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

VII.

“Vic. Vic. Vic man, you gotta get up.” Vic is shaken out of his sleep by Oli’s urgent voice.
 
“What’s wrong man,” Vic asks, his voice croaky with sleep. Danielle’s sleeping form shifts slightly and she whimpers quietly in her sleep, her grip on Vic tightening.
 
“Cops, I’m trying to get you lot out of trouble.” Vic’s eyes widen, and he shakes Danielle gently. Oli smirks and punches his shoulder, seeing Vic’s shirtless form and Danielle wearing his shirt. Vic rolls his eyes and continues waking Danielle.
 
“What is it?” she asks, her eyes fluttering. Her half-lidded eyes stare up at him, and he smiles at the sight; she looks like a sleepy kitten in his eyes, and he quite frankly thinks she’s adorable.
 
“We’ve gotta go Danielle, the cops are coming,” he says, remembering the urgency of the situation at hand. Her eyes widen, and she’s suddenly a lot more alert.
 
“Oh no, I can’t get arrested Vic, my dad will kill me,” she says, panicking. Her voice climbs up in octave, and she starts shaking. Vic gently takes her hands, pulling her into him.
 
“Danielle, you won’t get caught, I promise. We’ve gotta go if you want me to keep that promise though,” he says, and she slows her breathing, nodding against his chest. They make their way out of the room, hand in hand. Teenagers are running around, disposing of alcohol and trying to get their intoxicated friends out of the house. Before long, the sounds of police sirens reach their ears, and Vic is pulling Danielle towards the car, sprinting not to get caught. Somehow, they miraculously make it in time, a sober Bethany in the driver’s seat.
 
Vic does a quick head count, making sure everyone made it. Jaime and Mike are laughing loudly and slurring, leaning all over each other in the backseat. Vic hopes to God that they won’t get pulled over, considering they’re both underage. Jess is attempting to buckle Jaime’s seatbelt, which is tough considering he’s sitting on it and keeps telling Jess “not to touch the booty.” Bethany is driving, and Danielle is sitting in the passenger seat, still wearing his shirt.
 
“Fine, if we get in an accident and you die, it’s on you,” says Jess, throwing her hands in the air and sitting heavily back in her seat. There’s no hope of strapping a seatbelt over Jaime’s incompetent lap.
 
“I won’t kill you, believe it or not,” says Bethany, eliciting a laugh from Danielle. They pull up in the Preciado’s driveway, helping the stumbling Jaime and Mike out of the car.
 
“These dumbasses need to learn how to take their alcohol,” Vic says, hoisting a stumbling Mike into Jaime’s room with him. “Come on Mikey, bedtime,” he says, gently pushing him onto the bed and making him comfortable.
 
“Goodnight Vickyyyy,” says Mike, slurring and giggling like a small child. Vic rolls his eyes and closes the door, rubbing his face with one hand. Danielle looks awkwardly at the ground, trying to hide the blush rapidly spreading from her cheeks outward. She’s not sure how to act around Vic considering what had gone on between them. Before they can try to maneuver around the situation, a smug-looking Bethany tugs on Danielle’s arm, leading her into her bedroom.
 
“That’s not your shirt, missy,” she says, smirking knowingly at Jess, who had been waiting for them in the room. Danielle blushes again, playing with her fingers in her lap.
 
“Yeah, um… Vic lent me his since mine was kind of uncomfortable lying down and all,” says Danielle. “Oh no, I left your shirt at the party Bethany! I’m so sorry, we left in such a hurry and it completely slipped my mind.” Bethany waves her hand dismissively.
 
“You’re fine; I never wear that shirt anyway. You looked better in it, believe me,” she says, winking. “I mean, Vic was all over you.”
 
“What was that about lying down?” asks Jess, quirking an eyebrow.
 
“Oh yeah… that,” says Danielle, smiling at the memory of her and Vic’s stolen moment. “I was kind of uncomfortable because parties aren’t really my thing, you know? So Vic and I found an open room. And at first we were just talking and sitting down, but then…”
 
“Then what?” ask the two girls in unison. They’re leaning forward, enraptured in Danielle’s retelling.
 
“He kissed me,” she says in a small voice, blushing and smiling. Bethany and Jess squeal simultaneously, grabbing her arm in excitement.
 
“I totally called it,” boasta Bethany, smiling smugly. “We need details Danielle, all the dirty parts!”
 
“It didn’t go any further than that,” Danielle says defensively. “We were sitting on the floor and he kissed me, and we kind of separated, then he picked me up and threw me on the bed. And we kissed again, like really kissed. And it almost went farther, but I stopped him.”
 
“You stopped him? Why?” says Bethany, jaw dropping.
 
“Because I don’t want him to regret it! And I really don’t want my first time to be at a party… I want it to be with someone I love and trust; someone who will respect me and really treasures what we have. Vic and I aren’t even together, I don’t think,” says Danielle, the words spilling from her lips at a rapid rate.
 
Jess nods in agreement. “Yeah, that’s how I want mine to be too. But for the record, I seriously doubt Vic would regret having sex with you. He talks about you all the time.”
 
“Really?” Danielle’s face brightens at the concept.
 
“Oh yeah,” says Bethany, “my brother thought you two were already dating for fuck’s sake. He’s made it very clear that you’re off-limits. They all think you’re hot.” Danielle feels blood rushing to her face once again.
 
“Well if you two are as tired as I am, I suggest pajamas and movies.” Jess has already slipped her shirt over her head, swiftly tugging a loose tank top over her head in its place. The other two give a murmur of consent, changing into their pajamas and snuggling close in Bethany’s queen-sized bed.
 
“Danielle, do you like Disney movies?” asks Jess, and Danielle nods.
 
“Of course.”
 
“Have you seen Frozen yet?” asks Bethany, her eyes lighting up. Danielle shakes her head, and Bethany and Jess gasp in unison, giving her the same disbelieving look.
 
“Oh girl, you are missing out!” says Bethany, inserting the DVD into the player mounted underneath the television. Somehow, the three girls manage to stay awake through the entire movie, and soon enough, Danielle is singing along to the Disney songs with Jess and Bethany.
 
“That was adorable!” says Danielle, smiling wide.
 
“Quality film, right there,” says Jess. “What time is it, B?”
 
“Shit. It’s two in the morning,” says Bethany, and they girls share an unspoken agreement that sleep is probably the best idea at the moment. They all drift off around the same time, ending up in a three-way spoon. Small Bethany is in the middle, and Jess is the big spoon, leaving Danielle to be the little spoon, facing towards the bedroom door.
 
The guys had fallen asleep right away, courtesy of the alcohol they consumed, and their unwillingness to sleep less than six hours. So naturally, they wake up at a reasonable hour. Jaime is seemingly unaffected by the mass amount of alcohol in his system from the previous night, Vic is a naturally early riser, and Tony and Mike are woken by Jaime’s antics.
 
“Can we scare the girls? Pleeeease?” asks Jaime, a devious glint in his eyes. They all agree, and advance into Bethany’s bedroom, a quickly formulated plan falling into place. Jaime positions himself in the doorway, Vic beside him. Mike and Tony are behind them, holding air horns from God knows where.
 
Vic takes a moment to admire Danielle’s peaceful sleeping form. She’s facing the door, Bethany’s arm hooked around her waist. Her mouth is slightly open, her breath stirring the strands of hair that had fallen over her shoulder whilst she was asleep. The curve of her legs under the blanket show a slight curve, accommodating Bethany’s also bent legs. One of her arms is crooked under her head, supporting her neck on the flat pillow. The other is laying limp on the comforter in front of her, and to Vic, she has never looked more beautiful. The sunlight streaming through the slit blinds surrounds her figure in a golden glow, creating the appearance that an angel has fallen to Earth. Vic’s observations are cut short by Mike’s quiet countdown.
 
“Three… two… one!” Mike and Tony simultaneously blast their air horns, and Vic and Jaime launch themselves onto the bed, sprawling atop the three girls. Bethany reaches out to instinctively hit the closest thing to her, which happens to be Jaime’s crotch area.
 
“Oh fuck,” Jaime chokes out, his voice pitched higher than normal.
 
“I’m not even the least bit sorry,” Bethany says, groaning and sitting up tiredly. Her short hair is in wild disarray, sticking up in all directions. Danielle lets out a quiet scream, almost falling off of the bed in her fright. Vic hooks an arm around her waist, pulling her back up so her face is in close proximity to his.
 
“Careful,” he murmurs, smirking and sneaking a quick kiss on her lips. She’s half surprised, half ecstatic; she expected him to regret or even forget what happened last night.
 
“Jaime, get your ghetto booty out of my face!” Jess shrieks, pushing Jaime off of the bed.
 
“Of course, I’m the one that gets pushed off,” Jaime’s muffled voice says from the floor. Vic stands up, scooping Danielle into his arms.
 
“Come on missy, you’re helping me with breakfast.” Danielle giggles as he sprints to the kitchen with her, setting her on the counter. He stands between her legs, leaning in and kissing her deeply before everyone else walks in.
 
“I missed you last night,” he whispers, lips still brushing hers. Her breathing shallows, and he trails his fingers gently across her cheek before stepping away and getting various dishes out. Danielle simply stares at him, trying to fathom why her skin feels aflame where he touched her; why her stomach feels as if it’s filled with tiny dancers.