Danielle's POV:
I woke up the next morning with a pounding headache. Between the drinks I had, and the crying I did, I'm surprised it's not any worse. I walked to the bathroom and looked in the mirror. My eyes are red and puffy, my hair is standing on top of my head, I'm still in the dress I wore last night, and I look like I've been doing drugs. I splashed my face with cold water, but I still didn't look any better. I took off my clothes and stepped in the shower, turning on the water to as hot as it can be. The water hitting my skin burned, but I dealt with it and after a while, it began to feel good. After my shower I wrapped my towel around my body and stared into the mirror. I still didn't look any better, and I didn't feel too much better. I continued to stare into the mirror allowed my mind to wonder, I don't know where it wondered off to, but it's definitely not here with me.
"Danielle?" I turned to see my little sister standing in the doorway. "You don't look too good. Are you ok?"
I looked from her, to the mirror, and back to her. "Yeah, just... Just give me a minute."
"Okay. Sky and some of your other friends are here."
"I'll be out in a minute." She walked out of the door I continued to stare into the mirror. I have to do something about myself. I opened the drawer where I keep all my make-up, and applied it to make my face look like I haven't been through the worst night of my life. When I was done, I didn't look quite as bad as did, but I still don't look one hundred percent; nor do I feel one hundred percent either. I walked to my room and put on faded black and white shorts with a black hoodie, and high-top sneakers. I don't even bother with socks or a shirt.
"Hey Danielle, we missed you at the party. Did you leave early?" Sky said as I walk downstairs. She's sitting around the table with my parents, my sister, and to my surprise, Chresanto.
"Yeah, I left pretty early. I uhh, wasn't feeling too good." I said sitting in between her and Chresanto. He smiled at me and I smiled back.
"Oh, okay. You missed Jaden performing he was actually pretty good despite the fact it was extremely noticeable his mind was somewhere else. He wasn't focused at all."
I raise my eyebrows as if I'm interested in what she's saying. "Oh really?"
"Yeah. Oh and guess who I saw at the party." She paused. "You don't have to guess, I'll tell you." She paused again for what I guess is dramatic effect, but I already know what she's going to say. "Stella."
"Oh wow. That's surprising. I wonder why she was there." I said, even though I know exactly why she was there. I've had that moment stuck in my head since it happened. The shock of seeing Jaden under Stella kissing him is still hitting me. And every second is worse than the last. I haven't told anyone about the situation that happened last night. With Sky being Jaden's best friend's girlfriend, I don't want tension to be between her and Mateo. The rest of the morning was just filled with meaningless small talk that I pretended to be interested in. I can tell Chresanto knows there's something going on with me, but he kept quiet. I guess I'll tell everyone soon but until then, it's bad enough thinking about it all the time, I'm not quite ready to talk about it.
~*~
It's been a couple of days since we left New York. I'm back in school now, and I feel a bit better about myself. Sky and Madison know something is wrong, but I have yet to tell them. It hurts not to have them around all the time, especially when I most need them. I feel a little bad about it because I know they're worried, but with them being with Jaden's best friends I wouldn't want to cause tension in their relationships. I've also been spending more time with Chresanto. I haven't told him either, but he's been the shoulder I can lean on without having a boatload of questions following.
Right now we are out on a midnight walk. We've had these quite often, and I probably wouldn't get through my days without them. Chresanto and I were lying in the grass in a park staring at the night sky. We'd pick out pretty stars we liked, even though they all looked the same.
"That one over there," I said pointing to a star, "It's beautiful."
"Like you." I turned to see Chresanto lying on his side staring at me.
"You're supposed to be looking at the stars." I chuckled.
"But you're much better to look at. Plus the stars will always be there, we have all of eternity to look at them."
I smiled, getting up from the ground. I walked to a bridge in the park that was suspended above a river. The water shined off the moonlight. I felt Chresanto come behind me and wrap his arms around my shoulders. The warmth of his body shielded me from the cold air.
"I know something has been bothering you, ever since we left New York." He said leaning his head on mine.
"You don't have to tell me until you're ready to talk about it."
"How'd you know?" I asked.
"You're not your usual happy self. And we haven't been having these midnight walks for no reason." A silence passed between us before he spoke again. "Feel free not to answer, but is it about Jaden?" I nodded. A tear ran down my cheek and fell on Chresanto's arm. "Oh no Danielle, please don't cry." He turned me around and pulled me into a hug. I sobbed into his chest for while before the tears stopped and I pulled away from the hug. He looked at me for a while as another silence passed.
I leaned on the side of the bridge and thought of how I was going to start the story. "When I went upstairs looking for Jaden I saw his door close and I thought it was him. When I got to the door I heard the voice of a girl, and then I thought it was just some random couple trying to find somewhere to hook up. But when I opened the door I saw Jaden's ex-girlfriend." I paused trying to hold back the tears building in my eyes. "I was surprised at first, but then the guy under her sat up. And it was none other than Jaden." I looked at the ground.
"So that's why." He said. I nodded. "Well that would definitely put a damper on anyone's mood." He took my hand in his and lifted my head. "You don't deserve that. You deserve much better; someone that's not going to break your heart. You're caring, and beautiful, funny, and compassionate, and everything any guy can dream of. You're so perfect, and you deserve someone who's going to treat you perfectly." I looked at him with confusion wondering where all this is leading to, then he leaned down so our foreheads were touching. My breath caught in my throat when I realized what was about to happen. He pressed his lips to mine, and I jumped in surprise, although I already knew it was going to happen, and I soon kissed back. It was a soft kiss, lingering and a bit awkward. He pulled away and his eyes glisten in the moonlight. I don't know what to say. A million different thoughts ran through my head. "I know I shouldn't have done that, but, I couldn't help myself. You need to know how much you're loved." He kissed me again, and I was still lost in the moment.
When I finally came to my senses, it was me who pulled away. "I should get back to my dorm."
"Alright." He said, and we began to walk back towards the building of my dorm. After the 15 minute silent walk, we finally got to my door.
"So, here we are." I said. Before I could open my door, he caught me by the hand and pulls me to him. He gently pressed his hand to my cheek, and I thought he was going to kiss me again. But he didn't.
"I know you weren't expecting what I did, and I know you're probably still confused and not ready to move on. So whenever you are ready, I'll be here. And even when you're not ready, or if you'll never be ready, I'll be here."
"Okay." I said, and he kissed me on the forehead. He stood there for a few seconds before turning and leaving down the hall.
I opened the door to my room, and saw Sky sitting on her bed on her phone. "Another midnight walk with Chresanto?" She asked looking up at me.
"Yeah." I said climbing into bed. "And a bit more."
"So are you going to tell me what's been going on with you lately? You're never focused; you've been really distant, hanging out with Chresanto all the time, going on midnight walks with him. What does Jaden say about all this." I didn't reply. "Danielle?"
"Well, it doesn't matter what Jaden thinks since we're not even together."
She gasped. "What, why?" I told her the story. What happened in New York, and why I really left the party early, and everything that happened tonight. "Wow."
"Yup." I said nodding my head. "Sorry I didn't tell you earlier. I wanted to but I didn't want to cause tension between you and Teo."
"I'm sorry I made you feel like you needed to go through all this alone. I'm always here for you, no matter the circumstances." She climbed out of her bed into mine. "You need a cuddle night." She turned off the light and we held each other in our arms for the night.
"Thank you, Sky."
"Anytime."
~*~
A/N:
Hey everyone. Sorry for the late update. I've had a lot of busy days and I'm really sick so... Ya. I know this is a short chapter, but I'll more than likely have another update in the middle of the week if I have time.
Also, this chapter is dedicated to Lolopop5757 for commenting and giving me her feedback. I'll love her forever. (I'm guessing she is a she)
Anyway, PLEASE COMMENT, vote, and all the rest of that stuff.
Thank you for reading. Thank you for being different. Thank you for being yourself.
Smilies, Hearts, Roses, and All That Good Stuff.