The Story Of Daniel

/t w e n t y - f o u r/

Chapter 24

Three Years Before

Any movie, book, television series, play, or musical about high school, there's always a socially awkward nerd that somehow, against all odds, gets an invitation to a party.

Daniel was that person.

He spent his Friday nights studying, doing homework, or reading a good book. If he ever went out of the house, it was because Amelia dragged him to a movie or something. But one of Austin's friend's friends was throwing a party and Austin had invited Daniel and Amelia. Daniel, to say the least, wasn't looking forward to it and Amelia literally had to drag him out of his house. But it was all worth it in the end, because that party changed Daniel's life.

That was the night he met Sarah Smith.

Daniel was standing in the corner of the living room with a red plastic cup in his hand, but he didn't drink from it. The last thing he needed right then was alcohol. But Amelia had guzzled down her own drink and was out dancing with some stranger. Over the last few months she had become quite the social butterfly. Right when Daniel was about to suggest they leave, someone walked up to him. It was a girl that he knew from school, her name was Sarah Smith.

"Are you just going to stand there?" she asked. Her honey-blonde hair was swept over one shoulder and her dazzling brown eyes showed that she, like Daniel, had not consumed any alcohol that night.

"Basically," he said. "I just came her for a friend." Sarah leaned against the wall beside Daniel.

"Me too," she said. "But they ditched me. Who did you come here with?"

"Amelia." He pointed to Amelia who was having the time of her life on the dance floor. "What about you?"

When Daniel told her he came with Amelia she seemed...relieved. "My cousin, Casey," she said. It was silent for a moment before Sarah asked, "Are you and Amelia dating or something? I mean you two are always together and-"

"No," Daniel interjected. "She's my best friend." He barely had enough time to say those words before Sarah did something that Daniel never thought she would ever do. She kissed him. Right there in the living room of some stranger's house.

It was the beginning of something special. And soon after that, Daniel had his very first girlfriend. Suddenly, parties weren't so bad anymore.

Now

Daniel woke up from his sleep, worried. Amelia had jumped out of his window yesterday. He got up so he could go talk to his parents about what to do next. On his way out the door, something caught his eye. He spun around and walked back into the room. What he had seen was his wall, but it didn't look the same as it did yesterday. There were pictures tacked to it. They were all dated. But some of them had dates from the future on them. Today was June first, but the pictures on his wall were dated from every day in June except the first. Most of them showed Daniel in random places; at the beach, in a forest, at the Grand Canyon- wait what? Daniel had never been to the Grand Canyon. But the picture said otherwise, and it definitely did not look photo shopped. Another picture, dated June second, showed Daniel, Amelia, and some girl Daniel didn't know. He heard a creak as someone slowly pushed open his bedroom door and his parents walked in. "What... what is this?" he looked at the wall with the pictures on it

"Daniel, we have something we need to tell you," his mother sat down on the edge of the bed and patted the seat next to her. After Daniel sat down, she dove right in. She told him everything.