This Love Was Out of Control - (v.f.)

III.

Vic Fuentes: I think since you ditched Chemistry for me, I should get your number(;
Danielle Holloway: Uh huh, nice try Fuentes.
Vic Fuentes: Ooh, using the last name now are we? Cold, Holloway. 
Danielle Holloway: Haha. 
Vic Fuentes: Hey, how about going out again tomorrow?
Danielle Holloway: Vic, I can’t ditch class again, let alone the SAME one.
Vic Fuentes: Who says you’re “ditching”? It’s easy: “Hey Mr. What’s-Your-Face, I don’t feel so well, can I go to the clinic?” “Oh sure thing Misses Holloway, feel better!” 
Danielle Holloway: I don’t know Vic…
Vic Fuentes: Come ooooooooon pwease?
Danielle Holloway: Keep typing like that, see if I’ll go with you tomorrow
Vic Fuentes: Sassy…
Danielle Holloway: Goodnight Vic.
Vic Fuentes: Goodnight Danielle(:
 
Danielle shuts her laptop with a click, smiling to herself. Since she came from school, her and Vic have been messaging on Facebook. Despite her previous mindset on Vic, she finds herself constantly thinking about him; his laugh, his smile, his voice… everything she does somehow links back to him, and they’ve only gone out once.
 
Maybe it’s his complete disregard for rules; something she’s never been exposed to before. Maybe it’s his persistence in chasing her; another thing she’s never experienced before. But maybe it’s simply the way he looks at her when he thinks she can’t see him; like she’s a precious gem, something to be treasured forever.
 
What is this boy doing to me?
 
She shakes her head, trying to calm her thoughts before going to bed. When she finally falls asleep, her dreams are filled with flashbacks of her date with Vic.
 
A shrill sing-song voice sings Danielle’s name in the hallway the next morning. She turns around to see Bethany Preciado practically sprinting towards her. Danielle stops momentarily to allow Bethany to catch up with her. They start walking in step to the front of the school, where they eat lunch.
 
“Danielle, why didn’t you tell me that you ditched Chemistry to go on a date with Vic!” she says, squealing. Danielle cringes at her shrill tone of voice, nudging Bethany in the side with her elbow.
 
“Do me a favor and take it down a notch or five? Anyway, yes, I did but it was a one-time thing,” says Danielle.
 
“Sure,” says Bethany, winking suggestively. Danielle rolls her eyes and pushes the doors of the school open, enjoying the feeling of the California sun shining on her face. She walks towards the group of girls she usually sits with, until Bethany tugs on her sleeve.
 
“Um I might be wrong, but I think Vic Fuentes is trying to get you to sit with him. Oh god, he’s walking over here, Danielle he’s walking over here!” Danielle glances over, and Bethany is right. Vic is strolling over to where they are, his signature smirk on his lips.
 
Danielle turns back to her friends, deliberating.
 
“Danielle, come sit down!” says Gwen, one of the girls. They are a group of the so-called popular girls at her school, but she doesn’t consider them true friends. Bethany is the only one she keeps close, and even that stretches her relationship with them thin. Danielle isn’t even sure why she hangs around them; maybe it’s just because they give her a place to sit in the war zone that is lunch.
 
“Danielle what are you doing?” The whiny voice of Vanessa Smith turns Danielle’s attention back to the group of expectant girls. Vanessa Smith is the leader of the girls, and she has a reputation for being ruthless and two-faced. Danielle hasn’t dared to get on her bad side yet.
 
“Hey Danielle, what’s up?” Vic says, smirking at her and gently taking her books out of her hands. A flurry of whispers breaks out behind her as Vanessa and the others speculate about what’s going on between Danielle and Vic.
 
“Uh hi,” she says shyly, tilting her head down to hide her blush.
 
“What are you doing with Fuentes?” asks Vanessa, spitting the name like its poison. Danielle tenses up uneasily, unsure of how to react.
 
“Staying away from a skank like you,” says Vic, snorting at Vanessa. She gasps and stands up, her posse standing up behind her protectively.
 
“Um,” says Danielle quietly, but neither one of them hears her. Vic walks a few steps closer to Vanessa, making no attempt to hide his disgust.
 
“What did you just say to me?” she says, poison laced in her voice. Vic takes another step forward, his smirk growing.
 
“I said she was staying away from a skank like you.”
 
“Well better to hang out with a skank than fuck-ups like you and your brother,” she says, a smirk of her own making an appearance. Vic’s face contorts to one of anger, and he starts yelling.
 
“Don’t fucking talk about my family like that! You fucking—“
 
“Vic, let’s go.” Danielle interrupts their fight, speaking up firmly and grasping the sleeve of his hoodie. He shakes her off without sparing her a glance, jabbing his finger at Vanessa.
 
“Insulting me is one thing, it doesn’t matter to me what you think, you fucking slut. But insulting my brother is a whole other story you dumb fuck!” A crowd of people has gathered around them, watching the scene unfold.
 
“I’m only speaking the truth, Fuentes,” says Vanessa, and her posse behind her giggles dutifully. “Don’t you think, Danielle?”
 
Danielle freezes, her eyes widening. She wants nothing to do with this conversation, yet Vanessa is drawing her in. She’s scared to set Vanessa off, but when she sees the anger and hurt etched on Vic’s face, she knows who’s side she wants to take.
 
“Leave him alone,” she says quietly.
 
“I can’t hear you Danielle, speak up,” says Vanessa, sighing and rolling her eyes.
 
“I said, leave him alone,” she says, loudly and defiantly. With a sudden burst of courage, she takes Vic’s hand on hers and leads him away, pausing for a moment so he can pick up her books.
 
“That goddamn slut, I should fucking ruin her. I can’t believe that—“
 
“Vic.” Danielle stops him, grasping his shoulders. She’s surprised to find his dark brown eyes glistening, his lower lip trembling with not only anger, but hurt as well. She cups his face in her hands, staring into his eyes.
 
“Don’t listen to her. You know she only said that to get to you. Vanessa Smith’s opinion means absolutely nothing, okay? If it’s any consolation, I think you’re…” she trails off as Vic’s hands wrap around her waist, and buries his face in her neck. No one has ever comforted him like that; he’s never been able to calm down from being angry that quickly before.
 
“Thank you,” he whispers, squeezing her waist tightly. She snakes her arms around his neck, pulling him closer.
 
They don’t realize that their friends are all sitting underneath a tree nearby, waiting for the two of them. They’ve seen the whole thing unfold, and Mike whistles lowly.
 
“Damn. Vic has never calmed down that fast…” He tilts his head to the side, observing the way Vic holds onto her for dear life. He sees the way Danielle is holding him too, like he’s the anchor holding her feet to the ground. They don’t see it yet, but Mike sees how much they need each other.
 
“Is it just me or is Vic… different around her?” says Jaime, turning to Mike. “Like, he’s not as, I don’t know, defensive I guess?”
 
Mike nods slowly. “I know exactly what you mean.” Their conversation is cut short when Vic and Danielle approach them, loosely holding hands.
 
“Some shit went down there dude,” said Jaime, shaking his head and whistling.
 
“Jaime, could you sound any more like a delinquent?” said Bethany, sitting down beside her brother. He flicks the side of her head, snatching it away before she can bite him.
 
“Yeah, I could actually,” he says, proceeding to talk in gibberish.
 
“Jaime what the fuck are you doing?” They all look up to see one of their friends standing over them. Danielle recognizes him as Tony Perry, a guy in her computer class.
 
“Hey Tony! You haven’t met Danielle right? This is Danielle Holloway,” says Mike, introducing the two to each other. They nod and smile at each other, before Tony turns to Bethany, smiling.
 
“Hey Bethany,” he says quietly. Bethany sends a quick smile his way before resuming her heated discussion with Mike about Harry Potter.
 
“What do you say we ditch lunch and go somewhere now? I can get Mike to write a fake early release pass for both of us, he’s an office TA,” Vic whispers in Danielle’s ear.
 
“Vic, I can’t just leave school like I did yesterday,” she says hesitantly. Vic starts playing with her fingers, talking quietly so the others won’t hear.
 
“Please Dani?” he asks, and Danielle visibly tenses up, snatching her hand from his grip. Tears sting in her eyes, and Vic looks at her with a look of confusion.
 
“Don’t call me that,” she says quietly. Right as she finishes speaking, the bell rings, and she picks her books of off the ground. Vic stands, but makes no move to follow her as she walks inside of the school building.
 
“What was that all about?” asks Jaime, standing beside Vic. He shrugs, keeping his eyes trained on the spot where she disappeared into the crowd of high-school students.
 
Danielle walks fast, with her head down to her next class, fighting to keep tears from falling down her cheeks. She knows that it was inconsiderate to leave Vic like that without an explanation, but it was too much for her to handle.
 
Garrett was the only one who had ever called her that.