted as she pulled at Dannie's hair while sitting on top of her. For a model, she sure was heavy.
"I may be worthless and backstabbing to you, but I am not little," Dannie grunted out, swing a fist the fit Kate square in the nose.
Scrambling up to her feet, Dannie kneed Kate in the stomach before thrusting out an elbow that clashed with Kate's head.
"Whoops, my bad!" Dannie said laughing sadistically as she pushed Kate onto the ground. Her head rung with Kate's harsh words and all the things she had ever said about her.
Just as she was about to kick a helpless Kate, Quinn grabbed her arm and with surprising strength, pulled Dannie away. Dannie looked at her sister with a glare. Did she only decide to jump in when Kate was being pummeled, what about her?
"Let me go," Dannie hissed menacingly.
"Calm down first," Quinn replied in a motherly tone.
A different pair of hands set themselves of Dannie's shoulders and she glanced up to meet Seth's eyes. He gazed over her face, looking for any damage, and smiling a little when he found none.
"Good gosh, you beat the living crap out of her," he said, a hint of pride in his voice. Instead of bathing in his attention like she'd always dreamed of, Dannie pulled herself out of his grasp. She remembered what Kate had said and she didn't want to be led on for a whole summer only to watch him disappear. It was better if she let go of him now.
"Leave me alone Seth," Dannie said before turning and running away.
"Tell me you didn't!" Oliver cried hiding his face behind his hands, peeking at his older brother Seth.
"Stop acting like such a girl," Seth retorted, rolling his eyes at Oliver's love of gossip.
"You just let her go though?" he asked.
"Do you want me to repeat the whole freaking story?" Seth was getting tired of reiterating his words every moment just so Oliver could get a kick out his pain.
"What do you think of this Van?" Oliver asked. The three brothers were sitting alone in the living room of their compartment. Dexter had gone to sleep while Lucas was over on the girl's side of the room.
Van rubbed his chin and for once, seemed to actually care.
"Do you like her?"
"I don't know!" Seth yelled out frustrated. Van shot him a glare and pointed to the door behind him.
"Don't wake up Dexter!"
"Well I say you go after her, because you clearly like her," Oliver said crossing his arms over his chest, smirking.
"Yeah, and maybe dad's business will do well. You could end up staying here for good," Van said, showing his rare optimistic side.
Seth didn't want to allow himself to hope. He didn't want to get his hopes up. But hopes up for what? For Dannie? Maybe he did like her.
Maybe.
"Alright, but I'll need something to win her back," Seth muttered, looking down and feeling abashed.
"What did you do now you bonehead?" Van drawled.
Seth ignored the insult and answered his question. "I may or may not have allowed Kate to attack her. And then Kate sort of told her that Dannie was nothing to me because I would be moving away and I never denied it so she thinks I'm some sort of bastard which I completely agree with," Seth said, taking in a deep breath at the end.
"You're an idiot," Oliver said helpfully.
"He is an idiot but I'm here to make up for that. I have an idea," Van said thoughtfully. "And we'll need his help."
Their gazes all snapped to Lucas who had just walked through the door.
"Why are you all looking at me like that?" he asked.
__________________
A/N Okay so if you've read to hear, THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR DOING SO BC I KNOW THE LAST CHAPTER WAS BAD but I tried harder on this one!
So once again, thank you for commenting and voting for my story! I didn't even notice but TBND has reached over 400K! LIke holy bananas without the cherries on top! That is SO amazing! I can't thank you guys enough :D
By the way, is anyone watching Wimbledon and crying because Federer just got out?!?! Because I am and if you know, you wanna cry with me, your welcome to join :'(
Peace out for now!
~BreezyPie