Bryan’s POV The sound of a gunshot made me rush outside, Danielle was outside. I found Danielle’s lifeless body, swimming in her blood. I knelt and screamed so loud, I didn’t hear myself. The air, once familiar, became thick with an unbearable weight, and the pulse of grief pulsed through my veins with every beat of my heart. Emotions collided like storm-tossed waves — disbelief, anguish, and a profound sense of loss that threatened to consume me. I shook her body but she gave no response. “Danielle!” “Finally, goodbye Bryan. I’ll see you later.” I looked up and found Susan leaving. I thought she was dead. I lifted her and took her into the car, I could lose everything but not Danielle. I took her to the hospital where she was attended to immediately. They did all they could but I knew… I knew she was gone. She is the first treasure I had and now… I lost her. How careless of me.Every sound and strength drained in me. We had goals…we had things we wanted to do and…having her leave m
Danielle's POV "is it not time for your prom yet?" A voice asked. I shot a glance at the door of my room, where my grandfather was perched against the door frame, hands folded. There was an amused twinkle in his eyes as he looked at me, and I could already read the thoughts going through his withered head. She's such a nerd! Does she ever stop reading? I sighed and turned over on my bed, staring at the roof. "Gramps, the prom is in an hour. I still have enough time." He glanced at the watch on his wrist, then grimaced. "An hour happened thirty minutes ago, D. Get your butts off that bed." He ordered, then turned and left the room. "Grandpa, I need to study! You know how much this scholarship means to me. And the assessment starts tomorrow!" I yelled after him, but he didn't spare me a reply. I groaned and swung my feet down, then slipped them into my pajama slippers. My eyes darted to the textbooks that littered the top of my bed, aching to go back to them. Anything, absolute
Danielle's POV "We're here!" Clara chirped as Davis pulled up to the prom's venue. She leaned , her eyes hovering over my face, and grimaced. "Ugh! Not to kill your spirits or anything, but the makeup is—""Don't say anything, Clara!" I snapped, raising a hand to cut her off. The smile faded from her lips as she saw the gloomy look on my face. She nodded in understanding, her eyes darting towards Davis, and got down from the car. I waited for her to head into the building, then turned to Davis. "Are you ready?" I asked.Davis gave a small start, as though his mind was miles away from here, and turned to me. He smiled fleetingly. "Yeah. Yeah, I am."I nodded. "Let's go, then."Davis, ever the gentleman, hopped down from the car and circled it to open the door for me. I smiled at him, trying to silence the ominous voices in my head telling me that all wasn't well. I stretched out my hand, half-expecting him to take it, but he merely stood there, hand on the door, staring at me. I fro
Danielle's POV Clara nodded to me and rushed back into the prom venue. She emerged a few minutes later with her bag, then dragged me towards the street. She hailed a cab without another word, gave the driver the address to her house, and we drove off.Throughout the ride, we sat in silence. Clara kept stealing covert, worried glances at me, and I knew she was wondering the thoughts going on in my head. The emotional wound inflicted by Davis was still fresh, and the thought of immersing myself in another party seemed terrifying, but I let Clara take the lead tonight. If the party would help me feel better, then it wouldn't hurt to try."Stop thinking about him," Clara murmured to me. I nodded, still unbelieving, but Clara's unwavering support reminded me that I couldn't allow myself to be consumed by heartbreak.Summoning my strength, I nodded again, a glimmer of determination igniting within me. "You're right, Clara. I can't let this...betrayal define me. I need to move forward, heal
Danielle's POV My surprise echoed through the dimly lit room, the shadows playing tricks on my already blurred vision. Confusion and disorientation mingled with the remnants of alcohol in my system. "What the fuck?" I exclaimed again, my tone a blend of astonishment and frustration. Her head spun, struggling to make sense of the unexpected stranger. The room remained shrouded in semi-darkness, making it difficult to distinguish details. But amidst the dim light, a voice emerged from the shadows, gruff and filled with equal parts surprise and irritation. "Who the hell are you?" "No, who the hell are you?" The man asked. A sudden and brazen idea occured to me. Slowly I stood from the bed and walked towards the man slowly, trying to be as seductive as I could in my state. The man immediately caught me as I stumbled before him. He grabbed my waist and brought me to the bed, setting me on it gently. "Look, I don't know who you are, but you're definitely drunk. You need to sleep it
Danielle's POV I was numb for several minutes. Thousands of thoughts ran through my head. The room was silent, too silent. I could hear the rapid sound of my heartbeat. I blinked hard, coming slowly into realization. How? Why? How!!! I slapped my palm on my head. Looking around, I took the off-white fluffy duvet that was on the ground and wrapped it around my body. Perhaps I could still make it. If I get there and beg them, give them a suitable excuse for not being punctual… I looked around and found my dress scattered around the room. I could feel the tears fall to the surface of my eyes. I cannot miss my exams! I need the scholarship. To think I did this… I shook my head and walked around to pick up my dress. Passing through an aluminum door, I found my way to the bathroom and dressed up. What if I never get to do the exams and forfeit the scholarship? Forfeit? My skin prickled at the mere thought of missing my scholarship. It was almost midday and…hush. I ran my fingers th
Danielle's POVI pretended like I heard nothing but pretending was hard. Her words were true. She called the man Jack, I didn't even get his name. Isabelle left me when Davis entered the class. That was a relief. Isabelle and Davis kept hugging each other, his hands resting on her hips. He used to hold me that way once upon a time.I didn't make any eye contact with him. It was enough that I was going through emotional damage. Touching a healing scar would make it bleed.I tried not to think about Davis and his new girlfriend, they were the talk of the school and I am painted as the loser. I took my music book from my locker."Bitch!" I was startled by Clara's taunting voice. "Why did you do that? You scared me, Clara. I didn't see you in economics class. Where were you?""I promised that we would see the movies today. I had to make preparations. I don't want you dragging your... ""D, you sound great. I love the way you are holding up.""Clara, don't change the topic. Why weren't yo
Danielle's POV "D, what did you do?" Clara retorted. My hands trembled, my thoughts crumbled. I collected the strip from her and read it through, perhaps she was mistaken. "Clara, it is probably fake. I just have the flu. It's…probably…just..it has to be the flu or malaria or fever or something. I can't be pregnant!" Clara sat on the bed as I patrolled my room. Remembering the handsome figure I had slept with and also losing my scholarship…I already thought I was done with that and I have put it behind me. "What did you do that I didn't know about D?" I've never heard Clara speak so softly. She clapped her hand on my shoulders facing me. " There's no other way around it D, wake up! What did you do?" I sat down and looked at Clara with worry written all over my face. She wasn't as furious as I expected her to be. I was scared. One. Two. I breathed deep and resisted the urge to…to…Christ, I was running insane. I have destroyed my life, what is left? Nothing. "Danielle. Calm down.