The Neighbor

Chapter 20: Dates

Lani and I did many fun things during our trip to California but I couldn't enjoy any of it.  All I could think about was my father. What had he been doing all this time? How did he become so successful? Why hadn't he come back for me?
Before I knew it Lani and I were standing in the crowd watching Brendan's last concert. I wasn't neccsecarily excited to go back to my mom but it would be nice to be in the familiar setting of Hawaii.
Brendan closed his concert with my favorite song and then we met him back in his limo.
"Excited to go home girls?" he asked us.
"Yeah, "Lani said, "I miss my grandma."
The plane ride home was as terrible as the way there. I was relieved to finally be back on solid ground.
An hour later the limo dropped me off in front of my house where all the lights were off. I sighed with relief and quietly snuck up to my room. I plopped down onto my bed and fell asleep instantly.
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The next day I expected a normal day at school. I was wrong. When Lani and I entered the school it was completely pink. The once blue walls were covered in pink posters. The lockers were splayed with pink ribbons. The hallway was filled with pink rose petals.
"What happened?" I asked.
Lani looked at one of the posters and said, "A school dance."
I looked over at the poster. It read:
                            SCHOOL DANCE
                               May 2nd
                      There will be food and pop
    (We know that's all you care about Jace)
                          Must have a date
"You should ask Kahoni to go with you, "Lani said.
"What? No. He has a girlfriend, "I said.
"Oh come on, "she said, "you know he'd rather go with you."
"Yeah well he can't, "I said.
"Why not? Because of Savannah?" she said, "You can't be afraid her forever."
"You wouldn't understand, "I said.
"Why? Does this have to do with that big secret you have with Savannah? Oh wait that doesn't exist because you don't like Savannah, "she said, "at least I thought you didn't."
"I'm sorry Lani, "I said, "I have to go to English." I ran down the hallway, past all the stares. I couldn't tell Lani that Savannah knew all my secrets. If I did Savannah might tell the whole school my secrets. But if I didn't I might lose my best friend.
Lani called after me but I didn't dare look back.
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"Ok I know your kind of mad at me for suggesting you go to the dance with Kahoni but can we just gossip for a second?" Lani asked as we walked home from school.
"What's with you and gossiping?"I asked.
"It's my favorite past time, "she said.
"All right so what's new?"I asked.
"OK so I finally found out who's going with who to the dance, "she said, "Jacobie is going with Crystal--"
"Who didn't see that coming, "I said.
"Jace is going with Abbie, "she said.
"May God bless her soul, "I said.
"And Savannah and Kahoni, "she said.
Well that hit home. Savannah and Kahoni. I didn't want to ask him to the dance, I wasn't even sure that I would have said yes if he had asked. But even that small possibility that he might ask me to go with him had shone a little light in the darkness that was my life. But he asked Savannah instead me, extinguishing that little light and leaving me in complete darkness.
"Are you okay?" Lani asked.
"Yeah, it's not like I expected him to ask me,  "I said, "he has a girlfriend."
"Just because you keep saying that doesn't mean the pain of it will go away, "she said.
"I have to go, "I said.
"There you go again, "she said, "the second a topic you don't like comes up you leave."
"I do not!"I shouted, "And even if I did it's not your job to change me."
"I didn't say I wanted to change you, "she said calmly.
I didn't say anything more, I just turned and walked away. I shouldn't have done it. I should have stayed and talked to her rationally. But instead I stormed away, because I didn't want to hear the truth. I just wanted to keep walking.
When I entered my house I went straight to my room. I did all my homework and then started working on my sets for Fashion Freak. I expected to be alone all the night, but I got an unpleasant surprise.
My mom walked right into my room without knocking. "What's that?" she asked.
"Just some drawings, "I said.
"They look like clothes, "she said.
"That's what I was going for, "I said.
"I got a call from an interesting man named Tobias Tork. He asked if you had finished your sets. Care to explain?" she said.
"Well it's actually kind of amazing, "I said, "you see in California this man asked me if I wanted to design the sets for next weeks edition of Fashion Freak and you know I'm not going to turn that down."
"No, "she said.
"What do you mean?"I asked.
"No, I won't allow you to send in those sets, "she said.
"What? No, please mother this is my dream!" I shouted.
"That is exactly why I'm not allowing this, "she said.
"What?" I asked, tears welling in my eyes.
"If you send in those sets you'll think you actually have a chance to be a fashion designer, "she said, as if she were talking to a five year old, "when in fact you are not good enough."
"If I wasn't good enough Mr. Tork wouldn't want my sets in his magazine, "I said, getting angry.
"Danny, your not smart, "she said, "you will never leave this house. You will stay in Hawaii forever and live with me. You can't be a fashion designer, your simply too idiotic." And with that she left.
Immediately I climbed out the window and fell to the ground almost silently. The moon shone bright in the clear sky. I couldn't go to Lani, not after our fight. I began to walk to Brendan's house.
Everything around me seemed a blur. I walked as if in a trance. My mother's words echoed in my head. You'll never leave this house. You'll stay in Hawaii forever. You can't  be a fashion designer, your too idiotic.
Before I knew it I was knocking on Brendan's door. He opened it slowly and he looked tired.
"I'm sorry if I woke you. I know it's late but I need to talk to someone and Lani and I.."
"It's fine, "Brendan said, "come in. Your always welcome here."
I sat down on his couch and he sat next to me. "What's up?" he asked.
I completely broke down, right on his couch. In his silent living room, I sobbed like never before. I told him what had happened and he listened. When I finished he sat silently as I wiped the tears from my face.
I looked up into his eyes. They showed concern and love. Something I hadn't seen in a long time, except for a few brief seconds, through a bill board. Tell him about your dad, I thought, he cares, he wants to know.
"Danny?" Brendan said suddenly.
"Yeah, "I whispered.
He looked straight into my eyes, straight into my soul. Slowly he said, "Your mother was wrong. You have the potential to be anything you want."
I felt a tear fall down my face. He wrapped his arms around me and I cried into his shoulder. I cried until I drifted off someplace warm and happy. I left the earth and began to enjoy the comfort of the world of sleep.

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Hey guys sorry it's taking me so long to update. I have a lot going on and our school doesn't have any days off in March!! (weekends excluded) I'm glad you guys are liking it and I'll try to find time to update some more. I love you guys!! :-)
~Hermione