When Daisy's Fall

Chapter 16

By the time I got out of that water my body started to feel exhausted and weak. I'm sure if I walked back to the school Benji and Leo would have already left, there was no way to get a ride. So I took the long way home.

The sun was barely setting and what little heat from that day dried some of my clothes. I mean, my socks and pants were still soaked and it was probably not a good idea to go commando.

I found myself just wondering around town like a lost dog, wet tossed around hair and my school bag on my back. I took my headphones out to ignore the world passing by. Most of the songs I listened to were deep and dark or depressing.... some hip hop. The first song was Fade into You by Mazzy Star. I had no idea I had that on there, and out of four hundred and sixty songs this was one to play. It held a lot of significance since this was the song I first danced to with Daisy, it was also the first time we ever kissed and the last.

It was for homecoming. Daisy hated school dances so she decided to stay home and I really wanted to ask her to come but she said no so many times I got tired of hearing the word. And Leo, well he asked a girl the same day they announced the dance, assuming we all were going as a group.

I didn't want her to miss the dance or let alone stay home bored as hell while everyone else was having fun. So, I concocted a plan. It was basically me standing outside her house playing music until she came outside to see me. Closing my eyes I went back to that day, that memory. Hearing Benji talk me through the plan. The music in my head.

"Are you nervous?" he asked me while turning into her street.

"Me? Nervous? Absolutely." I let out a breath of air looking down to fix my tuxedo bow. I had the suit on standby from one of my piano concerts. I was as nervous as I was to play in front of a hundred plus people.

I was standing outside her house and she when she came outside she looked extremely pissed.

"Zac! What do you think you're doing here?" she glanced behind me to Benji who was sitting in the car. "What's your brother doing here?"

"I came to ask you to dance." I held out my hand but she turned away to walk back inside her house. However, Hope locked the front door so she wouldn't. She had no choice but to walk back my way.

My hand was still out and she grabbed it. Then the music started playing as we swayed.

"You know I hate dances, right?" she was trying not to look up at me but my eyes were watching her face and our hands together.

"I know, so don't think of this as a dance. Think of it as two friends, dancing together to a song."

"A slow song" she added, finally looking up at me.

"You look nice..."

"I'm wearing bunny pajamas while you're dressed like a penguin."

I laughed resting my head on top hers.

"You know this doesn't change anything between us...right?"

I raised my head as she pulled away from me.

"Close your eyes." she said and I closed them.

The next thing I felt was her hands on my face, then her lips pressed against mines. And I lost what little sense I had in that moment. But I didn't kiss her back, I think I froze actually.

I ended up opening my eyes when I heard the sound of her front door close.

Wait what just happened?

I stood there standing like an idiot until Benji peeped his horn to get my attention. The night ended up with me fist pumping into the air.

That night was great but by the next week she started acting strange towards me, I guess it was because I didn't kiss her back. Or at least that was what I believed back then, now I'm thinking whatever was bothering her started happening.

I made my way home only to discover my mom patiently waiting for me. It wasn't even dark out so it's not like I missed a curfew or anything.

"What's up?" I tossed my bag onto the countertop.

"I'm sorry, I'm so sorry.." she started "All I ever wanted for you and your brother was to be accepted in the world. Accepted for something great.... recognized. I never thought about you having dreams of your own. "

"It's, fine mom. I know you just wanted what was best for us."

She smiled "I told your brother to take the acceptance."

"Really?" I curved my mouth smiling ear to ear.

She nodded her head taking both my hands in hers. "I heard about Raine, what I did, it wasn't right. Truth is when I was younger her mother used to torment me daily."

"So you decided to hate her for the bad things her mother did."

"I didn't hate her, I just...want that she was the same as her mother. The first time I saw you two together, I took one look at her and all I could see was her mother. Even after knowing what she did I never wanted you too together."

"What did she do?"

"I heard she was cheating on her husband with David then she got pregnant. Making Raine his actual daughter. Then again it's just neighborly gossip."

What if she found out the truth and that's why she called her father in Cali?

David was a drunk who had both his step- daughter and blood child cleaning up after him. That's if Raine was actually his daughter.

"Do you know where Mrs. Sullivan worked before?"

"Of course, she was your fathers assistant."

Mmmm it seems like dad had a thing for letting the Sullivan's working for him.

Which leaves me to wonder, did Raine find out David was her actual father and hated him for destroying her parents' marriage or did my dad have some plot to play. Mrs. Sullivan seemed to pass on her secrets to Raine that's sucky.

"Did dad ever mention anything...I mean if they were close."

she stared into nothing for a moment before answering "Even though I didn't like her, he didn't fire her, more less replace...one night she called the house saying she was quitting, didn't say why."

Strange.