"Hi, I'm Britney" says a short, cheery girl as she walks up to me.
She's about my height, auburn hair, green eyes, freckles..one of those rare beauties
"Danny" I reply with a sweet smile.
Normally, I'd avoid talking to her at all cost. I'm not so big on the making friends deal but if I'm gonna be making a like here, I might as well get some allies.
"You're the new girl" she says and I have to hold back from rolling my eyes "You're pretty good looking"
"Uh..thanks?" I say in a question-like way, I already feel awkward and we only just got talking.
Mom left for Seattle this morning, had a lot of work to catch up on.
The mere fact that she left all those and came with me down here to help me get settled warms my heart and had me in tears as I bid her goodbye.
Before she left though, she introduced me to a couple of people including the boss at the place I'll be working.
He seems pretty nice. He says to get comfortable and resume to work next Monday.
"Hey Danny, quickly look up ahead"Britney says with urgency evident in her tone.
I lift my head quickly to look ahead but I see nothing of interest.
"What is it?" I ask when I look around for the second time and still see nothing of interest.
She turns her head in the direction and quickly whirls her head back to face me.
"Don't you see him?" She whispers.
"Oh, him" I raise my head again and this time I meet his gaze
"What about him?" I ask, confused as I look back to her.
"I have a huge crush on him" she whispers as her face reddens
"Oh" my mouth forms an 'o' and stays that way because I honestly don't know what to say to that.
This has only ever happened once or twice with Beth and that was different because Beth understands and gets me but to someone totally different... I don't know how to respond.
"Don't make it too obvious you're staring at him" she scolds, but the grin on her face tells me she's not mad.
I immediately avert my gaze from the guy.
From what I saw though, he has a pretty good build and I think ginger-copper hair.
"His name's Jamie" she informs, the grin on her face still wide as ever "Jamie Johnson. He's 17 and already has a college degree, has no girlfriend.. In fact I don't think he's ever had a girlfriend" she whispers the last part.
I nod because what else do you do with information you're not interested in¿
"Oh my manners" she palms her face "come, I'll introduce you"
"Uh..that won't be... necessary" the last part comes out a hushed sound as she's no longer listening instead she's yelling out to Jamie.
"Hey, Jamie" she yells "Come meet the new girl"
Then she grabs my wrist and pulls me towards him.
"Hey, new girl" he mutters with a sly smile.
He's actually really good looking...actually, the word is hot.
He's one hot piece of cake.
He's dressed in a white linen shirt with crazy jeans.
He has unruly dark copper-coloured hair and intense, bright gray eyes that regard me shrewdly.
It takes me a moment to find my voice.
"Hi" I replied quietly.
I blink rapidly, matching the movement of my eyelids to the rate of my heart beat.
"You sure are a timid little miss, aren't you?" He says, his voice is warm with a small hint of amusement though it's difficult to tell from his impassive expression. He hardly looks interested but he's polite above all.
"You could say so" I shrug nonchalantly "but you'll be wrong"
He narrows his eyes at me and shakes his head.
I roll my eyes, I already dislike him and we've only just met.
"Uh...Jamie this is Danny...Danny, Jamie" Britney waves the space between us as she introduces us.
I just nod in acknowledgement while he smirks.
"Danny, Jamie is your next door neighbor" she informs happily
Noooo.
I groan internally 'Speak about a happy beginning'
He bursts into a fit of laughter and I frown.
Britney sends me a glare and I realize I said that out loud.
'Way to go, Danny, pick a fight with your new neighbour' my subconscious rolls her eyes
"Nice to meet you Jamie, Britney. Please excuse me" I say quickly and run off in the direction of my apartment because that's the only thing I could think of.
I get to my door pretty quickly-say about 5 seconds.
I dig out my keys quickly and unlock the door, letting myself in.
I fall to the couch, taking a look around my apartment... Allowing myself to appreciate all my mom did for me.
An incoming video call from Bethany is what jolts me up from my state if being lost in thoughts.
"Hey, girl" she chirps, eerily.
"Hello" I smile-well, I try to smile.
"What's wrong?" She asks, concern etched on her face.
"Nothing" I shrug
"Don't lie to me" she warns, slowly.
"I don't know. Nothing's wrong, I...I just embarrassed myself in front of my new neighbours" I mutter, thinking of why I'm so affected by what just happened.
"Since when do you care about things like that?" Beth frowns.
"Since never" I say too quickly "I don't care about it"
"Oh, Danny. I'm so glad, I think you're opening up to the outside world now" she looks like she's holding back tears.
"Jeez, Beth, don't get ahead of yourself" I roll my eyes.
There's a knock on the door.
My head whirls around quickly to the door and instantly back to face Beth.
"Who could that be?" She asks wide-eyed
"I don't know" I whisper
"Well, go check it out" she says like I'm the dumbest person in the world.
I rise to my feet to go check it out but before I could take one step, the door bursts open and in came Britney.
"Hey, I'm sorry...you took so long, I..I wasn't sure you were fine...I" she stutters, staring down at her fingers.
"It's fine, Brit" I assure her and that's apparently all she needs to get comfortable again.
"Great, so what were you up to?" She asks as she jumps to the front of my laptop.
"Hey, I'm Britney. You're a friend of Danny's yeah?" She greets Beth who as usual replies happily.
In a few minutes, I'm like the third wheel just watching them ramble on and on about meaningless things.
"Oh, did Danny tell you about Jamie?" Says Brit and my eyes widen
"No..who's Jamie?" Beth asks, sounding hurt and curious.
"He's her really hot next door neighbor" Brit informs and they go into a conversation about how nice Jamie looks.
"Oh no" I groan out loud, a sound which they gracefully ignored
I know, everyone at school has a crush on him"says Brit as they continue the chat about Jamie"Oh he goes to your school?" Beth asks and I listen attentively because that's a question I would have asked myself."Nope, he teaches at my school" she says wryly"Training?" Asks Beth"Oh no" Brit shakes her head "he's an actual lecturer at my school""You said he was 17" Beth's brows creased in confusion, mirroring my own look.
I don't know what happened or how we ended up like this but a few hours later, we're both sitting in my living room-lights turned off, orange juice and potato chips in my hand, a weird red drink in his hand, watching TV like old friends.It's commercial break and a toothpaste commercial is on.I take this as my que to talk to Jamie.I throw some potato chips in my mouth and munch quickly then swallow before starting."Um..Jamie, I'm really sorry for the way I behaved towards you a while ago" I apologize "I guess, I was just still upset with you so it just...I don't know, happened""Why were you upset with me though?" He asks softly
"Come on, Danny" Brit whines"No" I say simply, making sure to keep my face void of any emotion."I really think you should try it, Danny" Beth says thoughtfully from the screen of my Mac-book.I groan.It was honestly a terrible idea to introduce Beth to Brit.Now it's like they both agree to be against me and make my life miserable-Beth was hard enough to deal with, now there's two of them always ganging up against me.
We arrive at a good looking house-but it's not my house so I don't really care.The car comes to a halt right at the entrance and the engine quiets down with a flourish-it's a nice car."Where did you bring me?" I ask the rich snub with a calmness I'm definitely not feeling."My house" he smiles confidentlyI want nothing but to slap that sick smile off his face."Why did you bring me to your house?" I turn to face him with the fakest smile.
"Well, tell us all about it" says Beth while Brit stares, both of their eyes wide with excitement."Why are you guys so amused? It went badly, the guy was an a*s and you're never making me do that again" I mutter, wanting to frown but I can't keep this I'm not hella mad at you guys right now"Beth rolls her eyes "So you regret going?""Yes" I answer too quickly to be believed.I actually don't regret going-I mean, I hated the date, that arrogant d**k who was going to drug me and basically the whole night, except the part where Jamie arrived.
It's been a while since I last went to a gym and something feels really off."Hey, Britney" I greet as Brit comes into view."Hello" she beams "went for a morning jug, I see""Yeah...and you're going out?" I ask"Yeah, school""Oh ok, have fun" I say in a goodbye bid."The only fun thing about school is my Music Teacher" she winks."Oh..um, Brit..where can I find a boxing gym around here?" I ask, remembering my need for a gym."A boxing gym? What do you need that for?" Her brows furrow."Uh..boxing?" I give her a weird look."You box?" She looks vaguely surprised.I hum in response before adding "...and wrestle, fight Kung fu, a little bit of karate""Wow, I would hate to have been David that night" she jokes."As much as he des
“See, it’s the exact same boring sound” my boss huffs “We need to make it stand out. I need ideas, people”It’s been three months since I started working here.Jamie’s my boss...it’s the worst feeling ever but thankfully he’s not here all the time.He’s not here right now and Jack seems to be loosing it.There’s a top singer in the booth and we’re meant to produce this song but Jack doesn’t like the way it sounds and frankly, neither do I.But who am I to say anything?I think I can do something to make it better but...I’m just Danny, the high school graduate.Yup, that’s what everyone here knows me for. High school graduate, it’s annoying.“Anybody?” Jack pleads
The last time this happened we spent a night in jail.His words float over us as we stare each other in the eyes.Jamie breaks the silence "No...Uh...I mean, the last time I um...had faith in a woman's driving skills"It's obvious he's lying and usually I'll let it go but not this time- it's been three long months of constant lies and I'm sick of it.For some odd reason though, it kinda hurts that he doesn't trust me enough to tell me the truth."Okay, I guess this is happening now" I whisper and turn my focus back to driving- except I don't go home, I pull over to the side of the road."What is?" He breathes."You're telling me the truth, the whole truth" I unstrap my seatbelt and turn to face him."What truth?" He go
Flashback(10 Years Ago)I hear the front door open and close.Mommy’s home.Chowders sound asleep. He stopped crying a while ago, I think he feels better.Quickly, I grab my test off the table and sprint down the stairs.“Good Evening, mommy” I beam, my smile so wide that my jaw begins to hurt soon.Mommy just nods in acknowledgment as she starts taking off her shoes.“I got a high score on my Math test today” I inform, proudly holding up my B-minus“A B-minus?” She huffs in disbeliefMy smile wavers. I had hoped she was going to be at least a little bit happy but no such luck. A huge lump forms in my throat and I chew my bottom lip, it’s all I can do to not break out in tears.“Come on, D
It’s Saturday and I’m out for a morning jog.My need for a boxing gym has doubled.“Danielle” I hear a familiar voice call and I slow down“Danny” I groan, rolling my eyes.“Good morning to you too” he says sardonically.“About the gym though...” I start, halting in my track.“We could go today” he suggests and I nod eagerly.“In say thirty minutes?” I offer, giving his non-workout outfit a disapproving glance.“Sure” And then he’s gone.I’ve been avoiding the topic of ‘The Truth’ he told me about because I just don’t think I’m ready to face it.I know running away from or in my case, avoiding your problems is never the right thing to do but I’m sure whoever came up with that saying didn’t just find out about their past lives or met a awesome human who’s apparently lived centuries.So, here, avoiding the topic really does seem like the right thing to do.Jamie...bless him...probably sensed how uncomfortable that
I unlock the door to my apartment with a wide a*s grin because that’s what Jamie does to you-makes you smile so much your jaw hurts.Just as I throw my bag down and my butt connects with the couch, an incoming video call from Beth pops up on the Mac Pro which I left powered on the table.Quickly, I accept it, wishing this damn grin off my face as I sit on the floor right in front of the table.“Hey, stranger” she beams“Hello, beautiful stranger” I respond, grinning like a fool.“Someone looks happy” she smiles“I think I am” I reply, suddenly remembering to ask her “Beth, did you by any chance tell Brit what I like to have for dessert?”“No” she squints her eyes “Why?”“Nothing important” I shrug “I was just wondering”“More than 10 years, Danny” she stares impassively at me and I frown in confusion before she continues “...and you still think I don’t know when you’re lying? Spit it out”“What?” I go for nonchalance
The last time this happened we spent a night in jail.His words float over us as we stare each other in the eyes.Jamie breaks the silence "No...Uh...I mean, the last time I um...had faith in a woman's driving skills"It's obvious he's lying and usually I'll let it go but not this time- it's been three long months of constant lies and I'm sick of it.For some odd reason though, it kinda hurts that he doesn't trust me enough to tell me the truth."Okay, I guess this is happening now" I whisper and turn my focus back to driving- except I don't go home, I pull over to the side of the road."What is?" He breathes."You're telling me the truth, the whole truth" I unstrap my seatbelt and turn to face him."What truth?" He go
“See, it’s the exact same boring sound” my boss huffs “We need to make it stand out. I need ideas, people”It’s been three months since I started working here.Jamie’s my boss...it’s the worst feeling ever but thankfully he’s not here all the time.He’s not here right now and Jack seems to be loosing it.There’s a top singer in the booth and we’re meant to produce this song but Jack doesn’t like the way it sounds and frankly, neither do I.But who am I to say anything?I think I can do something to make it better but...I’m just Danny, the high school graduate.Yup, that’s what everyone here knows me for. High school graduate, it’s annoying.“Anybody?” Jack pleads
It's been a while since I last went to a gym and something feels really off."Hey, Britney" I greet as Brit comes into view."Hello" she beams "went for a morning jug, I see""Yeah...and you're going out?" I ask"Yeah, school""Oh ok, have fun" I say in a goodbye bid."The only fun thing about school is my Music Teacher" she winks."Oh..um, Brit..where can I find a boxing gym around here?" I ask, remembering my need for a gym."A boxing gym? What do you need that for?" Her brows furrow."Uh..boxing?" I give her a weird look."You box?" She looks vaguely surprised.I hum in response before adding "...and wrestle, fight Kung fu, a little bit of karate""Wow, I would hate to have been David that night" she jokes."As much as he des
"Well, tell us all about it" says Beth while Brit stares, both of their eyes wide with excitement."Why are you guys so amused? It went badly, the guy was an a*s and you're never making me do that again" I mutter, wanting to frown but I can't keep this I'm not hella mad at you guys right now"Beth rolls her eyes "So you regret going?""Yes" I answer too quickly to be believed.I actually don't regret going-I mean, I hated the date, that arrogant d**k who was going to drug me and basically the whole night, except the part where Jamie arrived.
We arrive at a good looking house-but it's not my house so I don't really care.The car comes to a halt right at the entrance and the engine quiets down with a flourish-it's a nice car."Where did you bring me?" I ask the rich snub with a calmness I'm definitely not feeling."My house" he smiles confidentlyI want nothing but to slap that sick smile off his face."Why did you bring me to your house?" I turn to face him with the fakest smile.
"Come on, Danny" Brit whines"No" I say simply, making sure to keep my face void of any emotion."I really think you should try it, Danny" Beth says thoughtfully from the screen of my Mac-book.I groan.It was honestly a terrible idea to introduce Beth to Brit.Now it's like they both agree to be against me and make my life miserable-Beth was hard enough to deal with, now there's two of them always ganging up against me.